《Path to the Apocalypse》


 Space: 1 - Into the Maze

    Chris yawned as he sat through his high school graduation ceremony, just waiting for it to be over. Why was everyone so obsessed with these meaningless events full of pretentious speeches and a brief moment on stage after your name was called? Wasn''t the monotony of sitting through eight hours of classes five days a week for over a decade enough? Why add an extra couple hours on top where you didn''t even learn anything?!? Chris would never get people. As the principal launched into a second speech, closing out the ceremony, Chris began to nod off, until his friend Derek nudged him with his elbow, letting him know it was time to stand and file out, which had to be done in a specific order for no known reason.


    "Ugh, finally." Chris grunted as they finally made it out, spreading his arms wide as he stretched. "I was beginning to think they''d never let us leave."


    "But it''s finally over! We''re free! We can do whatever we want!" Derek announced, throwing an arm around Chris''s shoulder. "We can hit the bars, find you a girl, or three-"


    "Dude, no." Chris stated flatly, shaking his head. "I just want to relax tonight, alright? You, me, Penny, Thad, that''s it."


    Derek frowned. "Are you sure? You only have a week until¡­"


    "I''m sure." Chris nodded. "I''m not going to suddenly turn into a different person just because of the Trial."


    "But-" Derek began.


    "Hey, you said we can do whatever we want, right?" Chris interjected. "This is what I want."


    Derek grimaced. "Ugh, fine. Let''s find the other two then."


    They looked around a bit, until they saw a girl waving at them through the crowd. "There you guys are!" Penny exclaimed as she rushed up to them. "So, what are we doing tonight? I just got my fake ID, so-"


    "Chris already vetoed that." Derek sighed. "He wants a quiet night, just the four of us."


    Penny turned to frown at Chris. "Chris, quiet nights are not the appropriate way to spend your pre-Trial week! You have to live! Do you really want to go through the Trial regretting everything you didn''t do?"


    "No, but do you really think I''m going to regret missing out on getting drunk and acting like an idiot?" Chris retorted, raising an eyebrow.


    Penny grimaced before sighing and shaking her head. "Why can''t you just be normal for a change."


    "Would he really be Chris if he was?" Another voice chimed in as Thad walked over from the same direction Penny had come from. "Let me guess. You want to spend the week training and hanging out."


    "That would be nice." Chris nodded. "I will take a break the day before the Trial, though. I should be in peak condition when I go in."


    "As if it''ll change anything." Penny grumbled bitterly.


    "Hey, no sense in just rolling over and taking it, right?" Chris shrugged. "My chances may be low, but if I don''t even try, then I won''t even have low chances. I''ll just die. I''ll be facing the lowest of the low, so they aren''t that much more powerful than I am and if I play my cards right¡­ Who knows? Maybe I''ll get lucky and run into a benevolent high-tier."


    "If you can find a place to hide, maybe I can find you and-" Derek began.


    "Dude, no. You need to focus on yourself in there." Chris interjected, shaking his head. "You''re a mid-tier. You don''t have the leeway to worry about me."


    "You just said we''re facing the lowest of the low!" Derek retorted.


    "Yeah, which means if I''m really careful, I might get lucky. If you''re careless, you could be unlucky. This is the Maze we''re talking about. If you don''t take it seriously, you''re screwed." Chris countered.


    "But-" Derek began.


    "Derek, he''s right." Thad interrupted him. "Don''t underestimate the Maze. I don''t want to lose two friends."


    The group fell silent at that, a heavy mood weighing down on all of them. Or, at least, everyone except Chris. He''d accepted his condition years ago, and this was just the final stage. He wasn''t about to suddenly make a big deal over something he''d always known was coming. You see, Chris lived in the City, the last stronghold of humanity, hidden deep underground, far away from the rest of the world. Above the City existed the Maze, a labyrinth of tunnels weaving their way to the surface, full of creatures that would attack any human on sight. The Maze protected the City by naturally filtering the creatures, the strong rising towards the surface for better conditions, while the weak retreated to the lower levels for safety. Humanity could then venture into the Maze for resources and hunt the weaker creatures for food. In general, those with low-tier abilities could hunt on the first four levels, mid-tier on the next four, then high, superior, and finally omega, before reaching the surface.


    However, as time passed, a problem began to arise. Humanity was becoming weak. Even superior-tier abilities were unheard of nowadays, let alone omega-tier. Almost half the Maze was completely unreachable by humanity. Even the high-tier levels were too dangerous to safely explore, the death rate skyrocketing as the high-tiers were forced to face the creatures of the Maze on even ground, without any superior-tiers to back them up. Finally, humanity decided to make a change, and the City started the Trial. Once a year, every eighteen year old would be sent into the lowest level of the Maze and left to struggle all alone, for an entire month. If they survived, they proved their genes were worth passing on, while if they didn''t¡­ It was a necessary sacrifice.


    At first, the public outcry was fierce, entire sections of the City boycotting the Trial, refusing to send their children into the Maze. However, the protest fell flat when the Trial actually worked. More and more high-tiers began to be born, some even brushing the edge of superior-tier! With a heavy, but determined heart, the Trial was accepted City wide, everyone willingly sending their teenagers into the Maze to test their ability. In a week, Chris and Derek would be those teenagers, venturing into the Maze to struggle for an entire month, to prove that their ability was good enough to be passed down. There was only one problem. Chris didn''t even have an ability.


    Chris knew he was going to die. He''d accepted it. The amount of luck he''d need to survive an entire month in the Maze without an ability was insurmountable. He''d pretend otherwise for his friends, so they wouldn''t worry about him, but he knew his fate. Over the next week, he''d spend all the time he reasonably could making sure his friends knew he cared about them, making sure their last memories of him were good ones, not ones of some crazed degenerate doing everything he could to wring every last drop of life out of his little remaining time. Not that he was particularly interested in doing something like that anyway. He''d never quite gotten the allure of ''partying''. Then he''d enter the Maze, and then he''d die.


    *


    The week passed, Chris spending almost every waking moment with his friends, as if they were somehow trying to make up for lost time. They even managed to convince Chris to go to a party, which Chris regretted the moment they arrived, more than happy to leave after only an hour. Who would actually enjoy something like that? Still, as it inevitably did, time passed, and it was finally time for Chris and Derek to enter the Maze. They bid goodbye to Penny and Thad, before traveling to the first floor of the City and joining the rest of the eighteen year olds in a large lobby, waiting for their names to be called.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Are you ready?" Derek asked, glancing at Chris nervously.


    "Would it really matter if I wasn''t?" Chris replied, raising an eyebrow. "It''s too late to change anything."


    Derek nodded slightly, before turning to focus on Chris. "What''s your plan for when you get in there?"


    "Hide as much as possible, only fight if there''s no other option, and hope I get really, really lucky." Chris shrugged. "What else can I do?"


    "Just- stay safe, alright? I''ll- I''ll find you, and-" Derek replied, before Chris cut him off.


    "Derek, we''ve been over this! Do not focus on trying to find me!" Chris demanded. "The Maze is too big and too dangerous to risk your life on the slim chance we end up near each other!"


    Derek''s expression hardened. "I''ll be careful, but I''m not just going to abandon you! You-" Derek choked up. "You''re my best friend, man¡­ I can''t- I won''t just give up on you."


    Chris gave Derek a complicated look, before sighing and shaking his head. "Fine. But! You find a beacon first! Then you can search for me, and you get out of there the moment it gets too dangerous!"


    Derek hesitated for a moment, before sighing and nodding in agreement. "I- I can do that. Just- try not to die on me, alright?"


    Chris grinned bitterly. "I''ll do my best."


    They didn''t have to wait long before Derek''s name was called and the two shared one last hug before parting. Chris watched him go, hoping he didn''t waste too much time or do anything dangerous on the vague hope that he might somehow find Chris before he died. Derek had too much to live for for him to waste his life trying to save Chris.


    A few minutes later, Chris''s name was called as well. "Christopher Vincent?" The attendant asked as he stepped into the room, and Chris nodded. "Okay, good, let''s see, ability¡­ oh." The attendant''s eyes widened, glancing up at him with pity in her eyes. "Are- are all your affairs in order?" Chris nodded again. He didn''t have much to leave anyone anyway, so it was pretty simple. "Good. Please step inside and the machine will confirm your identity before transferring you to the Maze."


    Chris silently stepped into the machine as it whirred to life, scanning him in detail, confirming he wasn''t someone with a shapeshifting ability pretending to be him. Then there was a flash of light, and then darkness. Chris looked around at the cramped tunnel he''d appeared in, slowly adjusting his vision to the low level of illumination provided by the bioluminescent moss, examining some of the surrounding fungus to see if it was the edible variety. Slowly, he let out a weary sigh. "Alright¡­ let''s do this." He muttered, dropping into a crouch as he crept forward.


    *


    "Die! Die, die, die, die, die!" Chris growled as he slammed the goblin''s head into the ground until it released a soft squelch. Groaning as all the energy drained out of him, Chris collapsed against a nearby wall, clutching his side. So far, Chris had survived in these tunnels for four days and he was not doing well. On the very first day, he''d run into a swarm of rats, a battle which left him covered in scratches and bite marks, at least one of which he was pretty sure was venomous. The next day, as he was assaulted by a fever and chills, he found himself a quiet corner to curl up in, only to wake up to find a spider slowly covering him in its web. Breaking free, he''d had another desperate battle, though thankfully this time he wasn''t bit. He wanted to stay in his little hiding place, but he knew he needed water, so he dragged himself forward, searching for a water source. The next day, when he''d finally found a small stream, just as he was about to drink, he''d been ambushed by this goblin! The creature had dug its bone shiv into his side and they''d wrestled, Chris eventually coming out on top as he''d bashed the goblin''s head into the ground.


    Chris looked down at the ragged wound in his side, wincing in pain. "Fuuck! Damn it! Urgh! Ugh¡­ yeah¡­ that''s definitely poisoned." He groaned as he stared at the bone shiv that was covered in some sort of dark, sticky substance, probably goblin shit. He kicked weakly at the dead goblin. "You prick." He stared bitterly at the corpse for a moment, before sighing and dragging himself over to the stream, shakily scooping handfuls of water to his mouth, before collapsing in exhaustion. "I wonder, will I die of all this crap, or will something else come by and get me?" Chris wondered aloud as he slowly slipped into unconsciousness. "Ah, who cares." He let out one final sigh, before everything went dark.


    *


    Chris blinked awake, sitting up and looking around the¡­ room? He frowned slightly as he got to his feet, checking himself for wounds. ¡°Healed?¡± He muttered. ¡°And naked¡­ Who healed me? Where is this?¡± He looked around again at the perfectly white room he''d found himself in. ¡°Why is there no do-¡± He cut off as a hole opened in the wall. He frowned at it for a moment, before walking over and looking out to find a tunnel with a small stream running through it, his clothes lying next to it, and a goblin corpse lying not far away. ¡°Huh¡­¡± He turned back to look into the empty room. ¡°Anyone there?¡± He called out, getting no response. ¡°Well¡­ thanks for the heal?¡± He glanced back at the tunnel, then the room again. ¡°I- should probably get going.¡± Chris stepped out of the room, and as he expected, the door closed behind him. He wasn''t sure who was controlling that room, or why they''d helped him, but he was pretty sure they didn''t want him staying long, or they''d have made the place more hospitable, instead of just¡­ empty. The fact that his clothes were still outside and the door had closed behind him pretty much confirmed it.


    Chris shook his head as he put his clothes back on. ¡°Weird. Lucky, but weird. Hopefully I can make something of it.¡± He sighed, expression twisting slightly. He shook his head again, kneeling down to get another drink as he considered his options. He could head back to his previous hiding place to try and wait things out until the end of the trial. It wasn''t too far from here, so he''d still have access to water, and there was more than enough fungus around, so he wouldn''t starve. That just left the issue of the beacon¡­ in order to leave the Maze, he''d need to find a teleportation beacon, and they weren''t exactly common. Ideally he''d find one as soon as possible so he could leave the moment the Trial ended, but before the trail ended the beacons were hidden, meaning he''d need to search nooks and crannies for one, probably finding creatures hiding there, fighting them and getting injured over and over again until he was right back in the same position he was before. After the trial ended, the beacons would start to glow, making them easier to find, but also attracting creatures, so he''d probably have to fight something, or multiple somethings, to get it, after spending a month living on fungus and stream water, probably having picked up a few parasites and infections, leaving him weak. Chris grimaced. The Trial was not something someone who had to risk his life in every fight was meant to survive.


    Chris considered his options for another moment, before deciding to at least search the area around the stream to see if he was lucky enough to have a beacon nearby before hunkering down for the rest of the Trial. If he was using this stream, the odds were he''d be running into anything that lived nearby anyway, and if he found them first he might be able to ambush them and reduce his injuries. Chris nodded to himself and began making his way back to his hiding place, deciding to begin his search there. He didn''t want to get ambushed in his sleep again.


    *


    ¡°I hate the Maze.¡± Chris groaned, another four days later, clutching his wrist as he slowly bled out. He''d been doing rather well, taking out a few dens in the area with minimal injuries, before he got a bit overconfident and tried to ambush a dog. He''d gotten a few paces away before the dog noticed him, immediately whirling around and lunging at him. He''d managed to keep it from getting his throat, at the expense of his arm, which the dog had savaged as he beat it in the head with a rock. The dog died, eventually, but not until it''d ripped apart his wrist. He''d tried to bandage it with his shirt, but it just bled through. ¡°Stupid.¡± Chris mumbled as he felt the world go dark again. ¡°Should have just avoided it.¡±


    Chris blinked awake again, finding himself in the same white room as before, naked and fully healed. ¡°Again?¡± Chris frowned as he sat up, wondering who was doing this, why they were following him, and if he should be concerned that they seemed insistent on stripping him every time. ¡°Not that I''m going to complain about being alive, but still.¡± Chris muttered as he got up. ¡°Are you going to talk to me this time?¡± He asked the room, getting no response.


    Chris sighed, shaking his head as he began looking for the door, a section of the wall opening the moment he did. He made his way towards it, before he suddenly froze. ¡°Wait¡­¡± He stared at the opening, narrowing his eyes. ¡°Close?¡± The opening snapped shut and Chris¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Open.¡± It opened. He didn''t even say anything next, just willing it closed, then open again, doing it a few more times before he finally accepted that he was the one controlling it. ¡°I- did this?¡± Chris muttered, looking around the room. ¡°Is this¡­ mine?¡±


    Chris stepped out of the room, the opening not snapping shut behind him this time so he could see that it was actually a portal, checking out the other side, which was just a white barrier. He hesitated for a moment before willing the portal closed, then willing it open again. He closed it, walking a few paces down the tunnel before willing it to open again, it popping open in front of him, revealing the same white room. ¡°Well, that basically confirms that¡­ this thing is mine.¡± He paused. ¡°So I''ve been healing myself? How does that work? Does it just take me in there whenever I''m close to death?¡±


    Chris hesitated for a moment, before heading back to the dog''s corpse, taking a rock and bashing its jaw, breaking loose a tooth and picking it up before heading into the room. He took the tooth and cut a small scratch on his arm. He watched the wound for a moment as a dot of blood welled up, before dropping his arm with a frown. ¡°Is it not healing then? Or does it only work if I actually die?¡± Chris eyed the tooth for a moment, before shaking his head. There was no way he was going to kill himself just to test whatever was going on here. Besides, he was sure the Maze would figure out a way to do it for him.

 Space: 2 - Connection

    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!¡± Chris cursed, scrambling down the tunnel as four goblins chased after him. It just figured that the moment he''d started feeling hopeful about his chances of surviving he''d run into every Trial taker''s worst nightmare. Unless you were a high-tier, there was no way to avoid getting injured by a pack of goblins, and since the bastards poisoned all their damn weapons, that pretty much guaranteed you''d be dying a slow, painful death. Worse, if they caught you, you were food, and they didn''t always wait until you were dead to start eating. Either way, it wasn''t something Chris was eager to experience, despite any suspected immortality.


    Chris opened the portal to the room as the goblins began to close the gap, jumping inside and scrambling away as one of the goblins managed to squeeze through before the portal closed, jumping at him with a screech. Chris executed a crisp back kick, hitting the goblin square in the chest and knocking the breath out of it before he jumped on top and began slamming its head into the floor over and over again until it stopped making a thumping sound and started making a squishing sound. Chris pulled the shiv out of his side, because of course the fucker had managed to stab him while getting its head bashed in. He was wondering whether he should end it now or wait to see how the poison would play out when the goblin suddenly sat up and jumped at him with another screech. He grappled with it as its claws ripped furrows into his skin, managing to get on top and perform his patented goblin finisher once more.


    Chris scowled down at the bloody mess as he watched the goblin''s head begin to heal again. ¡°I''m not sure if I should be glad this pretty much confirms I can''t die, or annoyed that for some reason it applies to this asshole as well.¡± Chris grumbled, taking a seat on the goblin''s back. ¡°It has to only apply in here¡­ I just need to leave enough time for his friends to leave, then I can kill him outside.¡± The goblin revived once more, kicking and screaming as it struggled to get Chris off of it. Chris grabbed its head one handed and gave it a good thump. ¡°We''ve been through this twice now.¡± He growled. ¡°Do you want to make it three?¡±


    The goblin froze, not understanding Chris''s words but getting the message loud and clear, shivering slightly as it remembered the feeling of its head being smashed to a pulp. It began to chatter at Chris, but he didn''t understand it any better than it understood him, so after frowning at it for a moment, he just shrugged and released its head, getting comfortable as he gave the goblins outside time to leave, hoping it wouldn''t take too long. The goblin just kept chattering away, until something seemed to click into place, and the chattering suddenly made sense. [-serve you! I''ll do anything you ask!]


    Chris blinked, looking down at the goblin. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    The goblin blinked back. [Do you want me to serve you? I''ll serve you? I''ll do anything you ask?]


    ¡°That''s what I thought¡­¡± Chris muttered, frowning at the strange connection he suddenly felt with the goblin, as if it actually did serve him now. It was kind of weird suddenly feeling authority over another creature. He got off the goblin. ¡°Get up.¡± The goblin shot to his feet. ¡°Run into the wall.¡± The goblin immediately charged at the wall, ramming into it. Chris then mentally commanded it to spin in a circle, which the goblin promptly did. ¡°Die.¡± He gave his last command, and the goblin just stood there, staring at him with a helpless expression. Chris shrugged. ¡°Eh, it was a long shot. So¡­ what''s your name?¡±


    [D-Dyrdek?] The goblin answered nervously.


    Chris nodded. ¡°Well, Dyrdek, I''m not sure why I suddenly own you, but since I do, I guess I''ll do my best to take care of you, so let me know if you need anything, alright?¡±


    Dyrdek frowned. [You- just commanded me to die.]


    ¡°In a place where I''m pretty sure dying is literally impossible, considering I''ve already killed you twice.¡± Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Also, you were just trying to kill me, so you don''t exactly have the high ground here.¡±


    Dyrdek shifted awkwardly. [Are- are you going to punish me?]


    ¡°Nah, it''s the Maze. Everything tries to kill everything in the Maze. No use in getting bent out of shape over it.¡± Chris replied, before pausing for a moment. ¡°Not exactly sure what I am going to do with you though. It isn''t like you can exactly live in here. Well, technically you can only live in here, but I''d imagine you''d get bored after a while¡­ though I guess it''s better than struggling to survive in the Maze? I dunno, it''s up to you.¡±


    Dyrdek frowned. [I- can leave?]


    ¡°If you want.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°As much as I seem to own you, I''m not particularly interested in forcing you to do anything you don''t want to do. I mean, I''m not going to let you go around killing people, but other than that I don''t particularly care what you do. Of course, if you want to come with me, I wouldn''t mind the company and some help searching for the beacon, but again, it''s up to you.¡±


    [What''s a beacon?] Dyrdek asked.


    ¡°It''s a device that''ll let me teleport back to the City.¡± Chris replied, pausing as he noticed Dyrdek was still confused. ¡°The City is where humanity lives. With beds. And technology. And food that doesn''t taste like dirt.¡±


    A spark of interest lit in Dyrdek''s eyes at the mention of food. [You could feed me?]


    Chris cocked an eyebrow at him. ¡°Till you burst.¡±


    Dyrdek bowed. [It is my honor to serve, Chief.]


    ¡°Of course it is.¡± Chris snorted, marveling a bit at the connection. He was absolutely certain Dyrdek was being honest, perfectly willing to trade his life away for a full stomach, the connection perfectly conveying his intent. Chris paused. He was also now confident that Dyrdek was male. It was hard to tell with goblins since they didn''t have secondary sex organs, so if you wanted to know, you had to look under their loin cloth, which Chris had no interest in doing. Chris narrowed his eyes for a moment, wondering what else the connection could do, before dismissing the thought with a shake of his head. He''d just said he''d leave Dyrdek alone, and the connection seemed pretty invasive. He''d find something else to test it out on, something with less intelligence, like a rat or something.


    Chris eyed the wound in his side, then the shiv that had caused it, before letting out a sigh and grabbing it. He only hesitated for a moment before stabbing it into his neck and ripping it out in a fountain of blood, grimacing at the pain as he quickly bled out, his vision going dark. A moment later he woke up, perfectly healed, all the blood returned to his body. Nodding in satisfaction, he hopped to his feet and walked over to the wall, frowning at it for a moment before focusing on opening a small crack so he could peek outside. A small peephole opened for him, Chris grinning slightly at his success as he looked outside. ¡°Looks like your friends are gone.¡± Chris announced, somewhat surprised. ¡°Kinda expected them to stick around longer.¡±


    Dyrdek frowned. [Why would they stick around for a teleporter?]


    Chris paused. ¡°Huh¡­ I guess that is what my ability looks like. No, I just open portals to this space, I can''t actually go anywhere. Anyway, let''s get out of here.¡± He opened the portal fully, waving for Dyrdek to follow him out. That beacon wasn''t going to find itself.


    *


    ¡°So¡­ what''s it like being a goblin?¡± Chris asked.


    Dyrdek frowned. [I don''t know? What''s it like being a human?]


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Meh? I mean, it doesn''t suck, but there''s nothing particularly special about it.¡±


    [Same with being a goblin, I guess? It''s just what I am?] Dyrdek replied hesitantly.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Fair enough. I guess the better question is what''s it like living in the Maze. What are the struggles? What are the benefits? Do you enjoy it or hate it? Cause no offense, but from an outside perspective living in the Maze sounds horrible.¡±


    Dyrdek grimaced. [The lower levels are horrible, but if you can manage to find a place higher up, it isn''t so bad. I was born on the fifth level, and that was¡­ nice. There was plenty of food, meat not just plants, enough space to run around in and play games, females¡­] Dyrdek trailed off wistfully. [I miss females.]


    Stolen story; please report.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°There aren''t any female goblins down here?¡±


    Dyrdek snorted. [Of course not! Females are too valuable to exile.]


    Chris paused. ¡°Well, that''s fair I suppose. So what got you exiled?¡±


    [I''m too weak.] Dyrdek sighed. [My ability allows me to release a paralyzing poison, but it only works if I can scratch someone and even then it takes too long to take effect. Our shit works better than my ability.]


    ¡°Hm.¡± Chris grunted, expression twisting slightly. He''d been on the receiving end of a goblin shiv before, and yeah, their shit was nasty stuff. Admittedly he wasn''t in the best condition at the time, but it''d sent him over the edge pretty quick. ¡°Well, I know what that''s like. I don''t- well, I didn''t have an ability¡­¡± Chris scratched his head. ¡°I wonder why the Readers didn''t catch it. Or maybe I just spontaneously developed it for some reason? Anyway, I didn''t think I had an ability for most of my life, and yeah, the feeling of being incapable is pretty uncomfortable.¡± Dyrdek just nodded, the two falling silent as they kept walking. ¡°Oh look, a slime.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°That should work for some experimenting. Go catch it.¡±


    Dyrdek grunted, walking over to the slime to pick it up. Slimes weren''t particularly dangerous, particularly not ones this low in the Maze, they were just a pain in the ass to kill and there wasn''t any real benefit to it. They were made of a goopy acid, so you couldn''t even eat them. However, the moment Dyrdek touched the slime, it lunged at him, wrapping around his arm and hardening like a rock. [Gah! Get it off, get it off!]


    ¡°Calm down, it''s just got your arm.¡± Chris commented.


    [It''s eating me!] Dyrdek cried.


    ¡°It''s barely eating you.¡± Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Hold still.¡± Chris placed his hand on the slime, trying to make the connection, but he didn''t feel anything. ¡°Huh¡­ maybe it has to be in the space?¡± He opened a portal to the space. ¡°Get in.¡±


    Dyrdek gritted his teeth and rushed inside. [Now get it off!] He demanded.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, let''s see.¡± Chris muttered, focusing on the slime, this time finding a sort of¡­ sense of it. ¡°So I just- huh.¡± Chris blinked as the moment he attempted to form a connection with the slime, it immediately accepted it, a surge of shock blasting through. The slime dropped off Dyrdek''s arm, hesitantly hopping towards Chris, before surging with excitement and leaping at him, attaching itself to his chest and vibrating pleasantly. ¡°I think it likes me.¡±


    Dyrdek glared at the slime, rubbing his arm. [Filthy creature.]


    Chris grabbed the slime, pulling it off his chest and examining it. ¡°Looks pretty clean, actually. I''m pretty sure it just eats everything that touches it.¡± He paused as he watched the slime bubble happily. ¡°It''s honestly kinda neat.¡±


    [It tried to eat my arm!] Dyrdek retorted.


    ¡°And you tried to kill me.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°You can''t hold onto the past, it just makes you bitter.¡±


    Dyrdek grunted noncommittally. [What are you going to do with it?]


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Well, I was going to see if the connection makes it so you guys will get pulled in here when you die, but honestly I kinda like this thing and I don''t want to risk it actually dying. So I guess nothing.¡±


    Dyrdek grimaced before letting out a sigh. [Whatever you say, Chief.]


    *


    Thankfully, the Maze wasn''t lacking in creatures Chris didn''t care for, so it didn''t take long for them to find a nest of rats to experiment with, which allowed Chris to figure out a few things. First off, it turned out that when you killed things, they did in fact die. Who knew? Even leaving them severely injured so they died slowly didn''t have any effect, so it wasn''t because he was killing them too quickly, which meant being pulled in to heal was probably just a him thing. Of course, he didn''t know if he could be killed too quickly, since both his deaths had been slow, but he wasn''t about to test it, particularly since he still wasn''t a hundred percent certain what was actually happening.


    He also learned he could use the connection to take over his minions bodies, which¡­ seemed kinda pointless, honestly, since he could just tell them to do whatever he wanted them to do, and if he was controlling them, he couldn''t do anything himself, which felt like a net loss. But he supposed it was kinda neat to be in their heads, seeing and feeling everything they saw and felt. And that led to his next discovery, which was that he could open portals around his minions, and that they could open portals too! At least, if he wanted them to. The slime, which he had named Jello, had its portal privileges revoked when it insisted on using them to jump on his head, which let him realize that the portals didn''t have to just be between the space and outside, didn''t have to be connected to the wall, and that there could be more than one.


    ¡°My head is not a seat.¡± Chris grumbled as Jello sent pleading feelings at him, bouncing along beside him as they continued to search for a beacon, a few of the rats that had survived Chris''s experiments scurrying along ahead of them as scouts. Jello continued to whine, until Chris finally relented and picked the pathetic creature up, placing it on his shoulder. ¡°You can stay there. Not my head.¡± Jello seemed happy with the compromise, bubbling happily and vibrating in contentment as it got comfortable.


    [I don''t know why you put up with that creature.] Dyrdek grumbled.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Eh? It''s not like it''s hurting anyone. Besides, it''s great for catching things.¡± All Chris had to do was toss Jello at a creature and it would envelope it and harden so it couldn''t break free, perfect for catching small creatures like rats that were too quick for him and Dyrdek to grab. Dyrdek grunted, not happy that a slime had proved more useful than him. Chris stopped as one of the rat scouts sent him a confusing mix of emotions. ¡°Get into the space.¡± Chris ordered as he opened a portal.


    ¡°I can fight!¡± Dyrdek protested as he obeyed, stepping aside as Chris walked in after him.


    ¡°You can also die, and I''m not sure what''s coming, so how about we don''t risk it?¡± Chris retorted, closing the portal as he focused on the rat, jumping into it to see what it was signaling about. ¡°Shit!¡± Chris immediately cursed, opening a portal to the rat and jumping through, rushing towards the girl lying in a pool of her own blood. ¡°You better not be dead!¡± Chris growled as he knelt next to her, opening another portal as he picked her up and rushed her into the space, looking for something to kill her and start the revival process, when she let out a final sigh, the life leaving her body as the healing process began. Chris stared down at her incredulously for a moment, marveling at that incredibly lucky timing. A few seconds more and he would have been too late. Though he supposed moving her might have sent her over the edge too¡­


    The girl let out a cough, then a gasp as she jolted awake, looking around in confusion for a moment before quickly focusing on Chris. ¡°You- healer?¡± She frowned. Healers were supposed to be exempt from the Trial. Even weak healing was too useful to just throw away.


    Chris paused. ¡°Kinda? I mean, I haven''t really thought about it yet, but I guess I am, huh?¡±


    The girl blinked at him. ¡°You- haven''t thought about it?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t know I could do it until this morning.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Or yesterday? I don''t know, time is hard to keep track of in the Maze. Which, you know, lucky for you or I wouldn''t even be here. What happened to you anyway?¡±


    The girl flushed. ¡°I- got ambushed.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Chris nodded sympathetically. ¡°That''s what got me the first time. A goblin was waiting by a stream and jumped me, got a shiv into me, and then there wasn''t much I could do after that.¡±


    The girl just stared at him for a moment. ¡°The first time?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It seems that whenever I die, I get pulled into this place and it heals me back to perfect health.¡± Chris explained. ¡°The first time it happened, I thought someone had found me and decided to save me for some reason. Though¡­ Now that I think about it, anyone who could heal wouldn''t be here, so that doesn''t exactly make sense. I didn''t realize it was actually my ability until the second time.¡±


    ¡°The second time?¡± The girl repeated with growing incredulity.


    ¡°A dog managed to tear up my wrist when I failed to ambush it, and I bled out.¡± Chris replied.


    The girl grimaced. ¡°I died, didn''t I? Or I''m dying and my brain is using its last moments to play out a delusion of being saved by some handsome hero. Classic wish fulfillment. I mean, I''m literally being princess carried! Plus the slime and the goblin¡­¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Handsome?¡±


    ¡°Might as well enjoy it while it lasts.¡± The girl sighed, ignoring Chris as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled herself up, and stuck her tongue down his throat. Chris let out a mpff, panicking slightly and biting her tongue. ¡°Ow!¡± The girl yelped as she pulled back, putting a hand to her mouth. ¡°That hurt! You-¡± She froze, eyes widening. ¡°Delusions aren''t supposed to hurt.¡± She whispered in horror, a deep flush beginning to spread across her face.


    ¡°So I''m going to put you down now, and we''re just going to pretend that didn''t happen, okay?¡± Chris offered, the girl nodding stiffly in agreement, before quickly scrambling out of his arms. Chris stuck his hand out after she composed herself. ¡°I''m Chris.¡±


    ¡°Beth.¡± The girl replied quietly, as if she was scared of making too much noise, not even looking at him as she shook his hand.


    The two stood there awkwardly for a moment, neither exactly sure how to move on from what just happened. ¡°Do¡­ you want to team up for the rest of the Trial?¡± Chris finally suggested.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Beth quickly agreed, jumping onto the new topic a bit too eagerly, before flushing as she realized how that sounded. ¡°I- I mean, I- I think that would be a good idea, yes. Not-¡±


    ¡°I get it.¡± Chris raised a hand to stop her. ¡°Have you found a beacon yet?¡± Beth shook her head and he sighed. ¡°Damn. I guess we have to keep looking then.¡±


    ¡°We should probably get some rest first.¡± Beth commented.


    Chris paused. It had been a long day. ¡°Good idea. Uh¡­ you take that corner, I''ll take this one?¡± Beth flushed slightly as she nodded in agreement. ¡°Alright, good night.¡± Chris waved, turning to his corner, pausing as he took in the bright, white walls. ¡°Do these things have a dimmer, or- Ah, there we go.¡± Chris smiled as the walls went dim, leaving just enough light that they could still see where they were going. He laid down in his corner, getting comfortable, or at least as close to it as he could on a hard, flat surface, when Jello squeezed under his head like a pillow. ¡°Hey, what- huh¡­ that''s actually pretty good.¡± He muttered, leaning into Jello as it vibrated happily. ¡°Shit, I need a bed made out of you.¡±

 Space: 3 - Recruiting

    ¡°So, you open portals to a space that heals anyone who dies in it and allows you to form connections with creatures so you can control them?¡± Beth summarized Chris''s ability as they searched for a beacon, frowning slightly as she tried to wrap her head around it.


    ¡°Basically.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°I can also open portals between me and my minions, but I''m pretty sure that''s just an extension of the portals and the connection.¡±


    ¡°And you had no idea you could do this before the Trial?¡± Beth asked skeptically.


    ¡°None.¡± Chris confirmed. ¡°I''ve seen several Readers about it and they all confirmed that I didn''t have an ability.¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°That''s so weird! I know Readers aren''t a hundred percent accurate, but I''ve never heard of them missing an ability entirely! Usually they just get the tier wrong or something.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°To be fair, my ability is pretty weird itself. It''s very¡­ external? Like I''m not really doing anything, it''s just the space.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Beth muttered noncommittally.


    "So¡­ what''s your ability?" Chris asked after a moment of silence.


    "Me? I''m stretchy." Beth replied with a shrug, extending her arm to pick up a rock as an example. "It''s a pretty good ability. I''m practically immune to blunt force trauma, I can squeeze my way through tight spaces, compress my muscles so I hit harder, stuff like that."


    "Neat." Chris nodded, not sure how to follow up. "Uh, I had a toy like that when I was younger."


    Beth snorted. "I''m sure you did."


    "Yeah¡­" Chris trailed off.


    Beth glanced over at him, before rolling her eyes. "What are your plans for after the Trial?"


    "Plans?" Chris muttered, frowning. "I¡­ don''t really have any. See, I didn''t think I had an ability, right? So I was more focused on just surviving."


    Beth frowned. "That''s¡­ kind of- no, that''s just really, really sad."


    Chris shrugged. "It''s just the way things are. If you don''t have a powerful ability, you really don''t have time to worry about the future, or you just may not have one."


    Beth''s eyes widened. "That- you- how- how do you live like that?"


    Chris frowned. "Same way anyone else does? You just focus on doing what you can."


    "But it just sounds so¡­ so¡­ hopeless." Beth continued, a sad look in her eyes.


    Chris shrugged again. "For a lot of people, it is. When your survival is essentially dependent on luck, it''s hard to be hopeful. It''s like getting diagnosed with cancer and being told you only have a year to live. If you go through chemo, eat healthy, stuff like that, you might live, if you''re lucky. All you can do is try to not have any regrets, so that when you do go, at least you have a certain level of peace about it."


    Chris suddenly went stiff as Beth wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. "I''m so, so sorry you had to go through that." She whispered in his ear, her voice cracking slightly.


    "Uhhhhh¡­" Chris awkwardly returned the hug, patting her on the back. "It''s- it''s okay?" He assured her hesitantly.


    Beth pulled back, giving him a serious look. "When we get out of here, you''re going to have some fun, understand? No more hopelessness for you."


    Chris squinted at her. "Are you propositioning me- Ow!" He exclaimed as she flicked his ear.


    "Don''t be gross." She warned him, raising a warning finger at him.


    "How is that my fault! You made the vague, suggestive comment!" Chris retorted.


    "Men!" Beth snorted, crossing her arms.


    "You- ugh, whatever." Chris grumbled as he rubbed his ear. "So what about you? What are your plans?"


    Beth sighed. "My plans are¡­ complicated. On one hand, I really want to do something helpful like medicine or psychiatry, but on the other¡­ Well, I have this powerful ability. Anyone can be a doctor or a psychiatrist, but not everyone has the ability to go into the Maze and fight."


    Chris frowned. "Well, sure, I guess, but¡­ do you really need to go into the Maze and fight? Isn''t the Maze sort of¡­ self regulating?" The way the Maze was set up, powerful creatures would naturally be drawn to higher levels. The higher you went, the better the environment was, so anything that could would naturally go as high as possible. "Besides, didn''t I find you literally on your deathbed back there? Are you sure you''re Maze material?"


    Beth flushed. "Th-that was fluke! One of the centipedes could turn invisible! Besides, I''d have a team with me, including a healer. And yes, we need to patrol the Maze! While most creatures follow the rules, there are some that don''t, wreaking havoc on the Maze''s natural dynamic. If a high level creature comes down to the lower levels and it isn''t dealt with, not only is it dangerous, but it also drives the weaker creatures deeper, making it more dangerous below as well! Without regulation, level one could become as dangerous as level two or three! Plus there''s the creatures with weird abilities that aren''t necessarily powerful, but could be dangerous to the City or the structure of the Maze, like powerful tunneling abilities."


    Chris shrugged. "Fair enough. Still, I''d leave all that to the high-tiers. Mid-tiers are just too expendable in the Maze." He continued in a slightly bitter tone.


    Beth froze. "Uh¡­ I am a high-tier."


    Chris''s eyes widened. "But¡­ you almost died?"


    "That was a fluke!" Beth retorted.


    "But still, you almost died." Chris repeated.


    "It. Was. A. FLUKE!" Beth reiterated through gritted teeth.


    "But-"


    "Chris, if you don''t drop it, I will hurt you." Beth growled, raising a warning finger.


    "Uh¡­ kay, so, high-tier¡­ kind of-" Chris continued.


    "Not kind of!" Beth interrupted.


    "Whatever, ish, sure, but¡­ does that mean you have to go to the Maze?" Chris finished.


    "You literally just said leave it to the high-tiers." Beth pointed out.


    "Well, sure, but¡­ you could leave it to other high-tiers. Ones who didn''t almost die- Ow! Ow! Quit it!" Chris yelped as Beth began slapping him all over.


    "I warned you!" Beth growled.


    "Fine! Fine! I''m sorry! Gah!" Chris apologized, squirming to avoid her blows.


    Beth finally stopped with an angry huff, before giving him a weird look. "Why are you so against this anyways?"


    Chris paused. "I don''t know¡­ I don''t want you to die? Wait! Not like that!" Chris flinched back as Beth raised her hand with an angry expression. "I-I just mean that the Maze is dangerous! People die! Even powerful people! If you don''t have to do it, why force yourself?"


    Beth frowned, pondering what he''d said, before an idea occurred to her. "Then, what if you did it with me?"


    "Eh?" Chris froze.


    "Yeah, think about it!" Beth continued excitedly. "As long as we''re in that space of yours, we''re unkillable! As long as I''m not killed instantly, you can just drag me in there and bam! Good as new! Oh, plus, you''re like a mobile camp! We wouldn''t have to worry about finding a safe place to spend the night, or setting up watches, carrying supplies, or anything! You just open up your portal and bam! Home sweet home! Oh, wait, do you think we could use it like a battlefield? Lure the creature in, and then bam! Er, wait¡­ they wouldn''t die, would they? Darn."


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    Chris groaned. "You have to stop saying bam."


    Beth stuck her tongue out at him, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "But what do you think? It''s a great idea, isn''t it? You said yourself, you don''t have any plans, so it isn''t like you''re giving up anything. You''re already in great physical shape, so the training won''t be an issue, and with your ability, literally any squad would want you!"


    "I don''t know¡­" Chris muttered noncommittally.


    "Come on! What if you''re not there and I get hurt? Don''t you want to keep me safe~" Beth cajoled him with a pouty expression, batting her eyelashes pitifully.


    "What happened to being a doctor?!?" Chris asked incredulously.


    "Nope. You''ve convinced me. We''re going to be in the military!" Beth exclaimed, grinning proudly.


    "Convin- We?!? I have even agreed yet!" Chris exclaimed.


    "Don''t worry. I can be very persuasive~" Beth winked.


    "Okay, that time you were definitely propo- Ow!" Chris yelped as she flicked his ear again.


    *


    The more Chris talked with Beth, the more he suspected she might be a little bipolar. Her moods seemed to change for little to no reason. They''d be talking, and laughing, and then suddenly she''d start hitting him. Or they would talk about their school life, and then suddenly she''d get all sad. Chris just didn''t get it. Plus, half the time, he couldn''t tell if she was flirting with him, or just had a terrible sense of phrasing. Still, he had to admit she was useful to have around. No matter what they ran into, she could take care of it in a matter of seconds. Goblins, spiders, rats, you name it, all of them would turn to mush under her rapid fire blows. Chris almost felt like he could relax with her around. Of course, Chris also contributed to their survival. His minions scouted ahead, warning them of any danger, and whenever they got tired, they''d go into his space to sleep, safe from any harm.


    Since their safety was pretty much guaranteed, all Chris and Beth needed to worry about was finding a beacon and getting out of the Maze. Unfortunately for them, this late into the Trial, most of the beacons had probably already been found, carried around by whoever found them so that they could return as soon as they activated. If they were lucky, they might run into someone who already had one, but the odds were better that they''d have to wait until the beacons activated and people began leaving to find one. The Maze was simply too big and people never stopped moving. The fact that Chris had run into Beth as soon as he had, right when she''d needed him, was a miracle in and of itself.


    "Ugh, I hate bugs." Beth grumbled with a bleh as she shook her hands, trying to get the goo off of them. "They always burst. It''s so messy."


    "I don''t think it''s that they burst, it''s that if they don''t burst, they probably aren''t dead." Chris commented.


    Beth glared at him. "How is that different from what I said?"


    "It isn''t? I was just clarifying the necessity of the bursting¡­ bursting bad, but bugs need burst, so bugs bad." Chris elaborated.


    "Hm." Beth grunted, narrowing her eyes at him, before turning back and heading down the tunnel. "So, have you given it any more thought?" She asked as Chris caught up with her.


    "The military thing? Yeah, I guess¡­ I''m still not sure though." Chris replied, frowning.


    "Come on! What do I have to do to convince you?" Beth asked, nudging him with her shoulder.


    Chris glanced at her, before shaking his head, having learned to ignore anything that seemed suggestive. "I don''t know. It''s¡­ well, I just don''t like the idea of being in the Maze all the time, you know? I know the military has great benefits, but that only counts for so much when you have to live like a savage for extended periods of time."


    "That''s why your ability is so great, dummy!" Beth poked him. "With the space alone, you can pretty much carry an entire apartment with you wherever you go, especially if you build a second floor, and your portals can take us back to the City whenever we want!¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°I suppose¡­¡±


    Beth sighed. "Look, Chris, you wouldn''t even have to really do anything! All you''d need to do is follow the squad around, like you''re following me now, and open the portal when necessary."


    Chris''s frown deepened. "That¡­ sounds worse? Walking around with nothing to do all day? That just sounds boring.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. "Then don''t! Learn how to fight, or maintain equipment, or anything you want! There are plenty of roles you could fill in a squad!¡±


    Chris paused, considering what he''d actually want to do in a squad. What he''d actually want to do at all. And the answer was¡­ not much. He knew he didn''t want to do nothing, but there wasn''t anything he found particularly exciting either. At best, he just didn''t want to be bored. He glanced at Dyrdek, reaching up to give the slime on his shoulder a rub. Maybe he could do something with them? With minions in general? Honestly, now that he was thinking about it, the Maze was the only place he really could use his minions. It wasn''t like he could send Dyrdek out to get a job, and leaving him in his space all the time seemed cruel on some level. But that meant he needed to find a role for his minions to play in the squad as well¡­ the rats were fine as scouts, Jello could be used to capture and restrict things, but Dyrdek¡­ Dyrdek was too weak to fight, and he wasn''t sneaky enough to be a scout. Maybe if he got him a weapon? If he could equip all his minions¡­ ¡°Huh¡­ I think I wouldn''t mind creating and maintaining equipment.¡±


    "Perfect! Plus, you know, the military has some great benefits. It''s two months on, two months off, though for the second month you do have to report for training in the morning. The pay is comparable to mid-level government jobs, even when you first join, and you get raises as your rank increases. If you stay on base, all your room and board is covered, and if you live off base you get a generous stipend." Beth listed off the various benefits excitedly.


    "All that just to go into the Maze?" Chris asked incredulously.


    "How else would they attract high-tiers?" Beth commented. "And that isn''t all. Health care is free, there''s a sizable recreation facility you can use, also free, uh¡­ if you have kids, their education is covered, and they''re guaranteed admission into any school, up through university. Plus, if you die, your salary will be divided between your kids until they turn twenty."


    "Oh, I knew that one." Chris nodded. "Did not know about the school thing¡­ would have been useful information. Eh, I probably still wouldn''t have used it. My school was pretty- actually, that explains a bit." How else would an orphan like him get into a school with people like Derek, the children of the rich and connected? The orphanage probably didn''t tell him because they were worried he''d decide to go to the school the other orphans went to, which¡­ was a reasonable concern, at least when he was younger.


    Beth paused. "I feel like you just breezed past an important piece of information."


    Chris cocked his head. "My school was good? I mean, not the nicest kids in the world, but the education was fine."


    Beth stopped, turning and placing both her hands on his shoulders, staring him in the eyes with a serious look. "Chris, how do you know about the stipend?"


    "Oh, that? Because I get one. Well, two really. Both my parents died in the Maze when I was five." Chris explained with a shrug.


    "Oh, Chris." Beth muttered, pulling him into a hug. "No wonder you''re so scared of the Maze."


    "Whoa, hey, I''m not scared of the Maze. I treat the Maze with the proper level of concern that any sane individual would feel towards such a dangerous place." Chris retorted sternly, lightly pushing her away. "And you don''t need to be sad for me. All that happened years ago. I''m used to it."


    "I- I''m sorry, I just-" Beth stammered, backing away.


    "It''s fine. I''m not insulted, I''m just tired of everyone''s pity." Chris sighed. "So my parents are dead, so I don''t have an ability, so I probably won''t live much past eighteen, so what? Does that mean I can''t be happy? Does that mean I can''t enjoy things? I don''t need people to be careful around me and I don''t need people to feel sad for me! I''m not even sad, why should they be?!?"


    "I''m sorry." Beth apologized in a quiet voice.


    "Hey, no, don''t-" Chris groaned. "You don''t have to be sorry. You didn''t do anything wrong, you just did the natural, human thing. It''s fine. I get it. Just¡­ move on, okay? Pretend it didn''t happen or something. Just treat me like you normally do, alright? Tell me more about the military."


    "O-okay¡­" Beth nodded. "Uh, well, there- there are three divisions, based on the area they operate in. The Defense Force operates in the low-tier levels, regularly patrolling, hunting creatures for food, keeping the population down. They''re the largest and safest division. The Scouts operate in the mid-tier levels. They also patrol, but they can''t kill as freely as the Defense Force. If the mid-tier creatures felt the area was too dangerous, they''d move deeper, into the low-tier area. They focus on taking care of specific issues, such as an expanding tribe of goblins, or a creature with a dangerous ability. The last division is the Vanguard. Their job is to delve into the higher levels, looking for new resources, mapping out the tunnels, and hunting powerful creatures for their materials."


    "I''m guessing you want to join the Vanguard?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    "Huh? No! Nonononono. The Vanguard guys are crazy!" Beth protested vehemently. "No, I''d join the Scouts. It isn''t a delayed death sentence like the Vanguard, but it also isn''t a glorified police force like the Defense Force. You get to take care of real issues, not just do the same boring task every day, or send yourself to your death for a little bit of glory."


    "Fair enough." Chris shrugged. "Though, I''d say any of this is a delayed death sentence¡­"


    "Hey, the Scouts have over an eighty percent safe retirement rate! For the Defense Force, it''s almost a hundred! The Vanguard might reach ten percent, in a good year. There''s a huge difference there." Beth retorted.


    "That''s still like a one in five chance you''ll die¡­ not exactly great odds." Chris pointed out.


    "Sure, for other people, but we''ll have you!" Beth replied. "With you around, our casualties will be practically nonexistent! Plus, you have to remember that that rate is for mid and high tiers. If you just looked at the high-tiers, it''d be much higher."


    "Even so, it''s a dangerous job." Chris shook his head. "Remember, if you die before I can get to you, you die. It isn''t like there aren''t other people with healing abilities out there, and the death rate is still that high. It isn''t like me being there is a complete guarantee of your safety."


    "But¡­ you will be there, right?" Beth asked hopefully.


    Chris paused, glancing at her, before letting out a heavy sigh. "Yeah¡­ I guess I will." He replied, hoping his decision wasn''t being influenced by stupid, teenage hormones.

 Space: 4 - Getting out

    Chris and Beth spent most of a month exploring the Maze together, getting to know each other pretty well, since there wasn''t exactly much to do other than talk. Beth had clearly led a pretty sheltered life, any story Chris told that included drugs, sex, or mischief of any kind earning him horrified looks from her, and he had to explain that he never participated in anything like that, he''d just witnessed a lot of it. He''d gone to a high school for the children of upper middle class business types, the type who had access to money and whose parents were too busy to pay too much attention to them, and the things they could get up to were pretty wild.


    Beth''s stories were usually second-hand accounts from soldiers in the Maze, which pretty much confirmed she was involved with the military in some way, though she never said exactly how and Chris never particularly cared to ask. The stories usually involved soldiers getting surprised by some creature with a unique ability, which Chris was sure would have been interesting to hear if they weren''t currently in the Maze, where creatures with these unique abilities lived. As it was, all they did was add to Chris''s growing mental list of things to be careful of in the Maze.


    Eventually though, a few days after the beacons activated, the two of them finally stumbled across one. ¡°We did it!¡± Beth squealed excitedly as she grabbed the beacon. ¡°We survived the Trial!¡±


    Chris lazily waved a fist in the air. ¡°Woo.¡±


    Beth scowled at him. ¡°Can''t you muster up a little excitement? You survived!¡±


    Chris cocked his head, searching himself for a moment, before shrugging helplessly. ¡°I got nothing.¡±


    Beth glared at him for a moment. ¡°I don''t care how long it takes me, I will find a way to make you excited.¡±


    ¡°We should probably focus on fixing your phrasing issues first.¡± Chris commented.


    ¡°I don''t have phrasing issues!¡± Beth snapped back. ¡°You just have a disgusting mind!¡±


    Chris just rolled his eyes. They''d been over this more than a few times and Beth refused to accept that there was anything wrong with the way she talked. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Let''s just get out of here. I want a shower. And real food.¡± Chris changed the subject as he opened a portal and sent Dyrdek and Jello back to his space.


    ¡°You don''t want to call back your rats?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Nah, I''ll leave them for now.¡± Chris replied. ¡°If I need them, I can always get them out later, and who knows if I''ll need access to the Maze for some reason?¡±


    Beth raised a warning finger at him. ¡°Just make sure you go to your space, then the Maze. You don''t want to risk a Maze creature sneaking through and getting into the City.¡±


    ¡°Like an invisible centipede?¡± Chris smirked.


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Yes. Like an invisible centipede.¡± She growled through gritted teeth.


    ¡°I''ll be sure to be careful.¡± Chris assured her. ¡°Now, shall we go?¡±


    Beth eyed him for a moment, trying to figure out how to get back at him, before letting out a frustrated grunt. Getting a rise out of Chris was impossible. ¡°Yeah, let''s go.¡± She grumbled, activating the beacon and setting it for two people. Two markers appeared, pointing out positions for them to stand, before the beacon scanned them and let out a flash.


    The next moment, they appeared in a large cavern. This cavern was entirely separate from both the Maze and the City, acting as one of four inspection areas in between the two. The inspection points acted as a second line of defense in case some creature managed to piggyback its way onto the teleportation. Even if some undefeatable monster of a creature arrived, it would only wipe out the inspection area, not the City. Additionally, the entire cavern acted like a beacon, allowing the operators to send any dangerous elements back to the upper levels of the Maze if needed. Chris and Beth looked around a bit, before heading towards the inspection line. Since it had already been a few days, the line was pretty short, and they only had to wait a few minutes before they reached the front.


    "Name?" The officer asked as Chris stepped forward, not even looking up from his pad.


    "Christopher Vincent." Chris answered.


    "Christopher Vincent¡­ ah, here we-" the officer froze as he saw Chris''s information, looking up in surprise. "You- you survived?!?" He asked incredulously.


    "Obviously." Chris rolled his eyes.


    "How did-" The officer began, cutting off as his eyes narrowed, his grip tightening around his weapon. "Please step into the scanner." He ordered in a determined tone.


    Chris frowned at the officer''s shift in tone, but did as he asked. The officer hit a button and the machine whirred to life, scanning Chris from head to toe. The guard looked over the results intently, before frowning. Agitated, he started the machine again. And then again. And then again! "Is there a problem?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow after the officer scanned him for the fourth time.


    "You stay right there!" The officer demanded, before turning around, whispering insistently into his communicator.


    "What are you-" Beth began, stepping forward, before the officer whipped out his sword, pointing it at her.


    "Stay back!" He ordered. "Both of you, stay exactly where you are!" Beth''s eyes widened as she took a step back, putting her hands up, not sure what was going on. Several of the other officers paused their work as well, gathering around the three of them and placing their hands on their weapons.


    "Clear the way!" A stern voice demanded, a high ranking official pushing his way through the crowd. "What''s the sit- Beth?" The man began, pausing as he caught sight of Beth.


    "H-hey Uncle Samuel." Beth greeted him with a weak smile, Chris completely unsurprised at the familiar greeting, still keeping her hands up.


    Samuel frowned, turning back to the officer. "What''s going on here?"


    The officer saluted. "Sir, I believe this man is a creature in disguise, sir! His records indicate that he has no ability, yet he managed to not only survive, but come out unwounded, sir!"


    Chris blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ that is pretty suspicious, isn''t it? Would you believe me if I said I found out I do have an ability, it was just hidden for some reason?¡± The officer just glared at him and Chris sighed. ¡°Yeah, I didn''t think so.¡±


    ¡°Chris isn''t a Maze creature!¡± Beth protested. ¡°He saved my life!¡±


    ¡°That actually doesn''t prove anything.¡± Chris muttered, frowning thoughtfully. ¡°If I were a Maze creature trying to infiltrate the City, finding a human to vouch for me would be one of my first steps. In fact, given my ability to control Maze creatures, it''s rather suspicious that I arrived just in time to save you. It wouldn''t be unreasonable to suspect that I was the one behind the centipedes attacking you, so that-¡±


    ¡°Shut up Chris!¡± Beth hissed at him. ¡°Whose side are you on!?!¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°The truth?¡±


    ¡°The truth is that you''re human, not a Maze creature trying to infiltrate the City!¡± Beth retorted.


    ¡°Well yeah, but that doesn''t change the fact that I''m suspicious.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°I mean, it''d be downright incompetent of them to just believe me. Would you prefer they not make sure I''m human, and risk failing to catch a Maze creature that is trying to infiltrate the City? Would you want a creature with an ability like mine running around the City?¡± Chris paused. ¡°Huh, that''s actually another suspicious point. Who''s to say I''m the one in charge of the space? Maybe Dyrdek is actually in charge and he''s controlling me to get into the City.¡±


    Beth groaned, burying her face in her hands. ¡°You''re going to spend the rest of your life in a containment facility.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°If that''s what needs to be done, then so be it.¡±


    Samuel snorted. ¡°Damn, kid, I hope you aren''t actually an infiltrator. The City needs more people like you.¡± He turned, waving for Chris to follow him. "Alright, come with me. We''re going to need you to stay in holding while we check you out. Do you have any family or friends who can confirm your identity?¡±


    Chris thought about it. "Well, there''s Derek, but he went into the Maze as well, so what if he was replaced too? Wouldn''t confirm much. Uh¡­ probably Penny and Thad? They''re the two who know me best besides Derek.¡±


    ¡°Do you know their contact information?¡± Samuel asked, and Chris nodded. ¡°Good, we''ll contact them and get them up here as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°Wait!" Beth stepped forward. "I''m going with him!"


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    "Beth, you don''t have-" Chris began.


    "No! Just because this has to be done, doesn''t mean you have to go through it alone!¡± Beth snapped at him, before turning to Samuel again. ¡°I''m going with him!"


    Samuel glanced between Chris and Beth, raising an eyebrow. "Is that so?" He muttered, smirking slightly as Beth flushed, but stood her ground. ¡°Well, I suppose there''s no harm in letting you accompany your¡­ friend.¡± Samuel chuckled, waving for her to follow as well, leading them to a separate area of the cavern, where a small building stood. He unbarred a sturdy door and opened it to reveal a cozy little room with a plush couch, a few cushioned chairs, and a small coffee table with a pile of magazines laid out on top. Samuel pulled out a notepad and pen, handing them to Chris, who quickly wrote down Penny and Thad''s contact info before handing them back. "Just wait here, we''ll get in contact with your friends as soon as possible." Samuel assured him, before closing and barring the door.


    Chris immediately turned to Beth. "Beth, you really didn''t need to do this. I''d be fine waiting on my own."


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course you would be, but what kind of friend would I be if I just left? Besides, if it turns out you did use me, I want to be there to give you a good pounding for it~" She added cheekily, sticking her tongue out and waving her fist at him.


    Chris sighed. ¡°Phrasing Beth, phrasing.¡±


    Beth flushed. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with my phrasing!¡±


    *


    "You do realize this is the dumbest card game ever, right? There''s literally no strategy to it, it''s all luck." Chris grumbled as he flipped the top card of his pile over, placing it down.


    "Then why do I keep winning?" Beth teased, flipping her own card and grinning, before sweeping them up and placing them on the bottom of her pile.


    "Because there''s no strategy and it''s all luck!" Chris reiterated in frustration.


    "Wow, Chris, I didn''t know you were such a sore loser." Beth gasped in mock shock.


    "I''m not, I''m just- ah, forget it." Chris grumbled, regretting finding the deck of cards in the first place. Apparently Beth only knew the one card game, so that''s what they played. Chris thought it might be better to be bored.


    Beth snickered, before relenting. "Alright, alright, we can play something else. You''ll just have to teach me how to play."


    "Finally." Chris muttered. "Don''t worry, I''m sure you''ll pick it up pretty quick. Card games are always the ''easy to learn, difficult to master'' type. You can get the hang of it after a few rounds, but after that, it''s mostly minutia." He explained as he gathered the cards together and began to shuffle them. He carefully explained the new rules as he dealt the cards, and they began to play a few practice rounds. As they went, Chris pointed out the mistakes Beth had made, showing her what she could have done and how it would have worked out better. Finally, they began to play for real, and about fifteen minutes later¡­


    "That means I won, right?" Beth asked, cocking her head as Chris frowned at the piece of paper they were using to keep score.


    "I don''t¡­ that was a twenty-nine point hand!" Chris exclaimed incredulously.


    "So I won, right?" Beth repeated.


    Chris sighed. "Yes, you won. But there''s a level of luck in this game as well, so it isn''t that surprising. Come on, let''s go again." One game later. Two games later. Three games later. Chris stared intently at Beth''s hairline.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Beth asked, shifting uncomfortably.


    "I''m looking for the horns¡­ only a demon could have this much luck." Chris replied seriously, squinting as he leaned in closer.


    "Knock it off!" Beth protested, leaning away from him as she covered her forehead.


    Chris snorted, leaning back and shaking his head. "Seriously though, did you capture a fairy or something? Steal a leprechaun''s pot of gold? Drink unicorn blood?"


    Beth frowned. "I feel like none of those things would give you good luck¡­"


    "Well you had to have done something. Seriously, I''ve never seen someone get so many good hands." Chris retorted.


    Beth shrugged. "I don''t know what to tell you. I''ve just always been lucky."


    "All this is normal behavior?" Samuel asked from the observation room, turning to the two teenagers who were watching Chris and Beth interact with him.


    "Yeah, that''s Chris. Barely paying attention to the pretty girl and focusing on the fact that he''s losing a game." Penny commented with a weary sigh, shaking her head.


    "Plus the whole demon thing and the luck examples. That''s classic Chris." Thad nodded.


    "And you''re sure? There''s nothing that strikes you as odd or suspicious about any of his behavior?" Samuel asked again, to confirm.


    Penny and Thad shared a look, before turning back to Samuel and shaking their heads. "No, it just seems like¡­ normal Chris. Though, you''d think he''d show a little emotion at being not dead! Freaking EQ of a potato." Penny muttered bitterly.


    "And that isn''t strange at all?" Samuel asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "No? It''s Chris. I think he''s like¡­ autistic or something." Thad shrugged.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Samuel grunted. ¡°Well, he''ll need to pass a few more checks, but so far we haven''t found anything that might suggest he''s been replaced, so he should be free to head home soon if you''d like to stick around.¡±


    Chris was in the middle of losing yet another card game when the door clunked and Samuel pulled it open. "Alright, we''re all done. You''re free to go."


    Chris looked over with a frown. "Huh? Don''t you need to bring in my friends?"


    "Already done. They''ve been observing you for the last hour or so, and they''re confident you are who you say you are." Samuel explained.


    ¡°What about testing my ability?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Or examining my minions?¡±


    ¡°The nature of your ability isn''t the concern of the Defense Force. Our only concern is confirming your identity and making sure you aren''t under the influence of a Maze creature.¡± Samuel replied. ¡°If we failed to discover any discrepancies by examining you, then examining your ability or minions wouldn''t tell us any more, except maybe that your minions are being controlled, which doesn''t really matter to us, since even if you¡¯re in control of your minions, it doesn''t prove you aren''t being controlled in turn.¡±


    "Well that''s fair." Chris nodded, getting to his feet. "Guess we''ll head out then."


    "Aw, but I was winning!" Beth pouted.


    "You''re always winning.¡± Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Next time we''re playing chess."


    "Nyeh!" Beth stuck her tongue out at him, packing up the cards and getting up herself. "Come on then, let''s meet your friends!" She chirped, heading out the door with a slight bounce in her step.


    Chris frowned after her. "Where does your energy come from?!?" He muttered in exasperation, before following after her.


    "Chris!" Penny exclaimed, rushing up and giving him a big hug. "Oh, I can''t believe you''re alive!"


    ¡°Honestly, I''m a little surprised myself.¡± Chris muttered, patting her back. ¡°Who knew I had a hidden ability? Thankfully part of the ability is keeping me alive, or it wouldn''t have done me any good.¡±


    Penny pulled back, looking at him in shock. ¡°You- you have an ability?!? What is it!?!¡±


    ¡°I can open portals to this space that heals people when they die and connect to creatures so I can control them.¡± Chris explained.


    Penny''s eyes widened. ¡°You- when they- You have two-¡± She stammered, not sure which part was more shocking. ¡°How did you go from having no ability to having two?¡± She finally landed on the dual abilities, not sure how to even address the healing.


    Chris paused. ¡°I think both are actually related to the space¡­ I can only form the connection there. Also, wouldn''t it technically be three? Portals, healing, and the connection?¡±


    Penny raised an eyebrow. ¡°Portals?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I can also open portals between me and my minions.¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°But again, it''s more like I''m using the space to do it. I open a portal to the space and then a portal to my minion right in front of it, so it looks like a single portal.¡±


    ¡°So one ability with multiple uses?¡± Penny muttered thoughtfully. ¡°That''s still pretty ridiculous. And how did you never know you had it?!?¡±


    ¡°I''ve never died before?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Or randomly tried to open portals. And since the Readers kept telling me I didn''t have an ability, I wasn''t exactly looking.¡±


    Penny scowled at him, opening her mouth to lay into him, until Thad put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. ¡°We''re just glad you''re okay.¡± He interjected, giving Penny''s shoulder a squeeze.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Penny sighed, nodding in agreement. ¡°Even if you are the most frustrating person to ever exist.¡± She added.


    ¡°Isn''t he just?¡± Beth agreed, finally finding a way to interject herself into the conversation. ¡°I''m Beth, by the way.¡±


    "I''m Thad, Chris''s roommate." Thad introduced himself with a wave.


    "I''m Penny. I''m Chris''s unofficial little sister." Penny announced proudly.


    "It''s nice to meet you both!" Beth replied cheerfully.


    "Guys, we should probably go, right?" Chris commented, pointing towards the exit beacons that would send them home.


    "Chris! Don''t be rude!" Penny chastised him, poking him in the side.


    "I''m not being rude! I''m just saying, we both just got out of the Maze. Why don''t we save the meet and greet for after we''ve readjusted to the basic human comforts? Maybe wait until Derek gets back so he can join? Have a big meal to celebrate?" Chris elaborated.


    "That does sound good¡­" Beth muttered.


    Penny glared at her. ¡°Don''t encourage him! Just because what he says makes logical sense doesn''t mean he isn''t just saying it to get out of socializing!¡±


    ¡°We literally live together and I just spent most of a month with her.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°How much more socializing do I need to do?¡±


    ¡°Wait, really?¡± Penny looked between him and Beth. ¡°You two spent the whole Trial together?¡±


    ¡°Not the whole Trial.¡± Chris corrected. ¡°We only met up about a week in.¡±


    Penny rolled her eyes. ¡°So just practically the whole Trial.¡± She turned to Beth. ¡°You must have tons of stories! I want to hear all of them!¡±


    ¡°We didn''t really-¡± Chris began.


    ¡°Oh I do!¡± Beth cut him off. ¡°One of the first things he did was start collecting slimes to make a bed, because he''d been using another slime, Jello, as a pillow. Now, don''t get me wrong, Jello is an amazing pillow, but unfortunately for him, the only reason Jello can do it is because her ability-¡±


    ¡°Jello doesn''t have a gender.¡± Chris interjected.


    ¡°-her ability allows her to control her own consistency.¡± Beth continued, completely ignoring him. ¡°So he collected all these slimes, got them arranged into a bed, and the moment he laid down, was immediately covered in acidic goop! We were in his space, so he came out of it just fine, but his pants¡­ not so much.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering why he was wearing a shirt as pants.¡± Penny giggled.


    Beth smirked. ¡°He was lucky I was wearing a sports bra, or he''d have been spending the rest of the Trial naked.¡±


    Chris sighed. He was never getting home, was he?

 Space: 5 - Back in the City

    Beth and Penny thankfully didn''t spend too much time talking, Beth just as eager to get home and clean as Chris was. She and Chris quickly exchanged contact information before saying goodbye and they all headed home. "Ah, home sweet home." Chris sighed as he arrived outside the Richardson Orphanage with Penny and Thad. The orphanage was the perfect mix of professional and comfortable. From the yard, it was plain that children lived there, bikes and toys lying about, playground equipment that had signs of heavy use, little hidden places that the kids thought were secret, never noticing the fact that they always remained clean and tidy. The Richardsons wholeheartedly believed that the orphanage was the children''s home first.


    However, there were also clear signs that this was a professional business. Security cameras covered the yard and a sturdy, wrought iron fence enclosed it, along with a professional security booth, complete with a guard to keep watch. A cement path lined with shrubbery led from the gates to the front door, and inside was a small, elegant foyer, one of the few places kids were not allowed to play or hang out in. Any prospective parents would undergo a thorough evaluation process before ever meeting a child. The Richardsons viewed the children as their own, and would never just give them away. You had to prove you would treat the children right and ensure their safety and survival before you could adopt.


    "Chris?" A shocked voice called as he walked in. Chris turned to see the old security guard, Sidney, looking at him with wide eyes. "You- you- you''re back! Ha! Hahahaha!" He rushed up, pulling Chris into a crushing bear hug. "This is great! I didn''t- you were- oh, it''s good you survived!"


    "Oof!" Chris let out a slight groan, patting the big security guard on the back awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, good to be back."


    Sidney pulled back with a chuckle. "Same old Chris. Go on, get in there. I''m sure they''ll all be excited to see you back alive and well."


    Chris gave him a weird look, before shrugging and heading inside with Penny and Thad. He was sure everyone would be surprised to see him, but excited? He didn''t think that was likely. Between training and school, Chris had never had much time for socializing. Besides people like Derek, Penny, and Thad, who pretty much forced him to be friends with them, he never really connected with anyone.


    However, it seemed that his expectations were destined to be broken the moment he stepped through the door. With a cry of his name, everyone froze, before suddenly rushing at him, pulling him into hugs and asking if he was okay. Just crossing the lobby took almost half an hour, and he''d somehow picked up a blanket and a glass of hot cocoa in the process! No matter whether they were staff or kids, everyone seemed to be excited to see him.


    "That''s enough!" A loud, stern voice suddenly shouted out, calming everyone down. The owner of the orphanage, Mrs. Richardson, stepped into the room, crossing her arms. "Can''t you see that he just got back from the Maze? Let him get some rest and clean himself up. We can have a nice welcome back dinner for him and everyone else in a few days." She scolded the large group, and everyone nodded, apologizing as they dispersed.


    "Thank you, Mrs. Richardson." Chris thanked her with a relieved sigh.


    Mrs. Richardson smiled at him. "You''re welcome Christopher." She replied, before pulling him into a tight hug. "It''s good to have you back." She whispered, her voice choking slightly, before she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Now go, clean yourself up and get some rest."


    "Yes, Ma''am." Chris saluted, before heading off with Penny and Thad, causing her to snort and shake her head, watching them go with a bemused smile.


    *


    The first thing Chris did after getting back was take a shower, washing all the accumulated Maze filth off of himself. Afterwards, he returned to his room with a towel wrapped around his waist, sighing as he looked around. His bed was bare, the blankets and sheets neatly folded and placed to the side, his pillow resting on top. A neat stack of boxes sat in the corner, full of all his clothing, a detailed list of the items and their quality sitting on top. It was the same for all his books and electronics. Everything was neatly packaged, ready to go wherever they needed to go in the likely event of his death, whether they decided to donate it or give it to someone else. As for his bank account, the money was set to be donated to the orphanage if he died. He figured they''d have the best use for it.


    Chris sighed heavily, placing his hand on one of the stacks of boxes. "Damn it¡­ now I have to unpack." He grumbled, before ripping open a box and pulling out his phone, which had been neatly placed in its original packaging. He quickly opened it up and plugged it into the charger before turning it back on. "Huh, still over eighty percent battery life. Not bad." He muttered, sitting on his bed and leaning against the wall as he began playing with his phone, browsing the various dumb internet sites he''d been unable to catch up with while he was in the Trial.


    "Hey, Chris, do you-" Thad walked in, stopping as he noticed Chris''s position. "Did you seriously just unpack your phone and play on it this entire time?" He asked incredulously.


    Chris turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "Is there a problem with that?"


    Thad frowned at him for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head. "Just get dressed. We''re going to go get dinner."


    Chris patted his stomach thoughtfully. "I could use some real food¡­ sure, give me a minute." He replied, throwing his phone to the side and getting up to rip open a few more boxes, putting on a change of clothes. He shoved his phone in his pocket, along with his wallet which he pulled out of a different box, before turning back to Thad. "Alright, let''s go." They started walking out, when Chris''s phone began to buzz. He frowned, pulling it out and staring at the unfamiliar number for a moment, before realizing it was probably Beth and answering it. ¡°Hello?¡±


    "Hey! Is this Chris?" Beth asked from the other end.


    "Yup. What''s up?" Chris replied.


    "It''s me! Beth!" Beth answered excitedly. "I just wanted to call and make sure you got home okay."


    "Yeah, I''m good. Just finished showering and whatnot. I''m about to head out and get some food, actually." Chris explained.


    "Oh! Can I join you? What floor are you on? I''m on the third!"


    "We''re on the forty-fourth." Chris replied. "We''re about ten minutes from the lifts, so¡­ it''d be over an hour to get down here from up there. Plus however long it takes you to get to the lift. Are you sure you want to make that long a trip?"


    Beth chuckled from the other end. "It won''t take me that long. I have an express pass." She commented in a proud tone.


    Chris''s eyebrows rose. "Seriously? How''d you manage that?"


    "Oh, my dad is pretty high up in the military. This is just one of the perks." Beth replied dismissively.


    "Uh huh¡­ well, then how long do you think it will take you?" Chris asked.


    Beth paused, doing the calculations in her head. "Fifteen to twenty? Something like that. Where should I meet you?"


    Chris paused, turning to Thad. "Where are we eating?"


    Thad shrugged. "Where do you want to eat?"


    Chris cocked his head, considering it. "Hellfire?"


    "The wing place?" Thad asked, before nodding. "Yeah, that sounds good."


    "Alright, cool." Chris nodded, before focusing on the phone again. "We''re going to a place called Hellfire. It''s actually closer to the lifts, so it should cut your trip down to ten or fifteen. We''ll see you soon."


    "See you soon!" Beth agreed happily, before hanging up.


    "So, Beth''s coming?" Thad asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Chris nodded. "Yeah. She called to make sure I got home okay and wanted to come."


    "Interesting." Thad muttered, nodding slowly, giving Chris a weird look.


    Chris raised an eyebrow at him. "How is that interesting?¡±


    "Oh, no reason." Thad shook his head, grinning slightly.


    They found Penny waiting nearby, sitting in one of the common areas, before heading out to the restaurant. They took a quick trip on the railcar to get to the area, walking a few blocks before arriving at the restaurant and finding a table. Hellfire was a pretty casual place, so they were free to seat themselves, not worrying about how many people they had. They all ordered drinks, sitting around and chatting while they waited for Beth to arrive.


    Hellfire was noticeably a bit more rowdy than usual, but Chris wasn''t surprised. After the end of every Trial, the entire City went a little wild for about a week as the Trial takers celebrated their survival and their official entry into adulthood. There were parties, parades, and a bunch of dumb teenagers getting drunk off their asses for the first time. Of course, there were also those who partied before the Trial too, but those parties had more of a ''let''s do a bunch of crazy shit before we die'' vibe which was just depressing if you put too much thought into it.


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    "Hey, Chris, why don''t you get some alcohol?" Penny asked. "You are legal now."


    Chris rolled his eyes. "Maybe later. I don''t want my first time getting drunk to be in some public place where I can make an ass of myself. Best to save that for a private gathering, with friends."


    "Yeah, plus we should probably save it for when Derek''s back. He wouldn''t want to miss it." Thad nodded along.


    "Right, Derek. What''s taking him so long, anyways?" Penny muttered.


    "Getting out of the Maze isn''t a matter of strength or skill. You kinda just have to be lucky and hope you run into a beacon sooner rather than later." Chris explained.


    "I guess¡­ still, I wish he''d hurry up." Penny grumbled.


    "Chris!" Beth exclaimed when she showed up a few minutes later, hopping over to him and hugging him tightly, not letting go until Chris returned her hug awkwardly from his seat. She then took a seat right next to him, turning to look at the other two with a big smile on her face. "Hey guys! Did you order already?"


    "Nah, we figured we''d wait for you." Thad replied with a shrug.


    "I still don''t see what the big deal is." Chris grumbled. "So our food comes out earlier, so what? Us waiting doesn''t make her food come out any quicker."


    Penny rolled her eyes. "Ignore him. He gets grouchy when he''s hungry."


    "How is this grouchy? This is a matter of logic." Chris protested, tapping the table seriously.


    Beth shook her head. "It''s fine, I wouldn''t have minded if you guys ordered anyways. I''m the one who decided to join in late and it''d be rude to expect you to wait for me."


    "We''ve only been waiting for a little while, it''s really not a problem." Penny retorted, smiling politely.


    Beth smiled back, before picking up her menu. "So, what''s good here?"


    ""The wings."" Thad and Chris announced in unison.


    "I prefer the barbecue." Chris added.


    "I''m partial to the honey mustard." Thad shrugged.


    "I like barbecue." Beth nodded along, finding the option in the menu. "Do you know if it''s processed or artificial?" The City couldn''t exactly raise animals, since any animal would develop abilities and potentially turn on them, so they had to resort to other methods to get meat. The first was by processing the meat from the creatures in the Maze, grinding it up and using specialized machines and abilities to alter its texture and taste, while adding in the necessary vitamins and other nutritional supplements necessary for humanity''s survival. The second was by artificially growing meat the way you wanted it to be. There really wasn''t much difference between the two, but some people thought the artificial meat was healthier, since the bits and pieces of the creatures that got ground up included the nasty bits that no one would eat in the first place. Chris was of the opinion it didn''t matter since they both got changed into whatever people wanted them to be, but hey, public opinion was a stupid, stupid thing.


    "I think it''s artificial¡­" Penny responded with a frown.


    "Oh, it doesn''t matter either way. I''m just used to eating meat straight from the Maze creatures, so I was wondering which one I''m having and whether it''d taste different either way." Beth commented with a shrug.


    The three of them paused, looking at her strangely. "You¡­ you can do that?" Penny asked, eyes widening.


    "Do what?" Beth asked hesitantly, looking back at them with a frown.


    "You can eat straight creature meat? That hasn''t been processed?" Thad elaborated. "I thought that was poisonous or something."


    Beth shook her head. "No, it isn''t- well, a lot of the creature meat is disease ridden, so I wouldn''t recommend eating most of it, which is why we process a lot of it, but there are a few creatures that are good to eat¡­ mostly the ones with hooves."


    "Huh¡­ how do you even get something like that? I''ve never even seen someplace offering creature meat." Chris commented, furrowing his brow.


    "Well¡­ it''s kind of a specialty thing¡­ from the military. It''s part of their funding. Rich people are willing to spend large amounts of money for something ''special''." Beth explained, looking a little uncomfortable.


    "Gotcha." Chris nodded. "So¡­ how rich are you then?"


    Beth flushed. "I-I''m not- it isn''t-" She stammered for a bit, before taking a deep breath. "It- it isn''t that we''re rich¡­ but¡­ my dad is the, uh¡­ the head of the Scouts." She finished in a low whisper, looking increasingly embarrassed as she went.


    "Oh. Cool." Chris nodded appreciatively.


    Beth blinked at him, her eyes widening. "Th-that''s it? You- you aren''t going to freak out?" She asked tentatively.


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "Why would I freak out?"


    "Chris, you realize this means her dad is one of the most powerful men in the City, right?" Penny hissed in a tight voice, shooting nervous glances towards Beth.


    "Yeah? So?" Chris replied, frowning slightly, looking confused.


    "Chris, this is like being friends with a celebrity!" Thad explained in the same low tone everyone was using.


    Chris cocked his head. "Is that a big deal?"


    "Is that a- ugh, forget it!" Penny threw her hands up in frustration.


    Beth was smiling widely, eyes almost glittering as she looked at Chris. "You''re awesome." She muttered, leaning in to hug him again.


    "He''s weird." Penny grumbled.


    "He''s different, I''ll give you that." Thad sighed, rubbing his temple.


    "I''m just me." Chris replied with a shrug.


    *


    "So¡­ Do you still want to do it?" Beth asked as they were about to leave, causing Thad and Penny to freeze, staring at Chris with wide eyes.


    Chris paused, thinking over what she could mean, which was definitely not anything suggestive. "You mean joining the Scouts?" Chris asked, and Beth nodded, causing Penny and Thad''s eyes to widen even more. Chris shrugged. "Sure, I don''t see why not."


    Beth smiled happily. "Then¡­ When do you want to join? They''re taking their next batch of recruits in a few weeks, but if that''s too early for you, we can wait a few months."


    Chris frowned, considering it. "Well¡­ I wouldn''t mind having a few months off, but I''m pretty sure I''d say the same at any point, so I guess I could do it in a few weeks."


    "Are you sure? It''s up to you. If you think you need a break, it''s fine." Beth assured him, looking at him with concern.


    "Nah, if I rested that long, I''d just get soft. I have nothing motivating me to work anymore. Joining sooner will be good for me." Chris assured her.


    "Really?" Beth asked, cocking her head.


    "Yeah, I''m really bad without motivation. If there''s no reason to do it, it probably isn''t happening. It''s just the way I am, and I can''t help it." Chris sighed wearily.


    "Okay¡­ then we''ll join in a few weeks!" Beth announced cheerfully. "Don''t worry, I''ll handle everything."


    "Outstanding. Just let me know if there''s anything I need." Chris nodded along.


    "I will." Beth grinned back at him. With that, their meal was finished and they went their separate ways.


    "You''re joining the Scouts?!?" Penny hissed incredulously as they walked away.


    "Yeah? Why?" Chris replied, raising an eyebrow at her.


    "Because you''re- you''re- you''re brilliant! Why would you waste that on the Scouts!?!" Penny exclaimed in exasperation.


    "Chris, you could be a doctor or a researcher." Thad jumped in. "Reducing yourself to some sort of military grunt¡­"


    Chris shook his head. "Guys, you know I''m not going to get very far in those fields. I missed too much prep work in high school because I had to focus on training, and I''m just not going to put in the extra hard work to make a mark. Besides, I''m not just going to be a grunt. Beth said I can work on their weapons and equipment, real practical application type crap. Doesn''t that sound fun? I''ll be fine."


    Penny frowned. "I guess that''s better¡­ but still! I just think you could be doing more."


    "Eh, we''ll see. Just because I''m going into the Scouts now doesn''t mean I have to stay there forever. I mean, I''ll get old at some point and then I''ll have to do something different." Chris shrugged.


    Thad shook his head. "I just do not get how you make your decisions."


    *


    Once they returned to the orphanage, Chris opened a portal to the space, walking in and handing Dyrdek a to-go box of wings before dumping all the bones from their meal into Jello. He turned to leave, pausing as he noticed Dyrdek staring at a wing, a single bite taken out of it. ¡°You don''t like it?¡±


    [I don''t deserve it.] Dyrdek spat, his expression twisting. [I''m useless! How can I eat this delicious food when I''ve done nothing to earn it!]


    Chris blinked. ¡°Huh¡­¡± He''d never have expected a goblin to be worried about deserving something. ¡°It''s fine? I mean, it isn''t like it''s your fault. You''re clearly willing to work, I just don''t have anything for you to do, and that''s on me, not you.¡±


    [But you don''t have anything for me to do because there''s nothing I can do!] Dyrdek protested. [I''m too weak to be used!]


    ¡°You''re a bit weak, yeah, but you don''t have to remain weak.¡± Chris countered. ¡°I mean, there isn''t much you can do about your ability, but you can learn how to use a weapon, or make traps, or poison, or anything really. Just find something you want to be good at and work at it until you are.¡±


    Dyrdek blinked. [I- can learn?]


    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°That''s what makes humans so great. Outside the military, abilities are fairly useless. Well, not useless, but if you don''t have the skills to keep up, just relying on your ability won''t get you very far. We maximize our effectiveness by combining our innate abilities with knowledge and expertise. So even if your ability is kinda meh, as long as you develop your skills, you''ll never be incapable.¡±


    Dyrdek frowned for a moment, before giving Chris a determined nod. [Then I will learn. I won''t let you down again, Chief!]


    ¡°You haven''t- eh, whatever gets you there.¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°Let me know what you decide on and I''ll get you some books to help you along. If there''s nothing else, I''m going to get to bed.¡± He began to leave, before pausing and turning back. ¡°And eat the damn wings! I don''t care if you think you deserve them or not, I bought them for you and you are not going to waste them! Feed the bones to Jello once you''re done.¡± He turned to leave again, before stopping once more. ¡°Scratch that, I''m taking Jello. Can''t sleep without my pillow, after all. Just leave the bones in the container.¡±

 Space: 6 - Getting Derek involved

    Chris woke up the next morning, stretching as he let out a satisfied groan. It was good to sleep in a bed again.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Thad asked, looking up from a book he''d been reading as he sat on his bed, rubbing his eyes and yawning.


    Chris glanced at him, frowning slightly. ¡°Yeah? Did you not?¡±


    Thad shook his head. ¡°I didn''t sleep at all. Couldn''t get comfortable with that being in the room with me.¡± He waved at Jello.


    ¡°You should have woken me up.¡± Chris sighed, sitting up. ¡°I would have put them away if they made you uncomfortable. But seriously, Jello is completely safe, you don''t have to worry about them.¡±


    ¡°You just got back from the Maze. I wasn''t going to interrupt the first good night''s sleep you''ve had in weeks just because I''m being irrationally paranoid. And yeah, I get the slime is safe, because you''re using it as a damn pillow, but for some reason my brain can''t accept that and I feel like I have to watch it. Like when we were kids and I was always worried there was something hiding under my bed.¡± Thad explained, grimacing slightly. Chris raised an eyebrow at him, picking up Jello and tossing them at him. ¡°Gah!¡± Thad jumped, freezing as the slime landed in his lap. ¡°Why!?!¡¯


    ¡°Remember how we fixed the bed issue?¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°Yeah, you- oh.¡± Thad paused, remembering how Chris had insisted they both sleep under their beds for a week. Eventually the space just became familiar, and he never worried about it again. ¡°So¡­ you want me to spend time with your slime so I can get familiar with it?¡± He asked hesitantly, eyeing Jello warily as they bubbled happily in his lap.


    ¡°It''s either that or I can just stop using them as a pillow, since it isn''t like under the bed where you needed to get comfortable with it. But if you want to get over it, then yeah, spend some time with them.¡± Chris replied, getting up and grabbing his towel and toiletries. ¡°I''m going to hit the showers. Let me know what you decide when I get back.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± Thad called after him, but Chris just ignored him, waving over his shoulder as he left. Thad''s expression twisted as he refocused on the slime. ¡°Your master is a dick.¡± Jello gurgled slightly, causing Thad to flinch, before letting out a frustrated groan. ¡°Fucking- ugh, I gotta get over this.¡±


    Chris returned about half an hour later, finding Thad and Jello in the exact same position he''d left them in. ¡°Made your decision?¡±


    Thad glared at him for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh. ¡°Yeah. I''ll spend some time with the damn slime. Just- let me sleep first?¡±


    Chris chuckled. ¡°Fair enough.¡± He agreed, opening a portal next to Jello for them to jump through.


    Thad flinched as Jello moved, cursing at himself internally as he nodded at Chris. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem. Get some sleep.¡± Chris replied in an insistent tone, Thad waving him off as he laid down and rolled over. Chris quickly picked out a change of clothes and got dressed before leaving the room. He''d been planning on unpacking all his stuff and getting it put away, but Thad never could sleep with something else going on in the room, so he''d just have to find something else to do for now. He thought for a moment, considering his options, before shrugging and making his way down to his favorite common room and falling into his favorite chair, turning on the TV and pulling out his phone.


    "Chris! Come with me!" Mrs. Richardson suddenly rushed into the room, just as he''d gotten comfortable, quickly rushing back out, heading towards the front door.


    Chris frowned, jumping out of the chair and heading after her. ¡°What''s going on?" He asked as he caught up with her outside the orphanage, following Mrs. Richardson as she made her way to the railcar station.


    "It''s Derek." Mrs. Richardson replied with a tight frown. Mrs. Richardson was Derek''s aunt, and part of how Chris had gotten so close to him. "He''s back, but¡­ he''s injured. As soon as he got back, he fell into a coma. The doctors have him stable, but it might be some time before a healer is available to take care of him."


    Chris tensed for a moment before letting out a breath of relief. If all Derek needed was some healing, he could take care of that. If his space could handle a goblin getting its brains smashed in, he was sure it could handle whatever was wrong with Derek.


    They quickly made it to the railcar station, taking the fastest one to the lifts, before getting on the ascending lift, making their way towards the first floor. The regular lift was large enough to accommodate almost fifty people, and it simply cycled in a loop, one lift after another rising up before shifting to the other side and moving down, shifting over again at the bottom and repeating the process, stopping at each floor to let people on and off. It took over an hour to finally reach the first floor, the two of them rushing towards the transporter station as soon as the doors opened. They had a built in medical facility for the injured coming back from the Maze, which the two of them quickly arrived at before finding Derek''s room and rushing in.


    "Derek!" Mrs. Richardson exclaimed as they arrived, seeing Mrs. Veach, Derek''s mom and Mrs. Richardson''s sister, standing next to Derek as he lay on a gurney. Mrs. Richardson carefully stepped up next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Do we know what''s wrong yet? Have you made an appointment with a healer? How far out is it?¡±


    Mrs. Veach wiped her eyes as she continued to stare down at Derek. ¡°They- they said he was bitten by something and the venom reached his brain. They managed to counteract the venom, but the soonest a healer capable of dealing with the brain damage will be available is next month! Jack is doing everything he can to get one sooner, but¡­¡± She trailed off helplessly. Healers were always in high demand, particularly after the Trial, and those powerful enough to fix something like brain damage were even more so. The Veaches simply didn''t have the money and influence to get one any sooner.


    ¡°I can probably take care of it.¡± Chris offered.


    Mrs. Veach whirled around, eyes widening as she caught sight of him. ¡°Ch-Chris? You''re alive!¡± She cried, rushing towards him and pulling him into a tight hug.


    Chris grunted as she barreled into him, patting her on the back. ¡°Yeah, I made it. Didn''t Mrs. Richardson tell you? I got back yesterday.¡±


    Mrs. Richardson smiled weakly. ¡°I wanted it to be a surprise for Derek and you know Sandra can''t keep a secret.¡±


    Mrs. Veach scowled at her. ¡°Mary! Chris is practically my second son! How could you not tell me he survived!?!¡± The Veaches had actually offered to adopt Chris at one point, but after discussing it with him, he''d turned them down. As much as he would have enjoyed having a home and whatnot, he knew they''d love him, and it just seemed cruel to develop that relationship when he knew he was going to die in a few years.


    ¡°Can I heal Derek now?¡± Chris interjected before they could continue arguing.


    They both turned to him, looking surprised and more than a bit skeptical. ¡°You- want to heal Derek?¡± Mrs. Veach asked tentatively. Even though Chris had survived the Trial, it couldn''t have been a pleasant experience for him. She was worried he was suffering from some brain damage himself, or at least psychological. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Well, it turns out I actually do have an ability, it''s just kinda hidden?¡± Chris explained. ¡°I can open portals to this space that heals anyone that dies inside it. It managed to heal a goblin I crushed the skull of, twice, so it should be able to fix whatever''s up with Derek.¡±


    ¡°Chris¡­¡± Mrs. Veach began in a soft tone, convinced this was some delusion he''d created, cutting off as Chris waved his hand and a portal opened, her eyes widening.


    ¡°We just have to get him in here.¡± Chris continued, not even noticing Mrs. Veach''s shock. ¡°Can we move the gurney or should I just pick him up?¡±


    ¡°Let- let me get- get someone.¡± Mrs. Veach stammered, rushing off.


    Mrs. Richardson pointed through the portal at Dyrdek. ¡°Chris, is that a goblin?¡± Mrs. Veach had been at the wrong angle to see him, but Mrs. Richardson had a clear view of both him and Jello.


    ¡°Hm? Oh yeah, that''s Dyrdek.¡± Chris replied. ¡°He''s my minion.¡±


    Mrs. Richardson blinked. ¡°Minion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the space lets me form a connection with creatures so I can control them.¡± Chris shrugged.


    Mrs. Richardson frowned. ¡°But why call him a minion?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Because I''m not employing him, subordinate feels too militaristic, subject seems too official, and slave just feels wrong?¡±


    ¡°I- suppose that makes sense.¡± Mrs. Richardson muttered, before shaking her head. ¡°I can''t believe you actually have an ability! I''m so happy for you, Chris!¡± She pulled him into a hug.


    ¡°Thanks?¡± Chris offered hesitantly. He was never sure how to respond to people being happy for him.


    Mrs. Richardson just smiled, laughing lightly as she pulled away. ¡°Still the same old Chris.¡±


    A moment later Mrs. Veach returned with a woman who looked to be not that much older than Chris. The woman glanced at Mrs. Richardson before focusing on Chris. ¡°You have a healing ability?¡± She asked. ¡°How does it work? Is it invasive at all?¡±


    ¡°I just need to get him in here and kill him.¡± Chris gestured to the portal. ¡°After that the healing just kinda happens? Honestly not really sure how it works, but it''s brought me back from the dead twice now. It''s also brought a goblin back to life after I smashed its head in. As for invasive¡­ I would probably consider killing someone pretty invasive.¡±


    The woman scowled. ¡°I''m going to need more than just your word before I let you kill one of my patients.¡±


    ¡°I could kill myself first?¡± Chris offered. ¡°Show you it works?¡±


    The woman raised an eyebrow. ¡°And what if it only works for you?¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Then you can test it on someone else? But at that point, we might as well just heal Derek.¡±


    The woman considered that for a moment, before nodding as she came to a decision. ¡°You will demonstrate first, then I will test it myself. If it works on me, I''ll let you use it on my patient.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Works for me.¡±


    ¡°Are- are you sure, Doctor Alvarez?¡± Mrs. Veach asked. ¡°I would be willing to take the risk if you need someone other than Chris to demonstrate.¡± As insane as it sounded, she was more than willing to believe Chris could actually do this. He would never claim he could do something he wasn''t a hundred percent sure he was capable of. If he managed to bring himself back, she was confident it would work on her as well, at least enough to take the risk for Derek.


    ¡°Even if you did, I would still need to go through it myself.¡± Doctor Alvarez replied, shaking her head. ¡°I couldn''t allow one of my patients to go through something I wasn''t willing to go through myself.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone have a good way to kill ourselves?¡± Chris asked absently, looking around the hospital room. ¡°Scalpel, maybe? Though I think we''d want to go for brain death¡­ Dying from blood loss sucks.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take care of it.¡± Doctor Alvarez replied.


    ¡°Cool. Shall we then?¡± Chris asked, gesturing to the portal.


    Doctor Alvarez nodded, walking inside. After Mrs. Richardson''s reaction, Chris had sent Jello and Dyrdek to hide in the Maze with his rats. He wanted to focus on healing Derek, and the doctor getting sidetracked by his minions was an unnecessary delay. ¡°Alright, stay still.¡± She ordered, placing her hand on his forehead. ¡°This is your last chance to back out. Are you sure about this?¡±


    ¡°Yup, go for it.¡± Chris confirmed. Doctor Alvarez hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh and activated her ability, sending a pulse of vibrations through his skull and turning his brain to mush. Chris barely even felt anything, his vision going dark for a moment before he woke up on the floor. ¡°Damn, that was almost pleasant.¡± He muttered, stretching slightly before getting up.


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    ¡°Fuck.¡± Doctor Alvarez breathed out a sigh of relief, hand on her chest as her heart raced. It''d taken a moment for Chris to heal, and in that time she''d started to convince herself that he wouldn''t, thinking she''d ruined her career based on the arrogant and delusional claims of a man fresh from the Trial! She was in the middle of berating herself for being stupid enough to actually let him convince her to attempt this when he''d woken up and a flood of relief hit her.


    ¡°Alright, your turn.¡± Chris announced. Doctor Alvarez froze. Could she actually go through with this? He had healed, just like he claimed¡­ but that didn''t mean it would work on her. Was this a stupid risk, when all they needed to do was wait a month or so for a licensed healer to be available? ¡°Something wrong?¡± Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    Doctor Alvarez grimaced. ¡°No, just- preparing myself.¡± She couldn''t bring herself to back out when he''d already done his part. She placed her hands on her forehead, taking a deep breath to prepare herself, before releasing the vibrations, her vision going dark. ¡°Gah!¡± She woke up a moment later on the floor. ¡°It- worked?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Can I heal Derek now?¡± Chris asked.


    Doctor Alvarez stared at him for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Yes- yes, I just need to get him ready to move.¡±


    They returned to Derek''s room and Doctor Alvarez called some nurses over to help her unhook him from all the machines. Once he was all unhooked, Chris opened a portal at the end of the gurney, pulling it through while Doctor Alvarez pushed. She then placed a hand on Derek''s forehead, using her ability to scramble his mind before stepping back to let him heal. Moments later, Derek slowly sat up with a groan, rubbing his head. "Ugh, where am I?" He muttered, looking around before finally seeing Chris. "Oh, fuck, I died, didn''t I?"


    "Why wou-" Chris began, before pausing and looking around the pure white room. It did kinda look afterlifeish, didn''t it? He let out a heavy sigh, discreetly waving Doctor Alvarez out the portal before closing it on her. "Yeah, buddy, we died. What the hell man? I thought I told you to be careful!¡±


    Derek groaned, burying his face in his hands. "It was so stupid! I stopped by a stream for some water, didn''t check the surroundings well enough, and got ambushed by a snake. It all went downhill from there. I started getting delirious, I could barely walk, every fight became more and more desperate¡­ I had a beacon on me and¡­ I thought I''d activated it, but¡­ I guess not."


    "Wait, you had a beacon on you? Why weren''t you using it?" Chris asked incredulously.


    Derek flushed. "Well¡­ I was sort of hoping I might run into you. I didn''t- I didn''t want to miss you if you were still alive¡­ How did you go, anyways?"


    Chris sighed, shaking his head. "You''re an idiot. I died just a few days in! I fought some rats, which left me in pretty bad shape. Then it was a slow downward spiral until I finally got jumped by a goblin while I was trying to get a drink. By then I wasn''t sure whether I was dying from the fever, the venom, infection, or blood loss. Maybe it was all of them. The world slowly went dark, and then I ended up here." Chris explained, enjoying the fact that he wasn''t even lying.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Derek grumbled bitterly. ¡°I really am an idiot, aren''t I?¡±


    ¡°A colossal fucking moron.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Come on, let''s get out of here.¡± He waved for him to follow.


    Derek snorted, hoping off the gurney, before pausing with a frown. ¡°Why is there a gurney? And why am I wearing a hospital gown?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°They came with you when you got here.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Derek grunted, wondering why that''d happen as he followed after Chris. Maybe he had made it back to the City and it just hadn''t done him much good? He''d been in pretty bad shape¡­ He was so lost in thought he barely even noticed when Chris opened a portal, only coming to his senses as he stumbled slightly from Chris pushing him through. "Hey!" Derek protested, before freezing as Mrs. Veach practically tackled him, pulling him into a tight hug.


    "Derek! You''re all better!" Mrs. Veach cried.


    "Mom!?!" Derek exclaimed in confusion, seeing Mrs. Richardson over her shoulder. "Aunt Mary? You''re dead too? Wait, hold on, no." Derek frowned, turning to Chris. "What''s going on here?"


    "What? I said we died. I didn''t say we were dead.¡± Chris smirked.


    Derek blinked. ¡°I am so confused.¡±


    Chris chuckled. ¡°I''ll explain later.¡±


    *


    "That''s a pretty damn good ability." Derek commented after Chris explained everything. They were waiting in the hospital room while Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Veach dealt with getting Derek discharged.


    "Well, it isn''t exactly combat focused¡­ but yeah, it''s pretty good." Chris nodded along.


    "Why would you care if it''s combat focused or not?¡± Derek asked, giving him a weird look. ¡°It isn''t like you''re going to be joining the military or anything.¡±


    "Actually, I''m joining the Scouts." Chris replied with a shrug.


    Derek blinked, shook his head, then blinked again. "I''m sorry, could you repeat that? I thought you just said you were joining the Scouts."


    Chris nodded. "You heard right. I''ll be joining in a few weeks."


    Derek frowned. "This is one of your jokes, right? Get me thinking one thing before pulling a switch at the last minute, just to see my reaction, right? What, is there some sort of educational program called the Scouts? Are you joining their research division?"


    Chris chuckled, shaking his head. "Nope, I''m joining the real Scouts, as a member of a squad. No joke."


    Derek stared at him incredulously. "Why?!? You could go to college! Get a good job! Why risk your life when you could be doing anything else!?!¡±


    "Well, there''s a few reasons, but mostly it''s because Beth asked me to, and I didn''t care to say no." Chris shrugged.


    "Beth? Who''s Beth?" Derek asked, narrowing his eyes at Chris suspiciously.


    "She''s this girl I saved in the Maze. Kinda goofy, but she seems like a good person. Thinks I could do a lot to make sure people stay safe in the Maze." Chris replied.


    "And you just agreed? Just like that?" Derek followed up, raising an eyebrow at him.


    Chris shrugged. "Well it wasn''t like I had any other plans. With all the benefits and what not, it really isn''t a bad decision. Plus, it sounds like it''ll be interesting work. I''ve never really cared what I do, I just don''t want to be bored."


    Derek glared at him for a bit longer, before sighing and shaking his head. "Even after all these years, I barely get you. Fuck it. Fine. Let''s join the Scouts."


    "Uh, what? You want to join too?" Chris frowned, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "I can''t let you do something like this alone, now can I? Besides, as you said, it''ll be interesting! Plus the benefits are apparently quite good." Derek replied with a grin.


    Chris shook his head. "Derek, no, this isn''t- If you aren''t careful, you could die!"


    "Isn''t that your job? You keep me safe while I kill things for you! It''s a win win!" Derek exclaimed.


    "Derek, you''re only a mid-tier! You aren''t even that powerful in the Scouts!" Chris continued.


    "That''s just in raw power." Derek scoffed, waving him off. "With the speed enhancement added on, my survivability shoots way up! Plus, I''m not that far from high-tier. A bit of physical training and who knows? Maybe I can upgrade."


    Chris glared at him. "Derek, you can''t decide to join the Scouts just because I am! What about your plans? What about college? Taking over your family''s business? You think the Scouts are going to prepare you for that?"


    "Depends on my role in the squad. Sure, being a basic grunt won''t do much for me, but I can always climb the ranks, taking on more responsibility. Managing a platoon can''t be that much different than managing a business, right? Add in a few extra classes during the breaks and I''ll be golden! Honestly, this will probably be more practical than management classes, since I''ll be getting first hand experience." Derek retorted.


    "Dude-" Chris began to argue again, when his phone began to ring. He pulled it out and saw it was Beth. "Hold on, we are not done." Chris growled at him, before answering the phone. "Hello?"


    "Hey! How''s it going?" Beth asked.


    "Pretty good. Derek''s back, he was injured, but I fixed him." Chris explained shortly. "How about you?"


    "Ugh, just boring stuff. I''m glad your friend is back! Uh, I was wondering, there''s going to be a¡­ celebration this Friday, for the end of the Trial, and I was wondering if you''d be my plus one?" Beth asked, sounding a little nervous.


    "A celebration? Like a party?" Chris raised an eyebrow skeptically. "What would I have to do? Would I need to bring anything?"


    "Well, it''s kind of fancy, so you''d need a suit¡­ But I can help you get one tomorrow, okay?" Beth replied. "Other than that, you just need to show up, eat some high-class food, and keep me company! That''s not so bad, right?"


    Chris frowned slightly. "A suit, huh? You sure you want me to come? I''m not really a fancy guy."


    "Yes! You have to come! Please?" Beth insisted with a hint of desperation in her voice.


    Chris went back and forth, considering it for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Alright, I''ll go. I''ll see you tomorrow." Beth just sounded so desperate and if all he had to do was keep her company¡­ Well, that didn''t sound so bad, even if it was a party.


    "Yay! See you tomorrow!" Beth cheered happily, before hanging up.


    Chris put the phone away, before turning back to Derek. "Now where were we?"


    "Whoa, hold on. What was that?" Derek asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "That was Beth. She invited me to a party on Friday. Why?" Chris answered with a shrug.


    "Beth, huh? The same one you''re joining Scouts with, right?" Derek asked with a thoughtful expression.


    "Yup." Chris nodded. "We traveled together for a while, so we got pretty close."


    Derek looked Chris over with a strange glint in his eye. "Well I''ll be damned. You finally have a girlfriend!" He announced excitedly, wrapping his arm around Chris''s shoulders. "Ah, I have so much to teach you! Have you two gone on a date yet? Is this party going to be your first? You''ll need to get her flowers, obviously-"


    "Wait, wait, hold on!" Chris stopped Derek. "Beth is not my girlfriend! I mean, she''s a great girl, and I probably wouldn''t mind dating her, but I''ve only known her for a few weeks!¡±


    Derek raised an eyebrow at him. "You know most people date based on like five minute interactions, right? Like, they see each other, like how they look, exchange numbers, and then start setting things up."


    Chris frowned. "That seems like a horribly cavalier way to initiate relationships. You barely know what you''re getting into at that point!"


    "That''s just how relationships work! The longer you know someone, the harder it is to ask them out. Once you build connections, you don''t want to risk losing them." Derek countered.


    Chris''s frown deepened. "Why would you be risking anything? Isn''t a date just a chance to get to know the person better to see if you''re interested in pursuing something more? Why would that be a problem? If anything it''s flattering, like saying you''re good enough I might want to spend the rest of my life with you."


    Derek rolled his eyes. "You see, people have these things called emotions that make even the idea that someone might potentially want to spend the rest of their lives with them a big deal, you fucking robot."


    "Well that''s dumb." Chris muttered, crossing his arms.


    Derek sighed. "Sure it is. Fine. If dating isn''t such a big deal, why haven''t you gone on one with this Beth girl yet?"


    "I still have information to gain from the friendly side of things." Chris explained. "I know we get along well, which is good, but that isn''t all I''m looking for in a romantic partner. I need to examine the content of her character. We''ve had a few interactions that I believe are good signs, but then again she might just be the type of person who always sides with the people she likes. I''m not sure yet."


    Derek buried his face in his hands. "Holy fuck you''re going to blow this!" He groaned, wiping his face with his hands, before placing them on Chris''s shoulders and looking him in the eye with a stern look. "Listen to me. Do you like this girl?"


    "Ostensibly?" Chris replied hesitantly.


    "Fuck you. Now, here''s what you''re going to do. You''re going to go to this party with her and continue your little evaluation. However, at the end of the party, if you still think you might want to date her, you are going to ask her out! Understand?" Derek explained, keeping Chris focused with an intense glare.


    Chris''s expression twisted, before he finally sighed and nodded. "Fine. I''ll do it."


    ¡°You two ready to go?¡± Mrs. Veach leaned into the room to ask and the two nodded, getting up to leave.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Someone called out as they were about to go, Doctor Alvarez rushing over to them, stopping in front of Chris, slightly out of breath. ¡°Sorry, I didn''t have the chance to make this offer earlier, but if you''re ever interested in using your ability to help people, please, give me a call.¡± She explained, handing Chris a business card. ¡°I wrote my personal number on the back.¡± She added, before quickly leaving to get back to her patients.


    Derek let out a low whistle. ¡°Damn! Well, if it doesn''t work out with that Beth chick, at least you have options.¡±


    Chris frowned at him. ¡°What are you talking about? She just thinks my ability is useful.¡±


    Derek snorted. ¡°Right. And she needed to give you her personal number for that. Sure.¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes, putting the card in his pocket. ¡°Not everything is about sex, Derek.¡±


    Derek grinned. ¡°But most things are.¡±


    ¡°I''m not having this argument again.¡± Chris groaned.


    ¡°Let''s just take a look at the top ten most popular songs.¡± Derek snickered, patting his pockets, before frowning. ¡°Crap, I don''t have my phone.¡±


    ¡°Oh no, how horrible.¡± Chris smirked.


    ¡°Gimme yours.¡± Derek insisted, holding out his hand.


    ¡°No.¡± Chris immediately declined.


    ¡°Come on, give it!¡± Derek reiterated, reaching for his pocket.


    Chris slapped his hand. ¡°No means no, Derek.¡±


    ¡°Give it!¡± Derek growled, reaching for his pocket again.


    ¡°No!¡± Chris grabbed his hand, and the two started wrestling as they continued to make their way to the lifts. Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Veach shared a look before rolling their eyes, hiding secret smiles. It was good to have their boys back.

 Space: 7 - Shopping

    "What is this place?" Chris asked, studying the building Beth had dragged him to skeptically.


    "It''s a tailor. How else are you going to get a suit?" Beth asked, giving him a weird look.


    "Uh¡­ a clothing store? You get a jacket, dress shirt, dress pants, a belt and a tie, and bam, you have a suit." Chris retorted. "This¡­ this just looks expensive."


    "You cannot wear something like that to this party! They''d tear you apart!" Beth exclaimed, her eyes widening. "You need a tailored suit. Don''t worry though, I''ll pay."


    "No, no, no. If it''s my suit, I''ll pay. I do have money, you know." Chris protested. "I just don''t see why I need an expensive suit."


    "It''s a status thing." Beth sighed. "I know it''s dumb, but it''s how these people work, and I don''t want them to look down on you for something so stupid."


    "That seems like more of a them problem. Why should I care what they think?" Chris raised an eyebrow at her.


    Beth grinned. "Love the attitude, but unfortunately, if you get on these people''s bad side, they can make your life difficult. You don''t want your life to be difficult, do you?"


    "I suppose not¡­ fine, let''s get me a tailored suit." Chris grumbled, heading into the tailor''s shop with Beth. "What''s the deal with this party, anyway? I thought it was just a celebration for the Trial being over."


    Beth sighed again. "It is, but like any event the upper crust throws, it''s going to be an opportunity to network as well. All the influential figures in the City will be there. The heads of the military branches and their staff, government officials like the Mayor, prominent businessmen, celebrities, scientists, and, of course, the Families."


    Chris frowned. "The more you talk about this thing, the more I think I shouldn''t be there."


    "No, that''s why I need you to be there! All these people suck! I need at least someone I enjoy hanging out with to be there." Beth retorted.


    "Oh, and here I thought you wanted me there as arm candy." Chris shot back with a smirk.


    "That''s just a side benefit." Beth winked at him, before walking up to the counter and ringing the bell.


    A man stepped out from a back room, looking the two of them over as he walked up to the counter. "Yes? How may I help you?"


    "Hello, I''m here to commission a tailored suit for my friend here." Beth explained, gesturing to Chris.


    The man turned to Chris, and his eyes began to glow, scanning Chris up and down. "Well, well, well, what a fine frame you have there! Did you have a specific color in mind?" He asked, turning to Beth.


    "Could you do something in blue?" Beth asked.


    "I also wouldn''t mind green." Chris added.


    "Chris, green is a terrible color for a suit." Beth countered.


    "But I like green¡­" Chris muttered.


    The tailor considered Chris for a moment. "She''s right, green wouldn''t work for you. However, a dark blue suit, along with a green dress shirt? That could look nice. What do you think?" He asked, turning to Beth again.


    Beth frowned, considering Chris. "What color would the tie be?"


    "Either black or a dark red, I''d say." The tailor replied.


    "Ooh, I like red! Let''s do it!" Beth clapped cheerfully. Beth and the tailor then began to walk around the shop, picking out the specific pieces that would be tailored to fit Chris, eventually putting together all the pieces for a nice dark blue suit for Chris.


    "Just give me a few hours, and it''ll all be ready." The tailor assured them with a smile, before taking the clothes into the back room.


    Chris frowned as they walked out. "That''s it? Doesn''t he need to take my measurements or something?"


    Beth shook her head. "Nope. That''s why this guy is so good. He has an ability that lets him scan people with his eyes and get their measurements that way. It also ensures that all his adjustments are perfect. Best tailor in the City." She explained. They continued to walk randomly for a bit, before she looked over at him. "So¡­ what do you want to do while we wait?"


    Chris shrugged. "Up to you. I''m down for anything really.¡±


    Beth cocked her head. ¡°Have you put anything in your space yet?¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°No? What would I even put in there?¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Chris, you at least have to put a couch in there! Probably two, and a few chairs. Oh, and a table for games!¡± She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°You aren''t just leaving Dyrdek in there all alone, with nothing to keep him occupied, are you?¡±


    Chris blinked before letting out a light cough. ¡°I- may need to get some things for my space.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you are the worst sometimes!¡± Beth groaned, grabbing his arm and pulling him deeper into the strip mall the tailor was located in.


    Chris grimaced. ¡°Are we sure we want to shop here? These places are pretty expensive.¡±


    ¡°They''re expensive because they''re quality.¡± Beth retorted. ¡°Well, mostly. But that''s why you have me! Plus, I can pay for it all. You''re here because of me anyway.¡±


    ¡°I have my own money, I don''t need you to buy me anything.¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°I''m just thinking that this stuff is going to be used by goblins and soldiers. Do we really want it to be fancy?¡±


    ¡°Not fancy, no, but definitely quality.¡± Beth commented. ¡°Otherwise you''ll be buying something new every month and end up paying way more than you would if you just bought something that would last from the beginning.¡±


    Chris grunted, accepting her point as they arrived at a furniture store, walking inside. ¡°So, what are we looking for then? Leather?¡±


    ¡°It pretty much has to be, doesn''t it?¡± Beth agreed. ¡°Anything fabric would turn into a mess of stains in no time. Though I suppose vinyl wouldn''t be bad either¡­¡± She trailed off as she wandered through the shop, examining the various couches and chairs they had available. ¡°What do you think of this one?¡± She asked, pointing to a black leather, two cushion couch.


    Chris examined it for a moment, before nodding seriously. ¡°It''s a couch.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you like it or not?¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Eh? It looks comfortable, I guess? But, you know, most couches are. That''s kind of the point of them.¡±


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Well I like it.¡±


    ¡°Then let''s get it.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I really don''t care what it looks like, as long as I can sit on it.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Of course you don''t. I should just pick everything out myself, shouldn''t I?¡±


    ¡°That would probably be best, yes.¡± Chris nodded.


    Beth just snorted, shaking her head as she continued to look through the store, finding a few other pieces she liked. ¡°Can I see your space real quick?¡± She asked after a while.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sure?¡± He waved for her to follow him into a corner, opening a portal against the wall and walking in with her.


    ¡°Okay, here''s what I''m thinking.¡± Beth began as she walked in, giving Dyrdek a wave and a smile as she looked around. ¡°We''ll put a side table in the corner here, then a three seater along this wall and a two seater along the other. Then we''ll add a coffee table in this space in front of them and four or five chairs to fill out the other two sides. Finally, we''ll put a nice dining set over here, for anyone who wants to eat or play games or anything.¡± She finished, walking to the other corner along the same wall she''d suggested putting the two seater on.


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Chris agreed.


    Beth glanced at him, frowning slightly. ¡°You don''t care at all, do you?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I don''t care what it looks like, but it sounds functional, and I appreciate that.¡± Chris replied. ¡°My one comment is that we should make sure the chairs from around the couches can be used comfortably around the dining table as well, so we can have a larger group around the table if necessary.¡±


    Beth smiled, nodding excitedly. ¡°That''s a great idea!¡± She looked around, thinking of what else they could add, before looking up and letting out a sigh. ¡°We really need to figure out what to do about the ceiling. So much wasted space.¡±


    Chris looked up as well, considering it for a moment. It was a lot of wasted space. The space was a cube, about six and a half meters on each side, leaving more than enough room for a second floor if they wanted. Unfortunately, adding a second floor would take a lot of time and money Chris didn''t particularly want to spend¡­ if only he could widen- Chris paused, blinking as the thought occurred to him. This was his ability wasn''t it? Why couldn''t he change the space? He focused on the wall, mentally pushing it away from him, until he felt a pop and¡­ The space shrunk. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°What- did this place just get smaller?¡± Beth asked, looking around in confusion.


    ¡°I was trying to widen it¡­¡± Chris muttered, frowning as he tried to find where the extra space had gone. It couldn''t have just disappeared, could it? That wouldn''t make any sense. ¡°Where¡­ got it!¡± Chris exclaimed as he sunk his senses into the space, finding a connection to the wayward fragment and opening a portal to it. ¡°Huh¡­ not bad.¡± Chris commented as he walked in. The new space was about four meters on each side, while the previous space had only shrunk to about six meters on each side. ¡°Does that math work out? Eh, probably.¡± Chris muttered to himself.


    ¡°What math?¡± Beth asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    ¡°That taking a four meter cube from a six and a half meter cube would give you a six meter cube.¡± Chris waved dismissively.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, cubic space is weird.¡± Beth nodded. ¡°You know, this could probably fit the couch section nicely. And then you could do another for the dining set! How many of these do you think you could make?¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Chris frowned, pulling out his phone and opening a calculator app. ¡°Three more, so four total? Which would give us an eight by eight floor plan, giving us¡­ fifty percent more floor space. Though you''d need portals to get between them¡­ hold on, I want to try something else.¡± He put his phone away, focusing on the ceiling, this time focusing on pulling instead of pushing, and the space slowly widened as the ceiling lowered. ¡°There we go.¡± Chris nodded in satisfaction as he lowered the height to about two and a half meters, putting the sides at about five meters. ¡°Much better.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Well, I separated this space by pushing out a wall, so I thought maybe the answer to expanding it was pulling, and¡­ well, I was right.¡± Chris explained.


    Beth nodded. ¡°Gotcha. So are you thinking of four spaces like this or just expanding the big space? Or you could leave this space as a private space for yourself, and then use the larger space as a communal space!¡±


    Chris nodded slowly. ¡°That sounds like a good idea¡­ I''ve never had a private space before. At least, not one I can really remember.¡±


    Beth glanced at Chris sadly, before suddenly perking up. ¡°Then I guess we''ll have to make sure it''s the best space you could ever want!¡± She grinned, grabbing his arm. ¡°Come on, let''s get back to the store and pick out a king size bed for it!¡±


    Chris snorted. ¡°What the hell would I do with a king size bed? I''m good with a twin.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You at least need a queen.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Full, max. And why get a bed in the first place? I already have a place to sleep.¡±


    ¡°But it isn''t your place.¡± Beth countered with a sigh. ¡°Just trust me, alright? Make this space your own, and don''t skimp on the luxuries. It''ll be worth it.¡±


    Chris narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, wondering if she was getting at something else, before dismissing the thought with a shake of his head. ¡°Fine, whatever you say.¡± He agreed, opening a portal and going to leave before pausing with a frown. ¡°This isn''t the store.¡± He muttered as he looked out into a grassy clearing within a forest.


    Beth peeked out as well. ¡°It kinda looks like the park on the fifth floor, but I don''t think I''ve ever seen it this overgrown.¡± She commented tentatively.


    ¡°Why is it so bright?¡± Chris wondered, leaning out of the portal and looking up, his eyes widening as he quickly pulled back in and snapped the portal shut.


    ¡°What?!? What did you see!?!¡± Beth asked insistently, looking between him and where the portal used to be.


    ¡°The sky.¡± Chris answered. ¡°I think. It was blue, with a bunch of white things floating around¡­¡±


    ¡°You-¡± Beth began, before cutting off with a gulp. ¡°You opened a portal to the surface!?!¡± She continued, hissing under her breath.


    ¡°That''s what it looks like, yes.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°We- We have to tell someone!¡± Beth exclaimed as she started pacing. ¡°This could be huge! We could-¡±


    ¡°We aren''t doing anything.¡± Chris shook his head.


    ¡°What? Why not!?!¡± Beth asked incredulously.


    ¡°Because the only thing this will do is get people killed.¡± Chris replied seriously. ¡°We can barely hold our own on the tenth level of the Maze, barely the middle mark of a place made for creatures who can''t survive on the surface. There''s absolutely no way we can do anything with this, except maybe alert whoever lives up there to our existence and get ourselves conquered or something.¡±


    Beth hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh as she pushed down her frustration at humanity''s weakness. ¡°Yeah, that''s probably fair.¡± She glanced at where the portal had been again. ¡°How did this even happen?¡±


    ¡°I separated the space?¡± Chris offered. ¡°That''s the only thing I can think of that might have done something like this. Hold on.¡± He opened a portal back to the original space, before opening a portal to the outside again, which revealed the furniture store, just like it should. ¡°Yup, see?¡± He closed the portal as he turned back to Beth. ¡°I guess new spaces connect randomly to the outside world or something?¡±


    Beth frowned thoughtfully. ¡°I guess that makes sense? Kinda? Ugh, I don''t know, I''m still trying to process the idea that you have a portal to the surface!¡± She groaned, rubbing at her eye with the heel of her palm.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I''m just going to pretend it''s an isolated space that doesn''t connect anywhere except here.¡±


    Beth couldn''t help but snort at that. ¡°Right, of course. So what if your bedroom connects to the surface? You can just pretend it doesn''t, and there''s no problem!¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Chris nodded, grinning slightly.


    Beth rolled her eyes at him. ¡°Chris, I was being sarcastic.¡±


    ¡°I know, but I still agreed with you.¡± Chris chuckled.


    Beth just glared at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Let''s go buy you some damn furniture.¡±


    *


    Even with all the extra space, Beth didn''t see any reason to change the plans for the sitting areas, so she quickly picked out the two couches, the coffee table, four chairs, and a dining set, a few guys helping them get it all set up in the space while Chris and Beth argued over who was paying, which Chris eventually won, because in the end it was his space, so he''d buy everything for it. Chris hid Dyrdek in the separate space while they worked, letting him out to enjoy the new furniture once they were gone. They had to go to a different store for the bedroom set, where Beth did end up talking Chris into the King bed, along with a dresser and standing closet. Chris was more tempted to let Beth pay this time, since she was definitely the driving force behind it all, but ultimately it was still going to be his, so he still paid. In the process of getting it all into the space, he noticed that although it looked like he could open a portal directly to the new space, he felt it passing through the original space when he did, a lot like the portals between him and his minions. He wasn''t quite sure what that meant, but it was definitely something to keep in mind.


    Their last stop ended up being a bookstore, so they could buy a bunch of games and puzzles for Chris''s space. ¡°How did book stores turn into game stores?¡± Chris asked as he studied the selection of board games.


    ¡°Board games don''t have enough draw to sustain their own store, and with the rise of ebooks, book stores are losing their draw as well, so by adding games they can keep a steady flow of customers?¡± Beth suggested after a moment of thought. ¡°Plus there''s probably a lot of overlap between people who read books and people who play board games.¡±


    Chris paused for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Yeah, that checks out. Makes me wonder if we should buy some books too, though.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°I''m not sure¡­ unless you buy a lot of books, I don''t think it''s worth it, because you aren''t going to have enough of a selection to really interest people. Plus, the squad can just bring their own books, so the only one you''d really be buying them for would be Dyrdek, who I''m fairly certain can''t read.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Chris nodded, frowning slightly. ¡°Should I teach him?¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°Maybe? It couldn''t hurt, I guess, though I don''t think he''d have much use for it either.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I agree, it''s just such a basic skill for us that it feels kinda wrong to just be okay with him not knowing how to, you know?¡± Chris replied, scratching the back of his head.


    ¡°It does, doesn''t it?¡± Beth agreed. ¡°Maybe you should just ask him?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, probably.¡± Chris muttered, letting the topic drop as they kept shopping. They made sure to get a good selection of single player games as well, mostly for Dyrdek, before they checked out and headed back to the tailor to see if Chris''s suit was done.


    "Ah, just in time!" The tailor announced as they walked back in. "Come, come, try it on!" He waved Chris towards the back, where the changing rooms were.


    Chris glanced at Beth, who nodded excitedly, nudging him forward, before sighing and trudging back to the changing room. He took the freshly tailored suit and stepped inside, carefully putting it all on. The process went smoothly, until he got to the tie. He looked at Beth helplessly as he stepped out of the changing room. "I forgot how to tie a tie."


    Beth giggled and the tailor chuckled, pulling out a sheet showing the directions for several types of tie knots he could attempt. "Here, you can keep this."


    "Uh, thank you." Chris thanked him politely, before copying the first method to tie a simple knot, adjusting it a few times, before looking up and spreading his arms in presentation. "Well? What do you think?"


    "Okay, first, when you wear a suit, only button your top button." Beth pointed out.


    Chris frowned, looking down. "But there are two buttons."


    "Yes, but you only use the top." Beth replied.


    Chris''s frown deepened. "Why?"


    Beth shrugged. "It''s just the way you do it. Oh, and always unbutton before you sit down."


    Chris looked down at the button again, before looking back up. "This is already too many rules for buttons."


    "Don''t worry, that''s really all you need to know." Beth responded, looking him up and down again. "You look good."


    "Of course he looks good!" The tailor exclaimed. "My suits always look good!"


    Beth smiled. "Yes, thank you. How much do we owe you?"


    The tailor went to the desk, doing some calculations, before coming to a total. "A little over a thousand, so we''ll just call it a thousand dollars even. Call it a first time discount." The tailor grinned while Chris''s eyes widened. A thousand dollars for a suit?!? He could afford it, but damn! He didn''t realize this kind of thing was this expensive.


    "Uh, let me just grab my wallet." Chris replied, heading back into the dressing room to fish his wallet out of his pants.


    "Chris, are you sure? I can definitely pay for this, no problem." Beth asked him with a concerned expression. She''d understood him paying for all the furniture and stuff, since ultimately it was all for his space, but this was purely for her, and forcing him to buy something so expensive just to accompany her to a party he probably didn''t even really want to go to didn''t sit well with her.


    "Nah, I''ll pay. I have my stipend, remember? Without any expenses, I''ve built up quite a bit of money." Chris explained. "Buying a suit won''t even make a dent in it. I was just surprised. I didn''t think suits were this expensive."


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Beth asked. ¡°You wouldn''t even be getting a suit if it wasn''t for me.¡±


    ¡°True, but suits are useful. You need them for dances, weddings, funerals¡­ other things, probably. You may be the reason I''m getting it now, but there are decent odds I would have needed to buy one soon anyway.¡± Chris retorted, pulling his debit card out and handing it over to the tailor before Beth could argue any further. Once he''d paid, he went back to the changing room to get back into his regular clothes, stashing the suit in the standing closet they''d just bought. "So, do you want to get something to eat before you head back home?" Chris asked as they left.


    "Sure! But I''m definitely paying.¡± Beth insisted. ¡°What do you want to get?"


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± Chris snorted. ¡°How about pizza?¡±


    "I could do pizza. And I am paying." Beth retorted, pulling out her phone to look at nearby restaurants. Neither of them were really familiar with the area, so they found the restaurant with the best reviews and headed there. ¡°What kind of pizza do you want to get?¡± She asked as they sat down.


    ¡°Pepperoni?¡± Chris suggested.


    ¡°Ooh, how adventurous.¡± Beth smirked.


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Who wants to be adventurous when it comes to meals? What if you end up ruining your meal by getting something you don''t like? Do you force yourself to eat it or do you just go hungry? Either way, you''re going to be miserable, and it just isn''t worth it.¡±


    Beth raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then how do you ever find new foods to enjoy?¡±


    ¡°Minor adjustments.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Get a new topping on half, or as a slice. If you can, try it as a side or an appetizer. If not, share it with someone else in addition to your regular meal. Or you can just ask to try something someone else got. There are tons of ways to experiment that don''t risk ruining your own meal.¡±


    ¡°So are you going to be making any minor adjustments to this meal?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Oh, no. I only really like pepperoni on pizza. I can take sausage or bacon, but even then, I really just prefer the pepperoni.¡± Chris replied.


    Beth sighed. ¡°Well, I suppose that''s fair. Mind if I add some veggies on half?¡±


    ¡°Go for it.¡± Chris agreed. The server came by a few moments later and they put in their order. ¡°So¡­¡± Chris began after the server left. ¡°Is there anything I need to be aware of for this party? Like, is there going to be some kind of centerpiece full of food that I''m not actually supposed to eat or something?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°Nothing like that¡­ there- might be some people who''ll try to make things difficult for you.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Why?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°For various reasons. Because you aren''t an elite, because you aren''t strong, because you don''t play along with their games¡­ but the big one is probably going to be because I brought you, and some people feel the need to compete for my attention.¡± She finished with a grimace.


    ¡°Beth, that seems like something you warn a guy about before he buys a suit for the thing.¡± Chris replied with a frown.


    Beth flushed. ¡°I know, I just- I didn''t know how to-¡± Her expression twisted and she looked down at the table. ¡°I''m sorry. I understand if you don''t want to come anymore and I''ll pay you back for the suit.¡± She finished in a quiet voice.


    ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°Besides, what could they really do? They''ll just be annoying at best.¡±


    Beth looked up, surprised before her expression twisted again and she let out an awkward cough. ¡°They- may challenge you to a duel.¡±


    ¡°A duel?¡± Chris blinked. ¡°Does it mean anything? Like, would it cost me money or something?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°No? It''s just an honor thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then who cares?¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°Basing your pride on who''s a better fighter is dumb anyway.¡± Beth smiled. This was why she liked Chris. She couldn''t even imagine him getting twisted by the high society nonsense. He was too¡­ Chris. And it was a good thing.

 Space: 8 - The Ball

    After finishing their meal, which Beth did manage to pay for, Chris and Beth went their separate ways, Beth insisting that she would pick him up by the lifts at six on Friday for the party. So on Friday, he put on his new suit and headed up to the third floor, arriving around five fifty.


    "Chris!" He heard Beth yell from nearby after waiting for a few minutes. He looked over to see her stepping out of a long limo wearing an elegant blue dress with green and red accents that match his suit suspiciously well. "Over here!"


    Chris walked over with a frown. "We''re taking a car?" Chris asked skeptically.


    "Duh. Why else would I need to pick you up? Come on, let''s go!" Beth rolled her eyes, before pulling him into the limo.


    "Okay, but why do we need to take a car? Where are we going?" Chris asked as he got in the car.


    "Well, first, we''re heading back to my place, where you''ll meet my parents, then we''re heading to the Emerald Pavilion for the party." Beth explained.


    "Okay¡­ still don''t see why we need a car. Couldn''t we just take a rail car?" Chris asked.


    Beth gave him a weird look. "Well, for starters, the rails don''t go to my neighborhood. Secondly, if we have the car, why not use it?"


    Chris frowned, before shrugging. "Fair enough."


    The limo wound through the streets and entered a gated community before finally coming to a stop in front of one of the largest houses. "We''re here!" Beth announced, jumping out of the limo and dragging Chris into the house.


    "Ah, Beth, you''re back!" An older woman who looked a lot like Beth exclaimed as they walked in, pulling her into a hug. "And who''s this handsome young man?" She asked as she pulled away, looking Chris up and down, before glancing at Beth as slightly raising an eyebrow as she noticed the matching outfits. ¡°Is this why you needed a new dress?¡±


    "Mom!" Beth complained, shifting uncomfortably. "This is just Chris! He''s a friend!"


    "Ah, of course." Beth''s mom nodded with a smirk, clearly not believing her. "It''s a pleasure to meet you, Chris. I''m Abigail, Beth''s mother."


    "And I''m Beth''s father, David." An older man added with a grin as he walked over.


    "It''s nice to meet you both." Chris greeted them politely.


    "So, you''re the one Beth is dragging into the military with her, right?" David continued, examining Chris a bit closer.


    Chris cocked his head. "I guess you could put it that way." He agreed with a nod.


    "Hey! I''m not dragging him! I convinced him with solid, logical arguments!" Beth protested.


    David chuckled. "Yes, yes, of course."


    Abigail rolled her eyes at David, before turning to Chris. "So, Chris, is this your first Ball?"


    Chris''s eyes widened. "Ball? Like, dancing Ball?"


    "Did I not mention that?" Beth asked innocently.


    "No. Does this mean I need to dance? Cause I would have at least practiced." Chris commented.


    "Nope. I mean, we could dance, but we don''t have to." Beth shook her head. "The main purpose of the Ball is socializing, so a lot of people just stand around and talk."


    "Ah¡­ sounds fun." Chris replied noncommittally, trying not to offend Beth''s parents.


    "No, no it doesn''t, but this is the price we must pay for status." David sighed. "These events are essential for making connections, and without connections, good luck getting into any significant position."


    "If I don''t want a significant position, can I go back home?" Chris replied.


    "No! You need to keep me company! Do you know how boring these things can get?!?" Beth protested.


    Abigail sighed. "I just do not understand you people. I enjoy Balls!"


    David smirked. "Indeed you do, dear. But I can''t say they''re to my taste."


    Chris looked between David and Abigail, getting an idea of where Beth''s phrasing issues came from. "Okay, so, how long do these things last then?"


    "Three, four hours?" David estimated.


    "And all that is just people standing around and talking?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Essentially." David nodded.


    Chris nodded. "So, long, boring, and mandatory¡­ welp, that kills my political ambitions."


    David chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "Don''t worry, you get used to it."


    "That sounds like Stockholm syndrome." Chris retorted.


    "No, it''s adaptation." David corrected with a grin.


    *


    After a few more minutes of chatting, it was time for them to head to the Ball. They all climbed into the limo which drove off towards the Emerald Pavilion. "Wow¡­" Chris muttered as he stepped out of the limo to see the largest, fanciest building he''d ever seen.


    "Don''t just stand there like a bumpkin! Come on, let''s head inside!" Beth grabbed his hand, pulling him after her.


    "To be fair, I am a bumpkin." Chris pointed out.


    "Yes, but you can''t act like one." Beth retorted.


    Chris sighed. "Of course not. This is becoming a pretty high maintenance favor."


    Beth rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I''ll make it up to you. Come on, let''s go!"


    "Have fun you two!" Abigail encouraged them as they left.


    "If you can." David muttered.


    Beth dragged Chris inside, heading straight for the buffet. "The one redeeming factor of these things is that the food is amazing!"  She explained, grabbing them plates.


    Chris eyed the long line of finger food, slightly skeptical, before taking the nearest one and popping one in his mouth. "Mmm! This is good!" Chris exclaimed, grabbing more and piling it on his plate.


    "Told you!" Beth smirked, piling her own plate high, before they headed towards a high table to place their food as they ate and talked.


    "Beth, is that you?" A voice called out as they were chatting.


    Beth turned to see the new arrival, putting on a polite smile. "Katerina, how good to see you!" She exclaimed with a cheerfulness that didn''t reach her eyes.


    Katerina walked over, giving Beth a short hug. "Oh, I feel like it''s been ages since we last saw each other! How have you been? How was your Trial?"


    "I''ve been well. As for the Trial, well, as you can see, I survived-" She paused as Chris coughed pointedly, shooting him a glare before continuing. "-despite a few minor hiccups due to unexpected events. It was an illuminating experience."


    "Ah, illuminating! What an excellent way to describe the Trial! Yes, you really see how terrible it can be for those poor low-tiers. If even we have to be careful, what must they go through? I shudder at the thought!" Katerina replied in a sympathetic tone of voice.


    "I''m not sure if shuddering is the right reaction. Depression, heartbreak, pissing yourself in fear, those might be good reactions." Chris commented blandly.


    Beth let out a short laugh, before covering her mouth, while Katerina turned to Chris, raising an eyebrow. "Beth, I don''t believe you''ve introduced me to your¡­ charming friend here."


    Beth grinned, hooking Chris''s arm with her own. "This is Chris. He''s a new friend I made in the Maze."


    Katerina''s eyebrows rose. "A friend, you say? How interesting." She looked Chris up and down, before turning back to Beth. "Well, I must continue to make my rounds. Please, give my regards to Daniel when you see him." She commented with a smirk, before rushing off.


    Beth watched her go, gritting her teeth slightly. "Bitch." She growled under her breath.


    "I take it you two aren''t on the best terms?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    Beth sighed. "No, she''s not terrible. She''s just a gossip and a busybody. If there''s a chance to cause drama, she''s going to jump on it."


    "Now see, to me, that does sound terrible." Chris pointed out.


    "Well, other people around here will just decide to beat you up if they don''t like you, so comparatively, she''s not so bad. Plus, it isn''t personal with her. She''s just bored and seeking entertainment." Beth explained.


    "Wait, they''ll beat you up?!? What is this, middle school?" Chris asked incredulously.


    ¡°I was referring to the duels.¡± Beth elaborated. ¡°But yeah, essentially it is just an excuse to beat someone up, but done in such a way that no one can be mad about it, because it''s a duel.¡±


    Chris nodded. "Right. Wait, can you decline these duels or are they mandatory?¡±


    ¡°You can decline them, it''s just that no one ever does, because everyone will look down on them for it.¡± Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Which is stupid, because you''re going to get looked down on for losing the duel anyway.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha, so no problem for me then.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°I honestly don''t give two shits if these people look down on me, particularly for something so stupid.¡±


    Beth grinned. "You''re the best, you know that? Anyone else I would have brought would be telling me all about how they''d ¡®defend my honor¡¯, like them winning or losing a duel has anything to do with me.¡± She shook her head in disappointment. ¡°And they''re all like that! It''s like they''re all convinced that the whole world revolves around them! That their every victory should be the glory of everyone around them, and every defeat should leave everyone in despair!¡±


    "Well, in their defense, isn''t that what everyone teaches them?¡± Chris replied. ¡°Everyone treats high-tiers like the saviors of the City, like they''re the only thing standing between us and the depredations of the Maze. If they win, the City wins, if they lose, the City loses. The idea that everyone lives or dies because of their actions is practically baked into their bones.¡± He paused. ¡°How did you avoid it?¡±


    Beth hesitated, thinking about it for a moment. "My dad? He always says that everyone has a part to play, and every part is important, because without the support of everyone around them, high-tiers wouldn''t be able to do what they do. See, we have the same ability, but when he started out, he was a low-tier who barely survived his Trial by the skin of his teeth. After that, he joined the military, hoping to get stronger, and learned how to actually use his ability, working his way up until he reached the level of a high-tier. So he''s been at pretty much every level of the military, and he knows how important each level is.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Interesting. Is that why you latched onto me so quickly? Because I remind you of your dad?¡±


    Beth''s eyes widened. ¡°What- no! I- What do you mean I latched onto you?!?¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Maybe latched is the wrong word¡­ I mean you got comfortable with me pretty quickly. Usually people are a bit¡­ put off by me? But you just kinda rolled with it. I never felt like you were uncomfortable around me.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°You never did anything to make me uncomfortable and you treated me with more respect than any other guy I know, even after-¡± She cut off, looking around for a moment before continuing in a whisper. ¡°-even after the kiss. Plenty of other guys I know would have gotten ideas after that, but you never even mentioned it again! And I know it wasn''t because you had issues teasing me, because you teased me plenty over the centipedes.¡± She finished with a slight grumble.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Didn''t we agree to pretend it never happened? Besides, all that did was prove you were attracted to me, and that means basically nothing. There are plenty of people I''m attracted to who I would never want to actually be with. Case in point, the young woman we just met. Undeniably attractive, but if she asked me on a date, I would have a hard time not laughing in her face, as the idea would seem that ridiculous to me.¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°See? That''s my point. I''m not comfortable with you because you remind me of my dad, I''m comfortable with you because there''s nothing to be uncomfortable with. You don''t don''t see me as some prize to win or some challenge you have to beat to get what you want, you just see me as¡­ me. As Beth.¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Who else would I see you as?¡±


    Beth smiled. ¡°Exactly.¡±


    *


    "Beth, it''s about time you headed back to get ready." Abigail announced as she walked over with David.


    Chris raised an eyebrow at Beth. "Ready for what?"


    Beth groaned. "It''s this stupid ceremony where all the new ''adults'' share a dance. They pair us off and make us flaunt ourselves in front of everyone. It''s stupid."


    "It isn''t flaunting, it''s announcing to the world that you''re officially an adult to be taken seriously!" Abigail protested.


    Beth sighed, before turning back to Chris. "Sorry, I have to go. I''ll be back as soon as possible." She assured him, before walking off with Abigail.


    David watched them go, before turning to Chris with a grin. "Well then, since you''re here, let me introduce you to a few of my colleagues." He offered, taking Chris by the shoulder and leading him off.


    "Is this that networking thing you mentioned before?" Chris asked skeptically.


    "Indeed it is. Don''t worry, I''m not trying to push you into any sort of position, but it never hurts to know the higher ups." David commented.


    David led Chris to a sitting area, where he saw a familiar face. "Chris, this is Samuel Williams, the head of the Defense Force." David introduced the two. "Samuel, this is-"


    "Chris, yes, we''ve met previously." Samuel interrupted, shaking Chris''s hand with a grin. "I didn''t expect to see you again so soon. You haven''t had any issues since your return, have you?"


    Chris shook his head. "No, everything has been fine. Just getting ready to join the Scouts and all that."


    "Joining the Scouts?" Samuel raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? The Defense Force is always looking for capable men and women and we have more regular hours. You''d be able to-"


    "Samuel! Could you not try to poach my new recruit right in front of me?" David elbowed him in the side, shaking his head incredulously.


    "What? I need to take any chance I can get! I don''t have a young, eligible daughter to lure fresh talents in for me." Samuel shot back with a grin.


    "How dare you imply-" David began, before the woman who''d been waiting nearby interjected.


    "Gentlemen, we are dignified military officials! Stop acting like children!" She chastised them, before turning to Chris, looking him over with an evaluating gaze. "I''m Belinda Montero, the head of the Vanguard." She introduced herself, extending her hand.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Chris was about to shake her hand when he paused as he heard her last name, his expression twisting slightly. "Montero? Like, the Family Montero?"


    Belinda grinned proudly, not noticing Chris''s change in expression. "Indeed. My Family''s roots in the Vanguard go back for generations."


    "Hm. Nice to meet you." Chris finally shook her hand stiffly, unable to keep his expression from turning cold as he did.


    David''s eyes narrowed as he noticed Chris''s shift in attitude. "Yes, well, you two, make sure you remember this boy! I''m sure he''ll go on to do great things in the future! Come along, Chris." He took Chris by the shoulder again, leading him off. Once they''d gotten a good distance away, he stopped, turning to Chris with a frown. "What was that back there? Do you have a problem with the Monteros?"


    Chris hesitated slightly. "Well¡­ it''s more like they have a problem with me. Though, yes, their problem does give me a problem with them."


    David raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you care to elaborate?"


    Chris sighed. "One of my earliest memories is of an older couple looking at me with expressions of severe disgust as they refused to take me in after my parents died. Apparently someone without an ability wasn''t worthy of their affection, even if he was their grandson. Of course, they''d already essentially disowned their daughter just because she married someone ''beneath'' her, so I suppose no one should have been surprised." Chris paused, frowning. "You know, I get the Trial. I see its necessity. But how can you just give up on someone before you even know? How can you feel disgust for someone just because they''re weak? What kind of person can even think that way? Not one I want to be involved with, that''s for sure."


    David placed a heavy hand on Chris''s shoulder, looking at him with a concerned expression. "I''m sorry you had to go through that. But please, don''t hold it against Belinda. That may not even have been the main branch of the family. Sometimes the offshoots are more arrogant than the core."


    Chris nodded. "I know. I''m not dumb enough to hold someone accountable for someone else''s mistakes. I''m just¡­ not quite ready to be too friendly with a Montero. Not until I know them better."


    David patted him on the shoulder. "I understand. Come, I have a few more people you should meet."


    David took Chris around, introducing him to the command structure of the Scouts. The most interesting individual was the person in charge of creating and ranking the missions the squads would undertake. There was a systematic evaluation of how potentially dangerous a mission could be, which helped the squads decide whether they should take it or not. The base level missions were the patrol missions, which were ranked based on the level the squad would be patrolling. Next were the scouting missions, which were ranked the same as patrolling one level higher than the level the mission was on. Finally, there were the elimination missions, which were ranked based on the number of enemies, their strength, the territory they occupied, and many other factors that were learned through the scouting process. The conversation gave Chris an idea of what his time in the Scouts would really look like.


    "Ahem. Ladies and Gentlemen! Please, turn your attention to the floor as we prepare to welcome the young men and women for their first appearance as adult members of society!" A voice announced over a speaker system, interrupting the latest conversation David had pulled Chris into.


    David and Chris shared a look. "Well? Shall we head over?" David asked.


    "I suppose we should." Chris sighed, causing David to chuckle. They joined the rest of the crowd as they stood around the dance floor, waiting for the new adults to make their appearance. Abigail managed to find them, hooking her arm with David''s, waiting excitedly for the event to begin.


    Not much later, music began to play, and pairs of dancing teenagers began to glide onto the dance floor, spinning elegantly as they spread out. "Ooh, there''s Beth!" Abigail pointed out as Beth appeared, dancing with a handsome young man with a polite, but dead eyed smile on her face.


    "She seems to be enjoying herself." Chris commented sarcastically, grinning slightly.


    "Oh, no, they paired her with Daniel." David groaned.


    Chris frowned as he heard that name for a second time. "Is that a problem?" He asked, wondering what the big deal was.


    David sighed. "Daniel is Belinda''s son, and he and Beth have known each other since they were little, due to the various work and social events we both were required to attend. Over the years, Daniel has become very possessive of Beth, which, obviously, Beth does not appreciate. I protect her from him as much as possible, but Belinda supports the match, so there''s only so much I can do." He glanced at Chris. "This may cause you issues at some point."


    "Oh, joy. I assume he''s a high-tier as well?" Chris asked.


    "Of course." David chuckled. "Only high-tiers can cultivate such a high level of entitlement."


    Chris sighed. "Perfect."


    They continued to watch the young adults dance for another few minutes, before they simultaneously came to a stop, turning and bowing to the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we officially welcome you to adulthood!" The announcer exclaimed, and everyone clapped. The music began again, some of the pairs continuing to dance, some grabbing new partners, and others dispersing into the crowd to greet family and friends.


    Beth was about to head over to Chris and her parents, when Daniel grabbed her arm. "One more dance?" He offered with a light grin.


    Beth took her arm back with a flat glare. "No thank you. I''m going to say hello to my parents." She replied, beginning to walk off.


    Daniel caught up, reaching out and gripping her wrist again. "How about later?"


    "I''m sorry, I have a friend I promised to accompany tonight. I''ll have to talk to him before I promise anything." Beth brushed him off as politely as possible, taking her arm back again and pushing into the crowd.


    Daniel paused, frowning, remembering what Katerina had mentioned to him. "A friend, huh? Well, we''ll see how this friend matches up." He sneered, before turning and disappearing into the crowd.


    "Beth, congratulations!" Abigail announced as Beth returned, pulling her into a hug.


    "Mom, it''s just a stupid ceremony." Beth rolled her eyes.


    Abigail sighed. "Beth, it''s a tradition. It''s part of our culture!"


    "Well our culture is dumb." Beth retorted.


    "I don''t know. In my culture, adulthood seems to revolve more around alcohol and sex, so in comparison, this is actually pretty decent." Chris interjected.


    "Alcohol and sex?" Beth asked in a mix of confusion and incredulity.


    "Yup. If you want to be a ''man'' you have to drink lots of beer, and have lots of sex. The more you can do either of those, the more of a man you are." Chris explained with a shrug. "It''s a bit different for girls, but it seems to revolve around how much of a bitch you can be while still getting guys to chase after you."


    Beth paused. "It''s still a stupid ceremony." She muttered under her breath.


    David chuckled. "Alright, alright. I believe it''s time for me to take my lovely wife for a dance. Will you two be joining us?"


    Beth turned to Chris with a slightly expectant look, as if she wanted to dance but didn''t want to push him if he didn''t want to. Chris hesitated, before sighing. "I wouldn''t mind dancing, but I only know the basic steps. Like, the one two three and maybe a spin every now and then."


    Beth snorted. "No one here is any sort of expert dancer. Doing something like that would be more disruptive than anything."


    Chris looked over the dancefloor, noticing that most of the dancers were keeping it pretty simple. "Well, then sure, we could dance." He nodded.


    "Are you sure? You don''t have to. We could just go wander the garden if you''d like." Beth offered.


    Chris paused. "There''s a garden?"


    "Yeah, it''s great! It has flowers, bushes, trees, a little pond, everything! You want to see it?" Beth asked.


    "Sure, but why don''t we dance for a few songs first. Then we can go see the garden." Chris replied, grinning slightly.


    Beth flushed slightly. "That- that could work." She nodded.


    Chris held out his hand. "Shall we?"


    Beth nodded, taking his hand, and they stepped out onto the dancefloor. They started out slowly, Chris struggling a bit as he got used to dancing again. He hadn''t danced since his freshman year of high school, and the only reason he danced then was because one of his school''s classes was ballroom dance. Thankfully, dancing wasn''t terribly complicated, so he quickly adjusted to the rhythm, following the music along with Beth.


    "Uh, Chris? What are you doing?" Beth asked halfway through the first song.


    Chris looked down at her, frowning. "What do you mean?"


    "You''re very pointedly staring over my head, with a blank expression." Beth pointed out.


    Chris blinked a few times, before cocking his head. "Is that a problem?"


    "Is- yes! What, do you plan on ignoring me the entire time we''re dancing?!?" Beth asked incredulously.


    "No? How can I ignore you when we''re dancing?" Chris frowned. "I mean, I have to pay attention to how you move, your pace, all that. If I was ignoring you, I think we''d trip."


    "Okay, but why aren''t you looking at me?!?" Beth continued.


    Chris paused, before shrugging. "I dunno. It''s just how I''m used to dancing with people. Should I be?"


    Beth sighed in exasperation. "Chris, if you act like that, people will think you''re completely disinterested. Like you don''t actually have any interest in dancing with them."


    Chris frowned. "That¡­ explains a lot." He muttered, changing his focus so he was actually looking at Beth as they danced. "It feels weird to just stare at someone for minutes on end." He commented a moment later.


    "That''s why people usually talk while they dance." Beth rolled her eyes.


    "Really? I''ve never talked while I danced." Chris frowned.


    Beth gave him a weird look. "You''ve never talked while you danced? Like, ever?"


    Chris shook his head. "Nope. I usually just¡­ dance. I thought that was the point."


    "So, you don''t look at them, you don''t talk, and you just silently dance with them?" Beth asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Those are some real serial killer vibes right there."


    Chris frowned. "Again, that explains a lot¡­"


    Beth shook her head, smiling lightly. "You are simultaneously like the best and the worst guy I know."


    Chris cocked his head. "How so?"


    Beth hesitated as she tried to figure out what she meant. ¡°It''s- okay, so at your core, you''re like the most amazing guy I know, but you also don''t do any of the things that make you feel like an amazing guy, if that makes any sense? Like, I know we''re out here dancing because you''re perfectly willing to dance if that''s what I want, but it''s also pretty clear that dancing isn''t what you want to be doing.¡± She paused, before continuing in a quiet voice. ¡°I''m honestly not sure what you want¡­ You just seem to be disinterested in everything.¡±


    "I wouldn''t say I''m disinterested, I just¡­ Well, a lot of things are equally interesting to me. Books, games, parties, hanging out with friends, all these are about the same for me, so it doesn''t make sense to get excited about a party when I''d have just as much fun staying at home and reading a book or watching TV." Chris explained. "So yeah, I don''t particularly want to be dancing, but I also don''t particularly want to not be dancing either. If I do it, I''m happy, but if I don''t do it, I''m also happy¡­ does that make sense?"


    "So¡­ it''s like, if everything is special, nothing is?" Beth asked.


    Chris paused, before nodding. "I guess you could look at it that way."


    "That''s kind of a bummer, you know? People like to be special." Beth pointed out.


    Chris sighed. "I know, but it isn''t like I can change how I am, right? I mean, I could pretend but that''s just going to stress me out and it won''t actually be genuine, so is it really better?"


    "I guess not¡­" Beth muttered, frowning as she seemed to get lost in thought.


    Chris watched her for a bit, before sighing. "If it helps, I do enjoy hanging out with you more than most other people. I may not be the best at showing it, but you have quickly become someone I value having in my life."


    Beth gave him a weird look, before smiling lightly. "That does help. Thank you." They continued to dance in silence for a few moments, before Beth stopped them. "Come on, let''s go to the garden now." She insisted, dragging him off the dancefloor. She led him towards the other side of the building, leading him into a large, dimly lit garden full of pristine walking paths. A few couples wound their way through the greenery, and small groups had taken a few grassy plots for themselves. "Isn''t it beautiful?" Beth asked as they arrived, smiling brightly as she looked around. "Come on, I''ll show you my favorite spot!" She continued to drag Chris along, deeper into the garden, until they reached a small pond. Beth stepped off the path, wandering over to a large weeping willow, parting the leaves to reveal a large, empty area. She dragged Chris inside before sitting under the trunk and sighing. "Isn''t it nice? It''s like a little, secret base."


    Chris sat down next to her, looking around. The willow was leaning over the pond, creating a little, private pool, and the leaves were just far enough apart to let in enough light to see, while still keeping everything secluded. "This is pretty nice. Very private."


    "Yeah¡­ this is where I come whenever I want to get away from it all." Beth smiled nostalgically, picking up a stick and playing with the water. "Here, I can just take a break and enjoy the peace of the garden. I don''t have to worry about how I look, how I act, anything. I can just come here and be."


    Chris frowned. "Do you really need to worry about all that?"


    Beth shook her head. "You don''t understand the games these people play. Any little mistake can make life exponentially more difficult. It''s a struggle just to remain innocuous, let alone impress people. Everything that gets done around here uses connections and in order to use those connections, they need to have a good impression of you. It''s just so tiring having to make sure I''m not offending anyone just by saying my opinion."


    Chris sighed. "The more I hear about this stuff, the more I want absolutely no part of it."


    Beth grinned, leaning over to hug his arm. "Thank you for coming anyway. I know this isn''t your ideal night, but I''ve enjoyed your company."


    Chris shrugged. "Eh, how many nights are ideal? Besides, this was an¡­ interesting experience. It''s a part of the City I''ve never seen or interacted with before. Even if it isn''t my cup of tea, it''s at least something new, which is fun in and of itself."


    The two spent a few moments sitting under the tree, quietly enjoying each other''s company, when their ears perked up as they heard a group of footsteps heading their way. They listened, waiting for them to pass, but instead of continuing along the path, the footsteps turned towards them, heading towards the willow. Chris frowned, standing to his feet, quickly followed by Beth, when the leaves parted and Daniel stepped inside.


    "I thought I''d find you here." He sneered, looking them over. "I''m not interrupting, am I? Have you two already finished your little tryst?"


    ¡°Tryst?¡± Chris frowned as Beth flushed. "Dude, not that we did anything, but I''m pretty sure that''s none of your business."


    "Who are you to tell me what my business is!?!" Daniel growled, gritting his teeth. "I don''t know why Beth is putting up with low-tier trash like you, but once I''m done with you, she''ll know how far beneath us you really are."


    "Daniel, enou-" Beth began angrily, before Chris held up his hand, silencing her.


    "Your mother is Belinda, right? Which makes you a Montero." Chris asked suddenly.


    Daniel smiled proudly. "Yes, I am Daniel Montero of the Montero Family. But I''m sorry, it is much too late to regret your actions." He continued, his eyes beginning to glow.


    "And I assume you''re challenging me to a duel?¡± Chris continued.


    ¡°Indeed I am.¡± Daniel smirked.


    ¡°Then I''m afraid I must politely decline.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I don''t duel Monteros.¡±


    Daniel froze, eyes widening. "You coward!" He roared angrily.


    Chris stared at him for a moment. ¡°So¡­ you can leave now, right? No duels for you here. Go play somewhere else.¡±


    Daniel turned to Beth. ¡°Beth, this coward refuses to even fight for your honor! How-¡±


    ¡°How does that actually work?¡± Chris interjected. ¡°Like, how does anything we do affect her in any way?¡±


    ¡°It proves she knows how to select the better man!¡± Daniel replied.


    Chris frowned. ¡°Wait, but that only applies if I beat you, right? Because obviously she''s selected me at this point, so if you beat me, then it''s going to make her look¡­ dumb, I guess? So if we assume I''m going to lose, which is why I assume you challenged me in the first place, then wouldn''t I be protecting her honor by not fighting? Because as long as we don''t fight, her choice never comes into question.¡±


    Daniel blinked, frowning slightly. ¡°No¡­ no, because she still would have chosen a coward!¡± He finally replied.


    ¡°Well then either way her honor is fucked, right?¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Either I''m a loser or a coward, so what''s her win condition here? I mean, I guess if I actually was stronger than you, it could work, but ultimately in this position, it looks like you''re just dedicated to making Beth look bad.¡±


    Daniel''s eyes widened. ¡°What- No! I''m here to prove you''ve tricked her!¡±


    Chris looked taken aback. ¡°Tricked her? Like, what, you think she''s hanging out with me because she thinks I''m strong? Dude, we spent most of a month in Maze, and the entire time I hid behind her while she demolished every creature we ran into. I''m pretty confident she''s never for a second thought I was strong.¡± He paused. ¡°Well, except maybe once, but that never happened.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were handsome, not strong.¡± Beth muttered, flushing slightly as she remembered what he was talking about.


    Chris pointed at her. ¡°There, see? No delusion that I''m this ultra powerful ability user.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± Beth began. ¡°Your ability is pretty strong. It just isn''t combat focused. And even then, your minions could be pretty powerful. Just because you aren''t personally strong, doesn''t mean you aren''t powerful.¡± She paused. ¡°The fact that you have like three abilities in one is pretty stupid, honestly. Four if you consider storage space an ability.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°I would say my ability is useful, not powerful. Plus, we don''t know how strong my minions can be, or how many I can have.¡± Abilities that revolved around dominating creatures were categorized by the amount and average strength of the creatures under your control, and since his strongest minion was Dyrdek, it was still firmly in the low-tier, even if it could grow.


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You haven''t had a chance to get stronger creatures. If you were born to a Family, you would have had at least a mid-tier creature presented to you bound and gagged by the time you could walk!¡±


    Chris smirked slightly at the irony that he technically was born to a Family. ¡°Except they wouldn''t have known I even had the ability, remember?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°True¡­ but still! You can''t say your ability is weak if you''ve never tested it!¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Fair.¡± He turned back to Daniel, who just looked kinda lost at this point. ¡°Where were we¡­ right! I never tricked her, so we''re right back to you trying to shame her for her decisions. Which, in my opinion, seems like a dick move. Honestly, the whole idea that you somehow need to show her that she''s made the wrong decision seems kinda insulting. Like you''re questioning her intelligence, because obviously you, who have known me for all of¡­ what, two minutes now? Know me so much better than she does, and have to ¡®reveal my inadequacy¡¯ for her, so she can make the right decision, which is clearly you. Never mind the fact that we''re here as friends, so the very thing you''re accusing her of isn''t even real. Unless you think she can''t even be friends with me, which is kind of an abusive level of controlling. So what''s the deal? Do you think she''s an idiot or what?¡±


    ¡°I- I-¡± Daniel stammered, before gritting his teeth in frustration. ¡°I don''t care how you twist your words! Agree to duel or admit you''re a coward!¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''m a coward.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°What- no! Fight me!¡± Daniel growled.


    ¡°Can''t.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I''m a coward. Do you need that in writing?¡±


    Daniel looked to Beth with a helpless expression. ¡°Beth, can''t you see what he''s doing?!? He''s making a mockery of our traditions!¡±


    Beth pursed her lips, examining Chris seriously, before nodding. ¡°I''m okay with it.¡±


    ¡°Should we just go?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I don''t think he''s going to drop this, and I feel like I''ve explained my position more than clearly.¡±


    ¡°We could hang out in your space for a bit.¡± Beth offered. ¡°Break in those couches.¡±


    Chris shook his head as he got up and opened a portal, ignoring the positively fuming Daniel. ¡°Okay, I know you didn''t mean it, but that''s almost cruel to say right in front of him.¡±


    Beth blinked as she followed him through the portal. ¡°What? I didn''t say anything!¡±


    Chris sighed as he closed the portal. ¡°I need to make a list of all the things that mean sex and just have you memorize it.¡±


    Beth scowled. ¡°The only word on that list should be sex. You already have a perfectly good word for it! Why turn every other word into it?!?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Honestly, I have no idea. People just don''t like to say they''re having sex for some reason. Prefer to say they''re breaking in the furniture, or they''re pounding, or getting it on, or doing it, or-¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Beth groaned, covering her face as she flushed in embarrassment.


    Chris grinned. ¡°Fine, but you get my point, right?¡±


    ¡°I get that people are disgusting.¡± Beth grumbled.


    ¡°Yeah, basically.¡± Chris agreed with a shrug.

 Space: 9 - Asking her out

    Chris and Beth spent about fifteen minutes decompressing in his space before deciding to head back into the ball, only to find David waiting for them near the entrance, watching them with a smirk. ¡°Christopher, if you''re going to sully my daughter''s honor, you should at least take enough time to do so thoroughly. Just because you''re finished, doesn''t mean she is.¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Beth exclaimed, flushing profusely.


    Chris squinted at him for a moment, before it clicked. ¡°Daniel?¡±


    David nodded, chuckling slightly. ¡°The boy seems rather insistent that the two of you are carrying on an illicit affair, and hasn''t been shy about spreading the tale.¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°You know we aren''t, right?¡±


    David waved dismissively. ¡°Yes, yes, but even if you were, you''re both consenting adults who''ve passed their Trial. Who am I to say you can''t be together? If anything, I''m looking forward to some grandkids.¡± He added with a wink at Beth.


    Beth groaned, burying her face in her hands. ¡°Dad, stop! We''re just friends!¡±


    ¡°Sure you are.¡± David smirked. ¡°But as I''ve said, it''s none of my business.¡±


    Beth glared at him for a moment, before turning to Chris. ¡°Come on, we should just get out of here.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Why?¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Because I don''t want to put up with everyone staring at us and making snide comments.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°What does it matter what they do? I thought that''s why you invited me, so we could hang out and you wouldn''t have to bother with anyone else. I mean, if you''re done and actually want to leave, then yeah, let''s go, but you shouldn''t let people you don''t even want to be around ruin your night. I''m still here and happy to do whatever it is you want to do, so¡­ let''s do whatever you want to do, okay? Also, not gonna lie, I kinda want to hit that buffet again.¡±


    Beth blinked, a slight smile tugging at her lips. ¡°I- suppose I wouldn''t mind dancing some more.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Cool, let''s do it.¡± He paused. ¡°After the buffet?¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°Sure, we can do the buffet first.¡±


    ¡°Outstanding.¡± Chris muttered, rubbing his stomach.


    ¡°I suppose that answers my question then.¡± David commented. ¡°Your mother and I are heading back home, and we were wondering if you two would be joining us.¡±


    Beth hesitated, tempted by the clear excuse to leave, before shaking her head. She wasn''t going to have her night ruined by stupid gossip! ¡°No, I think we''ll stay.¡±


    David smiled, giving her a hug. ¡°Enjoy your night.¡± He whispered in her ear, before pulling back and giving Chris a pointed look. ¡°Take good care of my daughter. I don''t want to see her get hurt, understood?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll make sure she gets home safe.¡±


    David sighed. ¡°Ah, kids.¡± He shook his head, holding his hand out. ¡°It was good to meet you, Chris.¡±


    Chris slightly cocked an eyebrow at him, before grabbing his hand and shaking it. ¡°Likewise.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you both have fun now.¡± David chuckled as he turned and left.


    Chris scratched his head, staring after him, before turning to Beth. ¡°Your dad is kinda weird.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think you''re one to talk.¡± Beth grumbled. ¡°Come on, let''s go get some food.¡±


    The two of them made their way back inside, heading towards the buffet. At this point, most of the older attendees had left, leaving the ball to the younger generation as things turned a bit more¡­ not exactly wild, but definitely looser. The band that had been playing all the music packed up and instead modern music began to play through the speakers. The waltz made way to the swing as formality caved to celebration. After all, as much as everyone here was pretty much guaranteed to pass their Trial, they''d still gone through the Trial. They were eager to let loose after a month of roughing it in the tunnels of the Maze.


    Beth''s expression darkened as she noticed a few people pointing and staring at them, leaning closer to whisper what she was sure were complete and utter fabrications to each other. A few pointed glares sent them scrambling, but she knew it wouldn''t help. The rumor mill had begun, and soon everyone would know about her and Chris, even if what they knew was entirely false. She glanced at Chris, who was happily stuffing a small sandwich into his mouth, completely ignoring the fact that it was not meant to be bite-sized, and couldn''t help but smile. So what if they spread rumors? All that mattered was the truth, and the truth was¡­ she''d be lucky to be with Chris. And anyone who couldn''t see how amazing he was wasn''t worth her time.


    *


    Chris and Beth ended up being some of the last people to leave, finally departing a little past midnight. ¡°This was fun.¡± Beth commented as they sat in the limo, making their way towards the lifts.


    Chris nodded. ¡°It was. I honestly didn''t think I had that much dancing in me.¡±


    ¡°Me either.¡± Beth agreed, flushing slightly. ¡°Should we do it again sometime?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Chris agreed with a shrug. ¡°That actually leads to something I wanted to talk to you about.¡±


    Beth froze, suddenly feeling nervous. ¡°It- does?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Yeah, I wanted to ask if you wanted to go on a date with me.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°Yes? I mean, yes! Obviously!¡±


    Chris smiled. ¡°Cool.¡±


    Beth''s eye twitched as a few conflicting emotions surged through her. ¡°Chris- ugh, hold on, I just- I need to ask why you''re asking me out. You aren''t- you''re not just doing it because you think you should, are you?¡±


    ¡°Well, the reason I''m asking you out now is because Derek told me that if I was still interested in you at the end of this, I had to ask you out.¡± Chris explained as Beth''s expression darkened. ¡°But I think I would have asked you out on my own at some point. There aren''t many people I enjoy hanging out with as much as you. Plus, as far as I can tell, you''re a great person. The only thing that has me a bit concerned is that I can''t tell if you''re being great because you''re actually a great person, or because you''re just trying to make a good impression for some reason, but I guess that''s why I''m asking you on a date, not proposing. Also, the fact that you didn''t warn me about Daniel was a little disappointing, but not in any major way, cause ultimately there was nothing he could do but annoy me. Still, a heads up would have been nice.¡±


    ¡°I did warn you about the duels.¡± Beth muttered, though even she didn''t think it was a great defense.


    ¡°Yes, after I asked, and that didn''t cover the fact that there was a specific guy who''s majorly obsessed with you and fully willing to make it my problem.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Again, it isn''t a big deal, I just like to be aware of what I''m getting myself into.¡±


    Beth''s expression twisted. ¡°I- you''re right, I''m sorry. I just-¡±


    Chris held up a hand. ¡°It''s fine, really. I mean, I''m sure you have way bigger complaints about me, and I''m fairly certain they won''t be as easily fixed. Such as the fact that the best response I could come up with for you agreeing to go out with me, something I am honestly eager to pursue, was ¡®cool¡¯.¡± He paused for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°Still can''t come up with anything better.¡±


    Beth couldn''t help but smirk at that. ¡°It was a bit disappointing.¡± She hesitated. ¡°It- it just bothers me that I can never tell what you''re thinking. I mean, I can, it''s just- like it''s pretty clear when you''re happy, but I''m not sure what it means other than that you''re happy.¡± She sighed. ¡°If I couldn''t tell that you liked me, how can I tell if you stop liking me?¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°I''ll tell you?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°But I don''t want to know after, I want to know before, so I can do something about it! It''s like- okay, say you''re playing the piano, but you have ear plugs in, so even though it looks like you''re doing all the right things, there''s no way for you to actually know until people either applaud or boo at the end. So throughout the entire thing, you''re just tense and stressed out over whether you''re making any mistakes.¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I suppose I could see that being frustrating, but- well, I kinda don''t want you to be worrying about making mistakes? I just want you to be yourself. Particularly since I really just want to be myself, and I don''t appreciate double standards. I''m also not entirely sure I''m capable of not being myself, but that''s a whole other issue.¡± He paused, considering how to fit it into her analogy. ¡°If you''re playing the piano, then- wait, no, that doesn''t work. Oh, wait, I got it. If you''re playing the piano, then I want to hear your song, and if I leave, it isn''t going to be because you made mistakes, it''s going to be because I didn''t like the song.¡± He paused again, going over it in his head for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Yeah, I think that''s it. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think- I think it''s a good idea, but it worries me, because- because I can already tell I really like your song, but I can''t tell if you''re even interested in mine.¡± Beth replied, her expression twisting. ¡°I just- it scares me that I''ll get attached, and then suddenly you''ll be gone.¡±


    Chris blew out a breath. ¡°Well, I can''t say it wouldn''t happen, but isn''t that the risk in any relationship? I mean, I''ve seen Derek go through it over and over again, finding a girl, both of them giving all the right feedback, until suddenly one of them decides it''s over, and the other is left in a lurch. I think that''s kind of what dating is. Both people trying desperately to make things work, until one of them can''t anymore. And even if it does work out, usually one or both people are subtly altered, and the constant strain of being someone ever so slightly not yourself becomes more and more unbearable, until boom, divorce. Nah, it''s just better to be yourself and accept whatever happens as is. Be ready for things to blow up, and find yourself pleasantly surprised if they don''t.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°That just sounds like you''re giving up before you even start! Unless you find someone perfectly compatible with you, which I doubt will ever happen, there''s going to be something that''s going to irritate you, and then you''re already out the door!¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I think there''s a difference between irritation and a core conflict. For example, not warning me about Daniel, that''s an irritation. You didn''t do it spitefully, and it''s something you can easily correct in the future, no problem. On the other hand, my lack of excitement is a core issue. It just isn''t me, and if I try to force it, I''ll probably be able to keep it going for a while, maybe even years, but it''s going to wear me out eventually. You can work on irritations, but core conflicts can''t- Well, shouldn''t be resolved, because ultimately someone is going to suffer because of it.¡±


    Beth paused. ¡°Do- do you mind if I get excited?¡±


    Chris smiled. ¡°I actually find it really adorable when you get excited. Almost like I''m experiencing it second hand in some way.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Beth blinked in surprise. ¡°I- kinda got the impression you were just humoring me.¡±


    ¡°No, I honestly find it adorable.¡± Chris confirmed with a light smile. ¡°I find most of what you do adorable, actually. Like when we were shopping, and you got all serious about finding the perfect furniture, when you could have literally put anything in there as long as it was comfortable. It''s like¡­ even if I don''t care, it''s nice to see that you do. Actually, I think I almost need you to care¡­ cause honestly, someone has to, and it isn''t going to be me.¡±


    Warmth bloomed in Beth''s chest as she struggled to resist the urge to jump into his arms. Finally hearing that everything she wished was true actually was true was a bit overwhelming, but he was being so thoughtful about this that it felt like it''d be a betrayal to simply let herself be carried away by her emotions. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second to calm down, before turning back to Chris with a serious glint in her eyes, seriously considering what a relationship with him would look like, her expression turning a bit sad as she did. ¡°Chris¡­ I think you''re one of the most amazing guys I''ve ever met. I honestly, truly do. But- I don''t think I could handle not knowing- no, wait, I can handle not knowing what you''re thinking, I just- I need to feel appreciated. Like- like my presence is worth something to you, and- I don''t think I can handle going weeks at a time wondering whether you''re actually enjoying my company.¡± The entire time in the Maze, and even after, she was always wondering whether Chris was just putting up with her or if he actually enjoyed her company, and the more she found herself growing attached to him, the more stressful it became. Even after hearing that he found her adorable, what if it changed, and he started to get annoyed by her? A little part of her would always wonder and worry about it, and she didn''t think she could handle it.


    Chris nodded thoughtfully. ¡°That''s fair. I would suggest that it''d be easier to tell I appreciated you in a relationship because I''d be free to make actual physical expressions of my appreciation, such as hugging, kissing, holding hands, and so on. However, I could still see you thinking maybe I''m just doing those things because that''s what you''re supposed to do in a relationship, which is fair.¡± He paused. ¡°What if I just told you? Whenever you wanted to know. Of course, you''d still have to trust me to be honest, but then we go back to the fact that you can''t depend on impressions to be accurate either, since someone could be trying on the surface but struggling underneath.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°You wouldn''t get annoyed?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I don''t think so? Taking some time to tell you how much I appreciate you sounds almost intimate, in a sense. Particularly if you''re willing to reciprocate. Of course, if you''re asking every five minutes it''d be annoying, but less because I''m bothered by the question, and more because it''d suggest a lack of trust and insecurity that I would find¡­ concerning.¡±


    ¡°What if I just like hearing how much you appreciate me?¡± Beth retorted.


    Chris paused. ¡°Well, I suppose I can''t fault you for that.¡±


    Beth smiled slightly as she considered Chris''s proposal. Would just hearing it be enough? Would it actually be- better? She knew better than anyone how fake people could be, and while she might be concerned about someone else lying just to placate her, with Chris she was fairly certain he was incapable of telling anything but the full and honest truth. A light huff of amusement escaped her as she remembered his encounter with the Defense Force. If the man wouldn''t hide the truth to save his own life, she doubted he''d do it just to get in her pants. Plus¡­ her smile turned warm as she remembered how she felt when Chris explained how adorable he found it when she cared, particularly when he said he needed her to care. ¡°I think that could work.¡± She murmured.


    Chris nodded. ¡°Cool.¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°You have got to find a better response.¡±


    Chris cocked his head, considering it for a moment before reaching out, Beth letting out a small yelp and flushing as she was pulled into his lap, before freezing as his lips met hers. Slowly she loosened up, melting into the kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck, Chris holding her with a quiet intensity that sent tingles down her spine. A moment later the two parted, Beth flushing deeply as she caught her breath. ¡°How was that?¡± Chris asked with a light grin.


    ¡°Better.¡± Beth nodded with a gulp. ¡°Much, much better.¡±


    ¡°Better than our first kiss.¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°That''s because you bit me!¡± Beth snapped.


    ¡°I didn''t say it was your fault.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°But you did surprise me.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect to happen when you rescued a girl from certain death like some kind of hero.¡± Beth grumbled, hiding her smile as she leaned into his chest and rested her head on her shoulder. Intense Chris was exciting, but she didn''t want to lose this comfortable, teasing Chris in the process.


    ¡°I didn''t really consider walking a girl into my space so she could heal heroic.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°More basic common decency.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Chris, when someone is in a situation like that, any kind of help is heroic. I would have been grateful for someone to just hold my hand, so I wouldn''t have to die alone.¡± A slight shiver ran through her as she remembered the feeling of her life draining out of her as she lay in that cold, dark tunnel and all she could think of was that she''d never felt so lonely, so desperate for someone, anyone to be there with her.


    Chris frowned. ¡°I can understand gratitude, but I feel like helping and supporting one another is just what people should do. In order to be heroic, there has to be some sort of cost involved, something you sacrifice to help someone else. For example, with the orphanage, I would consider Mrs. Richardson''s actions heroic, because she sacrifices time, energy, and money to make sure the orphanage runs well, while getting little in return. But I wouldn''t consider the employees heroic, even though I''m definitely grateful they''re there, because they aren''t sacrificing anything to be there, it''s just their job, and there''s nothing heroic about doing your job.¡±


    ¡°That may be, but it doesn''t change the fact that your actions felt heroic.¡± Beth countered. ¡°When you''re trapped in a burning building and a firefighter pulls you out, you''re going to see them as a hero, even if they''re just doing their job. That''s just how people work.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that''s true, it just feels like it cheapens the term to me.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°When we start calling people who are just doing their jobs heroic, the true heroes get lost in the shuffle.¡±


    Beth grunted, unable to argue that point. ¡°I''m still incredibly grateful you saved me.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that. Just don''t call me a hero.¡± Chris grinned, letting out a short oof as Beth jabbed him lightly. ¡°Anyway, how about tomorrow?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°Tomorrow what?¡±


    ¡°For our date.¡± Chris elaborated. ¡°I could pick you up at the lifts around six again?¡±


    Beth blinked, having almost completely forgotten that all this had started because Chris had asked her out on a date. ¡°That- sounds good? I mean, yes, that will work.¡±


    ¡°Cool. I''ll see you then.¡± Chris nodded as the limo arrived at the lifts.


    Beth let out a soft whimper of complaint as she slid out of his lap. ¡°I''ll see you then.¡± She agreed. ¡°Wait!¡± She suddenly stopped him as he opened the door, pulling him back for another kiss, before pulling back with a flush and a smile. ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    Chris smiled back. ¡°Goodnight.¡±

 Space: 10 - The Date

    "So you have a date?" Derek asked. It was the following afternoon and he and Chris were getting lunch.


    "Yeah, we''re meeting up tonight. I''m not sure what we''re going to do though¡­ I mean, last night we went to a damn Ball! Where do I go from there? Bowling?" Chris asked, rubbing his temple.


    "See, that just sounds like more balls to me." Derek replied with a grin, chuckling to himself.


    "Dude, I''m serious. I actually like this girl. I don''t want to fuck this up." Chris retorted with a frown.


    "Okay, okay." Derek waved his hands placatingly. "Look, you''re over thinking this. She has already willingly decided to spend long periods of time hanging out with you, alone. As long as you don''t do something terrible, you''ll be good. Bowling is a good idea, make sure you get dinner, and just focus on her. Remember, this is a date now, not a hang out. You need to ask questions about her, not just talk about dumb shit like usual."


    Chris paused. "That''s good advice. I would not think to ask personal questions."


    Derek sighed. "I know. Honestly, your biggest advantage is that she knows you, so it''s actually going to be fairly difficult for you to fuck this up."


    "Yeah, it''s honestly a miracle she agreed to this in the first place." Chris muttered.


    "As long as you know." Derek nodded.


    Chris rolled his eyes. "Anyway, you''re not still considering joining the Scouts, are you?"


    "Of course I am. I already talked with a recruiter. They''re going to be testing my ability and fitness next week." Derek replied.


    Chris paused. "A recruiter? I don''t need to do that, do I?"


    "I''m not sure, but I''m pretty sure your girlfriend is taking care of all that." Derek commented.


    "Maybe¡­ I''ll need to ask." Chris muttered with a frown. "Still, I think this is a bad idea. You don''t even know if we''ll get assigned to the same squad!"


    "I can put in a request. Even if we aren''t in the same squad initially, I''m sure we''ll end up together eventually." Derek retorted.


    Chris sighed. "I just don''t get why you''re doing this."


    "Honestly, why not? The benefits are good, I get to work with my best friend, and I actually get to use my ability. That''s the problem with regular jobs. All this power we''ve built up to survive the Trial suddenly becomes meaningless. It''s like we wasted years of effort!" Derek explained.


    Chris gave him a weird look. "I''m pretty sure most people just want to forget it all. You know, because of all the death and whatnot."


    "Yeah, I guess, but that just sounds boring to me." Derek sighed. "I was looking for something exciting to do, and the Scouts are perfect for that! What''s more exciting than exploring the Maze?"


    Chris shook his head. "Outstanding. Wonderful reasoning."


    "Thank you." Derek winked back at him.


    *


    Later that evening, Chris waited by the lifts on the third floor once again, waiting for Beth to arrive. Not much later, the limo arrived, and Beth stepped out, walking over to Chris with a slight flush. "Hey." She greeted him, oddly shyly.


    "Hey.¡± Chris replied with a grin.


    The two stood there awkwardly for a moment. ¡°So¡­ what are we doing?¡± Beth eventually asked.


    "Well, I looked around, and there''s only museums and high-end restaurants around here, so I was thinking we''d get dinner here, before heading down to the seventh floor for bowling, and finally hitting the lake on the ninth for either swimming or just hanging out on the beach." Chris replied.


    "That¡­ sounds nice. Where are we eating then?" Beth asked, her expression brightening. Chris took Beth to a nice seafood restaurant nearby where he''d made reservations, and they were quickly seated. "You know, I''ve never been here before." Beth commented as she looked around.


    "I get the feeling you haven''t gotten out a lot." Chris replied, grinning slightly.


    Beth flushed. "Kinda¡­ see, my ability is a bit high maintenance, so I had to spend a lot of time training. It took all my time other than school and the social events we had to attend. It was like learning to use an entirely different set of muscles, and slowly building them up to high-tier."


    Chris cocked his head. "Huh. Are you done yet?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Have you reached your peak.¡± Chris elaborated. ¡°Like, if you''ve been building up your ability, then can you take it further, or are you done?¡±


    ¡°Oh! Uh, kinda? I mean, like any muscle or skill, you can always train it further, but it would take a lot of work to improve my ability in any significant way.¡± Beth explained.


    Chris nodded. ¡°Gotcha.¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°You''re thinking about the centipedes again, aren''t you.¡±


    Chris coughed. ¡°Maybe a little.¡±


    Beth let out a frustrated growl. ¡°I''m not weak! Any high-tier can be taken by surprise! A powerful ability doesn''t make you invincible!¡±


    ¡°I know, I know.¡± Chris agreed, raising a hand. ¡°I just- worry about you, I guess. If you could be stronger, you could be safer. Cause I gotta be honest, the idea of finding you lying in a pool of blood again¡­ well it doesn''t give me nightmares, but it definitely doesn''t make me happy.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°I- didn''t realize it''d bothered you that much.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Why wouldn''t it bother me? I wouldn''t be comfortable with anyone dying, but you in particular are someone I think I might be able to build a life with, something that won''t happen if you die.¡±


    ¡°I- I''m sorry, it''s just- I don''t know, sometimes it feels like nothing could ever bother you.¡± Beth muttered. ¡°I mean, you barely cared about your own death!¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°It isn''t that I didn''t care, it''s that there was no point in getting worked up over it. I absolutely wanted to live and did everything I could to give myself the best chance possible, but once I did, worrying about it would just stress me out, so I didn''t. And now I want to give you the best chance to live, so I think about it, and I plan.¡± He paused, before letting out a sigh. ¡°And now I have to think about Derek too. Bastard.¡±


    ¡°Derek?¡± Beth asked, frowning slightly. She had to meet this guy at some point, given how often Chris mentioned him.


    ¡°Yeah, he heard I was joining the Scouts and decided that obviously it meant that he should too.¡± Chris grumbled. ¡°So now I have to figure out how to keep both of you alive.¡±


    Beth smirked. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll talk to my dad. It shouldn''t be too hard to make sure we end up in the same squad with him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Chris nodded.


    Beth hesitated for a moment. ¡°It''s- nice. To know you actually do care. About the important things, at least.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°I''m beginning to wonder why you agreed to go out with me if you really thought I was that uncaring.¡±


    Beth flushed. ¡°Well, you''re still a great guy? I mean- ugh, I never thought you didn''t care, I just- I don''t know. It''s like I can tell you have this responsibility about you, like you''re always going to do the right thing. It just never seemed to have anything to do with you caring.¡±


    Chris blinked at her. ¡°I''m not following.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°I don''t think I am either. Ugh, it''s just hard to figure you out, okay? You never get flustered or anything! You''re always just- calm. Which I love, but it makes it hard to tell whether you''re actually invested in anything.¡±


    Chris nodded slowly. ¡°Okay, I can see that.¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°And that''s exactly what I''m talking about.¡±


    Chris shrugged, smirking slightly. ¡°Eh, it''s who I am. No point in getting worked up over it.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You''re ridiculous.¡± The conversation paused as the server came by and took their order. After the server left, Beth turned back to Chris. "So, what was your childhood like?" She asked, trying to get back to a normal conversation.


    "Pretty normal, I guess." Chris replied. "Since I didn''t have an ability, there wasn''t much I could do, training wise. I mean, I worked out, and I learned how to fight, but there''s only so much you can do in a day before it becomes counterproductive. School wasn''t that difficult, so I didn''t have to spend all that much time on homework or studying, which meant I usually had quite a bit of free time. Occasionally I''d hang out with Derek, or Penny and Thad, but since they had to work on their abilities, I''d usually end up by myself. I played a lot of games, read a lot of books, watched a lot of TV, anything that could waste some time. I suppose I could have been more productive, but¡­ well, even if I worked my ass off, learning all sorts of skills, it''d only increase my survival chances by an infinitesimal amount, and honestly? I''d rather enjoy the time I had."


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Beth''s expression twisted. ¡°Everytime you talk about your childhood, it makes me want to wrap you in a blanket and give you a warm drink.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°What would that even do?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°It''s supposed to be comforting.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°But I don''t like warm drinks¡­ like any of them. Drinks should be cold.¡±


    Beth fought hard to suppress a laugh, failing as she burst out in a giggle. ¡°That is just so- so- you!¡±


    ¡°Is that a good or a bad thing?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°It''s a great thing.¡± Beth smiled, before hesitating for a moment. ¡°I just- I wish there was something I actually could do to comfort you.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°I like hugs.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°You- do? But you didn''t- ugh, you are so hard to read!¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Beth, my issue with you hugging me back in the Maze wasn''t that I didn''t like hugs, it was because you kept trying to comfort me over things I didn''t need comforting for. Like being an orphan.¡±


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Is there anything you need comforting for?¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Not at the moment. Life is pretty great right now. But then, it''s hard to complain about anything when you expected to be dead by now.¡±


    Beth grimaced. ¡°Damn it, stop saying things like that if you don''t want to be comforted!¡±


    Chris gave her a weird look. ¡°Beth, not being dead is a good thing. Why would I need to be comforted because of it?¡±


    Beth groaned. ¡°Not for that, for the years you spent expecting to die! I just- I don''t understand how you can just be okay with that!¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Cause there wasn''t anything I could do about it? It just seems pointless to make yourself miserable over things you can''t change. I recognize that it sucked, but ultimately I''d rather enjoy the good things in life, than obsess over the bad.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°But how can you just do that?¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°You just do?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°I hope you''re just really good at processing your emotions and not just suppressing them.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Honestly? Me too.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But I think we''ve spent too much time talking about me. What was your childhood like? I can''t imagine it was all training.¡±


    ¡°You''d be surprised.¡± Beth replied. ¡°My dad is a big fan of turning everything into a training opportunity, so all my hobbies were just another way to stretch my ability.¡±


    Chris let out a slight chuckle, only to get a weird look from Beth. ¡°What? You didn''t mean to make a pun there?¡±


    ¡°What pun?¡± Beth frowned.


    ¡°Stretch your ability?¡± Chris pointed out.


    ¡°What- oh! Because my ability is to stretch!¡± Beth giggled as she got it.


    Chris shook his head. ¡°You''re just terrible at word play, aren''t you?¡±


    Beth stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°You love it.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Right?¡±


    Chris chuckled. ¡°Yeah, I do. Now tell me about these hobbies. Which ones were your favorite?¡±


    Beth considered it for a moment. ¡°The piano and tennis.¡±


    ¡°You play the piano?¡± Chris cocked his head. ¡°Actually, I probably should have guessed that¡­¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°I also play the violin, saxophone, and drums.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Chris grunted. ¡°That must have taken some work. I tried to learn how to play piano myself, but I just couldn''t put enough time into it.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°I- never had someone comment on my work before¡­ Usually people just compliment my talent.¡±


    ¡°Well, you didn''t say you were good with- Ow, hey!¡± Chris yelped as Beth started kicking him under the table. ¡°I''m kidding! But yeah, I never got why people always focus on talent. I mean, the point of talent is that it''s inborn, right? What''s so great about that? Just having it doesn''t mean anything, what matters is the work you put into it and what you do with it. Perfect example: our abilities. Mine could be amazing, but I''ve put no work into it and done almost nothing with it, so who knows? You on the other hand have worked and developed your ability into something powerful. Pretty clear which one of us is better in that regard, huh?¡±


    ¡°You didn''t know you had an ability and you saved my life with it. I wouldn''t say it''s all that clear who''s better.¡± Beth pointed out. ¡°But¡­ yeah, I can see your point when you put it that way. So many high-tiers just coast by with their overpowered abilities, never putting in the work to get truly good with them. I have no respect for them at all.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°So, what do you enjoy about the piano?¡±


    ¡°I think I enjoy the fact that I can put all of myself into it.¡± Beth replied after a moment of thought. ¡°There are ways to train my ability using the other instruments, but it doesn''t really benefit the music. With the piano, having a wider finger span can let you do some pretty interesting things, and my finger span covers the entire instrument! It''s just nice to be able to use everything I am to create something beautiful.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have to hear you play sometime.¡± Chris commented. ¡°It sounds amazing.¡±


    Beth flushed slightly. ¡°I''d like that.¡±


    They continued to talk like that throughout the rest of the date, slowly deepening their knowledge of one another. From their time in the Maze, they knew a lot of each other, but they didn''t know a lot about each other, since they both tended to avoid personal topics. Chris because it usually just ended up with someone looking at him weird, usually with pity, and Beth because the people she grew up around talked about themselves and pried into the lives of others every chance they got, so the idea of having to actually ask or volunteer information like that never really occurred to her. They''d both become experts at keeping conversations going without ever touching on anything related to them, because it was too dangerous or annoying to do otherwise.


    ¡°Chris, I don''t know how you did it, but I think this might have been the perfect first date.¡± Beth muttered, curled up next to him as they sat on a small hill overlooking the lake.


    ¡°Well, I got some advice from Derek.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Go places we can talk, ask questions about you, stuff like that.¡±


    Beth huffed, slightly annoyed. ¡°I really have to meet this Derek. But it wasn''t perfect because of what we did, it''s- it''s because of you. Because after tonight, I- I''m excited to be your girlfriend.¡± She smiled, squeezing closer to him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°Cool.¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°Not that there aren''t still a few things that irritate me.¡±


    ¡°Right. Let me fix that.¡± Chris muttered as he leaned in to kiss her, his arms wrapping around her and pulling her close. Slowly, their lips parted, and their tongues began to hesitantly touch and explore, slowly becoming bolder and bolder, until Beth literally wrapped her tongue around Chris''s, gently squeezing and massaging it as she slowly pulled it back, and Chris pulled away from the kiss, flushing heavily.


    "Was that not good?" Beth asked nervously, thinking he didn''t like it.


    "No, no, that was- that was good. Uh, I just¡­ need to calm down." Chris muttered, trying to ignore a certain member of his anatomy.


    "But I like when you''re passionate." Beth retorted. "I want you to let yourself go a little¡­ it helps me understand that you care." She elaborated, climbing into his lap, leaning in to continue their kiss.


    "Wait, Beth-" Chris began to warn her before she sat down, but it was too late.


    As Beth pressed herself against him, she felt something hard poke her. She looked down, confused, before her eyes widened and she jumped out of his lap with a yelp, flushing furiously. "Why- what are you-" Beth stammered, gesturing towards the offending area.


    Chris sighed helplessly. "It''s just what happens when guys get excited. Especially after that tongue thing¡­" Chris trailed off, a dull look in his eyes as his thoughts drifted towards unsavory areas.


    "Tongue thing? What''s so-" Beth frowned in confusion, before her gaze landed on a certain place again and she flushed even deeper. "Oh."


    Chris frowned. "Oh? That''s it? I was expecting to get hit or something. Probably get called disgusting while we''re at it."


    Beth fiddled with her fingers, refusing to look at Chris. "I- well it''s just- if- if we are going to be together¡­ I- I shouldn''t be surprised if you look at me in a¡­ sexual light. I''m just- I''m not ready for that yet."


    "Oh, no, I agree. I don''t believe in having sex until you''re ready to deal with the consequences." Chris shook his head. "I just, you know, can''t help my biology."


    Beth looked up in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"


    "Well, there are certain things a body can''t help but do when sti-" Chris began.


    "Not that! The consequences thing!" Beth rolled her eyes.


    "Oh, that. Well, you know I grew up in an orphanage, right?" Chris asked and Beth nodded. "Well, a good portion of the kids there are there because someone had a one night stand, got pregnant, and abandoned the kid. I get that they aren''t prepared to deal with the kid, and if they kept them it''d be a huge burden on their life, but¡­ they knew that before they had sex! They know sex makes kids! Is that small bit of pleasure really more important than risking ruining your own child''s life? I''m not knocking the orphanage, it''s a psychological thing. When you know you''re there, not because your parents died, but because they didn''t want you¡­ it does something to you, and it''s hard for some people to get over it. I just don''t get why you''d risk something like that over a little bit of fun."


    "I never really thought of it that way¡­" Beth muttered. "I''ve always focused on the emotional aspect. I''ve seen a lot of my friends get way too physical way too fast, and it pretty much guarantees the relationship is going to blow up. There are so many emotions involved that they''re completely irrational, and even people who seemed like they should have been a good match become each other''s worst enemies. I''ve never considered the consequences of something going wrong and all of the sudden these two people have a child together."


    "Yeah, that''s a whole other sort of mess you don''t want to deal with." Chris nodded. "Honestly, it''s just best to leave sex until after you''re married. I mean, if you aren''t ready to marry someone, you definitely aren''t ready to have a kid with them."


    Beth gave Chris a weird look, before shaking her head. "I can''t get over how we always end up on the same page, despite being so different."


    "Well, to be fair, we''re right, so it kinda makes sense to be on the same page." Chris pointed out.


    Beth snorted. "It isn''t all about right and wrong. I mean, look at the elitism in the upper ranks. We know catering to strength will improve our society. That isn''t wrong. It also isn''t wrong to believe that you shouldn''t disregard people just because they''re weak. It''s just a matter of opinion, but we''re on the same side."


    "I dunno, bullying people just because they''re weaker than you still seems wrong to me." Chris retorted with a frown.


    "Well, yes, but that isn''t the part I''m talking about. I''m talking about the part that puts more significance on certain people just because they''re strong." Beth elaborated.


    "Ah¡­ okay, yeah, I can see that. It isn''t wrong, per se, we just don''t agree with it. Gotcha." Chris nodded.


    "Right, and we do that a lot! I just¡­ it''s a little weird, you know?" Beth commented.


    "I guess¡­ but maybe that''s why we''re so compatible. Even though we grew up differently, think differently, act differently, we share the same values. We''re both working from the same foundation, so even though we''ve branched out differently, we can still fit together at our cores." Chris theorized thoughtfully.


    Beth smiled, scooting closer and resting her head on his shoulder. "I like the way we fit together."


    Chris grinned back, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Me too."

 Space: 11 - Preparing for boot camp

    "You like him?" Derek asked incredulously, staring at Beth in disbelief. The orphanage was having its celebration for those who''d survived the Maze, so obviously Chris had invited Beth, letting her finally meet Derek.


    "Yeah? Is there something wrong with that?" Beth glanced at him, looking a little confused and a little peeved he was questioning her on this.


    "Dude, what is up with you? You''re the one who told me to ask her out! You helped me plan our first date!" Chris raised an eyebrow at Derek, giving him a weird look.


    "That''s when I thought she was normal, maybe a little ugly! I didn''t realize she was freaking gorgeous!" Derek retorted, before turning back to Beth. "You know you can do better, right?"


    Beth looked over at Chris, unable to hold back a smile. "I really don''t think I can."


    "Whoa, hey, I know I''m great, but I''m actually with Derek on this one. You could probably do better." Chris interjected. "I''m not certain such a person exists, but I''d imagine if there was a version of me that was better at expressing their emotions, had better social awareness, and stuff like that, they''d probably be a better match for you."


    "But the fact that you don''t have that stuff is why I''m valuable to you. If someone like that existed, I''d just be¡­ arm candy. I don''t want to be someone''s accessory, I want to be someone''s partner." Beth countered.


    Chris paused, thinking about it. "Okay, fair. Maybe you couldn''t do better."


    "Exactly." Beth nodded in satisfaction.


    Derek looked between them with a frown. "Fuck it, I give up. You two are weird."


    "I think it''s cute! It''s like Chris finally found his heart!" Penny cooed.


    "Nope, I''m with Derek. This is weird." Thad shook his head. "A Chris that has emotions isn''t the Chris I know."


    "To be fair, the emotions are still fairly muted, and just for Beth. You three get crap." Chris pointed out.


    Thad paused. "That actually does make me feel better."


    "Okay, okay, enough about us!" Beth rolled her eyes. "I want to know about you guys! How did you and Chris become friends?"


    "Well, it was pretty simple for me. I''ve been Chris''s roommate since¡­ well, forever." Thad explained.


    "As for me, Chris was the first one who talked to me after my parents died." Penny smiled nostalgically. "I didn''t want to talk to anyone, so I went and found the most isolated place I could find to hide out, a little crawl space down in the basement. I was curled up, feeling sad for myself, when all of the sudden this boy crawled in with a big book and a blanket. Of course, since it was Chris, he completely ignored any sign that I didn''t want to talk to anyone, said hi, asked what my name was, and when I didn''t answer, he just shrugged and went back to what he was doing, curling up with the blanket and the book. I kept making annoyed noises, trying to get him to take the hint, which in Chris''s mind, apparently meant he needed to read out loud. Ironically, it worked. I got so distracted by the book and the ridiculousness of this boy, I forgot to be sad. From then on, whenever I got sad, I''d go find Chris and make him read to me, and we''ve been close ever since."


    "Aw, that''s so sweet!" Beth cooed.


    "She was in my reading spot¡­ I thought she wanted to read." Chris shrugged.


    "Yes, well, for me, Chris and I have always attended the same school. Same classes and everything." Derek interjected. "Chris, being Chris, had his usual complete lack of social awareness, and since my Aunt runs the orphanage, we were vaguely familiar with each other, so of course, he decided we were friends. No matter what I did, how I picked on him, hurt him, ditched him, he''d always run up with that stupid grin and say hello whenever he saw me. One day, me and this other kid got into a fight over¡­ Well, it''s not important. What is important is that I lost. Badly. All my other friends ditched me, but Chris¡­ he dragged me to the nurse and made sure I was okay. After that, I couldn''t push him away anymore. Of course, I did have to teach him that bullying is not how friends interact afterwards, but it was my fault he thought that in the first place, so I can''t really complain."


    "Wait, you were his bully?!?" Beth asked skeptically.


    "I¡­ was a dumb kid. I thought that if I hung around this dorky, awkward orphan, it''d ruin my social life." Derek sighed. "It took things going bad to realize that people who care about things like that aren''t worth hanging out with in the first place."


    "Plus, he never actually hurt me. He''d just push me and crap, which¡­ didn''t really mean much to me." Chris pointed out. "And he''s been a great friend since, so no harm done, right?"


    Beth looked at him with a frown. "You have a weird way of making friends."


    Chris shrugged. "What can I say? I''m a weird guy."


    ¡°Yeah, but you''re my weird guy.¡± Beth smiled, giving him a hug, before turning to Derek. ¡°Anyway, I hear you''re joining the Scouts too?¡±


    ¡°You''re what?!?¡± Penny exclaimed, whirling on Derek.


    Thad frowned at him. ¡°Dude.¡±


    ¡°What? Chris is doing it! Why can''t I?¡± Derek protested.


    ¡°Chris doesn''t have a family business to inherit!¡± Penny growled. ¡°What possible reason could you have for joining the military?!?¡±


    ¡°Practical management training?¡± Derek offered weakly.


    ¡°Guys, there are tons of advantages to joining the military!¡± Beth interjected. ¡°Practical skill training is just one of the ways the military sets its members up for success. Joining the military is the best way to give yourself a solid foundation for the rest of your life!¡±


    ¡°If you have a rest of your life!¡± Penny retorted, glaring at her. ¡°The problem with the military is that people die!¡±


    ¡°That''s- true, but that''s why we have Chris! The biggest dangers in the Maze are ambushes, beacon failures, and toxins, all of which Chris can solve! His minions can scout for any danger, he can make portals back to the City if the beacons fail, and his healing takes care of toxins!¡± Beth countered.


    Penny eyed her warily. ¡°I suppose¡­ so would you say the military wouldn''t be worth it without Chris?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°It would be riskier, but it''d still be worth it. I probably wouldn''t recommend someone with other prospects join, but I would at least insist they consider it as an option.¡±


    Penny hummed slightly, before turning back to Derek. ¡°I still think you''re being an idiot. Benefits or no, have you considered what would happen to your family''s business if you died?!?¡±


    Derek waved dismissively. ¡°It''d go to one of my cousins, who would be more than happy to take it.¡± He sighed. ¡°Look, Penny, I get what you''re saying, I just- I think even without Chris, I''d still do this. I mean, I know there''s an easy path I could take, one that would guarantee me a good life, with little to no effort on my part, it just seems so¡­ boring. I want to do more. I want to live! To challenge myself! And with the Scouts, not only do I get to do that, but I can also still prepare myself for taking over the company! It''s a win win!¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Penny glared at him. ¡°See, everything you just said? That''s dumb. Pure, unadulterated idiocy! There''s plenty of exciting ways to challenge yourself that don''t require you to risk your life! You could take up a sport! Like basketball or rock climbing!¡±


    Derek shook his head. ¡°I want to do something more meaningful than a sport.¡±


    ¡°Urgh!¡± Penny threw up her hands in frustration. ¡°What is wrong with you!?! How can you be so idiotically reckless?!?¡± She yelled at him before turning and stomping off.


    ¡°Penny, come on!¡± Derek called after her as he followed.


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Not gonna lie, I''m feeling a little disappointed she''s making a bigger deal over him than me.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, given your ability, the odds of you dying are slim, if not nonexistent.¡± Thad pointed out. ¡°The only question is if there''s something out there that can keep your space from bringing you back to life, which even if there is, I doubt it''s common enough for you to have a reasonable chance of running into it. Plus, Derek is risking guaranteed success to essentially chase thrills, while you''re making the best of a bad situation. Not really comparable.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed.


    Beth narrowed her eyes in the direction the other two had run off in. ¡°Are you guys sure that''s all it is?¡±


    They both shared confused looks, before turning to Beth. ¡°What else could it be?¡± Thad asked.


    ¡°I- nevermind, it isn''t my place to comment.¡± Beth sighed, waving them off.


    Chris frowned at her. ¡°Beth, you can''t just say things like that and not follow up. Now we''re going to start getting ideas.¡±


    ¡°It really doesn''t matter, okay? I''m probably wrong anyway.¡± Beth insisted. ¡°Thad is probably right, it''s just because you and Derek are in two different positions.¡±


    Chris narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, before letting out a grunt. ¡°Fine. Want me to show you around?¡±


    ¡°Sure! I''d love to see where you grew up!¡± Beth agreed happily.


    *


    The next few weeks passed almost in a blur as Chris, Beth, and Derek got ready for the Scouts boot camp. It turned out that Chris and Beth did still need to pass a few tests to get fully admitted, specifically a physical test, a written test, and an ability test. David made the process as simple for them as possible, but he couldn''t ignore the basic requirements for entering the Scouts. Not that it was that large a hurdle. Beth had been preparing for these tests her entire life, and Chris only struggled with the ability test, not because it was difficult, but because he still wasn''t sure what the limits of his ability were. The examiners kept asking questions like how many creatures he could control, what the limits of his healing were, how far his portals could reach, and he just didn''t have an answer for them. Thankfully, the information he did have was enough for them to pass him.


    Other than preparing for the tests, the three of them focused on furnishing and stocking Chris''s space, with Penny and Thad''s help. Penny was still pretty upset with Derek, but she still insisted on being there for everything, never letting him forget how stupid he was for doing this, and pointing out all the different things he could do other than join the Scouts. The most significant items they got for the space were a generator, a fridge and freezer, which they filled with tons of drinks and snacks, and a TV with a hard drive full of movies and TV shows. All the space needed was a kitchen and bathroom, and it''d legitimately be a mobile apartment. Still, even with everything they got, it only took up about a fourth of the space.


    The only thing that bothered Chris was that there were no walls in the space, and he was concerned the electronics might get broken if a creature got in, particularly since he needed to bring creatures in to turn them into his minions. He''d tested with an old phone and confirmed that objects didn''t benefit from the healing living beings did, so if they broke, there wasn''t any saving them. The obvious answer would be to put everything into the separate space with his stuff, but he didn''t really want people hanging out in what was essentially his bedroom. Alternatively he could try to separate another space, but he was a bit hesitant to do so given the results of the last one. He wasn''t entirely sure how his space connected to the world, and he didn''t want to risk running into something that could find it and break in somehow. It wasn''t a major concern, but another space would double the chances of it happening, so he held off, particularly since the risk of a creature getting loose in his space wouldn''t even be an issue until after boot camp.


    Other than that, Chris and Beth spent most of their time deepening their relationship. They didn''t quite monopolize all of each other''s free time, but it was close, particularly since Beth quickly integrated herself into the friend group, forming a particularly close bond with Penny. By the time they had to leave for boot camp, the two had even started having ¡®girls nights¡¯ together.


    The only real problem Chris ran into during the period was what to do with Dyrdek. Jello was quite happy to be passed around to whoever wanted to pay attention to them, practically becoming the group''s mascot after spending a week being carried around by Thad, but Dyrdek wasn''t an adorable ball of goop, and the only person who could understand him was Chris, who was more focused on spending time with Beth. Dyrdek didn''t seem upset at being ignored, particularly once he got his hands on all the games they''d put in the space, but Chris still felt like the guy should have something more going on. Ultimately, Chris decided he needed a friend, another goblin to keep him company, but Chris wasn''t about to dive back into the Maze and start hunting down goblins, so all he could do was do his best to keep Dyrdek occupied until after boot camp.


    *


    Chris and Derek sat by the lifts on the third floor around seven in the morning, waiting for Beth to show up so they could head to the Scout base on the first floor together. ¡°This is too damn early.¡± Derek grumbled.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°You may not be cut out for military life.¡± Derek just grunted back, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.


    A moment later Beth''s limo arrived, and she stepped out, her parents sliding out after her. ¡°Christopher!¡± David greeted Chris with a wave. ¡°Feeling nervous for your first day of being a Scout?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Should I be?¡±


    David chuckled. ¡°Well, as of now, if you break my daughter''s heart, I can officially make your life a living hell. That should make you at least a little nervous, right?¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Beth exclaimed.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I''m not going to break Beth''s heart, so it isn''t really that big a deal, is it?¡±


    David clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°That''s what I like to hear! Ah, I can just see my grandkids now.¡±


    ¡°Daaaad!¡± Beth groaned. ¡°Just get out of here!¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± David shot Chris a wink as he turned to Beth, pulling her into a hug, getting serious for a moment. ¡°I''m so, so proud of you.¡± He muttered as he gave her a final squeeze before letting go.


    Abigail was immediately there to give Beth a hug of her own. ¡°Stay safe.¡± She insisted in a hoarse whisper.


    ¡°I will, Mom.¡± Beth assured her as she returned the hug. It took about half a minute for Beth to extricate herself from her mother, waving goodbye as the lift doors closed behind them, before immediately turning to the other two. ¡°Aren''t you guys excited!?! We''re going to be Scouts!¡±


    ¡°Woo.¡± Chris cheered blandly, while Derek let out a vague grumbling.


    Beth glared at Derek. ¡°Okay, I get Chris, but you''ve been fighting to do this! How can you not be excited?!?¡±


    ¡°He''s not good in the morning.¡± Chris commented. ¡°I''m sure he''ll be more excited later.¡±


    Beth raised an eyebrow. ¡°And he''s joining the military?¡±


    ¡°That''s what I said!¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°I''ll get used to it.¡± Derek grumbled.


    ¡°Excuse me, Chris, right?¡± Chris turned to see Derek''s doctor from after the Trial.


    ¡°Oh, hey, doctor¡­¡± Chris trailed off as he searched for her name, not entirely certain he''d gotten it.


    ¡°Sabrina.¡± She provided with a smile.


    ¡°Hey doc.¡± Derek greeted her as well.


    Sabrina nodded at him, before refocusing on Chris. ¡°I couldn''t help but overhear you''re joining the Scouts?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°We''re heading up for our first day of boot camp. I assume you''re heading to work?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I''m actually one of the Scout physicians handling the inducting of the new recruits.¡± Sabrina explained.


    Chris blinked, somewhat surprised since he''d assumed she was with the hospital, before he realized it was the teleportation center hospital, which was obviously run by the military. Plus, they''d probably brought a bunch of extra people over to handle the influx from the Trial. ¡°Cool. Guess I''ll be seeing you there.¡± He gave her a small wave as they got off the lift.


    ¡°I was a little disappointed you never called.¡± Sabrina added, following after them.


    ¡°Chris, who is this?¡± Beth quickly interjected, eyeing Sabrina warily.


    ¡°This is the doctor that was taking care of Derek after the Trial.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°Oh! It''s nice to meet you!¡± Beth exclaimed a bit too excitedly. ¡°I''m Chris''s girlfriend, Beth.¡±


    A flicker passed through Sabrina''s eyes as she smiled politely. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you. I was just saying that I was disappointed Chris didn''t call, but it''s good to see he found a productive use for his ability even without my help. It''d be a shame to see such a powerful healing ability go to waste.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°I couldn''t agree more. That''s why I insisted he join the Scouts in the first place. There''s no place he can make better use of his ability.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Sabrina agreed. ¡°Though¡­ It does seem like he could be of greater help in the medical branch. There are so many soldiers with chronic injuries that only powerful healing abilities can handle, and those abilities are much too rare.¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°I disagree. While it is tragic that so many soldiers have to go without proper healing, Chris can do so much more to ensure that soldiers return to even have chronic injuries.¡±


    ¡°Can''t I do both?¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Chronic injuries are by definition long-term, so I can just go around every few months and heal everyone up.¡±


    Sabrina smiled. ¡°The medical branch would welcome any help you can provide.¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes at her, before grabbing Chris by the hand and pulling him along. ¡°Come on Chris, we need to get registered.¡±


    ¡°So, doc¡­ you got any use for an electric ability user?¡± Derek asked, hanging back.


    ¡°I think you''re best served in the Maze.¡± Sabrina rolled her eyes.


    Derek shrugged. ¡°Worth a shot.¡±

 Space: 12 - Boot camp (1)

    ¡°We''re here to register Bethany Klien, Christopher Vincent, and Derek Veach.¡± Beth informed the receptionist as they arrived at the Scout base.


    The attendant nodded, pulling up their information on their computer and printing out three packets for them. ¡°You''re all checked in. The top page is your schedule for the day, the next is a map of the base, and the last is the regulations you''ll need to follow to maintain your barracks and equipment. Welcome to the Scouts.¡±


    Beth smiled and thanked them, taking the packets and handing Chris and Derek theirs. ¡°Alright, it looks like we have to get our uniforms first. Follow me.¡± Beth waved for them to follow as she made her way through the base. They quickly picked up their uniforms before making their way to their barracks, putting the uniforms on before heading back out to get the rest of their equipment. Most of the day was spent teaching them how to properly maintain the equipment they received, none of which was difficult, but given the amount of equipment they were dealing with, it quickly became an overwhelming amount of information. A little bit after lunch they reported to the medical center for a series of shots to immunize them against the most common infections they might encounter in the Maze.


    ¡°I was wondering when you three would show up.¡± Sabrina commented. ¡°Chris, let''s do you first.¡± She waved for him to follow her into the back as Beth''s expression twisted. ¡°Take your shirt off.¡± She ordered as they arrived in a private room. Chris didn''t question it, since the regular shirt for the Scout uniform was a black turtleneck. It would have been hard for her to give him his shots if he left it on. He quickly removed the shirt and neatly folded it, placing it on a nearby chair as Sabrina prepared the shots. ¡°Have a seat, this will take a bit.¡± Sabrina added, gesturing to the medical bed. ¡°So¡­¡± Sabrina began after a few moments of silence. ¡°How long have you and Beth been going out?¡±


    ¡°About a month now.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°So the relationship is still pretty fresh? Not too serious?¡± Sabrina asked.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Fresh, yes, but serious? I may be getting ahead of myself, but at the moment I can honestly say I think I''m going to marry her.¡± He frowned at the door as he swore he heard a muffled yelp after he said that.


    Sabrina didn''t seem to notice as she gave Chris a stunned blink. ¡°Is that so?¡± She hesitated for a moment, suppressing a defeated sigh. ¡°She''s a lucky woman.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I think I''m the lucky one. Being in love with Beth just makes sense. It''s her being in love with me that I don''t get. Not that I''m sure she is in love with me¡­ at least we haven''t said it yet. That''s something I should probably do, huh?¡±


    ¡°If you''re considering marrying someone, telling them you love them does seem like a decent first step.¡± Sabrina replied with a hint of amusement in her voice.


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°I''ll have to find a good time to do that then.¡±


    ¡°You don''t seem all that nervous over it. Aren''t you scared she won''t say it back?¡± Sabrina asked.


    ¡°No?¡± Chris gave her a weird look. ¡°Why would I need her to say it back?¡±


    Sabrina frowned. ¡°Because you love her?¡±


    Chris just stared at her for a moment. ¡°And? That''s why I''m telling her I love her. If she''s not ready to say it back, then I''m not going to push her for it. I''m satisfied with our current relationship and I have no problem waiting until she''s ready to move forward.¡±


    Sabrina narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Are you fucking with me?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Were you dropped on your head as a child?¡± Sabrina continued.


    ¡°Would it matter? I can heal brain damage.¡± Chris pointed out.


    ¡°Then how the fuck can you be in love with someone and not care if they love you back?!?¡± Sabrina asked incredulously.


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°I wouldn''t say I don''t care¡­ it just isn''t something I can do anything about, so why worry about it? Plus, given our current relationship, it''s more a matter of does she love me yet. Both of us are still eager to pursue this relationship, as far as I can tell, so her feelings are still developing. What does it matter if I''m a little ahead of her? What I would be worried about would be her deciding she doesn''t want to pursue the relationship anymore. That would suck.¡±


    Sabrina frowned at him for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°You are a very strange man. Let''s get these shots done so I can get to your friends.¡± She quickly administered the shots, before waving him out, telling him to send Beth in next as she focused on preparing the next round of shots. She''d wasted a bit of time talking to Chris and she was certain the same would happen with Beth, so she needed to save time where she could.


    ¡°You''re up next.¡± Chris informed a slightly flushed Beth as he returned to the waiting area. ¡°Fourth door on the left.¡± Beth nodded, hesitating as she stood, looking like she wanted to say something, before flushing even further as she moved past him, heading back to get her shots. Chris frowned after her before turning to Derek. ¡°Know what that was about?¡±


    Derek shook his head. ¡°Sorry, my silence has already been bought.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°So you''ll text me?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Derek smirked, pulling out his phone.


    ¡°Actually, don''t.¡± Chris raised a hand to stop him. ¡°I trust Beth to talk to me about it herself, when she''s ready. Plus, I''m pretty sure I already know.¡±


    Derek shrugged as he put his phone away. ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    ¡°Shirt off.¡± Sabrina ordered as Beth arrived in the private room.


    Beth did as she said, draping the shirt over the chair before hopping onto the medical bed. ¡°I don''t appreciate the way you''ve been probing Chris.¡± She announced, giving Sabrina a cold look.


    Sabrina paused for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°If your relationship can''t withstand a little probing, then you have bigger issues to worry about. But in any case, you won''t have to worry about me, or anyone else for that matter. That man is all yours.¡±


    Beth had to suppress a warm smile as she struggled to maintain her cold look. ¡°That doesn''t excuse you trying to steal him!¡±


    Sabrina snorted. ¡°If a man can be stolen, then he wasn''t yours to hold on to in the first place. Listen, I get where you''re coming from, but look at it this way. Wouldn''t you rather know he''s faithful now, rather than in ten years when it''s your family on the line? I think a little probing is healthy for a relationship. It lets you know your trust is well placed.¡±


    Beth scowled at her. ¡°That just sounds like an excuse so you can cause problems for other people guilt free.¡±


    Sabrina shrugged. ¡°Take it as you will, but at least admit you''re more confident in your relationship with him now. I know you were listening in on us.¡±


    Beth flushed. ¡°Why would you think-¡±


    ¡°My ability lets me sense vibrations.¡± Sabrina interjected, rolling her eyes. ¡°I could feel you there the entire time.¡±


    Beth grimaced. ¡°Fine. I was listening.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Sabrina prodded.


    ¡°And- and I''m not worried about Chris leaving me at all.¡± Beth muttered with a warm smile, before shooting Sabrina a glare. ¡°That still doesn''t mean I appreciate your testing. I appreciate Chris for being loyal. You are just the skank who''s been trying to lure away my boyfriend. You don''t thank the robber for trying to break into your home just because it proves your security system works!¡±


    ¡°That example may hold up if you were married, but you''re just dating. If you were even engaged, I wouldn''t have done anything.¡± Sabrina countered. ¡°You don''t actually own the house, you''re simply a prospective buyer and I''m another interested party checking with the owner to see if I might be able to make a better offer. I understand that you don''t want me to make a better offer, but that doesn''t change the fact that I''m free to do so. Until you make an actual commitment, you can''t complain when others express an interest.¡±


    Beth scowled. ¡°I''ve at least already made an initial commitment.¡±


    ¡°Which is why all I''ve done is express my interest. I haven''t actually made an offer, and I wouldn''t until your relationship was over.¡± Sabrina pointed out.


    Beth frowned for a moment, before crossing her arms petulantly. ¡°Still seems rude to me.¡± She grumbled.


    Sabrina raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wouldn''t anything someone did that you didn''t like seem rude?¡±


    Beth paused. ¡°That was a rude point.¡±


    Sabrina snorted, rolling her eyes. ¡°Just give me your arm. The shots are ready.¡± Once Sabrina finished with Beth''s shots, she sent her to get Derek as she prepared the next round. ¡°Shirt off.¡± Sabrina ordered yet again as he arrived.


    Derek tossed his shirt on the chair, before sliding onto the medical bed. ¡°So doc, have you given any more thought to the benefits of having an electric ability user around?¡± He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at her.


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    Sabrina gave him a flat look. ¡°It isn''t very wise to antagonize the person about to stick several needles into your arm.¡±


    Derek feigned a gasp of shock. ¡°You would inflict pain on a patient just because they annoyed you? Doc, I''ve misjudged you.¡± Sabrina shook her head, ignoring him as she focused on preparing the shots. She''d already wasted too much time with Chris and Beth. Derek just shrugged and laid back on the table to wait. It never hurt to try, but he wasn''t about to pester a woman who obviously wasn''t interested.


    Once Derek got his shots, the three had a few more pieces of equipment to pick up, before finally making their way back to their barracks at four to meet the rest of their recruit squad, as well as their Drill Sergeant. As they walked in, they found two women facing each other down as another woman and a man stood off to the side looking uncomfortable. ¡°I refuse to share a room with a man!¡± The younger woman snarled, clearly one of the other recruits in their squad.


    ¡°You were given the option to be assigned to a single gender squad.¡± The older woman replied, presumably their Drill Sergeant.


    ¡°I don''t mind working with a man, I mind being forced to share a room with one!¡± The recruit snapped.


    The Drill Sergeant shook her head. ¡°What do you think it''s going to be like in the Maze? Do you think you''ll have the luxury to complain when you''re bivouacked ass to ass in some crevice to avoid detection by a tribe of kobolds? There''s no privacy in the Maze, and there''s no privacy here. If you have a problem with that, you can wait until next term so you can be assigned to an all female squad. Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    The recruit gritted her teeth. ¡°No.¡± She hissed after a moment.


    ¡°Then get on the floor and give me twenty!¡± The Drill Sergeant roared at her, causing her to flinch. ¡°Now, or I''ll make it forty!¡± The recruit dropped to the floor and started doing push-ups as the Drill Sergeant turned to Beth, Chris, and Derek. ¡°You must be Recruits Klien, Vincent, and Veach. Welcome to D Squad. I''m your Drill Sergeant, Sergeant Callista. These are Recruits Andrews, Garcia, and Invicta.¡± She pointed at the man, the woman next to him, and then the woman doing push-ups as she introduced them. ¡°You have five minutes to get your gear in order.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± Beth saluted, Chris and Derek copying her a second later before they all moved to stow their equipment. Once they were done, Beth led them to line up in front of Sergeant Callista, the other recruits following suit after a moment.


    Sergeant Callista waited until exactly five minutes had passed before moving to inspect their bunks, checking to make sure all their equipment was organized appropriately. ¡°Recruit Veach, your dagger is supposed to be on the left and your pistol on the right! Fix it and give me ten!¡± She snapped as she got to Derek''s bunk.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± Derek saluted before doing as she said.


    Sergeant Callista watched his performance carefully before nodding and moving to the next bunk. She found some minor flaws in everyone''s bunk except for Chris, even Beth. She''d ended up examining Chris''s bunk for a full five minutes before finally grunting in a mix of annoyance and approval. ¡°Well done, Recruit Vincent.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma''am.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Drop and give me ten anyway.¡± Sergeant Callista added with a smirk.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Chris saluted, before doing as she said.


    Sergeant Callista frowned slightly at his simple obedience, before shaking her head and moving on. ¡°Every night your bunk will be inspected until you can maintain it as perfectly as Recruit Vincent here! Tonight I stopped after a single flaw, but tomorrow I''ll look for two! The day after, I''ll look for three, and so on until I''ll start finding every flaw at the end of the week! For this first week, each flaw will only earn you ten push-ups! By next week, it''ll be twenty! By the end of training, a single flaw will have you repeating the morning workout in its entirety! I expect these bunks will be pristine by then!¡± She paused to check her watch. ¡°Report to the cafeteria for dinner at eighteen hundred. Until then, you''re dismissed.¡± She announced before walking out.


    Beth turned to the three new people with a smile as the door closed. ¡°Hey, I''m Beth and I''m the melee attacker of the squad! It''s nice to meet you all!¡±


    ¡°Zack, ranged attacker.¡± Andrews introduced himself with a smile.


    ¡°Carmen, defender.¡± Garcia nodded.


    ¡°Derek, melee support.¡± Derek introduced himself after he noticed Invicta wasn''t going, frowning to herself.


    Invicta''s frown deepened as she looked up. ¡°Is our squad completely unbalanced?!? We can''t have two attackers and two supports! We still need a scout, healer, and utility!¡± The classic squad composition was an attacker and support pair, one melee, one ranged, along with a defender, a scout, a healer, and a utility.


    ¡°That''d be me.¡± Chris interjected. ¡°Chris, scout, healer, utility.¡±


    Zack whistled. ¡°They let you fill three roles? You must have a damn impressive ability.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°It''s alright.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Chris, you don''t downplay your ability when people are depending on it for their survival.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°It''s slightly better than alright?¡±


    Beth rubbed her temple. ¡°It''s amazing, Chris. Amazing.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°That seems a bit much.¡±


    ¡°What is your ability?¡± Invicta asked, narrowing her eyes at him.


    ¡°I can open portals to a space that can heal almost anything as far as I can tell. It also lets me form a connection with Maze creatures, putting them under my control and letting me open portals to them. And it''s a pretty decent sized space.¡± Chris explained.


    The three new people all stared at him for a moment. ¡°I gotta agree with her.¡± Zack commented, pointing his thumb at Beth. ¡°That ability sounds amazing. All I do is shoot wind blades at things. I don''t even have wind control, just wind blades.¡±


    ¡°That''s a strength in and of itself.¡± Beth commented. ¡°Focused abilities trade power for flexibility. If you had wind control, you probably wouldn''t even be able to form a wind blade and you''d be stuck just pushing things.¡±


    Zack sighed. ¡°Yeah, I know. I just wish I could fly, you know? My brother can, and it always looked like so much fun.¡±


    Beth nodded in understanding. ¡°Yeah, flying does look fun.¡± She then turned to Invicta. ¡°So, what about you? You''re the only one who hasn''t introduced themselves.¡±


    Invicta sniffed. ¡°Nadia. Ranged support.¡±


    ¡°Cool! So I guess you''re going to be my partner, Derek will pair up with Zack, and Carmen will be with Chris.¡± Beth muttered as she put together all their roles.


    ¡°Why is Carmen with me?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Shouldn''t she be providing cover for the melees?¡±


    ¡°That''s the defender¡¯s secondary focus, but generally the defender''s primary focus is keeping the auxiliaries safe while they harass the enemy.¡± Beth explained, before pausing thoughtfully. ¡°Though I guess that might switch in our squad? I don''t know, we aren''t exactly a normal squad, so I''m not sure what the exact dynamics will be.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m not sure how much harassment I can pull off by myself.¡± Chris muttered.


    Beth gave him a look. ¡°Chris. Minions.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Oh yeah.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ what actually are your abilities?¡± Zack asked. ¡°Chris has¡­ too much, and I have my wind blades, but what about the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°I can stretch and compress my body to generate large amounts of force.¡± Beth explained.


    Derek went next. ¡°I can generate electricity to stimulate my muscles or stun my enemies.¡±


    ¡°I can create resistance fields to stop or at least slow down anything that passes through them.¡± Carmen provided.


    They all turned to Nadia, who let out a small huff. ¡°I''m a telekinetic.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s great! You can hold them down while I pound them!¡± Beth exclaimed.


    Zack raised an eyebrow. ¡°Kinky?¡±


    ¡°That was poorly phrased.¡± Carmen agreed.


    Beth groaned, turning to Chris. ¡°What did I say this time?¡±


    ¡°You essentially implied that Nadia would restrain someone while you¡­ forcefully had sex with them.¡± Chris explained.


    Beth''s expression twisted. ¡°Damn it!¡± She sighed, turning to the others. ¡°I''m sorry, I don''t really get innuendo, so sometimes things just slip out.¡±


    ¡°I tried giving her a list. It didn''t help.¡± Chris added.


    ¡°So I take it you two know each other from before?¡± Carmen commented.


    ¡°We''re dating, actually.¡± Beth smiled, grabbing Chris''s arm.


    ¡°Derek is also my best friend.¡± Chris added.


    ¡°Wait, you guys managed to monopolize half the squad?¡± Zack asked incredulously. ¡°How?!?¡±


    ¡°Her dad is the Scout General.¡± Chris answered, pointing his thumb at Beth.


    ¡°Chris!¡± Beth hissed, flushing as the other three turned to look at her wide-eyed.


    ¡°What?¡± Chris asked, frowning at her. ¡°Was it supposed to be a secret?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°No. You just could have been a bit less blunt about it.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I really don''t think I could have.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you could have let me be a bit less blunt about it.¡± Beth grumbled. ¡°I would have just said my dad is an officer in the Scouts.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°That I could have done.¡±


    Zack held up a hand. ¡°I''m sorry, hold on. Your dad is the guy in charge of the entire Scouts?!?¡±


    Beth hesitated. ¡°Kinda? I mean, he is, but it isn''t that big a deal! Chris is a bigger part of why we all ended up in the same squad than I am! Without his ability, it never would have happened! My dad would never abuse his position like that!¡±


    Nadia narrowed her eyes at her for a moment, before grunting. ¡°Whatever. This is the squad we have. Might as well get used to it.¡±


    ¡°So you''re over the whole ¡®sharing a room with guys¡¯ thing?¡± Zack asked.


    Nadia scowled at him. ¡°I still think it''s ridiculous to force men and women to share the same quarters just because they''re in the same squad, but I''m not going to waste my time arguing about it. If it weren''t for the fact that single gender squads are less successful¡­¡± She trailed off bitterly.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Single gender squads are less successful?¡±


    ¡°Squads are built so that the soldiers'' abilities can synergize with each other, like Derek stunning creatures so Zack can hit them, or Nadia holding them down so I can pou- er, punch them.¡± Beth flushed as she narrowly avoided her previous faux pas. ¡°If you limit the people you can pull in to create synergies, then generally the synergies turn out weaker.¡±


    ¡°There are also some studies that suggest people who insist on single gender squads are more difficult to work with.¡± Carmen added, pointedly not looking at Nadia.


    ¡°Well, good thing none of us are insisting on a single gender squad then, huh?¡± Derek interjected. ¡°Now what I want to know is how the hell Chris managed to get his bunk perfect. I barely remembered half of all the crap they told us!¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I forgot most of it too, so I just put everything where it made sense.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Guess I just have a good sense for it.¡±


    Derek blinked. ¡°Okay, that pisses me off.¡±


    ¡°Honestly Chris, you''re the worst.¡± Beth agreed, the others nodding along.


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Okay¡­ but why?¡±


    Derek placed a hand on his shoulder. ¡°We can forgive hard work, but getting lucky? That''s unforgivable.¡±

 Space: 13 - Boot camp (2)

    The squad spent the rest of the night getting to know each other, which seemed to be the purpose of this first night. Sergeant Callista even assigned them a board game to play after dinner. Carmen was in a similar position to Derek, using the Scouts as a college replacement, planning on using the Scouts to build up capital and learn the skills she needed to start her own business. Nadia was on the other end, from a poor family on the outskirts of the hundredth floor of the City, putting all her hopes on climbing the ranks in the Scouts to build a life for herself.


    As for Zack, he was in a weird position. See, families in the City had two methods of dealing with the reality of the Trial. The first, usually the tactic of those who were well off, was to only have one child and pour everything they had into giving them the best chance to survive, like with Beth and Derek''s families. The other, usually the tactic of those who were not well off, was to have a number of children and hope at least one or two of them would make it. Only the rich, like the Families, could have multiple children they invested heavily into. Zack was the youngest in a family of four who had surprisingly had all their kids survive the Trial, and as grateful as his parents were to have all their children alive and well, by the time they got to him, they didn''t have anything left to send him to college, which meant he either had to take out loans or join the military. Given that his ability was combat oriented, he''d gone with the military.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait. You seriously had no idea you had an ability until you died in the Trial?¡± Zack asked skeptically.


    ¡°None.¡± Chris confirmed. ¡°Otherwise I wouldn''t even have been in the Trial. Cause you know, healing.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Zack muttered before shaking his head. ¡°Shit dude, that''s crazy. I can''t even imagine going into the Trial like that! Essentially knowing you''re going to die.¡± He shuddered. ¡°Honestly, I might have offed myself the day before, just to save myself the suffering.¡±


    ¡°What good would that have done?¡± Nadia sneered. ¡°No matter how hopeless a situation seems, there''s always a chance. Giving up just ensures you''ll never find it.¡±


    Zack raised his hands defensively. ¡°Hey, I''m not saying you''re wrong, I''m just saying that in his position, that''s where my mind would be. I mean, you can know something is dumb but still be compelled to do it anyway, you know? Like when a crazy chick starts getting really into you, and you know it''s gonna end badly, but well¡­ she''s hot.¡±


    ¡°Dude.¡± Derek nodded in agreement, holding out his fist, which Zack promptly bumped.


    Chris frowned. ¡°Who was crazy?¡±


    ¡°Sarah Zimmerman.¡± Derek sighed wistfully.


    ¡°Really? She didn''t seem so bad to me.¡± Chris replied.


    Derek gave him a weird look. ¡°Dude, she wanted us to drink each other''s blood.¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°It was only a few drops though? And if you''re already swapping bodily fluids, it isn''t that big a deal, is it? Plus, you really liked her. Seems like a minor issue to get worked up over in a relationship that was otherwise working just fine.¡±


    Derek rolled his eyes. ¡°It isn''t the drinking of the blood that''s the issue, it''s the fact that she thought drinking each other''s blood was a good idea. Plus, she''s the one who broke up with me over it. Said I wasn''t ¡®committed¡¯ enough.¡±


    ¡°I mean, if you let the relationship fall apart over a few drops of blood, she was kinda right, wasn''t she?¡± Chris pointed out.


    ¡°Chris, please stop.¡± Beth pleaded with a grimace. She didn''t want him getting any ideas, because while she probably would, she really didn''t want to have to drink some of his blood so she could keep seeing him.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Chris agreed with a shrug. It wasn''t an important enough argument to make Beth uncomfortable over.


    Carmen looked between Beth and Chris with a strange look in her eye. ¡°How did the two of you manage to get together? I doubt the Scout princess and an orphan from the forty-fourth floor would have many chances to meet each other.¡±


    ¡°We met in the Trial.¡± Chris explained. ¡°She''d-¡±


    ¡°Hap!¡± Beth stopped him, flushing in embarrassment. ¡°They don''t need to know the details, Chris!¡± She hissed, before turning back to the others. ¡°But yeah, we spent almost the entire Trial together. Ended up getting pretty close, and then afterwards, one thing led to another, and here we are!¡±


    Zack blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ I honestly can''t tell who''s the lucky one in that scenario.¡±


    ¡°It''s definitely me.¡± Beth immediately replied, leaning closer to Chris with a happy smile on her face, confident that finding Chris was the best thing that had ever happened to her.


    ¡°Short-term, maybe, but long-term I think I''m the lucky one.¡± Chris retorted, thinking she was referring to her close call with death and fully believing that he was the one who was lucky to have her.


    ¡°They''re both stupidly lucky.¡± Derek grumbled. ¡°All I got out of the Trial was brain damage and I''m just lucky Chris was around to fix it.¡±


    *


    Sergeant Callista came in at eight to tell them it was time for lights out and they all got to sleep for the night. The next morning Sergeant Callista got them up at five, immediately getting them out into the yard with the other three squads that formed their platoon for two hours of morning exercises. They then had half an hour to shower and see to the rest of their morning hygiene, before heading to the cafeteria for a quick breakfast. The rest of the morning was spent putting them through various drills, some with just the squad and some with the platoon, getting them used to working together.


    They had lunch from eleven thirty to twelve, then an hour of hand to hand combat training before getting split up for training in their specific roles. Chris was in a bit of an awkward position since he was filling three roles, but his healing didn''t need to be trained and utilities always had abilities that didn''t fit into a standard role, so their training couldn''t be standardized anyway. All he needed to do was learn what to look for as a scout and use the extra practice hour after job training to meet with an ability specialist to help him explore his ability.


    They had two hours for training in their roles, then another two hours to learn a job. Chris chose to learn how to use and maintain the mechanical devices the squad used, things like traps, guns, ropes and pulleys, anything with moving parts. Beth chose to learn strategy, which focused on figuring out what their goal was and how they were going to achieve it. Derek chose to learn equipment management, figuring out how much weight they could carry and how to organize it so they all had everything they needed to pull off whatever assignment they were given. Zack chose to learn electrical device use and maintenance, which covered anything involving wires and electricity, while Carmen chose resource management, which covered figuring out how to use the resources in the Maze to supplement their supplies, as well as collecting the various valuable materials that couldn''t wait for a dedicated resource collection team to arrive, such as finding and extracting a creature''s ability core. Finally, Nadia chose to learn tactics, which focused on figuring out how to use the assets you had available to you to accomplish specific tasks. Basically, Beth would figure out what they wanted to accomplish and what they needed to do to pull it off, then Nadia would figure out who had to do what to make it happen.


    After his mechanical devices class, Chris headed to a private training room to meet with the ability specialist. ¡°Ah, you must be Recruit Vincent. Please, have a seat.¡± The ability specialist greeted him as he arrived, gesturing to a chair across from his own. ¡°I''m Doctor Bartholomew Jacobs, formerly Captain Jacobs of the Scouts, but please, just call me Jacobs. I''ll be helping you explore what your ability is capable of. How about we start with you telling me what you can do?¡±


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    ¡°Don''t you already know?¡± Chris asked as he sat down.


    ¡°Yes, but I want to hear how you describe it.¡± Jacobs insisted.


    Chris raised an eyebrow before shrugging in acceptance. ¡°I have this space I can open portals to, which heals anyone who dies inside it and lets me form connections with creatures so I can control them and open portals from the space to them as well.¡±


    Jacobs nodded along to Chris''s description. ¡°Alright, let''s start with the space then. You own it? You could even say you control it? You''ve stated you can alter the dimensions of the space and even separate it into different sections, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Chris frowned slightly, wondering what he was getting at.


    ¡°Then wouldn''t it follow that anything the space does is under your control?¡± Jacobs continued. ¡°So why can''t you control whether someone is healed or not?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Hmm.¡± Jacobs hummed slightly. ¡°Tell me, Chris, would you say you have an aversion to death?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Doesn''t everyone?¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, no one wants to die or wants to see the people they''re close with die, but I''m wondering if you want anyone to die.¡± Jacobs elaborated. ¡°Does the thought of a goblin dying make you uncomfortable?¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Not particularly? Especially if they''re trying to kill me. Not a lot of sympathy for them at that point.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Jacobs muttered, frowning slightly. ¡°Ah, well, abilities have strange quirks sometimes. Let''s move on to your portals. You usually open them against the walls of your space, yes? Making one side solid?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Can you open one for me? Here? So the solid side is facing me.¡± Jacobs gestured to a space next to him. Chris did so as Jacobs stood, examining the portal for a moment before taking a step back and pulling out a small device that shot a bolt of energy at the portal. Chris''s eye twitched as he felt a spike of pressure from the bolt. ¡°Ah-ha! As I thought! Your portals can act as barriers! Now it''s just a question of how much damage they can take.¡±


    ¡°How do I figure that out?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°There''s an ability management office on base. We''ll visit it tomorrow, after we''ve explored more of what you''re capable of.¡± Jacobs replied. The ability management department was in charge of cataloging and testing abilities, so they had all the equipment necessary to test the strength of Chris''s barriers. ¡°Your portals in particular open a few possibilities. For example, open two portals horizontally, one over the other so that when something falls into one it comes out the other.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so it creates an infinite loop, huh?¡± Chris nodded in understanding as he created the portals. ¡°And now we drop a rock into it, right?¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡± Jacobs agreed, pulling out a small rock, practically a pebble. ¡°Be prepared to cut the portal if necessary.¡± He warned, before holding the rock in between the portals and dropping it. The rock quickly began to accelerate and Chris felt the pressure in his head begin to build until the rock pierced through the portal and cracked into ground, leaving Chris with a slight headache. ¡°Hm. We''ll have to work on the timing, but it looks like you can produce a fairly decent attack this way.¡± Jacobs muttered. ¡°Not something you can put together quickly enough to qualify as an attacker, but good enough to help out in a fight.¡±


    ¡°Is it supposed to give me a headache?¡± Chris asked, rubbing his head. ¡°Because it gave me a headache.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°From the build up or from when it broke through?¡±


    Chris paused, considering it for a moment. ¡°The build up created pressure, which turned to pain when it broke through.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Jacobs muttered. ¡°The pressure must act as a warning sign that you''re getting close to the limits of your ability! Did you feel any pressure when I hit the portal with my attack?¡±


    ¡°A little, yeah.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Excellent!¡± Jacobs clapped. ¡°That gives us our first method of training! We''ll need to push your portals so you can get a feel for when they''re about to break, which will allow you to better manage their use!¡±


    Chris''s expression twisted. That sounded like it was going to be a real pain¡­ literally. ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°No, no, of course not.¡± Jacobs shook his head. ¡°We''re still exploring what you can do. We''ve barely even started and we''ve already discovered methods for defense and attack!¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°Do you need a break? I know opening portals can be pretty draining.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°I actually haven''t had any issues with them. Opening them is pretty effortless.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jacobs cocked his head curiously. ¡°How long can you maintain them?¡±


    ¡°Indefinitely?¡± Chris replied hesitantly. ¡°I''ve never tried to keep one open for more than a minute or so though.¡±


    Jacobs frowned. ¡°And your healing? Does that drain you at all?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Not that I''ve noticed.¡±


    ¡°And controlling the creatures you''ve dominated?¡± Jacobs asked, looking almost like he was scared to hear the answer.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Chris shrugged.


    Jacobs plopped into his chair as he pondered the implications of that. ¡°We must have barely even scratched the limits of what you''re capable of! If we consider the portals to be an ancillary capability and they''re already at least mid-tier in strength¡­¡± Jacobs eyed Chris with an intense, almost hungry gaze, before he dismissed whatever he was thinking with a shake of his head. ¡°Something to consider later. Right now we have a few more tests to do with your portals. First, once you''ve established a portal, can you move it?¡±


    Chris opened a small portal on his right, before sliding it to his left. ¡°Apparently I can.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now try to move it as far away from yourself as possible.¡± Jacobs ordered and Chris sent the portal as far away as he could, reaching a bit over three meters away from himself. ¡°Okay, bring it back.¡± Jacobs continued once he saw the portal wasn''t going any further, bringing out a small stick and swiping it at the portal, harmlessly passing through it. ¡°Interesting¡­ did you feel anything from that?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Jacobs hummed thoughtfully, passing the stick through the portal a few more times before glancing at Chris, who just shook his head, confirming that he still felt nothing. Jacobs raised an eyebrow, then stuck the stick through the portal, before trying to swipe it out.


    ¡°Okay, that''s getting pressure.¡± Chris announced.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Jacobs muttered. ¡°Try closing the portal on the stick.¡± Chris did as he asked, feeling a pressure start to build as he tightened the portal around the stick, but it quickly went away as he stopped trying to close the portal. ¡°Keep going.¡± Jacobs insisted. Chris frowned, but did as he said, trying to close the portal through the stick as the pressure built until suddenly the portal snapped closed, cutting the stick in half! ¡°How much pressure did that take?¡± Jacobs asked. ¡°The mental kind, I mean.¡±


    ¡°About halfway to the breaking point, I guess?¡± Chris replied, feeling a bit tired. It seemed like even if the pressure didn''t cause pain, it still took effort.


    Jacobs nodded, making a mental note of the information before moving on. ¡°Okay then, last experiment for the portals. Make a horizontal portal with the barrier side facing up.¡±


    Chris took a moment to decode what he wanted, before making a portal to the floor of his space. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Yes, now get on it.¡± Jacobs waved at the portal.


    Chris had already pieced together what Jacobs was thinking as he hopped up onto the portal and began to move it, drifting in a lazy circle around the room. ¡°Zack is going to be jealous.¡± He muttered in an amused tone. ¡°There''s pressure, and it increases as I go faster.¡± He added in a louder voice.


    Jacobs nodded. ¡°I would expect as much. Your portals seem to act as telekinetic energy barriers, though they''re a bit less- hm, wait, can you shape them? Make them curved or angled?¡±


    Chris blinked, opening another portal and trying to curve it, which¡­ kind of worked, but the portal in his space curved as well, lifting off the wall. He''d already tried to manipulate the walls to section off portions of his space, and they were stuck being flat. ¡°The portals, yes, the barriers no.¡± Chris told Jacobs as he closed the portal.


    ¡°Hm, pity.¡± Jacobs muttered. ¡°But still! Your portals don''t even seem to be the main focus of your ability, yet they''re already incredibly versatile!¡± He rubbed his hands together with a grin. ¡°I can''t wait to see what we find as we explore the connection aspect!¡±


    Chris eyed him weirdly. ¡°I don''t think I''m comfortable with you being more excited about my ability than I am.¡±


    Jacobs snorted. ¡°Then get more excited, because your ability is fascinating! If only your parents were still around so we could learn more about the circumstances that led to its creation.¡± Jacobs muttered absently.


    Chris¡¯s eyes narrowed for a moment, before he shook his head. ¡°So are we moving on to the connection aspect now?¡±


    Jacobs shook his head. ¡°No, for now we''re simply going to focus on the portals and your space. We''ll be getting some creatures for you to dominate in a few weeks, so we''ll explore your connection then.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°You''re getting me minions?¡±


    Jacobs grinned. ¡°There are some influential parties that seem to believe your ability is worth investing in, and from the little I''ve seen today, it''s hard to argue.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Chris grunted. Did this count as David abusing his authority? He''d have to thank him next time he saw him. ¡°Alright then, what are we working on today then?¡±


    Jacobs considered it for a moment. ¡°Let''s see if we can make something out of launching rocks with your portals.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Sounds good.¡±

 Space: 14 - Boot camp (3)

    The next few weeks passed in much the same way as that first day. The mornings were dedicated to exercises and drills, both slowly growing more complicated as their capabilities improved, while the afternoons were dedicated to skill training. The hour after lunch was dedicated to a different weapon every day of the week. Monday was for hand to hand, Tuesday was for daggers, Wednesday was for swords, Thursday was for pistols, then Friday and Saturday were for extra training or picking up a different weapon. Chris chose to pick up the bow, since it meshed well with his portals and wouldn''t draw the attention of every creature in the maze like a gun would. Plus, guns always broke his portals when he tried to shoot through them. Beth doubled down on daggers and hand to hand, while Derek picked up a sword and shield combo, learning how to channel his ability through both. Carmen learned how to use a spear so she could support Beth and Derek from behind, while Nadia learned how to use little razor sharp disks with her telekinesis. As for Zack, he just got extra practice with his wind blades.


    As for Chris''s training with Jacobs, he''d learned that his barriers were solidly mid-tier, while the projectiles varied based on mass. The portal didn''t seem to care how much was going through, but instead it cared about the speed of whatever was going through. Objects could get a little over six seconds of acceleration before they would break the portal, so since gravity accelerated everything at the same rate, more mass meant more power. However, more mass also took more effort from Chris, so there was a trade off to it. Trying to accelerate something as heavy as a bolder would probably wipe him out for the rest of the day.


    As for the actual training, most of it was spent getting better at using his portals, primarily focused on getting better at managing the pressure. Over and over he''d send rocks falling through his portals, trying to get as close to his limits as he could before sending the rock shooting towards a target as accurately as possible. This was best done with two sets of portals, one to get the rock up to a decent speed, then another to catch the rock and send it at the target. Unfortunately, this meant that when he messed up and the rock broke the portals, he ended up with twice the headache. They also worked on his barriers, but Jacobs said he really needed defender training if he wanted to make the best use of them, and since he was already working on three different roles, he didn''t have time for that.


    Sundays were for practical exercises. The recruits were assigned tasks to complete as either a squad or a platoon and given varying amounts of prep time to devise a plan before being sent into an obstacle course designed to simulate the Maze to complete it. Afterwards they''d go over what they did with the Drill Sergeants, picking everything apart to find any flaws. Since the practical exercises didn''t take the full day, usually only a few hours, Sundays doubled as a rest day, letting the recruits relax a little after a long week. It was also the only time Chris and Beth had any real opportunity to be alone together, Beth practically dragging Chris into the private section of his space for some quality time together every time. Going a full week without any time with just them was hard for her, especially after they finally said they loved each other.


    A few weeks into the training, Chris arrived for his meeting with Jacobs to find a row of cages sitting along the wall. ¡°Ah, Chris, there you are! Look, your new minions have finally arrived!¡± Jacobs exclaimed excitedly, waving him over. Chris walked over, checking out the cages. There were four, each with a different creature inside, all restrained so they couldn''t make use of their abilities. ¡°They managed to get you a cave wyrm with a mid-tier physique, a goblin with a mid-tier shadow ability, and a kobold with a mid-tier thread ability. They should help round out your ability nicely, if you can manage them.¡±


    ¡°What about the slime?¡± Chris pointed to the fourth cage.


    Jacobs sighed. ¡°That is a previous experiment I''ve never been able to get to work. You know slimes are capable of mutation, yes?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°They are?¡± Everything he''d ever learned about slimes just said they were useless and annoying creatures you were better off ignoring. You couldn''t eat them and they were difficult to kill, but there wasn''t much they could do to you either, so the best response to meeting a slime was to just walk away.


    Jacobs frowned. ¡°What are they teaching kids these days?¡± He muttered, shaking his head in disappointment. ¡°Yes, slimes can mutate, improving their physique and their ability! If I could analyze what happens when a slime mutates, it could help us learn how to improve our own abilities and physiques! Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I can''t get the damn thing to mutate! I''ve fed it every material I have, exposed it to a multitude of stimuli, and nothing! If nothing else, I figure your ability might be able to force the creature to mutate, but I also want to test whether your space can allow you to create connections for others, such as giving me control over the slime!¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Gotcha. So you want to start with that?¡±


    ¡°If we could, yes.¡± Jacobs agreed. ¡°Help me get the cage into your space?¡± Chris opened a portal and the two of them moved the cage inside. Jacobs looked around as they set the cage down, this being the first time he''d actually entered the space. ¡°Interesting¡­ is that goblin playing cards with a slime?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, but it''s just war.¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°Beth taught them and now they can''t get enough of it.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°Your slime¡­ enjoys playing cards?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Chris confirmed tentatively. ¡°I mean, they just hold the cards and spit them out at random, then Dyrdek sees who wins, but it seems to make them happy. Is that weird?¡±


    ¡°Incredibly.¡± Jacobs smiled. ¡°And it gives us new things to test! But first, this slime. See if you can connect it to me.¡±


    ¡°Alright¡­¡± Chris focused on his awareness of the two, considering what to do with them. He tried visualizing a connection between the two, mentally pushing them together, and just thinking really hard about connecting the two, but nothing happened. Finally, he tentatively reached towards his awareness of the slime and- ¡°Ah, hell.¡± Chris sighed as the slime immediately connected to him, just like every other slime he''d tried to form a connection with. Why did they seem to like him so much? He paused as another thought occurred to him. ¡°Wait¡­¡± He tried to shift the connection he had with the slime from him to Jacobs, but it didn''t work. ¡°Nope. Damn.¡± Chris clicked his tongue in disappointment.


    ¡°No luck?¡± Jacobs asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°It may be possible, but slimes kind of jump to connect with me, so I didn''t have a chance to do anything with it.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°They do?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The moment I touch them with my awareness, they just latch on.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°No idea why.¡±


    ¡°That''s strange¡­¡± Jacobs muttered thoughtfully, before shaking his head. ¡°No matter. We''ll have to arrange a time for you to come by my facility so I can study the slime''s mutation. Let''s move on to the others.¡± Chris nodded, and the two of them moved the rest of the cages into his space. ¡°Alright, let''s start with the cave wyrm.¡±


    Chris focused on the cave wyrm, taking in the creature for a moment. Cave wyrms were some kind of snake, lizard mix with long, serpentine bodies, two powerful forelimbs, and a head that was essentially just a giant mouth with a powerful set of jaws that could open almost one hundred and eighty degrees to reveal a maw full of grinding teeth, allowing it to tunnel through walls. They could grow to fill entire tunnels with their bulk, but thankfully this was a young one and it would take decades to get to that size. Still, the thing stood as tall as a dog, but thicker and almost two meters long, with a bite that could take someone''s leg off without even trying. He shook his head, focusing his will on the cave wyrm and exerting some pressure to force the connection. ¡°Got it. What now?¡±


    ¡°Do you feel any strain?¡± Jacobs asked.


    ¡°I felt a little getting it connected but now it''s fine.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Jacobs hummed. ¡°Okay, let''s let it out and see if anything changes.¡± He opened the cage, letting the cave wyrm out. ¡°Give it some orders.¡±


    Chris shrugged, sending the cave wyrm wandering around his space, doing a few loops before getting it to curl up in the corner as he turned to Jacobs. ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Jacobs muttered. The cave wyrm was the strongest out of the creatures he''d received and Chris could handle it like it was nothing! Of course, it wasn''t that powerful, just about the middle of mid-tier, since that was as strong as he could get, but still, an impressive feat. Even high-tier dominators couldn''t control mid-tiers without any effort! ¡°Okay, now the kobold.¡±


    Chris shrugged, turning his focus to the kobold, concentrating on it for a moment, grimacing slightly as the pressure built, taking even more than the cave wyrm to force the connection. ¡°Fuck.¡± Chris groaned as the connection finally snapped into place. ¡°The hell is your problem?¡±


    [You kidnapped me from my tribe!] The kobold growled back.


    ¡°I mean, not personally but yeah, no, fair.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Is that going to be a problem or are you good now?¡±


    The kobold glared at him for a moment. [I will serve. But I won''t be happy about it.]


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Good enough.¡±


    ¡°Care to explain what''s happening?¡± Jacobs asked.


    ¡°Oh, she was a bit harder to connect with than I would have expected, apparently because she''s still resentful over being kidnapped from her tribe. It won''t be an issue though. She still has to listen, she just won''t be happy about it. Which sucks for her, but there isn''t much I can really do about it, you know?¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°And you know this because you asked?¡± Jacobs raised an eyebrow. ¡°Are you certain she''s telling the truth?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can tell.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Something about the connection.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ fascinating.¡± Jacobs muttered, studying the kobold for a moment. ¡°Let''s test that then.¡± He opened the cage and undid the kobolds restraints, letting her out. ¡°Give her a spin.¡±


    Chris shrugged, sending the kobold walking around the space, feeling the displeasure practically radiate from her as she did as she was commanded. ¡°Well¡­ it isn''t difficult, but she''s clearly hating it, which I suppose makes things harder? Not a big fan of forcing people to do things they don''t want to do.¡±


    Jacobs blinked incredulously. ¡°You- may want to get used to it. That''s what your ability does.¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°True¡­ but still though.¡±


    Jacobs shook his head. ¡°You''re a strange young man. Let''s move on to the goblin.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Chris agreed, focusing on the goblin for a moment as he forced the connection. Weirdly, it was even easier than the cave wyrm. ¡°Huh¡­ what''s up with you?¡±


    The goblin looked around nervously. [P-please don''t hurt me!]


    ¡°I won''t?¡± Chris replied.


    The goblin looked almost dumbfounded. [You- won''t?]


    ¡°Nope. You''re good.¡± Chris assured her, grimacing slightly as she literally began to tear up over it. ¡°It''s okay? Can you just- not please?¡± Watching people cry made him uncomfortable. The goblin struggled to contain herself, failing as the tears turned to sobs. ¡°Ah, shit, can someone-¡±


    [Move!] The kobold growled, pushing him out of the way to get to the cage, pulling it open and crawling in to hold the goblin as she cried, making comforting sounds to soothe her.


    Chris let out a sigh of relief as he turned to Jacobs. ¡°Okay, what''s next? I don''t think I''m making her do anything for a while.¡±


    ¡°No, I suppose not.¡± Jacobs muttered. ¡°Alright, next I want you to try and form a connection with this.¡± He announced, pulling out a rock.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it obvious?¡± Jacobs replied. ¡°You can open portals to things you''re connected with, which means all you need to do is leave this rock somewhere, and you''ll have permanent access to that place! Much better than leaving a creature that needs to be taken care of, wouldn''t you say?¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ good point.¡± Chris muttered. He hadn''t really thought about it, since there wasn''t really any place he wanted permanent access to, especially since he''d furnished his space, but once he started working in the Maze, he was going to need to keep something in the City so he could make portals back. ¡°Alright, hand it over.¡± Chris held out his hand for the rock. He probably didn''t need to hold it, but he''d never formed a connection with an object before, and holding it would help him focus. He concentrated on the rock, trying to get an awareness for it like he did with the creatures before he connected with them, slowly feeling not only the rock, but everything else in his space come into focus, like he''d had his eyes closed and suddenly opened them. He reached out towards the rock with his awareness, pushing for the connection like he did with the creatures, and- nothing. He frowned, pushing harder, but the rock remained unresponsive, like there was nothing there for him to connect to.


    Chris paused for a moment, considering what exactly he connected to with his minions. It had to be their mind, right? The rock had no mind, so no connection was formed. An idea occurred to him as he considered that. Whenever he died, the space brought him inside to heal. What if the reason that didn''t happen for his minions was because he''d only connected their minds and not their bodies? The question then became how did he actually do that?


    He refocused on the rock, trying to get some other sense of it, wondering what needed to happen. What else did the connection need¡­ He blinked as it clicked. He needed the connection to be with the space, not with him! So how did he do that? He frowned at the rock for a moment, before sort of pushing it at the space, and it- disappeared? ¡°Uh¡­ huh.¡± Chris paused for a moment, looking around. Where the hell had it gone? He hadn''t sent it out of the space, had he? ¡°One moment.¡± He muttered as he opened a portal to look outside and yup, there was the rock. ¡°Probably should have called that one.¡± He sighed as he picked the rock up. Pushing was for out, pulling was for in. He focused on the rock again, focusing on pulling it into the space this time and- it disappeared again! ¡°The hell?¡± He checked outside again, but this time the rock wasn''t there. ¡°Where-?¡± He turned his focus back to the space, trying to find where the rock might have gone. As he searched, he felt another awareness open up, one full of information. Information on how to make a rock, his own body, and for some reason, several rats? Then he found the information on how much material he had to work with, which surprise, surprise, was just enough to make one rock, as well as- ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Chris exclaimed, his eyes widening as he yoinked one of the cages into his space for material, and suddenly four rats appeared in front of him. ¡°Holy shit, they are alive.¡± Chris muttered to himself, eyes wide. These were the same rats he''d killed in the Maze back at the beginning of the Trial!


    Jacobs coughed, reminding Chris of his existence. ¡°Care to explain what''s going on?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Sorry, yes, uh¡­ okay, so basically the connection I share with my minions is mental, right? So since the rock doesn''t have a mind, I can''t connect to it. But then I realized that it didn''t need to be connected to me, it needed to be connected to the space, which I figured was possible since the space can automatically retrieve my body when I die. I tried pushing the rock into my space, but that just sent it outside, so instead I tried pulling, which¡­ Well, the material was connected to the space, so I guess it worked? But then I found a¡­ Well, I guess I have to call it a database, though that doesn''t exactly feel right, of everything I could make with the material, which included the rock, myself, and these rats. I then found that I had a rock''s worth of material and four rat¡­ minds? Spirits? Whatever makes up a rat that isn''t material. So I got more material, and the moment I did, they just kind of¡­ popped out? So now they''re alive again. Hence, holy shit.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°That''s- you- anything connected to you is- immortal?¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°I guess?¡±


    Jacobs mouth worked wordlessly for a moment, his hands reaching back to look for a chair as his knees felt weak. Chris quickly yoinked one of the chairs into the space and remade it behind him, just in time for him to collapse into it. ¡°Holy shit!¡± Jacobs muttered in disbelief.


    ¡°See? Not much else you can say to something like that.¡± Chris shrugged, opening a portal to the rats in the Maze so the revived ones could join them, making the portal to the training room smaller as he did, but not closing it so he wouldn''t lose access to it. The rats scurried towards the portal and promptly bounced off of it, like it was a wall. Chris blinked down at them, then back at the portal, making sure he hadn''t accidentally made a barrier. ¡°Try again?¡± The rats did and he clearly saw them bounce off of empty space. ¡°Okay, that might be an issue.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jacobs asked in a daze, clearly still overwhelmed by the idea of immortality, even if it came at the cost of serving Chris.


    ¡°They can''t leave.¡± Chris explained, gesturing to the rats and the portal. ¡°Hold on.¡± He made a few rocks out of the material he had available and tossed them at the portal, and just like the rats, they bounced off like it was a wall. He even tried pushing one through, and it was like he was trying to push through one of his barriers, pressure building as he strained against it. ¡°Okay, now I''m lost.¡± Chris muttered with a frown. Clearly he was connected to the space and could leave just fine, so why couldn''t anything else? He turned his awareness to his own body, wondering what was different. He paused as he realized his body wasn''t made of material from his space. But then why was he pulled into it when he died? ¡°I am so confused.¡± Chris sighed, shaking his head.


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Jacobs asked, still confused.


    ¡°Basically, things connected to me are immortal, but after they die, they''re stuck in my space.¡± Chris explained with a shrug. ¡°Not sure it''s worth it.¡±


    ¡°Markedly less so, yes.¡± Jacobs released a relieved sigh as his internal conflict abated. Forced to obey Chris and stuck in this tiny space? Definitely not a legitimate option. ¡°Still, a startling ability to be sure. I''ve never heard of any ability offering even limited immortality! Such a thing is unprecedented, even among the most powerful healing abilities! Though I suppose it would be limited by your age as well¡­ still, an incredibly impressive ability.¡± He paused, considering the rats for a moment. ¡°I wonder what purpose it could hold¡­ reviving them just to keep them trapped inside¡­ does having things inside your space benefit you in some way?¡±


    ¡°Not that I''m aware of.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Dyrdek and Jello are in my space all the time, and I''ve never noticed anything different.¡±


    Jacobs hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Something to consider. It''s rare that an ability does something for no reason. Later though¡­ This session has left my brain a bit fried, I''m afraid. Let''s pick it back up tomorrow, alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Do you need the cages back?¡±


    Jacobs shook his head. ¡°No, they''re yours. Do with them as you will.¡±


    Chris nodded, pulling them into his space, along with all the restraints, and the rats, since he didn''t see any use in keeping around four extra mouths that wouldn''t even do anything for him, but they just popped back out again, so he guessed he was stuck with them. He closed the portal to the Maze and widened the portal to the training room so they could leave, pausing for a moment after Jacobs left to look back at his minions, specifically the three intelligent ones. ¡°Can you guys understand each other?¡±


    [We can.] The kobold confirmed.


    ¡°Cool, Dydek, teach them some games and show them the food they can eat.¡± Chris ordered. ¡°Have fun, and I''ll check on you in a bit, alright?¡± He gave them a wave, before stepping outside and closing the portal behind him.


    The two new subordinates shared a look, wondering just what they''d gotten themselves into as Dyrdek walked over. [Welcome to the tribe!] He greeted them cheerfully. [Let''s get you something to eat. Say what you will about them, human food is the best.]

 Space: 15 - Boot camp (4)

    Chris slowly made his way back to the barracks, lost in thought as he considered his space. Clearly he hadn''t been paying enough attention to it, because just the simple act of trying to connect a rock to it had opened up so many new capabilities! Even now, he could still see what his minions were doing in his space, making a mental note that he''d need to order more snacks, particularly the jerky. He paused for a moment, wondering what would happen if he fed them food made out of the space material. It''d probably be fine as long as they stayed in the space, but the moment they tried to leave¡­ Chris frowned slightly at the idea of the space material ripping out of them as they stepped through the portal. Yeah, that probably wasn''t an option, but he''d have to test with a rat just to make sure. He may need to look into getting more rats at some point¡­ Or breeding them? Would the offspring of creatures connected to him be automatically connected or would he have to connect them himself? More things to test.


    Chris dismissed the tangent as he turned his focus back to his awareness of his space. The idea that certain senses were available to him, but hidden, bothered him. Though he supposed it made sense, given the fact that his entire ability was hidden from him his whole life. Chris arrived in the courtyard of the barracks, which the squad used for their free training time, along with the rest of the platoon, waving at Beth as she sparred with the other melees, getting an excited wave back as he sat down in the corner and closed his eyes, focusing on his space, wondering what else it was hiding from him.


    He started by focusing on the database, checking to make sure he wasn''t missing any information or resources that might give him an idea of what to look for next. There wasn''t anything else on the information side, but looking at the resources he had available to him, he found a third slot to go along with the material and the mental/spiritual. He focused on the slot, searching for what might be able to fill it, and as he did, yet another awareness began to open up, his minions starting to glow within his space. Unfortunately the glow didn''t seem to be present in anything other than his minions and he didn''t want to steal anything that might get them stuck in the space, so he mentally assigned yet another rat for experimentation before moving on. He was definitely going to need more rats.


    Next, he focused on his material sense, since that seemed the simplest. He didn''t really think he''d find anything else there, since what more could he do besides knowing things were there? Still, he gave it a shot, focusing on one of the chairs to see if he could get anything out of it. What did he get out of it? That it was a chair. A chair he knew way too much about n- Chris paused, checking his database and finding that yes, after an intense period of focus, he now knew how to make that chair. So he didn''t need to absorb things to learn how to make them, he just needed to focus on them really hard. Neat. Chris examined the chair for a few more moments, seeing if there was anything else he could do with it, but that seemed to be it.


    Chris moved on to his next awareness, the one that told him there was something in his space he could form a connection with. Which, now that he was thinking about it, was probably people''s mind? Or spirit, maybe? He wasn''t sure, but it didn''t really matter at the moment, so he put it aside, deciding to just think of them as spirits for now. He''d begun to notice that each aspect of the space seemed to have a push, pull, and focus effect. For the space itself, he could push to separate a section, pull to adjust the dimensions, and focus to create portals. For material, pushing sent it out of the space, pulling absorbed it into the space, and focusing analyzed it. So for spirits, he knew focus created the connection between them and him, so now he needed to figure out what pushing and pulling did.


    Since he didn''t particularly want to mess with his other, potentially useful, minions, Chris decided to use one of the revived rats, focusing on its spirit as he considered what to start with, before shrugging and giving it a pull. He blinked as a surge of instinct flowed out of the rat''s spirit, filling Chris with an intimate sense of how to be a rat. How to scurry around on four legs, make sense of a variety of scents, groom his fur, everything it took to be a rat. It even told him how to use the rat''s ability, a minor vision enhancement. He opened his eyes, looking around to see if he could make his vision any better, and¡­ nope.


    ¡°What''s the use of all this?¡± Chris muttered. He wasn''t a rat and he didn''t have the rat''s ability, so what was the point of knowing all this? Maybe it had something to do with the push function? He tried giving the spirit a push, but the moment he did, all the instinct he''d just gained was suddenly gone, and instead he felt a need for direction from the spirit, as if it was wondering where it was supposed to go. Chris blinked, hesitating for a moment, before pushing it towards Dyrdek.


    Dyrdek froze as the rat¡¯s instinct flowed into him. [Chief?] He called out tentatively.


    Chris paused for a moment. He''d never tried talking to his minions through the connection before. He usually just sent them instructions. *Can you hear me?*


    [Yes, Chief?] Dyrdek confirmed.


    *Oh, cool. Can you do anything with those instincts? Kind of experimenting with some things.* Chris explained, not really expecting much.


    Dyrdek frowned. What was he supposed to do with the instincts of a rat? He wasn''t a rat! He paused. Maybe the Chief meant the ability? He stared across the space at the cave wyrm, attempting to focus his vision like the instincts told him to, blinking in surprise as the cave wyrm actually became slightly clearer! [Chief, it worked!] Dyrdek exclaimed excitedly. [I used the ability!]


    *You did?* Chris asked, surprised. How- then why couldn''t he use the ability?!? ¡°Fuck, my ability is a mess.¡± Chris sighed, rubbing his temple. What was the difference between him and Dyrdek? No matter how he thought about it, he couldn''t figure anything out, so he decided to talk to Jacobs about it tomorrow. He''d probably have some ideas.


    Moving on, Chris focused on the new, glowy awareness. Like with the spirit, it seemed attached to living things, though strangely, as he focused on the awareness, he noticed that the rats he''d revived didn''t glow. He also began to notice differences in the intensity and location of the glow. Dyrdek''s glow was the dimmest, and focused in one of his wrist bones, while the kobold''s was the brightest, particularly around some organ in her chest. The other goblin wasn''t much worse than the kobold, while the cave wyrm wasn''t much better than Dyrdek, and the two slimes were firmly in the middle of the spectrum.


    Chris focused on Dyrdek''s glow, seeing what he could find, and getting a feel of its¡­ frequency? Flavor? Shift? It felt similar to when he focused on materials, closer to an analysis than something he could do with it. He checked the database and sure enough, there was information on how to make Dyrdek''s glow. Chris was fairly confident that if he pulled on the glow, it would be absorbed into his space, and pushing it would probably send it outside his space. The only question was what the glow actually was¡­ why did some of his minions have more, and others have less? And why did it concentrate- ¡°Oh, shit, it''s ability energy.¡± Chris muttered, eyes widening as he realized what the glow was. The concentrated parts were the ability cores! Dyrdek¡¯s was dim because he had a weak ability and the kobold''s was bright because she had a strong ability! He paused for a moment, before quickly getting to his feet and opening a portal, walking into the space to examine himself with the energy awareness. Yup, no ability energy, just like every Reader he''d ever seen had said. Is that why he couldn''t use the rat''s ability? Maybe¡­ he continued to study himself, looking for some other explanation, freezing slightly as he realized he didn''t appear in his spirit awareness either. That- probably wasn''t a good sign, was it?


    [Something wrong, Chief?] Dyrdek asked.


    Chris sighed. ¡°No, just- confused.¡± He glanced at the two new sapient minions, deciding he needed a break to rest his mind. ¡°How are you two holding up? Settling in okay?¡±


    [Yes, the food is delicious!] The goblin replied excitedly.


    [It''s decent.] The kobold agreed noncommittally, clearly downplaying things because she was still bitter over being captured.


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Right, well, feel free to make yourselves at home. It isn''t much, but I''m not really in a position to get you anything better at the moment, so you''ll have to make do.¡±


    The goblin''s eyes went wide. [There''s better?!?]


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    Chris nodded. ¡°Much. But again, it''s not really available at the moment.¡±


    [When will it be available?] The kobold asked, narrowing her eyes at him.


    ¡°That''s a good question.¡± Chris muttered thoughtfully as he considered what it would take to provide better accommodations for his minions. He paused as he realized that anything that didn''t need to leave his world could be absorbed and switched around as needed, so all he really needed to leave were his clothes and the snacks. ¡°Everyone stand up for a moment.¡± Chris ordered, before absorbing everything into his space, just leaving the fridge, freezer, and the dressers alone since they were holding things, though he still analyzed them so he could make more if he needed to. He then remade the dining set and the generator, plugging the fridge and freezer back in before gesturing for them to take a seat again. ¡°Alright, well, I just realized we can make a few improvements right now. Mostly just beds, but hey, it''s something.¡± Chris announced. ¡°I can only make two, but they''re king sized, so it shouldn''t be an issue. Once I''m done with boot camp I can probably get a toilet, shower, and bath which should help, though I''d need to get water and some more material to work with. Maybe something for walls, so you can have some privacy? Not sure if there''s enough space for that, but we''ll see.¡±


    The kobold grunted. [Good enough, I suppose.]


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°You know I can tell when you''re putting on an act, right? I get you''re still upset that you were kidnapped, but you don''t have to pretend modern conveniences aren''t better than living in a cave.¡±


    The kobold glared at him for a moment, before looking away and crossing her arms. [Is there anything else you need from us?]


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°No, I was just checking in. I''ll make you beds later tonight, so have fun in the meantime. Oh, wait.¡± He paused to remake all the games. ¡°Alright, bye.¡± He waved, opening a portal and heading back to the courtyard.


    ¡°Chris, there you are!¡± Beth called out as he appeared. ¡°It''s time for dinner, come on!¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Chris muttered, checking his watch. ¡°Huh, alright, let''s go.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ anything happen during your training? It seemed like you were pretty deep in thought back there.¡± Beth asked as they headed to the cafeteria.


    ¡°Yeah, a bit.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°The new minions finally arrived, so I have another slime, another goblin, a kobold, and a cave wyrm now. I also learned I can absorb material into my space and use it to make things. Also, apparently when my minions die, they come back, but they''re stuck in my space. Oh, and I might be able to give my minions each other''s abilities, but that one is weird and I''m not quite sure what''s going on with it yet.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°That- seems like a lot.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, honestly, my head feels a bit stuffed.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°I think I need some dead brain time.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, we should watch a movie after dinner!¡± Beth suggested eagerly. ¡°Does that sound good?¡±


    ¡°That sounds perfect.¡± Chris smiled.


    *


    Chris spent the rest of the night unwinding with the squad, letting the questions he had about the space simmer in the back of his mind for a while. Then he had a whole day of training to distract him until it was time for his next session with Jacobs. ¡°Ah, good, you''re here!¡± Jacobs greeted him excitedly, waving him over. ¡°Okay, here''s what I''m thinking. If your space is preserving your minions, then there must be some value in keeping them around, yes? And you''ve proven that your connection allows you to take control of your minions bodies, proving that you share a deep mental connection. So my thought is that somehow, you may be able to use your minions as memory banks by sharing knowledge with them!¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°But I also figured out I can do something with their abilities. Though I haven''t figured out the details yet.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°You- really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Dyrdek managed to use one of the rats¡¯ abilities to enhance his vision, but it didn''t work for me, so I''m not sure what''s going on.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°Curious.¡± Jacobs muttered thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. ¡°We''ll need to visit the ability management office to test how effective it is, but we won''t be able to do that today. Let''s see if the knowledge sharing works first, alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Chris agreed, opening a portal and calling Dyrdek out. ¡°Any ideas what I should try?¡±


    Jacobs nodded. ¡°Yes, I believe the best test would be language. See if you can give him your understanding of the human language and take his understanding of the goblin language.¡±


    Chris gave him a thumbs up, turning to Dyrdek and focusing on him as he packaged together his understanding of the human language and pushed it at Dyrdek, since that seemed to be how this crap worked. ¡°Get anything?¡± He asked Dyrdek.


    Dyrdek grimaced, rubbing his head. ¡°I''m not sure I enjoy having information shoved into my brain.¡±


    ¡°Outstanding!¡± Jacobs clapped excitedly. ¡°Did you get his language as well?¡±


    ¡°Haven''t tried yet.¡± Chris shrugged, turning his focus back to Dyrdek, trying to pull out his knowledge of the goblin language. Chris grimaced as a surge of information rushed through the connection, giving him an intense headache. [Fuck, that-] Chris cut off as he realized he was speaking goblin, focusing for a moment to get his brain back in order. ¡°Alright, I''m good.¡±


    ¡°You got it?¡± Jacobs asked eagerly.


    ¡°Yeah, but it wasn''t a pleasant experience.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Having an entire language shoved into your head hurts.¡±


    Jacobs hummed thoughtfully. ¡°I see¡­ not an ability to use carelessly then, but certainly a useful one. Learning a language in an instant! Incredible! Think of all the skills you could collect if you educate your minions!¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Wouldn''t it be better to just have my minions use the skills?¡±


    Jacobs paused, before coughing awkwardly. ¡°Well, yes, that probably would be more productive. Oh, but once you train a minion to a certain level of proficiency, you can share it with all your minions, letting you create a skilled workforce in an instant!¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Alright, what next?¡±


    ¡°Right, yes, we can''t get sidetracked.¡± Jacobs sighed. ¡°From now on our primary focus will be training your ability to manage your minions, teaching them how to operate both on their own and with your squad. We''ll work on their individual capabilities here, and incorporate them into your morning drills to help them integrate with your squad.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Chris nodded, turning to Dyrdek. ¡°Looks like you''re getting some training.¡±


    ¡°I won''t let you down, Chief!¡± Dyrdek declared, excited to finally be useful.


    Jacobs hesitated. ¡°Uh, Chris, he- isn''t part of the training program.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°But he''s my minion?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it''s already going to be difficult integrating the three useful minions into your squad. It isn''t practical to put in the extra effort for a minion that won''t be able to contribute in a significant way.¡± Jacobs explained.


    Chris glanced at Dyrdek as he felt defeat and hopelessness waft off of him. ¡°He can learn how to use a weapon or something, can''t he? Hell, I can just give him my knowledge of how to use a weapon.¡±


    Jacobs sighed. ¡°There''s just no benefit to using him over your other minions, even with training.¡±


    Chris grimaced. It wasn''t that Jacobs was wrong. There was something to be said for accepting what you could and couldn''t do in life. A goblin with an essentially non-existent ability wouldn''t be all that useful in a Scout squad, and there was a good chance he''d end up getting himself killed. That was just a fact. But Chris couldn''t accept simply abandoning the poor little dude. He just wanted so badly to be useful. ¡°How about you help me with the equipment maintenance?¡± Chris suggested, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°I can give you all the skills you need, so it shouldn''t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°That- that''d be great, Chief!¡± Dyrdek replied, forcing a smile as he struggled to be happy about it. ¡°I''ll just- wait in the space then.¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°You do that, buddy.¡±


    ¡°I''m- sorry?¡± Jacobs apologized, not sure what else to do in this situation. He hadn''t thought he''d have to worry about breaking a dominated goblin''s spirit. He wondered what the true nature of Chris''s connection with his minions was, suppressing his burning curiosity as the goblin shuffled back through the portal. ¡°We should probably start on the other''s training.¡± He commented after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Yeah, alright.¡± Chris agreed, not really feeling it, but knowing it had to be done. ¡°Who should we start with?¡±


    ¡°Either the kobold or the goblin.¡± Jacobs replied. ¡°We''ll get both of them started, and then work on the cave wyrm, since it will need more hands on direction.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°Let''s start with¡­ huh, I should probably get their names, shouldn''t I? It''s kinda rude to just call them the goblin and the kobold.¡±


    Jacobs stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°You and your minions have the strangest relationship. Dominators usually view their minions as tools, or possibly slaves, not¡­ friends.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°They''re people, aren''t they? We can talk, so why can''t we be friends?¡±


    Jacobs just blinked and shook his head again. ¡°Let''s just get started, alright?¡±

 Space: 16 - Boot camp (5)

    The rest of the week was spent getting Sidulpek (the goblin), T''ka (the kobold), and Cabbage (the cave wyrm) trained and integrated with the squad. T''ka wasn''t the kobold''s actual name, but Chris didn''t know how to make the sharp, clicking sound her name actually started with, and T''ka had given up on trying to teach him, so they''d both decided it was close enough. Sidulpek could emit a shadowy, smoke-like substance that interfered with any form of detection, keeping her and the squad hidden or blinding their enemies. T''ka created threads she could control telekinetically as long as they remained connected to her. The telekinesis wasn''t all that powerful, but the threads themselves were pretty durable, letting her bind and trip their enemies. As for Cabbage, he could grow a hard, rocky carapace, increasing his defenses and allowing him to blend in with rock formations, so he could act as both a front-line fighter and a hidden ambush.


    ¡°I can''t believe you named that thing Cabbage.¡± Beth grumbled, glaring at the cave wyrm resting his head on Chris''s lap as he scratched his brow ridges, the cave wyrm rumbling in contentment. Though admittedly part of her bitterness came from the fact that she wanted to be in his lap, instead of just curled up next to him.


    ¡°You don''t think his head looks kinda cabbagey?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Kinda round and layered with the ridges?¡±


    ¡°Not my point, Chris.¡± Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°He''s a killing machine! Don''t you think Cabbage is a bit too cute a name for him?¡±


    Chris blinked at her, then looked down at Cabbage, then back at her. ¡°But he''s adorable? Look at this big happy face!¡± He gave Cabbage¡¯s face a vigorous rub, getting some complaints from Jello who was hanging out on his shoulder.


    ¡°Chris, he could literally bite your face off.¡± Beth pointed out.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°And you could put your fist through my chest. Does that mean you aren''t adorable?¡±


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Chris, putting me on the same level as a cave wyrm is not a smart move.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°It''s- a different kind of adorable?¡±


    ¡°You''re lucky you''re adorable, or I''d be tempted to test your fisting theory.¡± Beth smirked, waving her fist at him playfully.


    Chris grimaced. ¡°Okay, that was a bad one. Fisting is generally used to refer to the act of sticking your arm up someone''s ass.¡±


    Beth''s eyes widened in horror. ¡°Why would anyone even do that?!?¡±


    ¡°I honestly have no idea.¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°Seems unpleasant for everyone involved in my opinion.¡±


    Beth''s expression twisted. ¡°People are disgusting.¡±


    *


    Monday Chris and Jacobs headed to the ability management office to see what was up with his ability sharing. ¡°Why didn''t we do this earlier?¡± Chris asked. ¡°You''re always pretty excited to see what''s going on with my ability.¡±


    Jacobs coughed awkwardly. ¡°My contract with the Scouts only allows me one research day a week. You are primarily here for training, after all.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°Should we get started?¡±


    ¡°Right, yes!¡± Jacobs clapped his hands eagerly. ¡°Show me what you can do!¡±


    Chris nodded, bringing T''ka out. ¡°Alright, so I''ve done a bit more testing and I''ve figured out that as long as my minions are in my space, I can push their ability to any of the others, like so.¡± Chris pushed Cabbage¡¯s ability at T''ka, and the kobold grew a rocky carapace, holding out her arms to display it for Jacobs. Chris had also figured out he didn''t have to send everything in a spirit out, so T''ka wasn''t bombarded with all the instincts of a cave wyrm, and just got the ability.


    ¡°Incredible.¡± Jacobs muttered numbly, reaching out to stroke the carapace. ¡°Is it as strong as the cave wyrm''s? And can she still use her ability?


    Chris shrugged. ¡°No idea and yes, she can still use her ability.¡± He waved and T''ka produced a few threads to demonstrate. ¡°If I had to guess though, I''d put money on the carapace being on the same level as her threads.¡±


    Jacobs raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh? Why?¡±


    ¡°Because it''d explain why I can''t use the abilities, while my minions can.¡± Chris explained. ¡°See, my body doesn''t actually have any ability energy. It''s all in the space. But abilities need ability energy to function, so even if I give myself an ability, it won''t do anything, because there''s no ability energy.¡±


    Jacobs frowned. ¡°No ability energy at all?¡±


    ¡°None.¡± Chris confirmed.


    Jacobs frowned thoughtfully for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°Let''s confirm your theory, then try to dissect what it means.¡± He waved T''ka over to one of the testing machines, which was essentially just a large press that would increase the pressure on an ability until it broke, giving a rating in ability units, one ability unit being about the same amount of force as a healthy man''s punch. There was some specific measurement associated with it, but Chris didn''t know it, and knowing something hit about four times stronger than a punch was easier than trying to conceptualize four hundred Newtons or something. ¡°It looks like you were right!¡± Jacobs announced as he finished testing the abilities. ¡°Both abilities have exactly the same ability rating!¡±


    Chris clicked his tongue in disappointment. He''d been hoping that somehow he''d gotten it wrong, and there was some other reason he couldn''t use his minions abilities, possibly something he could fix. ¡°Alright, guess that''s that then. Back to training?¡±


    ¡°Now, now, hold on.¡± Jacobs stopped him. ¡°We still need to address the fact that you apparently don''t have ability energy? How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Well, the first indication was every Reader I''ve ever seen telling me I have no ability. But also, my space can sense ability energy, and I don''t have any.¡± Chris explained, before pausing. ¡°I also don''t appear to have a spirit, but¡­ well, I''m pretty sure I wouldn''t be alive if I didn''t have a spirit, so I think I''m just missing something there.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°Okay, let''s focus on the ability energy for now. You clearly have an ability, so you must have ability energy somewhere, yes?¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, but I''m pretty sure it''s bound up in the space.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Huh¡­ that''s probably the case for my spirit too, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Sure, yes, okay, but that should still mean you have the ability energy, yes? So why would it prevent you from using the abilities of your minions? The kobold is clearly capable of using both abilities simultaneously, so why wouldn''t you be able to do the same?¡± Jacobs retorted.


    Chris blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ that''s a good point. But I''ve tried several times with all my minions abilities, and I can''t use any of them.¡±


    ¡°I believe you, which is why this situation is so curious.¡± Jacobs muttered, studying Chris intently for a moment. ¡°Are you aware of transformation abilities?¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Yeah? My friend Penny has one.¡±


    ¡°Do you know that transformation abilities are notoriously hard to judge? Since the ability is simply to transform the user, its power has little to no relation to the user''s ability energy, instead revolving around the physique of the transformation. Ability energy simply enhances the speed and flexibility of the transformation.¡± Jacobs continued.


    ¡°Okay¡­ what''s your point?¡± Chris asked, frowning slightly.


    ¡°Well¡­ okay, I''m going to stress that this is purely theoretical, but given that we know ability energy can alter a person''s nature, and we know you don''t have any ability energy inside you, instead of your ability energy being bound up in your space, what if instead any ability energy you had was consumed to create the space, and the space isn''t an ability at all, but instead some new racial characteristic not unlike a slime''s mutation!?!¡± Jacobs finished excitedly.


    Chris narrowed his eyes at him skeptically. ¡°And what would that mean? How would it be any different than my ability energy just being a part of my space?¡±


    ¡°It isn''t so much a difference in function, but it could explain a few of the discrepancies I''ve noticed with your ability. But yes, functionally, your ability does what it does, and we should get back on track. Now let''s see¡­¡± He trailed off, humming thoughtfully. ¡°Hm. Okay, tell me exactly what happens when you borrow an ability.¡±


    ¡°I get all the instincts on how to use it, they just don''t do anything.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°And that''s all?¡± Jacobs frowned.


    Chris nodded, before pausing. ¡°Okay, that''s all I get for the ability, but I can pull out any of their instincts. So if I pull on a rat''s spirit, I get all the instincts necessary to actually be the rat. But I mean, I''m not a rat, so there''s not much point to it, is there?¡±


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°What if you could be a rat?¡± Jacobs asked thoughtfully.


    ¡°Well¡­ I suppose I can take over the rat''s body? They might be useful then?¡± Chris offered, frowning as he realized that wouldn''t work. ¡°Nevermind. The rat needs to be in the space for me to borrow its instincts. Though I guess I could use them to control a different rat¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you tried transforming into a rat?¡± Jacobs suggested.


    ¡°No?¡± Chris gave him a weird look. ¡°It seems like a bit of a leap to suggest that I can transform just because I can borrow the instincts of my minions.¡±


    ¡°But why else would you need their instincts?¡± Jacobs retorted. ¡°Just give it a try.¡±


    Chris wasn''t convinced, but he supposed there was no harm in trying. He closed his eyes, focusing on turning into a rat. A moment later he opened his eyes. [See- son of a bitch!] Chris cursed as he found himself on the floor, sitting in a pile of clothes.


    ¡°It worked!¡± Jacobs cackled. ¡°This is incredible! Your space is simply the single most fascinating thing I''ve ever seen!¡±


    Chris focused on turning back into himself, opening a portal to cover himself as he put his uniform back on. ¡°I officially have no clue what''s going on with my ability.¡±


    ¡°Neither do I!¡± Jacobs exclaimed almost giddily. ¡°Isn''t it exciting!?!¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Though I''m beginning to think my ability is just to randomly produce new abilities.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Wouldn''t that be something?¡± Jacobs chuckled. ¡°But no, I think we''re onto something with this idea that your space is a part of you, not an ability.¡± He muttered thoughtfully. ¡°Somehow, anything connected to your space becomes a part of you, allowing you to draw on their form and abilities¡­ I honestly cannot fathom why.¡±


    ¡°So I can use them, apparently.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Or at least my subordinates can¡­ do you think I can transform them as well?¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°I honestly could not say one way or the other.¡±


    Chris glanced at T''ka, who had been watching them intently as they talked. He''d given all his minions his understanding of the human language, so she could understand them, but her mouth was different enough from a human''s that she couldn''t actually speak it. ¡°What do you say? Want to see if you can transform into a cave wyrm?¡±


    T''ka¡¯s snout crinkled in disgust. [If you have to change me, turn me into Sidulpek.]


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chris agreed, focusing on her and pushing the idea of her turning into Sidulpek at her. ¡°Huh, nothing¡­¡± Chris muttered, before snapping his fingers. ¡°Wait, I think I know why.¡± He quickly found Sidulpek in his space and focused on her, analyzing her form into his database. His transformations couldn''t come from nowhere, right? Once he had her analyzed, he focused on T''ka again, willing her to transform. ¡°Still?¡± Chris frowned as T''ka once again failed to transform. He tried again, this time pushing Sidulpek''s spirit at her to see if that made a difference, but it didn''t. T''ka still remained T''ka. ¡°Huh¡­ I guess transformation is just a me thing.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why that is¡­¡± Jacobs muttered, looking between T''ka and Chris thoughtfully. ¡°Chris, what do you think the primary difference is between yourself and your minions in regard to your connection with the space?¡±


    Chris frowned, wondering what theory he had now. ¡°It''s my space? Not theirs?¡±


    ¡°So the difference is a matter of depth?¡± Jacobs replied. ¡°Obviously they are connected to it, since they''re capable of opening portals on their own. You''re just more connected?¡±


    ¡°I guess you could put it that way.¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°And the space pulls your body into itself when you die, yes?¡± Jacobs continued. ¡°Which suggests it has some form of control over your body, doesn''t it?¡±


    ¡°I- suppose so?¡± Chris nodded hesitantly.


    ¡°Then we can infer that your transformation could also be an effect of the space''s control over your body, can''t we?¡± Jacobs added.


    ¡°Sure?¡± Chris gave it to him so he''d get to his point.


    ¡°Which is further support for the theory that your space is a part of your physical make up, rather than an ability!¡± Jacobs exclaimed excitedly.


    Chris gave him a weird look. ¡°Why are you so attached to that theory?¡±


    ¡°Because it explains why your space ignores so many of the basic rules abilities are supposed to follow!¡± Jacobs replied. ¡°The use of ability energy always takes effort, but you can open portals, heal people back from the dead, and command multiple minions, all of which are usually extremely high effort effects, without feeling anything! Which could suggest that your space is simply astonishingly powerful, except for the fact that any testable metric puts it solidly in the mid-tier! However, if the space is something natural, then everything starts to make sense! Since natural abilities are a part of you, they don''t take effort to use, at least no more than it would take to raise your hand or tap your foot. It would also explain why you can feel your space, sensing how much strain it''s under, since it''s a part of you. Of course, it would still be the strangest and most fascinating thing I''ve ever seen, but at least it would stop breaking my entire understanding of how abilities are supposed to function!¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Can''t you just say my space is weird? I mean, if ninety-nine point nine nine¡­ a lot of nines percent of abilities function one way, and a single ability functions a different way, I''m pretty sure you can dismiss that one as an outlier and ignore it.¡±


    Jacobs scowled. ¡°Outliers are only acceptable when considering random effects. What we''re talking about here is like finding someone who simply ignores gravity! Who doesn''t even realize it exists! That isn''t an outlier, that''s a sign that our fundamental understanding of reality is wrong somehow. You are that to our understanding of abilities. If it weren''t for the Scouts, I would have dragged you to my lab ages ago and subjected you to as many tests as necessary to make sense of what you can do!¡± He paused, before letting out an awkward cough. ¡°With your consent, of course.¡±


    ¡°Is it really that big an issue?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I mean, if my space is an ability and abilities can work this way, what does it actually change? No matter how flexible an ability is, it''s still bound by how strong it is. No matter how many barriers I can make, they''ll still get crushed by a high-tier.¡±


    ¡°Practically, it isn''t an issue, no. Abilities are what they are, no matter our understanding of them. But as an ability researcher, your space''s flagrant disregard for the rules I''ve based my entire career on is a bit¡­ uncomfortable.¡± Jacobs sighed. ¡°Don''t underestimate the power of quantity over quality, though. Sure, one of your barriers can''t block a strike from a high-tier, but what about two? Or ten? Yes, it''d be a painful experience for you, but it''d work and it''d take you no more effort than putting up a single barrier!¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Blocking that much damage would still drain me though, so isn''t it still about the same? What does it matter if it drains me on the back end instead of the front end?¡±


    Jacobs shook his head. ¡°You underestimate the power of blocking one attack. Of being sure that no matter what, that one attack won''t go through. Most fights are decided by a single move! If there are two evenly matched opponents, then all it takes is one opportunity to cinch the victory, and no matter what, you can provide that opportunity! It may knock you flat on your ass, but if the other guy is dead, it doesn''t really matter, does it?¡±


    Chris grunted noncommittally. Being able to defend against one attack didn''t seem all that different from being able to defend against none to him, at least not when it was important, but he didn''t see a need to argue about it. ¡°So why does my space being a natural ability make things better? I mean, it would still have come from ability energy, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the transformational and creative aspects of ability energy are well documented. Ability energy creating your space makes sense, ability energy sustaining your space does not.¡± Jacobs explained. ¡°If that was the case, then by every rule we know abilities to follow, you should be completely exhausted all the time! It would be like your cave wyrm keeping its carapace active twenty-four seven!¡±


    ¡°But then what does sustain my space?¡± Chris countered.


    ¡°Nothing, because it doesn''t need to be sustained, like a rock. Or possibly like a plant, capable of taking everything it needs from its environment without any extra effort on your part.¡± Jacobs replied. ¡°It could also feed off your body somehow¡­ would you say you find that you need to eat more than the average person?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so?¡± Chris muttered.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Jacobs hummed thoughtfully, before clicking his tongue in irritation. ¡°If only I could get you to my lab!¡±


    ¡°I can probably swing by after boot camp.¡± Chris shrugged. He was getting somewhat curious himself, honestly. As much as it wouldn''t change what his ability did, he kinda wanted to know what the hell was going on with him. Like taking a personality test to see what it told you, even though it wouldn''t change a damn thing about who you were.


    ¡°That would be fantastic!¡± Jacobs exclaimed excitedly.


    ¡°So, is there anything else we should test?¡± Chris asked.


    Jacobs considered it for a moment, trying to figure out anything he could test now that might confirm things one way or the other. He snapped his fingers as it came to him. ¡°I want you to transform into your cave wyrm so we can test if your barriers get any stronger. If your space is an ability, then the stronger your physique, the stronger your barriers should be, but if it''s a natural ability, then no matter how strong your physique is, your barriers will remain the same.¡±


    ¡°What if the transformation just doesn''t count as my physique?¡± Chris pointed out.


    ¡°That- seems unlikely.¡± Jacobs frowned. ¡°But still, this would at least discount one possibility.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Give me a moment.¡± Chris began to take off his uniform, since Cabbage¡¯s form would definitely tear some holes in it, opening a portal to cover himself again. Just to make sure, he tried turning into Cabbage before he analyzed him, confirming that yes, he did need to analyze something before he could turn into it. He took a moment to analyze Cabbage before turning into him, closing the portal. [Alright- shit, he can''t understand me now.] Chris turned to T''ka. [T''ka- wait.] He sighed as he reopened the portal, calling out Dyrdek. [Dyrdek, I need you to tell Jacobs I''m ready to test my barriers.]


    ¡°Yes, Chief.¡± Dyrdek nodded at him, turning to Jacobs. ¡°The Chief is ready to test his barriers.¡±


    ¡°Excellent! I''ll get the machine ready.¡± Jacobs nodded. He quickly set it up and Chris placed a barrier in the testing area, grimacing slightly as the machine began to increase the pressure, knowing he was in for a headache after this. The pressure quickly rose to over six ability units approaching seven when the barrier cracked. ¡°No change!¡± Jacobs announced excitedly.


    Chris covered himself again as he changed back, putting his uniform back on. ¡°I guess that''s a good sign for your theory. Still seems weird to me, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s definitely weird. Practically unheard of! But it makes more sense than any other explanation I can think of.¡± Jacobs shrugged, sinking into thought for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°That''s all I have for you today. I need to take some time to consider the implications of this.¡±

 Space: 17 - Boot camp (6)

    Chris headed to the cafeteria, thinking over what he''d learned with Jacobs today. Was his space really a natural ability? It seemed absurd, but it would explain why no Reader could find it. Readers analyzed abilities by studying a person''s ability energy, so if he didn''t have ability energy, there was nothing for them to analyze. Which meant he was back to just not having an ability, huh? Instead he was some sort of mutated human¡­ Chris blinked as that thought crossed his mind, slowly piecing an idea together. His space was a natural ability that he could ¡®share¡¯ with his minions, letting them open portals and use each other''s abilities. Slimes had the natural ability to mutate. If he could share his natural ability with them, then wouldn''t it make sense for them to be able to share their natural ability with him? Unless there was a physical basis for it¡­ but then he could just transform, couldn''t he? Possibly even just partially, simply adding in the necessary parts to make it work!


    Chris barely hesitated before drawing on Jello''s spirit to see what he could find. He''d never actually drawn on one of the slimes¡¯ full spirits before, since by the time he''d gotten around to drawing on their abilities, he''d learned how to just pick out what he needed. As the full instincts of a slime flowed into him, he found¡­ surprisingly a lot, actually? For what was essentially just a blob that hopped around and glomped onto things, the slime was a surprisingly complex organism. Just controlling their body already required telekinesis! It wasn''t powerful and it only worked on their body, but still! Then there was a shit ton of information on mutation, mostly on all the ways you could maximize what you gained from it, such as making sure you''d consumed a diverse amount of materials, to stay mobile so you experienced as much as you could, to specifically target creatures ability cores so you could steal a part of their experience, how long you should wait between mutations, and even the type of locations you should mutate in. It honestly seemed more like an instruction manual than a set of instincts. There was even a part about humans in there, saying that if you encountered a being with human-like characteristics, you should just take a taste and move on! And finally, adding onto all that, slimes had two special senses, one to sense energy and another to sense¡­ life force? Or maybe vitality? Whatever it was, it seemed to be associated with physique, letting them almost perfectly judge how strong a creature was at a glance.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Chris muttered incredulously, not quite believing how much capability hid in the unassuming little blobs. He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts for later as he focused on what it actually took to mutate. The answer was surprisingly little. Over the slime''s life, everything it did and everything it ate would add to the information stored in its core. Then, once it was ready, it would find a location with a lot of energy and begin the process, using all the information stored in its core to form a new body for itself. Chris frowned for a moment as he didn''t find any physical basis for the mutation process. The core was needed for the information inside, but the actual mutation just seemed to happen? Every part of the slime would dissolve into gloop and then reform according to the blueprint provided by the core, for no apparent reason. Though he supposed it wasn''t all that much different from a baby forming in its mothers womb, a single cell dividing over and over based on a preset blueprint¡­ The slime just created new blueprints over and over, constantly returning to the womb to improve itself.


    Chris considered what he''d need to do to mutate. The problem was that he didn''t have a core to make a new blueprint for himself. Sure, he could copy Jello or Jam''s (Jacobs¡¯ slime) cores, but then his new blueprint would be based on them, not himself, and at that point it''d be better to just let them mutate and copy their form later. What he needed was a way to fill the core with his own information. He wondered if he could somehow use the database to create a core based on itself¡­ he''d obviously need to fill it up a bit more, but- Chris paused as it suddenly hit him that his database was awfully similar to a slime''s core. In fact, his energy awareness and material awareness weren''t terribly dissimilar to a slime''s energy sense and vitality sense¡­ he could even use the space to transform himself like a slime''s mutation!


    Of course, he didn''t know how to put together new blueprints, something the mutation process seemed to do automatically, and a slime couldn''t heal or form connections, but still, it was oddly similar. Similar enough that Chris wondered if he could simply use his database as the core, instead of finding a way to create a core that was essentially a copy of the database. It couldn''t hurt to try, could it? If nothing else, he could always transform back to normal, right? Unless the mutation somehow broke his space¡­ but that seemed unlikely, since all he was messing with was his physical form, something the space could alter itself, so it obviously wasn''t integral to the space. Chris hesitated for a moment. Maybe he should talk this over with Jacobs first¡­


    Beth pressed her finger into his cheek. ¡°Poke.¡±


    Chris turned, raising an eyebrow at her. ¡°Yes?¡± He''d sort of drifted through the process of arriving at the cafeteria and getting his food before sitting down with the squad, barely even touching his food up to this point, as he was too lost in thought.


    Beth gave him a serious look. ¡°You''ve been ignoring me.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Sorry. I''ve been thinking about something.¡±


    ¡°Told you.¡± Derek smirked from Chris''s other side. ¡°When Chris is focused on a thought, you could literally kill someone in front of him, and he wouldn''t notice.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°I would notice. It''d just take me a bit to react. Which reminds me.¡± Chris elbowed Derek in the side. ¡°Don''t steal my food.¡±


    ¡°You don''t even like mashed potatoes!¡± Derek complained, rubbing his side.


    ¡°They were still mine.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°All you had to do was ask.¡±


    ¡°How can I ask when you''re ignoring everyone?!?¡± Derek grumbled bitterly.


    ¡°Wait?¡± Chris offered. ¡°It''s mashed potatoes. It isn''t like a few minutes will make them any worse than they already are.¡±


    ¡°Warm mashed potatoes are infinitely better than cold mashed potatoes!¡± Derek countered.


    ¡°Gross, mushy goop either way.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°Ugh, you suck.¡± Derek waved him off with a dismissive gesture, ending the argument.


    ¡°What were you thinking about?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Well, I learned a few new things with Jacobs today, and I''m pretty sure it means I can borrow a slime¡¯s natural ability to mutate.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°Mutate?¡± Carmen asked curiously.


    ¡°It''s a process they go through to get stronger based on what they''ve experienced and consumed.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Zack blinked in shock. ¡°Isn''t that kind of¡­ stupidly powerful? I mean, we regularly exterminate kobolds because they get stronger the longer they''re alive! Why don''t we do anything about slimes?¡±


    ¡°Because the nature of a slime''s mutation means they have to keep climbing the Maze to improve their mutations, while a kobold''s growth simply happens.¡± Beth provided. ¡°Additionally, slimes are solitary, nomadic creatures, while kobolds are tribal, sedentary creatures. Slimes climb and explore the Maze, seeking stronger and stronger opponents to fight to grow their strength, practically doing our job for us in some cases, while kobolds take over sections of the Maze, carving out territories for themselves and upsetting the balance of the Maze. Powerful creatures aren''t a problem, it''s powerful creatures outside their proper place in the Maze that are the issue.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t the tribe still climb the Maze for better territory and resources?¡± Nadia pointed out.


    Beth sighed. ¡°Eventually, yes, but it takes time and effort to move an entire tribe, so it could be years before they manage to do so, causing disruptions the entire time. It''s better to just go around and cull the population every now and then. Otherwise you end up in a situation like the upper levels, where the entire place is in a constant state of war over territory and resources.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let''s avoid that.¡± Derek muttered, shuddering slightly. The main reason the Vanguard was so dangerous was because higher tier creatures would come down from the upper levels to escape the wars. If they let the lower levels get that bad, no place in the Maze would be even relatively safe.


    The group fell silent for a moment, pondering the tenuous balance of the Maze, until Zack suddenly blinked as he remembered something. ¡°Hey guys¡­ did Chris say he could mutate?¡±


    ¡°Might be able to mutate.¡± Chris corrected.


    ¡°Fucking hell, dude, isn''t your ability already ridiculous enough?!?¡± Zack exclaimed.


    ¡°Oh, that''s the other thing. It might not even be an ability.¡± Chris added.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Nadia asked, frowning slightly.


    ¡°Well, according to Jacobs, my space doesn''t obey some of the normal rules abilities usually abide by which would be explained by my space instead being some kind of mutation or something, so it doesn''t run on ability energy, it just kind of exists.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°That seems even more ridiculous than your ability already was.¡± Carmen commented.


    ¡°I mean, my space still functions the same way it always did, this is just an alternate explanation for why.¡± Chris retorted.


    ¡°I- suppose that''s fair.¡± Carmen muttered.


    Beth hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. ¡°Chris¡­ I don''t want to say you should stay weak, but I''m not sure I''m comfortable with the idea of you mutating. Would- would you even still be human at that point?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can transform now.¡± Chris replied, holding up a hand and transforming it into one of Cabbage''s, confirming that he could indeed transform selectively. ¡°Even if I mutate, I can still turn back into a human.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Zack cursed.


    Derek shook his head. ¡°You know, it''s times like this that I wonder if I''m still in a coma.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The idea that she actually had died and everything since she met Chris had been nothing more than a figment of her imagination had crossed her mind more than a few times.


    ¡°What exactly can you turn into?¡± Nadia asked seriously.


    ¡°Myself, obviously, and then any of my minions. Maybe anything analyzed by my space, but I''m not sure since I haven''t analyzed anything that isn''t one of my minions.¡± Chris replied.


    Nadia nodded slowly. ¡°Okay, so all it means is that we can double up on one of your minions if necessary¡­ wait, does transforming into them let you actually use their abilities?¡±


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Chris frowned. ¡°I haven''t tested it, but I''d say probably not? I still don''t have any ability energy and I doubt the transformation gives it to me. I''ll test it later though.¡±


    ¡°Alright, let me know if it does, but I''ll assume it doesn''t for now.¡± Nadia muttered, considering how this new facet of Chris''s space might affect them tactically, and it really didn''t. For any specialized goal, she''d rather have his minions with their abilities, and in general Chris was best reserved for healing and controlling his minions. She didn''t even like using him as an extra defender, because if it got to the point they actually needed him, they should be running and keeping him available for healing, not draining his stamina for some extra defense, because if he went down, they were screwed. She might use him to stop a hit or two while they escaped, but that was it. She shook her head. ¡°Yeah, okay, this changes nothing, just like the barriers. It''s interesting, but Chris is still better in the back.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed. He wasn''t going to lie and say it wasn''t nice that his space was so flexible, but realistically his biggest strengths were his healing, his portals, and his minions. Everything else was just extra.


    Zack frowned, thinking about it for a moment, before sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms. ¡°It''s still bullshit.¡±


    Derek rolled his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re just grouchy because Chris can fly and you can''t.¡±


    Zack narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Watch it, buddy. You spend way too much time in windblade range to be getting snarky with me.¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Don''t we all?¡± It was a ranged ability. It was hard not to be in range.


    ¡°And don''t any of you forget it.¡± Zack smirked, before letting out a yelp as his shirt was suddenly yanked up over his head.


    ¡°You aren''t the only person here with a ranged ability, dork.¡± Nadia smirked.


    ¡°And if you think a little distance will save you from a pounding, prepare to be surprised.¡± Beth added, waving a fist at him.


    ¡°Beth, I know we''ve already been over pounding.¡± Chris sighed.


    Beth flushed as she realized what she''d said. ¡°It just slipped out! I don''t keep track of every word I say!¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Well that''s fair.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you guys want to do tonight?¡± Carmen asked. They were all used to Beth''s slip ups by this point, and it wasn''t even worth commenting on anymore.


    ¡°Games and/or TV, like always?¡± Derek replied.


    Carmen rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, but what games and what TV?¡±


    ¡°¡°Nothing luck based.¡±¡± Both Nadia and Zack replied at the same time, both glancing at Beth. By now her luck was infamous in the squad, since any time they played something involving random chance, she won at least half the time.


    Beth stuck her tongue out at them. ¡°How about Tribes, then?¡±


    ¡°We always play Tribes.¡± Zack complained.


    ¡°Do you have a better idea?¡± Beth countered.


    Zack frowned for a moment. ¡°How about a social game tonight? Friendly Fire, maybe?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Derek shook his head. ¡°It always just turns into everyone explaining all the innuendo Beth doesn''t get.¡±


    ¡°Maybe find a game that doesn''t revolve around being gross then.¡± Beth grumbled.


    ¡°We could play Imposter?¡± Chris suggested.


    Nadia frowned. ¡°A six person game of Imposter is a little weak¡­¡±


    ¡°We could invite one of the other squads.¡± Carmen pointed out. ¡°Maybe even the entire platoon?¡±


    ¡°Only if they bring their own snacks.¡± Chris replied. ¡°My stock is already getting stretched thin between you guys and the extra minions.¡±


    ¡°I knew we should have bought more.¡± Beth sighed.


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°You wanted to fill half my space.¡±


    ¡°It''s always better to have and not need than to need and not have.¡± Beth retorted.


    ¡°When you have money.¡± Nadia commented bitterly. An awkward silence fell across the table at the reminder that Nadia had grown up in a home where having extra wasn''t a thing, because they were struggling just to have enough.


    ¡°So¡­ Imposter with the platoon then?¡± Carmen moved on, breaking the awkward silence.


    ¡°As long as my stipulations are met.¡± Chris agreed, wondering why everyone got so awkward over Nadia being poor. It wasn''t like they caused it and there wasn''t anything reasonable they could do about it, so why make a big deal out of it? People cared about the strangest things sometimes.


    ¡°Sounds like a plan then.¡± Beth nodded, hoping to her feet. ¡°I''ll let Squad A know.¡±


    ¡°I got Squad B.¡± Derek announced, getting up to go talk to them.


    ¡°I guess I can go talk to Squad C.¡± Carmen muttered after no one else volunteered, getting up as well.


    Zack looked between Nadia and Chris for a moment, before letting out an awkward cough. ¡°I''m- going to head back to the barracks to get things ready.¡±


    ¡°See ya.¡± Chris waved as he left, not leaving himself because he still had some food left to finish.


    ¡°Jerk.¡± Nadia grumbled.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Chris looked up at her, frowning slightly. ¡°Me or him?¡±


    ¡°Him.¡± Nadia rolled her eyes. ¡°We''re obviously playing in your space, which you probably already have set up. He just left to avoid talking to us, because we''re the ¡®weird¡¯ ones.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that''s fair.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°We are weird.¡±


    ¡°You''re weird!¡± Nadia snapped. ¡°I''m- just awkward.¡± She grumbled, her expression twisting bitterly.


    ¡°Awkward, weird, what''s the difference?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°It''s who you are, so why bother with people who can''t accept it?¡±


    Nadia glared at him for a moment, before letting out a frustrated sigh. ¡°I- I don''t mind if people think I''m awkward, or touchy, or a bitch¡­ I know how I can come off sometimes. I just- I just wish people would give me a chance.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Do we not? I mean Zack, sure, but what about the rest of us?¡±


    Nadia frowned. She guessed none of the others had rejected her¡­ Things with Carmen had been a bit rough at first, but once she''d started proving her worth as a tactician, showing she could work well with the squad and not cause problems, it''d gotten better. It was just¡­ none of them were friends. Chris at least had Beth and Derek to hang out with, but unless they were all hanging out as a group, Nadia was alone. ¡°A lack of rejection isn''t the same as acceptance.¡±


    ¡°But it''s the first step to it, and at some point, the effort is on you.¡± Chris countered. ¡°Like, if someone just flat out doesn''t want to hang out with me, there''s nothing I can do about it, but if they''re just ambivalent, then it''s up to me to make the effort to hang out with them, if that''s what I want. Like personally, I don''t care about hanging out with you one way or the other. I have no need for more friends, so why would I put in the extra effort? On the other hand, if you''re feeling lonely, why are you not putting in the effort to hang out with me? I have no problem hanging out with you, other than a few times where I would like to spend some alone time with Beth, in which case you wouldn''t be able to find me anyway. I''m sure Derek would be down as well. Not sure about Carmen, but you could at least try. If you''re the one with the need, it''s on you to make the effort. You can''t expect people to just know you want something from them. We aren''t mind readers.¡±


    Nadia froze for a moment. ¡°I- suppose you have a point. It just feels awkward to impose on people¡­¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°You''re already awkward, so who cares? Sure, there are people who will be uncomfortable, but they would have been uncomfortable with you anyway. Best to know you need to look somewhere else than waste time hoping they''ll suddenly decide to accept you.¡±


    Nadia fell into thought, mulling the idea over as Chris returned to his meal. ¡°Squad A is in!¡± Beth announced as she returned, pausing as she glanced over the table. ¡°Where''d Zack go?¡±


    ¡°Back to the barracks to set up.¡± Chris replied.


    Beth frowned. ¡°To set up what?¡±


    ¡°No idea, that''s just what he said.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Nadia thinks it''s because he doesn''t want to hang out with us. Me and her, not the squad.¡±


    Beth crossed her arms with a huff. ¡°That jerk.¡±


    ¡°Who''s the jerk?¡± Derek asked as he wandered back as well.


    ¡°Zack.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Is B coming?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Derek nodded absently, frowning for a moment. ¡°What did Zack do?¡±


    ¡°He went back to the barracks to set up.¡± Chris explained. ¡°We aren''t sure what, and Nadia thinks he just used it as an excuse to avoid me and her. Beth seems to agree.¡±


    ¡°And what do you think?¡± Derek asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Maybe he forgot my games can''t come out of my space anymore and thinks we need more room to play. Or he was just looking for something to do and wasn''t even thinking about us. Or maybe he has a crush on Nadia and was hoping she''d follow him back so they could hang out alone. I don''t know, people do things for a lot of different reasons, and I try not to look too deep into it. Usually ends up causing problems where there are none.¡±


    ¡°You- why didn''t you bring any of that up earlier?!?¡± Nadia sputtered.


    ¡°You seemed pretty sure of yourself and I haven''t exactly been paying attention to the issue. All I know is that the squad gets along fine when we''re together.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Plus, I had better points to make. Whether Zack is a jerk or not will come out on its own eventually. You actually making an effort to have friends might not happen without a push.¡±


    ¡°What the hell did I miss?¡± Carmen asked as she returned, only catching the tail end of Chris''s reply.


    ¡°Nothing!¡± Nadia exclaimed, jumping to her feet, flushing as Beth and Derek studied her with hints of amusement in their eyes. ¡°Let''s- let''s just get back to the barracks.¡±


    Carmen looked at them all strangely before nodding. ¡°Fine, whatever. Squad C is in, so we should probably hurry back to get things ready anyway.¡±


    ¡°Get what ready?¡± Beth asked. ¡°Aren''t we just going to play in Chris''s space?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking we''d use the common room, since we''re inviting the whole platoon.¡± Carmen replied.


    ¡°The game can''t come out of my space, remember?¡± Chris pointed out.


    Carmen froze. ¡°Shit, I forgot about that¡­¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Eh, it happens.¡±


    *


    ¡°So, I think I may have figured out why Jam wouldn''t mutate for you.¡± Chris announced as he arrived for his next training session with Jacobs.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jacobs blinked.


    ¡°Yeah, it turns out that slimes have rather specific instincts for where they can mutate.¡± Chris explained. ¡°They need to mutate in a location with at least ten times the energy density of their current ability.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jacobs muttered thoughtfully. ¡°Is that the secret to their mutation? That they can absorb ambient energy?¡±


    ¡°Ambient energy?¡± Chris asked curiously.


    ¡°It''s a decayed form of potential energy that''s- well, pretty much everywhere.¡± Jacobs explained.


    ¡°Potential energy?¡± Chris raised an eyebrow.


    Jacobs frowned at him. ¡°Did they teach you nothing in school?!? Potential energy is the very basis of how abilities function!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t learn much about abilities.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°There wasn''t much point, since I didn''t have one.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°Right¡­ okay, well, potential energy is what causes an ability''s effect. Any time you see a fireball or a wind blade, that is potential energy. Once it''s carried out its effect, it decays into ambient energy, so you have to keep supplying potential energy to keep the effect going. This is why it doesn''t make any sense for your space to be an ability, because potential energy is produced using your body''s reserves, and the amount of potential energy your body would have to produce to sustain it should leave you utterly exhausted as a mid-tier.¡±


    ¡°So ambient energy is essentially ability pollution?¡± Chris replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°That''s a good way to put it, though it isn''t one that particularly bothers anyone, except maybe Readers.¡± Jacobs agreed. ¡°You can think of ambient energy as smoke from a fire, the last remaining husk of whatever fuel was used to sustain it. If what you say is correct, then slimes must be able to make use of that husk to fuel their mutations. The question is how.¡±


    ¡°It isn''t in their instincts, so I have no idea.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°But if you know a place with a bunch of ambient energy, I''d like to try mutating.¡±


    Jacobs froze. ¡°You-¡± He cut off, his eyes widening. ¡°Of course! Why didn''t I think of it earlier!?! You can literally transform into a slime and mutate! Though- hm, what would the benefit be of doing it yourself instead of having your slimes do it?¡±


    ¡°I actually think I may be able to mutate using my space''s database to replace the core.¡± Chris explained. ¡°If not, I won''t bother, but I''d like to try and see what happens.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Jacobs muttered, before shaking his head. ¡°Well, I don''t know enough about how slimes mutate to have an opinion, so I guess we''ll just have to see, won''t we?¡± He cocked his head thoughtfully for a moment. ¡°I''ll need to see what I can set up with the Scouts. Hm. I wonder if they''ll let me bring in some equipment¡­¡±


    ¡°So, back to training then?¡± Chris offered. If Jacobs needed to set things up, there wasn''t much else to talk about. Plus, they''d already wasted more time than they probably should have, considering they hadn''t done anything yesterday.


    ¡°What? Oh, yes, I suppose we should.¡± Jacobs sighed. If he''d known Chris''s space would be so fascinating, he would have pushed for two research days!

 Space: 18 - Boot camp (7)

    The next Sunday, Beth and Nadia prepared to confront Zack in Chris''s space, to see if he was actually avoiding Nadia and why. Even if there were other explanations, Nadia still couldn''t help but feel bitter about it and Beth refused to let that situation stand. ¡°This is stupid.¡± Nadia grumbled.


    ¡°It''s necessary.¡± Beth insisted. ¡°We''re a squad. We need to know everyone here has our backs, no matter what!¡±


    Nadia groaned. ¡°I hate this.¡±


    ¡°Well get over it, it''s happening.¡± Beth retorted. ¡°Chris, bring him in.¡±


    Chris nodded, opening a portal back to the barracks. He found Zack on his bed, playing on his phone. ¡°Hey Zack, we need to talk.¡±


    Zack looked up, blinking in confusion. ¡°We do?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Come with me.¡± Chris waved, opening a portal.


    Zack frowned but followed Chris inside, getting even more confused when he saw Beth and Nadia sitting at the table. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°Have a seat.¡± Beth replied seriously, gesturing to the chair across from her, Chris sliding into the one across from Nadia. Zack was beginning to look nervous as he sat down, still wondering what was going on. ¡°Zack, we need to know if you have a problem with Nadia.¡±


    ¡°If I- huh?¡± Zack looked between her and Nadia, utterly baffled. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Nadia feels that you''ve repeatedly taken steps to avoid her.¡± Beth explained. ¡°We need to know if that''s true, and if so, why?¡±


    Zack froze for a moment, turning to Nadia. ¡°Did- did you not want me to avoid you?¡±


    Nadia glared at him. ¡°Why would I want someone to avoid me?!?¡±


    ¡°I- you wanted to be on a squad with all girls, didn''t you?¡± Zack pointed out. ¡°Plus, you always give me this look, like I''m intruding or something¡­¡±


    ¡°When have I ever given you a look!?!¡± Nadia retorted.


    ¡°All the time!¡± Zack exclaimed. ¡°Whenever I try to talk to you!¡±


    Beth coughed. ¡°Zack, have you considered that might just be her face? Nadia always looks like she wants to start a fight with someone.¡±


    ¡°I do not!¡± Nadia protested.


    ¡°I think it''s something about her eyebrows.¡± Beth continued, ignoring her. ¡°And it doesn''t help that she has a tendency to stare people down.¡±


    Nadia flushed, slapping a hand over her eyebrows. ¡°There''s nothing wrong with my eyebrows!¡±


    ¡°So you don''t have any issues with Nadia?¡± Beth asked Zack.


    ¡°No, why would I?¡± Zack replied. ¡°I mean, I don''t have much to say about her personally, since¡­ I mean, I was avoiding her, kinda. But she works great with the squad, so I figured it didn''t really matter if she didn''t like me personally? I know she wouldn''t do anything to get me killed, even if it was only to maintain her record as a tactician.¡±


    ¡°What a glowing endorsement.¡± Nadia grumbled.


    ¡°Nadia, sarcasm isn''t helping.¡± Beth commented.


    ¡°And insulting me is!?!¡± Nadia snapped back.


    Beth sighed. ¡°Nadia, if you want to receive grace you need to give grace in return. Particularly when no one here is trying to insult you. You have facial features that incline people to think you''re not happy with them. It''s just who you are. You can get pissed about it, which will only confirm people''s thoughts, or you can accept it and recognize that this is an issue you''re going to have to deal with in life.¡±


    Nadia grimaced. Why was it always on her to deal with things?!? Why was it her problem that other people decided she felt something she didn''t and avoided her for it!?! All they had to do was ask and they''d know she felt nothing of the sort! ¡°I hate this!¡± She complained in a choked growl, her eyes stinging. She felt like her life was one long battle just to break even! All she wanted was a chance, yet everything in her life conspired to deny it to her! It wasn''t fair!


    ¡°Hey.¡± Beth placed a hand on her back, rubbing it comfortingly. ¡°It''s okay, alright? We''re here for you. We can help, just like today. You just have to let us.¡±


    Nadia blinked at her, seeing the genuine concern in her eyes, and- tears began to flow as she hugged Beth. ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered hoarsely.


    Beth smiled. ¡°We''re a squad. If we don''t support each other, who will?¡±


    *


    The next day, Chris found himself in the Scouts¡¯ ability core storage area with Jacobs and some techs from his lab. ¡°We had some Readers check the area, and this is the place with the densest amount of ambient energy on base.¡± Jacobs explained. ¡°Think it''s good enough to meet your needs?¡±


    ¡°Not sure. Let me check.¡± Chris replied, opening a portal to bring Jello out, since he''d need to borrow their senses to get an idea of the energy level. He was about to dive into their mind, when a flood of excitement surged through the connection and Jello began bouncing around the storage area, circling it a few times before hopping up onto one of the storage bins. The moment they settled down, a hard shell began to form around them, beginning the mutation process. ¡°Well¡­ I think that answers that.¡±


    ¡°Get scanners on that thing, now!¡± Jacobs ordered the techs, who began rushing to set up equipment around Jello.


    ¡°Now, the question is where should I mutate.¡± Chris muttered, pausing as he suddenly got a message from Jello of all the best places to mutate they''d found, with marks for him and Jam. It didn''t have any visual information, but based on the energy from the cores stored here, he could figure out the positions fairly easily, noticing that Jello had left the best spot for him, taking the second best for themselves and leaving the third best for Jam. Of course, he wasn''t going to mutate Jam at the moment, since he needed at least one of the slimes in his space so he could borrow the ability to mutate, but it was nice that they''d thought of them. ¡°I''m going to try mutating over here.¡± Chris announced, walking over to the spot Jello had indicated, before pausing and turning to frown at Jello''s now fully formed chrysalis. How had they known he was going to try to mutate?


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Jacobs asked.


    Chris hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°No, it''s fine. Let''s see if this works.¡± He could deal with Jello later. Chris moved into position and pulled on Jam''s spirit, focusing on the process of initiating the mutation. He''d spent the last week preparing for this, analyzing everything in his space, including his minions and even the others in his squad, along with several boxes of materials Jacobs had brought from his lab, both organic and non-organic. He''d even tried pushing all his memories into the database, though he wasn''t sure if it''d done anything. There was nothing he could do that would make him any more prepared for this. As he focused on initiating the mutation, willing it to connect to his database, he felt his vision go dark as gasps of astonishment echoed around him, accompanied by Jacobs excited cackle, until even sound faded away, and Chris found himself floating in darkness, his body completely unresponsive. *I''m going to guess it worked then.* Chris thought to himself, settling in to wait while the mutation process continued. He let his mind drift for a moment, before pausing as he realized he could still sense his space. He sent his mind over to Dyrdek. *Hey.*


    Dyrdek froze as Chris''s consciousness touched his. ¡°Chief?¡±


    *Yup. I''m kind of stuck at the moment, so I figured I''d hang out with you guys.* Chris explained.


    ¡°Dyrdek, are you alright?¡± Sidulpek asked, placing a hand on his knee with a concerned look.


    ¡°I''m fine.¡± Dyrdek quickly replied. ¡°The Chief has decided to join us, and he''s using my mind to do so.¡±


    Sidulpek''s hand flinched away, staring at Dyrdek wide-eyed. ¡°The- the Chief is in your mind?!?¡±


    *Huh¡­ I never went over that part of the connection with them, did I?* Chris muttered.


    Dyrdek nodded. ¡°The Chief can project himself into our minds whenever he wishes. He''s done so with me several times, but only to communicate.¡±


    [Why is the Chief using your mind instead of simply coming here himself?] T''ka asked.


    *I''m mutating at the moment, so I can''t move.* Chris sent her and Sidulpek, mostly just to see if it''d work. Judging by the way they froze, it had.


    ¡°Ch-Chief?¡± Sidulpek gulped nervously.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    *Who else?* Chris sent back. *How are things with you guys?*


    The three of them shared hesitant looks. [We''re fine¡­] T''ka replied. As much as they were essentially slaves, they couldn''t argue with the way Chris treated them. They ate the most delicious food, slept in the most comfortable beds, and were provided with multiple ways to keep themselves occupied. T''ka just hated the fact that it''d taken her from her tribe. It felt wrong to be enjoying herself when she knew her tribe, her family, was still struggling to survive in the Maze.


    *Are you sure?* Chris asked, noticing the hesitance. *I can probably see about getting you guys some video games or something. I know there isn''t much for you to do at the moment.*


    T''ka quickly shook her head. [No! We really are fine! Please, you don''t have to do any more for us!]


    Chris examined her curiously for a moment. Was she not feeling useful enough, like Dyrdek? There wasn''t much he could do about that at the moment¡­ at least she and Sidulpek at least got to train with the squad and Jacobs. Dyrdek didn''t even have that. *Alright, fine, if you insist. Mind if I watch TV with you guys?*


    ¡°Of course not!¡± Sidulpek exclaimed, as if she was horrified at the idea of refusing. Chris noted that he was going to have to do something about that at some point too. He should probably spend some more time with his minions, so they''d get more comfortable around him in a casual setting.


    Chris spent an hour or so watching TV with his minions, before focusing on his body for a moment to see how much longer it would take, frowning as he realized he had no idea. His body was completely unresponsive. If only he could check from the outside¡­ Chris could have smacked himself if he had hands. Why not just have Dyrdek check? He could still open portals, couldn''t he? Could he? He frowned for a moment. Where was he going to open a portal? He had no idea what Jacobs and his techs had set up around him, so he wasn''t sure where to open a portal. He supposed he could open one above and look out to see if there was a good spot? Chris nodded, feeling for ¡®above¡¯ himself, hoping he didn''t open it in the ceiling. As he did, he felt his senses expand in a very familiar way, as the space around him began to come into focus. At first everything was blurry, but slowly he began to make out boxes, equipment, and people around him. Chris sat there stunned for a moment, not sure what to make of the fact that his space had been hiding yet another sense from him, before mentally sighing and opening a portal for Dyrdek.


    ¡°The Chief wishes to know how things are progressing.¡± Dyrdek announced as he walked out, causing Jacobs to jump, looking up from a screen he''d been studying intently.


    ¡°Chris? You''re conscious?¡± Jacobs asked tentatively as he approached the goblin carefully.


    ¡°The Chief never lost consciousness.¡± Dyrdek answered. ¡°He''s been watching TV with his minions.¡±


    Jacobs blinked, looking between Dyrdek and the chrysalis. ¡°But- you don''t have a brain at the moment! All that exists in there is goop!¡± He exclaimed, gesturing to the chrysalis.


    ¡°The Chief asks if it''s because of the TV. Wait. He says that was a joke.¡± Dyrdek paused, then nodded. ¡°Yes, Chief, I would be honored!¡±


    Dyrdek''s demeanor shifted as Chris took over his body. ¡°Sorry about that, what do you mean I don''t have a brain?!?¡±


    ¡°I mean your brain has dissolved into a protein sludge along with the rest of your body as it slowly rebuilds itself from a single cell.¡± Jacobs explained. ¡°I''m literally watching it happen right now!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but clearly I''m still conscious and thinking, so what the hell?¡± Chris frowned, trying to understand what''s going on. Obviously it had something to do with the space, but what? Did- did the space act as another brain?


    ¡°I don''t know, but this is incredible!¡± Jacobs exclaimed excitedly, before falling into thought. ¡°Is your body even necessary for your survival? Could you simply exist as the space? Wandering around, snapping up creatures using your portals and dominating them, before sending them out to gather more creatures¡­¡± He paused as his eyes landed on Dyrdek, widening as another idea occurred to him. ¡°Would you be able to claim their bodies as your own? Like you''re doing now, but deeper, so that instead of simply suppressing their control over their body, you erase it entirely, allowing you to live again!¡±


    Chris frowned at him. ¡°But I already pretty much can''t die, right?¡±


    ¡°Ah, but what about as you age? How long can your body resist the ravages of time? And even if aging isn''t a concern, the longer you live, the higher your chances of running into something that could end you completely, erasing your body from existence. This- this suggests that even then, it wouldn''t be the end for you!¡± Jacobs explained.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°So what you''re saying is, there''s a good chance I''m immortal immortal?¡±


    Jacobs chuckled. ¡°You may not be able to die even if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ not sure what to do with that, honestly.¡± Chris muttered, thinking for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°Whatever. How long do you think this will take?¡± He asked, gesturing to the chrysalis.


    ¡°Judging by the current rate of growth, about a week.¡± Jacobs replied.


    Chris''s eyes widened. ¡°A week! What about my training!¡±


    Jacobs blinked at him. ¡°You''re here, aren''t you? I thought we''d have to make up for lost time, but since you are so ridiculously conscious, you can simply train using the goblin''s body instead! What real difference does it make?¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Huh¡­ fair.¡± His focus turned inward. *Dyrdek, buddy, it looks like I might need to borrow your body for a bit. Is that okay with you? If not, I can switch between you and Sidulpek to give you a break.*


    There was a pause. *I would be honored to host your mind for as long as you require it, Chief!* Dyrdek exclaimed, almost giddy at the idea of finally being useful!


    Chris shook his head. *You''re a weird guy, Dyrdek, but thanks.* Chris turned his focus back to Jacobs. ¡°Alright, yeah, I can use Dyrdek for training. The question is how do we keep people from killing the goblin randomly wandering around the base?¡±


    Jacobs cocked his head. ¡°A tiny uniform?¡±


    ¡°Do we have tiny uniforms?¡± Chris asked skeptically.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Jacobs nodded. ¡°Plenty of soldiers shrink due to various transformation abilities, and we can''t have them walking around naked, can we?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chris agreed.


    *


    ¡°I am not happy.¡± Beth grumbled. Chris had missed dinner getting a uniform for Dyrdek, meeting the squad back at the barracks and explaining the situation to them. Beth wasn''t thrilled.


    ¡°Would you rather I be gone for a week?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Beth pouted. ¡°Ugh, I want to cuddle with you though! Can''t you transform or something?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°It doesn''t work on my minions, just me.¡±


    ¡°Damn it!¡± Beth cursed. ¡°What about your space? You can make bodies for your rats, why can''t you make a body for yourself!?!¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°That- actually makes sense, hold on.¡± He could remake and control his minions bodies, so why not his own? It''d be stuck in his space, but for Beth''s purposes, was that really important? They usually hung out inside it anyway, just like they were now. He took some material and made a copy of his body, jumping out of Dyrdek''s body and into the copy. ¡°Huh.¡± Chris did a few stretches, making sure the body worked right, finding no difference between it and his normal body. ¡°Neat.¡±


    ¡°Chris, clothes!¡± Derek snapped.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Chris muttered, quickly making himself an outfit from his space''s material. The body wasn''t leaving the space, so he didn''t need to waste time putting actual clothes on. Dyrdek hopped off the chair next to Beth and went to hang out with Sidulpek and T''ka while Chris replaced him. ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Much.¡± Beth smiled, leaning into him.


    ¡°So Dyrdek is going to be replacing you for the rest of the week?¡± Nadia asked, getting them back on topic. ¡°Is there anything else you can do that he can''t?¡±


    Chris cocked his head, considering the question for a moment. ¡°His arms are too short to make use of my bow, but other than that, I think he''s fine.¡±


    Nadia nodded. ¡°I can work with that. His barriers won''t be any weaker than yours, will they?¡±


    ¡°They shouldn''t be, but we should probably test to make sure.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Not something you really want to take a chance on.¡±


    ¡°No it isn''t.¡± Nadia agreed. While she didn''t usually like using his barriers, if they did need to use them, they would be important. She thought over everything else she might need Chris for that using Dyrdek might conflict with, but she couldn''t think of anything. ¡°Okay, I can work with this.¡± She nodded, breathing out a sigh of relief. Missing Chris for training was one thing, but missing him for the practical exercise on Sunday would make completing whatever task they were given significantly more challenging, and their performance in the practical exercises would affect their final ranking at the end of boot camp. The better they did, the better the platoon they would be assigned to, the better missions they would be given, the more accolades they could earn, and the faster they could climb the ranks! Nadia wouldn''t stand for them losing a single point they didn''t have to!


    *


    The squad quickly adjusted to Chris using Dyrdek''s body. The only real changes they had to adjust to were Dyrdek''s inability to use Chris''s bow, and the decreased range of Chris''s portals. It turned out that the range for portals from Chris''s minions was only a tenth of Chris''s own, giving them just a bit over half a meter to work with. Thankfully the barriers were still just as strong, so it wasn''t a complete downgrade. Plus they had four minions to create barriers from, so the range was practically a non-issue with proper planning.


    Chris actually found that it was convenient to have someone else to control the body he was using. Throughout the week, Chris took more and more of a backseat in controlling Dyrdek, allowing him to focus on secondary tasks, like his portal projectiles and coordinating Cabbage, Sidulpek, and T''ka. The squad actually functioned smoother when he used Dyrdek''s body instead of his own! ¡°I''m beginning to think we should have Dyrdek replace me permanently.¡± Chris muttered as they headed back to the barracks from their practical exercise, having gotten the best result they''d ever had so far.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Nadia exclaimed, before flushing in embarrassment. ¡°Sorry, I don''t- I didn''t want to be the one to say it, but you guys can''t deny that Chris is more effective like this!¡±


    ¡°It''d be better if he could use Chris''s bow, but yeah, other than that, he''s been a great addition.¡± Beth agreed with a sigh.


    ¡°I''ve been thinking about it, and I think I''ll get him a crossbow.¡± Chris commented. ¡°It won''t be as quiet as the bow, but it''s better than a gun, and if we''re already in a fight, which is the only time he''d be using it, it won''t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°The issue is the reload speed of a crossbow is terrible.¡± Nadia pointed out.


    ¡°True¡­¡± Chris muttered, frowning thoughtfully.


    *Could I use darts?* Dyrdek suggested. *Poisoned ones, to weaken the enemy?*


    ¡°What do you think of poisoned darts?¡± Chris repeated out loud for Nadia.


    ¡°In the crossbow?¡± Nadia asked skeptically.


    ¡°No, like throwing darts.¡± Chris explained. ¡°He could use my portals like I do with my bow and the rocks, so the range wouldn''t be an issue.¡±


    Nadia considered it for a moment. ¡°That could work¡­ I''m not sure, let me think about it. We''ll definitely find something for him though.¡± Chris nodded, smiling slightly as he felt joy fill him through Dyrdek. It was good to see his minions finding their place.

 Space: 19 - Boot camp (8)

    It was Monday and Chris was in the middle of mechanics class when feelings of anticipation began to trickle in from his connection to Jello. It looked like Jello was close to finishing her mutation, which meant he should be close to finishing his own. *Dyrdek, you''re up. I''m going to go check on my body.* Chris announced before slipping out of Dyrdek''s mind and returning to his own. Dyrdek sat up straight in the chair, focusing on the lesson so he could send the information to Chris later.


    Chris created himself a body in the space and opened a portal next to Jacobs, causing him to flinch slightly before he realized it was Chris. He''d gotten somewhat used to the random portals over the past week, but having something appear out of nowhere right next to you was never going to be comfortable. ¡°Jello just woke up. Any clue how much longer we have?¡±


    ¡°I couldn''t say.¡± Jacobs replied. ¡°Your body has been almost fully formed for almost a day now, but there are still minute developments occurring all over. Essentially you''re already a finished product, it''s just a question of how long it will take until the finishing touches are done.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Chris sighed, settling in to wait. ¡°Any idea what I''m going to look like?¡±


    Jacobs grinned. ¡°From what we can see, you''re going to be terrifying. It seems the mutation process designed your new form to account for your capacity to transform, as many systems necessary for long-term sustainability have been discarded in favor of immediate power. I''m not certain you''ll be able to remain in this form for longer than half an hour at a time before you need to revert to your human form to recharge, but in that half an hour, you will be a terror!¡±


    Chris nodded appreciatively. That was exactly what he needed his new form for. He didn''t need to live in it, he just needed power, the more the better. ¡°Any clue what tier it will be?¡±


    ¡°Definitely at least mid-tier, but otherwise there are too many factors involved to say.¡± Jacobs shrugged. ¡°We''ll need to head to the ability management office to know for sure.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I should have called that.¡± Chris agreed. If power could be so easily determined by just scanning people, the ability management department wouldn''t be a thing. Or at least it''d be a lot different.


    ¡°It''s like waiting to open a present, isn''t it?!?¡± Jacobs rubbed his hands together with an almost giddy excitement. ¡°I can''t wait to get this data back to the lab!¡±


    ¡°What are you hoping to actually learn from this?¡± Chris asked curiously.


    ¡°If nothing else, it will help us learn more about the ecosystem of the Maze, which will help us manage it more efficiently. Depending on how efficient the process is, it may even be worth bringing in slimes to clean up the ambient energy in the City. And if we''re really lucky, I might be able to extract a process that could help strengthen humanity as a whole! But that''s more of a fantasy than a real hope.¡± Jacobs sighed wistfully.


    ¡°Why would we bring slimes in to clean up the ambient energy?¡± Chris asked curiously. ¡°I thought it wasn''t an issue.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it isn''t, but it is useless. If we can use that energy to instead empower creatures that we can use to make the Maze a safer place, then it''s a win win, isn''t it? The slimes get the ambient energy they need to mutate, and we get expendable soldiers to throw at the more dangerous elements of the Maze, something the slimes would do on their own, simply more directed towards our needs.¡± Jacobs elaborated.


    Chris nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I can see that. Not sure people would be comfortable having slimes in the City like that, though.¡±


    Jacobs waved dismissively. ¡°It wouldn''t be the first time the City has secretly used Maze creatures to solve an issue. They''re a resource just like anything else and it would be foolish to ignore them simply because it''d make the populace uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Chris grunted in tentative agreement. He didn''t have much else to say, so he walked over to sit with T''ka and Sidulpek while they watched TV to wait, Jacobs refocusing on the data he was collecting from Chris and Jello''s mutations, going over it to see if there was anything that jumped out before he did an in depth analysis.


    T''ka glanced at Chris hesitantly as he sat down, having overheard most of their conversation. [Do- do you think the City could have a use for kobolds?]


    Chris froze at the almost pleading tone in her voice. ¡°I- think that would be hard.¡± Chris answered with a sigh. ¡°Ironically, kobolds are too strong, and humans are too weak. You know how you get stronger the longer you live, right?¡± T''ka nodded stiffly. ¡°So inevitably, any kobold we took in would grow into a deadly threat given enough time, unless bound by something like my connection with you. Which wouldn''t be an issue if we could trust each other but¡­ how many kobolds do you think would still work with us once they''d gotten everything they wanted from us? Or, once they had the power, wouldn''t turn around and enslave us?¡±


    [But- Even if they had demands, wouldn''t the power they bring be worth it?] T''ka asked with a mix of confusion and desperation.


    Chris shook his head. ¡°For some people, maybe, but¡­ well, do you think humanity would be down here if we were willing to serve another race? We value our freedom too much to hand it over for simple security. I couldn''t say whether that attitude is good or bad, it just is. It could be that submitting ourselves to some kobold overlords would be the best thing for us, but there''s no way we would. At least, not willingly.¡±


    T''ka¡¯s expression crumpled. On some level, she knew peace between their people would be difficult, if not impossible, but to actually hear it was a blow she hadn''t been prepared for. She''d been harboring a small hope that somehow her tribe could be taken in by the humans like she had, so they could experience all the wonderful things they had to offer, and even more the unthinkable level of security they had. The ability to sleep every night without worrying about the tribe coming under attack was something she''d never even considered before becoming Chris''s minion! [There''s really no way?]


    Chris''s expression twisted. ¡°Well¡­ I guess if they were all willing to form a connection with me, we might be able to figure something out. I don''t think we could get them into the City, but as long as I have some level of control over them, the City shouldn''t be interested in destroying them. And if the City doesn''t interfere, it shouldn''t be too hard to carve out a space in the Maze for them, and I could use any resources they collect to buy stuff from the City. We could even sort of make a mini-City and block off a section of the Maze so the only way to get in and out would be through my portals. In fact, using my portals would let you move higher up in the Maze without moving the tribe, which would make the City even less inclined to bother you, since all they really care about is keeping the Maze balanced. But again, all this is conditioned on your entire race agreeing to essentially be my slaves, which I don''t think is likely, particularly since the upfront benefits will be minimal.¡±


    T''ka began to nod, hesitating as a thought occurred to her. [Could- could I at least try? If they refuse to be swayed, I- I understand what needs to be done, but- I want to at least give them a chance.]


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her, then shrugged. ¡°Sure, I can agree to that. I mean, it isn''t like I''m going to say no to more minions.¡±


    T''ka snorted at that, but couldn''t suppress the warm feeling in her chest. Despite how cavalier Chris may seem about it, she knew that if her people truly agreed to become his minions, he would do everything in his power to give them the best life possible. Would he use them? Absolutely. But he wouldn''t waste them. That was more than she could say of her old Chief.


    Chris considered what he would do with a bunch of kobolds. Obviously collecting resources from the Maze would be a big part of it, but he couldn''t help but consider his access to the surface. It''d take decades, but eventually the kobolds would outgrow the Maze. Though¡­ he supposed at that point they''d be able to climb out of the Maze on their own, so they wouldn''t need his access to the surface. Then again, a second point of access couldn''t hurt¡­ Chris shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. The surface wasn''t something he should consider for a long time. Chris glanced at Sidulpek. ¡°What about you? Any inclination to bring goblins on board?¡±


    ¡°Goblins don''t deserve security.¡± Sidulpek grumbled.


    Chris blinked at that. ¡°Huh¡­ Well, I know at least two who do. Maybe there are others?¡±


    ¡°Not enough.¡± Sidulpek sighed unhappily.


    Chris eyed her for a moment. That was something he might want to keep an eye on¡­ he''d talk to Beth about it. She was better with these things.


    *


    About an hour later, a surge of excitement exploded out of Jello as their chrysalis began to crack. Chris moved his portal over to watch as they emerged, careful to avoid the equipment as he did. The chrysalis shook as more and more cracks began to form, bulging in places as Jello''s struggles increased, until a spike suddenly shot out of it, the spike turning to goo as Jello flowed out and plopped on the floor. Chris scratched his head as he stared at the slime that looked completely unchanged from before. ¡°Well the spike was new¡­¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The moment he spoke, Jello''s attention snapped to him and they immediately launched themselves at him, shifting mid-air into the form of a small girl as they- she? sent him a mental message with a very clear meaning. *Big Brother!*


    Chris let out an oof as the slime girl thumped into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing tight. ¡°Big- what?¡± Chris frowned, pulling the slime off and holding her up in front of him as she wiggled happily, studying her for a moment. Somehow Jello had managed to morph herself into a passable imitation of a small human. The body itself was genderless, almost doll-like, but the face had distinct feminine features, reminiscent of Beth''s with a few hints of his own mixed in. With some clothes, she could pass convincingly as their daughter if she wanted to, though he hoped she wouldn''t¡­ David might kill him. Or congratulate him¡­ The man was hard to predict sometimes. Thankfully she seemed more intent on being his sister, which she genuinely believed was true, according to their connection at least. Chris shook his head, closing the portal as he felt this conversation was about to get complicated. ¡°I''m not your brother.¡±


    Jello froze, staring at him incredulously. *What? Of course you are! I can tell by your essence, we''re definitely siblings!*


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°My essence?¡±


    *Yup-yup!* Jello confirmed happily. *Did you not check mine? That''s very irresponsible of you, Big Brother.*


    Chris hesitated, searching the instincts he was still borrowing from Jam for whatever this essence she was talking about was. He quickly found it in the senses section of the slime instincts, a part he''d glossed over since he was more focused on mutation at the time. Apparently there was a resonance between the energy and vitality of a creature that could act as a unique identifier, and since it was constant even through mutations, slimes used it to recognize each other. They could even tell how closely related they were based on how similar their essences were. And apparently, Jello was convinced that his essence was close enough to hers that they qualified as siblings! That- sort of explained why slimes were always so eager to accept his connection, actually. They thought he was one of them! ¡°Are you sure?¡± Chris asked skeptically.


    Jello gave him a weird look. *Can you not tell?*


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I can''t sense essence. I''m not a slime, I''m human.¡±


    Jello cocked her head. *Huh?*


    Chris frowned. Of course she didn''t know anything about humans or slimes. She''d been a practically senseless blob until now. ¡°Shit. Hold on, this might hurt a bit, but it''ll tell you everything you need to know.¡±


    *Kay-kay!* Jello replied happily.


    Chris shook his head, wondering if she''d still be this upbeat after the headache- coreache? she was about to get, before sending her knowledge packets of all the basic information he knew about the City and the Maze, adding in the human language on top. ¡°There. How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Jello chirped happily. ¡°Language is so much fun! Who would have thought you could use vibrations to communicate? Genius!¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Right¡­ so you get what I''m saying now, right? Human, not slime?¡±


    ¡°Sure-sure!¡± Jello nodded. ¡°It kinda sucks that you can''t sense essence, but it''s okay, I''ll just do it for you!¡±


    ¡°That''s great and all, but more to the point, how is it possible for a slime and a human to be siblings?¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°I''m pretty sure what you''re sensing is just a coincidence. Probably because of my space¡­ it is a bit slime-like.¡±


    Jello shook her head vigorously. ¡°Nope! You can''t fool essence! If it says you''re my brother, you''re my brother, no doubt about it!¡±


    ¡°But I''m human.¡± Chris pointed out.


    Jello shrugged. ¡°So? I could mutate into a human, if I wanted to. Look, I''m halfway there already!¡± She wiggled her body to prove it.


    Chris paused. That was actually not a bad point¡­ it wasn''t that hard for a slime to get human DNA. If one decided that was the optimal path for mutation, he could totally see it happening. Then, with the right ability, they might find a way to sneak into the City, blend in, create a life for themselves, have kids¡­ Chris shook his head. How could he think one of his parents might be a slime? They were in the Scouts! If there was any place that type of thing would be checked for, it''d be there! He paused. His dad was an orphan though¡­ Chris scowled. ¡°How old are you?¡±


    Jello cocked her head. ¡°I think I''m four? No more than five, at least.¡±


    ¡°Well there you have it.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°My parents died over a decade ago, so they couldn''t have given birth to you. What probably happened is that the slime that gave birth to you got ahold of my parents DNA somehow and used it when forming you, hence why our essences are so similar.¡±


    Jello raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Are you sure they died?¡±


    Chris''s expression hardened. ¡°I''m positive. My parents would never have abandoned me.¡± He didn''t remember much from those early years, but from what he did remember, he knew his parents had cared for him deeply.


    Jello froze, sensing the dangerous territory she''d stumbled into. ¡°What if they had to? What if it wasn''t something they could control?¡±


    Chris frowned, not coming up with anything to say to that, when something else stole his attention. ¡°Wait here.¡± He growled, putting Jello down as his body dissolved, his consciousness returning to the chrysalis. Chris flexed against the shell that wrapped him tight, pushing with his knees, elbows, and back until the chrysalis burst. The pieces fell off him as he stood, rolling his shoulders and looking down to examine himself. Just like Jacobs had said, any system related to long-term sustainability was gone. His crotch was completely smooth and his gut was just gone, Chris certain this new form didn''t have much of a digestive tract, if any. Even his chest had shrunk as organs were removed and the ribcage condensed to protect the vitals that remained. Replacing it all was pure muscle, giving him an unnatural bulky, yet gangly appearance. His arms and fingers had lengthened, each finger tipped with a long, vicious claw, while his feet had shifted to have three ¡®toes¡¯ on the front and another out the back, all clawed. He also had a tail now, long and almost whip-like with a spike on the end. He wasn''t sure what his face looked like yet, but judging by the looks he was getting from the techs, it wasn''t pretty. Chris turned to Jacobs and opened his mouth, only for a rumbling hiss to come out.


    ¡°I don''t think you have vocal cords in that form.¡± Jacobs chuckled.


    Chris hissed again, before raising a claw and opening a portal heading into his space. He changed back into himself and put his uniform on, before returning. ¡°What did you think?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely horrifying.¡± Jacobs shook his head. ¡°If I didn''t know it was you in there, I would have bolted out of here pissing myself.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°That bad?¡±


    Jacobs sighed. ¡°Chris, has anyone ever explained to you physique threat analysis?¡± Chris nodded. It was something he''d had to go over for his scouting training. It wasn''t so much a judgment of power as it was of agility. Something like his cave wyrm would be a low-level threat, since it was designed to do one thing and one thing only, which was to charge and bite. There was no way it was going to dodge or jump or anything like that. Things like humans and goblins would be classified as mid-level threats, since their physiques allowed them various different types of movements they could use to complicate a fight, like jumping, dodging, rolling, and so on. Low-level threats could generally be planned for fairly easily, since all you really needed to do was figure out how to avoid their one thing, while mid-level threats required actual tactics to fight. As for high-level threats, these creatures could pull off movements that would confuse even humans, allowing them to ignore their formations in some way. At the same power level, a higher threat level would destroy a lower one, simply because the lower threat couldn''t react to everything the higher threat level could do. It was one of the things that made Beth so dangerous, since her elastic body let her bounce around in tunnels, picking up speed until you could barely keep track of her, let alone stop her. ¡°Well, your new form is a high-level threat if I ever saw one.¡± Jacobs continued. ¡°Every part of you screams flexibility and speed!¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ You think so? I was more focused on the claws and the tail.¡±


    Jacobs shook his head. ¡°We''ll need to send you through an obstacle course to be sure, but one thing is for certain. You have just become a much more lethal combatant.¡±


    ¡°Heh.¡± Chris smirked. ¡°That''s funny, because my squad just decided I''m better off not fighting.¡±


    ¡°Eh? Why?!?¡± Jacobs asked incredulously.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Because having Dyrdek fill my role while I focus on managing my minions is just more efficient. The squad doesn''t need another damage dealer, it needs better coordination between the ones it already has.¡±


    Jacobs frowned for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°I can''t argue with that. It''s just disappointing to see you wasting potential like that.¡± He paused. ¡°Though I suppose given everything you''re capable of, that was inevitable, wasn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Chris wiggled his hand. ¡°Just because it doesn''t help the squad doesn''t mean it''s useless. There will be times where it''s more effective for me to take care of something myself, and that''s when this new form will shine.¡± Particularly if T''ka actually managed to convince the kobolds to become his minions, he added to himself.


    ¡°Very true.¡± Jacobs agreed. ¡°But since it won''t benefit the squad, I don''t have an excuse to fit it into your training. Which is unfortunate, because I would have loved to see it in action.¡± He sighed sadly.


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°You love studying everything I can do.¡±


    ¡°Because it''s all so fascinating!¡± Jacobs exclaimed.


    Chris chuckled. ¡°Of course it is. Should we go see how powerful this new form is?¡±


    Jacobs practically smacked himself in his excitement. ¡°Of course! Let''s go!¡± He immediately rushed towards the door.


    Chris glanced at one of the techs. ¡°Is he always like this, or is it just for me?¡±


    ¡°Always.¡± The tech muttered with a hint of amusement.


    Chris clicked his tongue as he followed after Jacobs. ¡°Well now I feel less special.¡±

 Space: 20 - Boot camp (9)

    After a few tests at the ability management office, they figured out Chris''s new form was about four times stronger than his normal human form in all regards, which was less of a boost than they''d hoped for, but still solidly mid-tier, even if it was on the lower end. Though, Jacobs said the fact that he''d improved in all aspects was a bigger deal than he might think. Apparently most physiques emphasized certain aspects like speed or strength, so his balanced improvement would let him hold his own against creatures up to the five times improvement range, maybe even six, depending on how specialized they were. It still wasn''t huge but if he continued to mutate in the same way, that advantage would continue to grow.


    Once they finished at the ability management office, there was still some time until dinner, so Chris ducked into his space to continue his conversation with Jello. Jello hopped over to him in her blob form before morphing into a little girl again. ¡°Hey, Big Brother!¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°I told you, I''m not your brother. I can''t be. My parents died before you were born.¡±


    ¡°You think they died.¡± Jello retorted. ¡°Essence doesn''t lie!¡±


    ¡°How can you possibly be sure of that?¡± Chris countered skeptically. ¡°You''ve spent your entire life as a ball of goop.¡±


    Jello crossed her arms petulantly. ¡°Because I am! If just using the DNA of other creatures was enough to change our essence to be so similar, then it would be completely unreliable! And how would you explain the other slimes recognizing your essence as well? I''m definitely not related to Jam and they say your essence is familiar too!¡±


    Chris grimaced, trying to poke holes in her argument, but ultimately, he knew he was just resisting because he didn''t like it. What Jello was saying made sense. It explained why slimes seemed to love him, and¡­ well, Chris had always known he was weird, something that was becoming more and more clear as he explored his space, and this was a better explanation for why than anything else. Why didn''t he seem human? Because on some level, he wasn''t. That wasn''t even the part that bothered him. He could accept not being completely human, especially after learning he was essentially a sentient space. Humanity was more of a choice anyway.


    No, what bothered him was the idea that his parents, at least one of them, had abandoned him. He wasn''t even sure if it''d be better if they had a good reason or not. If they just ditched him, then yeah, it sucked, but ultimately, shitty parents existed and someone had to get stuck with them. He wouldn''t be happy about it, but at least it''d mean he didn''t have any obligation to deal with them. But if they had a good reason¡­ What if the problem was resolved and they ended up back in his life? Even if they were his parents, they would still essentially be strangers. He had no real relationship with them, but he was fairly certain they wouldn''t see it that way. Which, you know, he got, he just really didn''t want to have to deal with it.


    Chris sighed. ¡°Am I an ass for hoping my parents actually are dead?¡±


    ¡°Probably!¡± Jello nodded cheerfully.


    ¡°Yeah, that''s what I thought.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Fuck it, fine, whatever. I buy it. You could be my sister.¡±


    ¡°Yay!¡± Jello cheered.


    ¡°But I want to see it for myself.¡± Chris added. ¡°So¡­ how do I check my own essence?¡±


    Jello frowned. ¡°Just look at it? You can borrow my senses, can''t you? You didn''t have any energy before, so it was hidden, but it''s pretty clear now.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°What?¡± He checked his energy awareness, eyes widening as he noticed he actually had energy now! ¡°How- where did that come from?!?¡±


    ¡°Mutating? I have more energy now too, and that''s the only thing we both did.¡± Jello shrugged.


    Chris concentrated on Jello, confirming that she did indeed have more energy as well, switching over to his spirit awareness to see if he had a spirit now, but no, still nothing. He paused as he noticed his connection with Jello in the process, frowning as he realized it was a bit¡­ shaky. ¡°Jello? Does our connection feel weird to you?¡±


    Jello cocked her head, looking slightly confused as she tested their connection. ¡°It feels loose? Like I could slip out of it, if I wanted to¡­ can you fix it?¡± She asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I can try?¡± Chris agreed, focusing on their connection, trying to strengthen it. The connection did get stronger, but Chris felt pressure build as it did. He frowned, letting it go as the connection went loose again. ¡°Not permanently, but if it looks like it''s close to breaking, I can probably stabilize it for a bit.¡±


    Jello grimaced. ¡°But I don''t want to lose our connection!¡±


    Chris looked a bit surprised, giving her a slight smile and patting her on the head. ¡°Don''t worry, even if the connection breaks, I''m not going to abandon you.¡±


    Jello wiggled happily, then scowled as she thought about losing the connection again. ¡°I still don''t want to lose it.¡± She grumbled.


    ¡°We''ll do our best not to stress it, don''t worry. I''m just wondering why it''s loose¡­¡± Chris muttered. ¡°It has to be because of your mutation, right? Because¡­ you''re stronger? That''s probably it. You''ve probably exceeded my space''s natural ability to dominate.¡± Chris nodded as he figured out the problem. He''d always figured he had to have a limit somewhere and Jello had gone over it. He just wondered where exactly it was¡­ it was probably somewhere in mid-tier, if he had to guess, like his barriers.


    ¡°So if I''m weaker, the connection will get stronger again?¡± Jello asked with a thoughtful expression.


    Chris frowned at her. ¡°Jello, you are not making yourself weaker just to strengthen our connection. I don''t even know how you would, but even if you could, it wouldn''t be worth it.¡±


    Jello pouted, then brightened as another idea came to her. ¡°Then what if we made you stronger!?!¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I''m pretty sure my space is as strong as it''s going to get. I mean, I mutated just like you, in better conditions even, and as far as I can tell, nothing about it changed. Hell, the fact that our connection is looser is proof it didn''t change, because if it had, we wouldn''t be having this problem!¡±


    Jello cocked her head. ¡°So we need to make the space stronger?¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Sure? But there''s no way to actually do it, so it isn''t really a solution, is it?¡±


    ¡°If it exists, it can be strengthened!¡± Jello declared firmly. ¡°We just don''t know how yet, but we''ll learn! And then our connection will be stronger than ever!¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re certain of a lot of things for something that barely even had a mind a day ago.¡±


    Jello stuck her tongue out at him. ¡°It isn''t my fault you can''t see the obvious.¡±


    ¡°And how is this one obvious?¡± Chris asked skeptically. ¡°There are plenty of things out there that can''t be strengthened. Like diamonds. They''re pretty much as hard as something can get. No real way to improve it.¡±


    Jello frowned. ¡°Well¡­ okay, if something is at the limit of strength, then sure, you can''t improve it, but your space obviously isn''t at the limit because there are things stronger than it!¡±


    ¡°Steel isn''t as hard as a diamond and there''s no way for it to be.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°In fact, all materials have intrinsic qualities that can''t be altered. Steel is steel, diamonds are diamonds, water is water, and so on.¡±


    ¡°What if your categorization is wrong?¡± Jello suggested. ¡°You see diamonds and steel as different, but they''re all materials, aren''t they? And you can always make a stronger material!¡±


    Chris opened his mouth to retort, before pausing, realizing she had a point. Materials were all just different ways particles arranged themselves, and different arrangements had different strengths. ¡°Okay, fine, you may have something there. But I wouldn''t take that as a guarantee that my space can get stronger, since it isn''t an ability, it isn''t material¡­ I''m honestly not sure what it is anymore. I''m not saying it isn''t possible, but I wouldn''t necessarily be confident that it is either.¡±


    ¡°It''s okay! I''ll be confident for you!¡± Jello assured him happily.


    ¡°You do that.¡± Chris replied with a slight indulgent smile. ¡°Now, I still want to see what''s going on with our essences. Mind if I hop in your head for a bit?¡±


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    ¡°Of course not!¡± Jello agreed.


    Chris projected himself into her head, focusing on her energy and vitality sense, comparing Jello''s essence to his. It took a moment to make sense of what he was sensing, but once he did, he had to admit there were some obvious similarities between them. Chris returned to himself with a sigh. He wasn''t expecting to find anything different, but it still left him feeling¡­ off. Were one or both of his parents really still out there? Should he look for them? Did this mean his stipend from his parents death was technically fraud? Chris grimaced. This was going to be a mess, he just knew it.


    *


    ¡°Chris, you''re back!¡± Beth greeted him excitedly as he arrived for dinner, pulling him into a tight hug.


    ¡°I haven''t really been gone?¡± Chris pointed out, slightly confused.


    Beth sighed. ¡°I know, but there''s just something different about it being you, instead of Dyrdek being controlled by you. I mean, I couldn''t hug Dyrdek like this.¡± She squeezed him a bit tighter.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°But we were still hanging out in my space?¡±


    Beth pulled back, glaring at him. ¡°It''s just better, okay Chris?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡±


    ¡°So, how''d your mutation work out?¡± Derek interjected before Chris got himself in trouble.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Four times improvement in physique and I actually have ability energy now. I think I might be a high-tier, but I''d need to go to the ability management office to check, which probably won''t happen till next Monday, since Jacobs will definitely want to be there.¡± He paused as he noticed everyone staring at him in shock. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You- what- how?!?¡± Zack exclaimed incredulously.


    ¡°Mutation?¡± Chris offered. ¡°Jello''s ability energy increased as well, so I''m pretty confident that''s just what happens when you mutate.¡±


    ¡°Before or after the physique improvement?¡± Nadia asked seriously.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Before, so I guess with that I might be equivalent to a superior-tier?¡±


    ¡°What even are you?¡± Carmen muttered, shaking her head.


    ¡°I''m me.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°Does this mean you have a new ability?¡± Beth asked curiously.


    Chris paused. ¡°I honestly don''t know¡­ I can''t tell if I do, so I''d need to see a Reader.¡±


    Derek shook his head. ¡°You''re just insistent on getting more and more ridiculous, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°I mean, I''m not exactly trying to be, but yeah, that does seem to be the trend.¡± Chris sighed.


    ¡°As long as you''re still you, I don''t care how ridiculous you get.¡± Beth assured him, latching onto his arm with a smile.


    ¡°Do you mind if I ignore this for the squad?¡± Nadia asked, rubbing her temple as a slight headache began to build. This was the first development that might need her to change how they used Chris, but¡­ they needed Chris where he was!


    ¡°Go for it.¡± Chris gave her a thumbs up. He knew trying to expand his role in the squad any further would cause problems. That was why they were using Dyrdek after all. No, his new power was definitely an emergency only kind of thing.


    ¡°He can''t possibly pull off anything more ridiculous than this, right?¡± Zack asked Derek as they got their food.


    ¡°Wanna bet?¡± Derek asked with a smirk.


    Zack hesitated, glancing at Chris, before shaking his head. ¡°Hell no. At this point, the dude could announce he''s taking us all to the surface, and I wouldn''t be surprised.¡±


    ¡°You want to go to the surface?¡± Chris interjected.


    Zack froze. ¡°Please, tell me you''re joking.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I''m joking.¡± Chris replied with a smirk.


    Zack narrowed his eyes at him for a moment. ¡°You''re fucking with me.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°So you can''t take us to the surface, right?¡± Zack confirmed.


    Chris''s smirk grew slightly. ¡°That''s not what I said.¡±


    Zack groaned. ¡°Come on, man, don''t do this to me. Can you or can''t you!?!¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±


    Zack hesitated. ¡°Only- only if you say no.¡±


    ¡°Then no.¡± Chris shrugged.


    Zack glared at him for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°Nope, I''m not biting! I don''t care if you can or can''t, just leave me out of it!¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Chris chuckled, getting one last dirty look from Zack before he stomped off with his food.


    ¡°That was rude.¡± Beth chastised him, struggling to suppress a smile as she did.


    ¡°Hey, a little confusion never hurt anyone.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°It''s frustrating as hell though.¡± Derek grumbled, glancing at Chris hesitantly. ¡°You don''t actually have a way to the surface, do you?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to?¡± Chris asked.


    Derek''s expression went stiff. ¡°Fucking hell, I hate you sometimes.¡± He muttered, shaking his head and following after Zack.


    Chris chuckled lightly, pausing as he noticed Beth glaring at him. ¡°Don''t ever do that to me, okay?¡± She insisted.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Chris smiled. ¡°That''d require me to keep secrets from you, and I don''t keep secrets from you.¡± He paused. ¡°Which reminds me, we need to talk later. Privately.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°We do?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I learned some things today that I think you need to know.¡±


    Beth eyed him warily. ¡°After dinner?¡±


    ¡°After dinner.¡± Chris agreed.


    *


    After dinner, Chris set the other four up with a game before retreating to his private space with Beth, Jello waiting for them. Chris made them a couch as Jello launched herself at Beth, shifting into her little girl form again. ¡°Big Sister!¡±


    Chris froze. ¡°Wait, what?!?¡± There was no way one of Beth''s parents could be the same as his, right?!?


    Jello looked at him curiously from where she''d latched herself onto Beth. ¡°She''s going to be your wife, isn''t she? Doesn''t that make her my sister according to human customs?¡±


    Chris collapsed onto the couch in relief. ¡°Fuck, you almost gave me a heart attack. Yes, when we get married she''d be your sister-in-law. Or if, since we haven''t made anything official yet¡­ should I buy a ring?¡± Chris trailed off, muttering to himself.


    ¡°That''s great! Big Sister is the best!¡± Jello squealed happily, tightening her grip on Beth.


    ¡°Chris, what- hold on!¡± Beth exclaimed, pulling Jello off and holding her up to examine her. ¡°Why does she look like she could be our kid?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure, but it wasn''t because of me.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°I didn''t want to look like someone else, so I mixed together my two favorite people!¡± Jello provided, hesitating as Beth frowned. ¡°Was- was that wrong?¡±


    Beth sighed, sitting next to Chris and putting Jello on her lap. ¡°No, it''s fine. But you know my dad will have comments.¡±


    ¡°Honestly? One of the first things I thought of too.¡± Chris agreed.


    Beth smiled, leaning into him, before pausing as she processed more of the conversation. ¡°Chris. Why would I be Jello''s sister-in-law?¡±


    ¡°Because she''s my sister. Probably.¡± Chris replied.


    Beth sat up to glare at him. ¡°Chris, what did I just tell you not to do!?!¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°What? No! Jello actually is most likely my sister! See, slimes have this method of identifying themselves that combines their vitality and energy senses to determine someone''s essence. It''s how they recognize each other across mutations, and my essence is close enough to Jello''s that it''s pretty hard to say we aren''t related. It''s why slimes never fight my connection, because they think I''m one of them. Our current theory is that one of my parents is a slime that mutated into a human. Of course, it could just be a coincidence, something about my space messing with my essence, but I think the odds of my essence randomly matching a slime''s are lower than a slime getting a human form and infiltrating the City.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°Oh.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Yeah. It also means at least one of my parents might still be alive, because Jello is only four or five years old, but I''m not sure I even want to touch that one, because how am I supposed to deal with someone who''s essentially a stranger, yet not? That is just too complicated a relationship for me to be comfortable with.¡±


    ¡°Chris, stop talking.¡± Beth groaned, still trying to process the idea that one of his parents might be a slime, let alone the fact they may still be alive! Chris fell silent, giving her some time to process. ¡°You''re still- you''re still you, right?¡± She asked, knowing the answer but needing to hear him say it.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Who else would I be?¡±


    Beth let out a long sigh of relief as she leaned back into him. ¡°As long as you''re you, I don''t care how ridiculous you are. I still love you.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you already say that?¡± Chris pointed out.


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°It bore repeating, due to the fact you might not qualify as human anymore.¡± She paused. ¡°We can still have kids, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably? I mean, I''ve never checked, but I don''t know why we wouldn''t be able to. I''m still genetically human, and if any residual slimeness would be an issue, I wouldn''t be here, would I?¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Plus, if all else fails, we can just find some dude you like the genetics of and I''ll steal his form.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°That¡­ seems wrong on some level.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, it just does!¡± Beth sighed.


    Chris paused. ¡°Then¡­ if I couldn''t have kids, would it be a problem for you?¡±


    Beth hesitated. ¡°No¡­ but I wouldn''t be happy about it.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Yeah, neither would I. Though¡­ I''ve always kind of felt like I should adopt.¡±


    ¡°That could work?¡± Beth agreed tentatively, before shaking her head. ¡°We should probably wait until we actually know if it''s an issue before we start making plans.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Chris glanced at her. ¡°So we''re both just accepting that we''re going to get married, huh?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any doubts?¡± Beth asked, half cheekily, have seriously.


    ¡°None.¡± Chris replied firmly. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Not one.¡± Beth smiled, snuggling closer to him.

 Space: 21 - Imp subjugation (1)

    The rest of boot camp was fairly uneventful as Chris''s space finally seemed to run out of new tricks to pull and Chris could focus on developing his skills as a scout, mechanic, and minion coordinator. All he needed to do for scouting and coordinating his minions was polish the skills he already had, but starting in the second half of boot camp, his mechanics class moved from simple maintenance and repair to actually designing and creating specialized equipment for the squad. For Beth, he created a pair of knuckle spikes with retractable barbs that she could use to pull enemies in or punch into walls to anchor herself. For Nadia, he made spined metal loops that were designed to catch T''ka¡¯s threads if spun one way and cut if spun the other, giving the two a bit more synergy. Carmen got a spear with a spring loaded spike to give her attacks some extra oomph when necessary. For himself, Chris made a gun for his portals which was essentially just two tubes welded together, one vertical, one horizontal. And for everyone else, he made dart guns that used compressed air to fire, because he wasn''t sure what else to do for them. The only unique one was Derek''s, which had darts that connected to the gun through wires, so he could use his ability through them.


    Of course, that was just personal equipment. Chris''s main focus was the various traps the squad would be using, because ultimately the best way to win a fight was to incapacitate your enemy before they even knew you were there. This was where Chris''s space really shone, because most squads simply didn''t have the storage space for more than the most basic sort of traps. A few spikes to line a pit and some tripwire was about all they could pull off. Still, Chris''s space wasn''t unlimited, so he focused on two types. The first was a set of four spikes that would spring open at a forty-five degree angle, impaling anyone who charged into it and acting as a barrier for anyone behind. The second was a set of four blades that would lie open before snapping shut, cutting through anything that happened to get in its way. For anything else, Cabbage, Sidulpek, and T''ka had it covered. Cabbage could make pits, T''ka could make threads to trip and bind, and Sidulpek''s ability could hide it all.


    As for Chris''s ability¡­ well, he still didn''t have one. According to the Reader at the ability management office, the energy inside him was no different than ambient energy, utterly incapable of producing an effect. At least, until he borrowed the ability of one of his minions, at which point it shifted to match their ability''s energy. Which, according to the Reader, was the strangest damn thing he''d ever seen. As for the actual strength of his ability, in his base form it reached eleven ability units, shooting up to forty-four when he transformed. The cut-off for high-tier was nine ability units, and the cut-off for superior was twenty-seven, so Chris was officially a high-tier and tentatively a superior-tier. The only reason the superior-tier was tentative was because the Ability Management Department couldn''t decide whether he should be classified as superior-tier or high-tier with a mid-tier physique, because technically his ability didn''t reach the standard for superior-tier. Not that Chris particularly cared. The power was the same either way, so did it really matter what you called it? Chris just left all that crap to Jacobs and focused on his training.


    Chris got Jello checked as well, finding that her ability had reached a little higher than his at fourteen ability units, while her physique hadn''t actually improved at all, or more accurately, her ability was her physique. Jello''s ability had expanded from simply altering the consistency of her body to affecting any quality her body possessed, while her body had expanded to encapsulate as many qualities as it could, including aspects of bone, organs, brain matter, and even stone and metal. This, combined with the data stored in her core, allowed her to transform herself into anything she''d consumed before her mutation. The mutation had also strengthened her natural telekinesis, allowing her to control a larger body, so she took a few weeks to slowly grow from large enough to form the body of a four year old to enough for the body of a ten old.


    The squad continued to progress through boot camp, the tasks set before escalating in difficulty as they did, until they arrived at the Sunday of the fifteenth week. The squad gathered outside the barracks, kitted out in full combat gear: a duster made of mid-tier leather covering their neck, torso, and upper thigh, a vest made of more mid-tier leather plated with hardened ceramic, and a helmet made with a mix of mid-tier leather and a steel mesh. Their equipment was strung across their armor and packed bags sat next to them, ready to be picked up at any moment. All of them stood at attention as they waited for their final practical exercise, an excursion into the Maze. They''d be attached to a veteran platoon on a simple mission to judge whether they were truly ready to be a part of the Scouts. If they passed, they graduated, becoming official members of the Scouts. If not, they were out, and they''d need to go through boot camp all over again, with a new squad.


    ¡°I think I''m going to puke.¡± Zack groaned, doing his best to stay in position as anxiety tore through him.


    ¡°Are you sick?¡± Chris asked curiously. ¡°Do you need to hop in my space real quick?¡±


    ¡°No! Fuck, I''m nervous you robot!¡± Zack snapped, shifting away from Chris. As miraculous as Chris''s ability was, the fact that people had to die to heal made it a¡­ less than comfortable experience. Particularly once Chris started getting creative looking for the ¡®best way to die¡¯.


    Chris clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn. I wanted to try the guillotine.¡±


    Nadia frowned. ¡°Didn''t we already agree to avoid beheading?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I modified it.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Similar concept, just instead of a blade, it''s a giant steel block.¡±


    ¡°So it just obliterates the brain before it can process anything?¡± Nadia muttered thoughtfully.


    ¡°That''s the idea.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°Okay, now I''m going to puke.¡± Carmen grumbled, clutching her stomach.


    Beth sighed. ¡°Chris, Nadia, we agreed that we wouldn''t talk about execution methods in public.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°Sorry.¡± Nadia agreed.


    ¡°Why are you nervous?¡± Derek asked Zack. ¡°I''m not trying to brag or anything, but I''m pretty sure we''re the best squad in the bunch.¡±


    ¡°We''re the most powerful squad, not necessarily the best.¡± Beth corrected.


    ¡°Squads are judged by how well they utilize their capabilities, not by how strong they are.¡± Nadia added. ¡°Otherwise high-tiers would get in automatically.¡±


    ¡°That''s what has me nervous.¡± Zack grimaced. ¡°What kind of test are we going to go through to account for him?¡± He waved at Chris. ¡°Our last practical exercise had us facing things with venom that could melt someone''s brain in a few seconds!¡±


    ¡°Really should have saved that.¡± Chris muttered to himself. It would have been an excellent execution method.


    ¡°We dealt with it, didn''t we?¡± Beth retorted. ¡°And we''ll deal with this, too.¡±


    ¡°If nothing else, I''ll make sure you all survive.¡± Chris added. ¡°I''d rather we all fail than see any of you die.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''d fucking suck, but better to live and try again, right?¡± Derek agreed.


    Nadia groaned. ¡°But I like our squad.¡±


    Beth wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ¡°Hey, even if we change squads, we''ll still be friends! You couldn''t get away from me if you tried!¡± She gave her a tight squeeze, causing her to flush.


    ¡°Can I get a hug?¡± Zack asked.


    ¡°Sure, buddy.¡± Derek chuckled, wrapping an arm around him.


    ¡°Not from you!¡± Zack complained, suppressing a laugh. Chris paused, before wrapping his arm around him. ¡°Not you either!¡± Chris opened a portal and Dyrdek jumped out, wrapping his arms around Zack''s waist as they all burst out laughing.


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    ¡°I''m glad to see you''re all so relaxed.¡± Sergeant Callista commented as she arrived, the squad quickly composing themselves and snapping to attention. ¡°Or perhaps your success in your practical exercises has made you overly confident?¡±


    Zack suppressed a groan as Beth snapped a salute. ¡°No, ma''am! We will take this task as seriously as every other assignment we''ve been given, ma''am!¡±


    Sergeant Callista grunted in grudging acceptance. Despite certain advantages- Her eyes flicked towards Chris- the squad hadn''t let themselves become lax in their duties. It was one of the few things that gave her hope for this squad. If they could maintain this attitude, they could go far. But if they didn''t¡­ she feared they were in for a hard lesson. Too many times she''d seen squads become overly reliant on powerful abilities, only to fall apart the moment they encountered something the ability couldn''t deal with. If they were lucky, it''d happen in boot camp, where the instructors could keep things under control. Unfortunately, Chris''s ability fell in the latter camp, the abilities that were strong enough that the boot camp lacked the resources and knowledge necessary to counter them and those¡­ those rarely ended well. Sergeant Callista handed Beth a slip of paper. ¡°You''ve been assigned to Platoon Four. They''ve been tasked with the subjugation of a tribe of imps on the seventh level. You''ll receive more details from Captain Nefred. Good luck.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma''am!¡± Beth saluted, echoed by the rest of the squad.


    ¡°Dismissed!¡± Sergeant Callista roared, the squad immediately picking up their bags and strapping them on, before marching off to Platoon Four. Sergeant Callista watched them go with a distant look in her eye, fervently hoping that Chris''s ability wouldn''t ruin them.


    *


    ¡°Imps. Why did it have to be imps?¡± Zack complained as they made their way to Platoon Four.


    ¡°Because of me?¡± Chris replied, giving him a weird look like it should have been obvious. ¡°Imps provide the ultimate test of my scouting and mechanical abilities, due to their intricate and easily overlooked traps.¡±


    ¡°They''re also highly intelligent and one of the most strategically difficult creatures to face.¡± Beth added.


    ¡°Tactically as well.¡± Nadia agreed. ¡°Their physical weakness forces them to rely on tricks and traps to defeat their enemies.¡±


    ¡°Watch out for their poisons.¡± Carmen informed them. ¡°Imps come up with new ways to make them all the time, so they''re hard to predict.¡± She paused. ¡°Collect samples if you can, though, it could be valuable.¡±


    ¡°We should requisition some stink bombs if we can.¡± Derek suggested. ¡°Imps have incredibly sensitive noses.¡±


    ¡°We''d have to be careful with them.¡± Beth warned. ¡°A stink bomb makes the first encounter easy, but then every imp in the area knows you''re there and stuffs its nose with perfume to protect themselves.¡±


    ¡°We should talk with the captain about using Chris''s minions and portals to dump a bunch right in the middle of the tribe before they even know we''re there.¡± Nadia muttered. ¡°I''m not sure if we could be quick enough to take advantage of it though. It depends on the specific objectives.¡±


    ¡°If their sense of smell is that sensitive, I''m not sure how easily my minions could sneak in.¡± Chris countered. ¡°I might be able to get one in if it borrows Sidulpek''s ability, but I don''t think that''d be enough to hit the entire tribe.¡±


    ¡°You only need the one to sneak in, while the others just hold the portals it sets.¡± Nadia retorted. ¡°A single paw or tail shouldn''t set the imps off.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, that should work.¡± Chris nodded. He hadn''t quite figured out how it all worked yet, but he couldn''t just leave portals lying around. They needed to be ¡®in range¡¯ of either him or one of his subordinates. Sort of, because he could leave portals without anyone around them when he or his minions entered his space. In any case, as long as one of his minions had a physical presence outside his space near a portal, it would stay.


    ¡°You guys do realize we could die here, right?¡± Zack asked incredulously. ¡°Imp traps can kill you instantly, before even Chris could save you! Falling boulders, spikes through the head, collapsing pitfalls, swinging blades¡­ if something like that gets us, we''re done!¡±


    Derek gave him a weird look. ¡°Zack, we''ve been over this like a hundred times by now. We all know Chris''s space isn''t going to save us from everything. We all knew we''d end up dealing with things that might kill us anyway. This isn''t news.¡±


    Zack groaned. ¡°I know, but- I thought we''d at least be out of boot camp before we faced something like that! But these last few weeks, every time we end up facing something that could kill us if we get careless! My nerves are fried!¡±


    The whole squad stopped, turning to look at him with concern. ¡°Zack¡­ do you want to quit?¡± Beth asked him in a quiet voice.


    Zack hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°No- no, I''m good. I just- I''m tense. I haven''t had a chance to really relax in weeks now, and- it''s just getting to me a little.¡± The others nodded in understanding. As the challenge level of the practical exercises increased, their free time on Sundays had been getting shorter and shorter, until it was practically non-existent. Coupled with the growing intensity of their daily training as the instructors pushed them harder and harder to pull as much improvement out of them as they could, the hour and a half they got of free time every night was barely enough for them to decompress, let alone relax. It was frustrating for all of them.


    ¡°If you''re reaching your limits, it''s better to tell us now, than after we get to the Maze.¡± Nadia warned.


    ¡°We aren''t going to hate you if you can''t.¡± Carmen added. ¡°We''d rather go through boot camp again than see you crack under the pressure and get yourself hurt, or worse.¡±


    ¡°No, guys, I''m fine, really. I can do this.¡± Zack assured them. ¡°Complaining is just how I get shit out of my system. If I let it build up, it feels like too much, but once I get it out there¡­ I''m good. We could die, yeah, but I knew that when I signed up. Fuck, this is just what a normal squad deals with, isn''t it? Those poor schmucks who aren''t squad mates with an immortal god of bullshit.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Derek laughed, turning to Chris. ¡°I''m getting you that on a t-shirt.¡±


    Nadia narrowed her eyes at Zack for a moment, as if checking something, before nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Alright, we should hurry up. We don''t want to start things off by being late.¡±


    ¡°Right, double time it!¡± Beth shouted, the squad getting moving and picking up speed as they started to jog. This was the final hurdle before they finally became full Scouts, and none of them wanted to fail.


    *


    ¡°Recruit Squad D, reporting for duty, sir!¡± Beth announced as they arrived at Platoon Four''s barracks, the whole squad saluting as she did.


    ¡°At ease, recruits.¡± Captain Nefred waved dismissively. ¡°It''s been a long time since my platoon has hosted a recruit squad, and I don''t have the patience to deal with everyone saluting me every five seconds. Were you briefed on the mission?¡±


    ¡°All we were told was that we''d be helping with the subjugation of a tribe of imps on the seventh level.¡± Beth replied, no longer saluting but maintaining a rigid stance.


    Captain Nefred nodded. ¡°That about sums it up. Not the type of mission you''d usually take a recruit squad on, but I hear this squad is a bit special. Your last exercise was exterminating a nest of death''s shadow scorpions, correct? Not many squads would be willing to tackle something like that, not without specialized abilities and equipment, which you did not have.¡±


    ¡°We determined it was within our capabilities, sir.¡± Beth replied simply.


    Captain Nefred snorted. ¡°You made it look almost easy, from what I heard!¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°We- simplified the process, but I wouldn''t say it was easy, sir. We were lucky that one of our squad mates has a dominated creature that was capable of defeating the scorpions¡¯ camouflage. Fighting creatures with such a potent venom on top of the danger presented by their mid-tier physique was still a very¡­ tense process.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have no doubt.¡± Captain Nefred chuckled, before clapping his hands. ¡°Alright, enough of that. Which one of you is in charge of equipment?¡±


    ¡°Me, sir.¡± Derek announced, stepping forward.


    ¡°You''ve been tasked with subjugating a tribe of imps on the seventh floor. You know the tribe has forty to sixty fighting members, access to fungal biome types four, nine, and thirteen, and wasp colonies are common in the area. What equipment are you bringing?¡± Captain Nefred asked. Derek frowned, considering the details for a moment, before listing off all the supplies you''d need for that scenario, starting with the necessities then adding a few extras on top that would be nice to have if they had the space, like the stink bombs. ¡°Stink bombs, eh?¡± Captain Nefred shook his head. ¡°Everyone always goes straight to the stink bombs, but it''s overkill for imps. Sure, you can wipe out a small group with it, but then the rest of the tribe is on guard so you can''t use anything else! Better to go for something milder that will disorient a group, but won''t spread through the whole damn Maze.¡±


    ¡°We- actually had some thoughts on that, sir.¡± Nadia interjected, stepping forward. ¡°We believe it might be possible to hit the entire tribe simultaneously using Chr- Recruit Vincent''s portals, subduing them all at the same time. It''s just a question of if the platoon is capable of taking advantage of it in time.¡±


    Captain Nefred blinked slowly. ¡°Is that so?¡± He considered her for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Alright, take me through it.¡± Nadia quickly outlined the idea, sticking to the key points that could make it work. ¡°It''s a bit tricky but if we find ourselves in a position to pull it off¡­ definitely worth bringing the stink bombs, just in case.¡± He pulled out a pad and quickly wrote up a requisition order before handing it to Derek. ¡°Go pick these up and hurry back. We''re porting out in two hours.¡±

 Space: 22 - Imp subjugation (2)

    Once Derek returned with the stink bombs, Captain Nefred explained the details of the mission. The imp tribe had begun expanding recently and showing signs of a larger than average number of high-tiers, so their job was to cut their population down before it became a bigger problem, specifically targeting their high-tiers. It wasn''t a complicated mission, but the fact that they were dealing with imps made things bad enough. They were still recruits, after all. They''d be working with four squads from Platoon Four, who''d be doing the majority of the work while they did their best to support and showcase their usefulness.


    The squad did their final checks while they waited to be sent into the Maze, making sure everything was in order. They had all their equipment, Chris''s space was fully stocked, and Jacobs had managed to get one of his rats to an inspection point, so while he wouldn''t be able to go directly to the City, he''d still be able to get them all to safety if necessary. ¡°Is there anything else we need to prepare?¡± Beth asked, looking around the squad.


    Derek shook his head. ¡°I''ve gone down the list. We''ve done everything we can.¡±


    Beth nodded, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves as the pressure of it all began to weigh on her. This was it! The final challenge before they became Scouts! She looked around the squad, letting her gaze rest on each and every one of them, her confidence growing as she did. They''d been through some shit the past few weeks, and every time they''d stepped up and proved their mettle. She couldn''t imagine this time would be any different. They were ready. They wouldn''t fail.


    ¡°Platoon, ready!¡± Captain Nefred finally called out, the other three squad leaders calling out affirmatives, Beth following a moment later as they fell into formation, Beth and Derek taking the front followed by Chris and Carmen, with Nadia and Zack in the back. Normal formations went melee and defender, then healer and scout, with utility and ranged in the back, though scout and utility sometimes switched depending on specific abilities. ¡°Move out!¡± Captain Nefred ordered, leading the platoon to the teleportation station, the squads of the platoon falling in line around the recruit squad as they marched, two in front and two behind.


    Once they reached the teleportation station, they began teleporting into the Maze two people at a time by squad. Captain Nefred''s squad went first, followed by the rest of the platoon, before they let the recruit squad in. Beth and Derek went on guard the moment they appeared, watching for any signs of danger as Chris and Carmen came in after them, a portal opening over Chris''s shoulder as Jello jumped out to land on it, Zack and Nadia appearing a moment later. ¡°Good form.¡± Captain Nefred praised them. ¡°Though the child is an interesting choice¡­¡±


    ¡°This is my slime, Jello.¡± Chris explained, Jello shifting into a blob for a moment before turning back. ¡°She can sense energy and vitality, so there are very few creatures who can hide from her.¡±


    ¡°And she looks like a little girl because?¡± Captain Nefred asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Personal preference.¡± Chris shrugged, pausing as he realized how that might be taken. ¡°Hers, not mine.¡± He quickly clarified.


    ¡°Of course.¡± Captain Nefred nodded, giving Chris a weird look. ¡°Alright, form up! The imps are still half a day''s march out!¡± The squads fell into formation again, following his lead towards the imps. They kept a relaxed pace as the scouts ranged ahead of them, watching for any threats they''d need to avoid or resolve along their way.


    ¡°Pack of eight boarcupines, four branches down, left, left, right, left.¡± Chris reported to Beth a few hours into the march. ¡°Dinner?¡±


    ¡°Let me ask.¡± Beth nodded, jogging up to Captain Nefred and reporting what Chris had found.


    Captain Nefred nodded, raising a fist as the platoon came to a halt, the squad leaders moving up to join him. ¡°Our recruits found us some dinner. Boarcupines.¡± He informed them, before turning to Beth. ¡°Do you think your squad can handle it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Beth saluted.


    Captain Nefred grinned. ¡°Good. Carter, you''re on babysitting duty.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Carter saluted as well, turning to Beth. ¡°You''ll take the lead, we''ll just be here to step in if you need us.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°Understood.¡± She returned to the squad, informing them they were taking care of the boarcupines. Chris opened a portal a small distance away from the pack, both squads making their way through, Chris leaving one of his rats with the platoon. ¡°We still have places to be, so we don''t have much prep time.¡± Beth announced. ¡°Chris, what''s the environment look like?¡±


    ¡°They''re set up in a small cavern, three tunnels, nothing else particularly noteworthy.¡± Chris replied.


    Beth nodded, turning to Carmen. ¡°How many do we need to get?¡±


    ¡°We probably only need one for dinner, but we should probably aim for three or four so we can have some for the rest of the mission.¡± Carmen answered.


    Beth frowned, turning to Nadia. ¡°Options?¡±


    ¡°Boarcupines are runners, so we don''t need to worry about getting into a fight. We can probably rely on Cabbage to take one down if we can run them towards him. From ambush, Zack and you can take one each¡­ Derek and I could get another¡­ We''ll need Sidulpek for cover. If we unleash Chris with Dyrdek''s ability, he can probably take two. Then one for Jello, and the last can be handled by T''ka and Carmen, at least until one of us is free.¡± Nadia muttered. ¡°Scaling back to account for risk, leave one to Cabbage, you and I pair up for another, Derek and Zack for a third, Carmen and T''ka for the fourth, with Jello and Chris ready to jump in when necessary.¡±


    ¡°Chris, can you get us to all three tunnels?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°Are any of the tunnels close together?¡± Beth continued.


    ¡°Relatively. Good enough to support each other if necessary.¡± Chris confirmed.


    ¡°Alright, here''s the plan. We''ll have Cabbage set up in the solitary tunnel, and split into two groups for the other two.¡± Beth announced.


    ¡°In that case, Beth, Chris, and I will be in one group, Derek, Zack, Carmen, T''ka, Sidulpek, and Jello in the other. Sidulpek will provide cover for group two as they ambush the pack, then group one will come in after, driving the pack towards Cabbage.¡± Nadia confirmed their tactics.


    Chris moved his minions into position, opening portals for the squad, everyone moving into place. Carter only sent a single member with the first group, leaving the rest with the second. Most squads weren''t set up to split the way theirs was, so the only person he felt confident sending away was his main attacker. He''d need to inform the captain that this squad might need two sets of babysitters. The moment everyone was in position, Chris signaled Sidulpek to start the ambush, the second group creeping towards the boarcupines under the cover of her ability. A few of the creatures shifted warily as they approached, clearly sensing that something was off, but not realizing what before Derek and Carmen burst out, Carmen covering one with her resistance field while Derek lunged forward to stab another with his sword, sending a jolt of electricity into it. The boarcupines squealed as they turned to run, spines bristling threateningly to discourage pursuit. Nadia caught one by the foot, slowing it down enough for Beth to catch it, using her spike knuckles to punch into its side, releasing the barbs to keep it from running. The boarcupine panicked and shot out a barrage of spines, most of which were blocked by a quickly erected barrier from Chris, but Beth was too close to avoid getting stuck in the arm a few times, her armor not protecting it while it was stretched out. She growled as she yanked the creature to the side and freed up a spike to launch through its skull, ending the fight. Zack had already executed the two their group had captured, just leaving a single boarcupine still struggling to escape from Cabbage¡¯s vice-like grip on its leg. Chris opened a portal over the creature''s head for Beth, and she quickly executed it, ending the battle.


    ¡°Anyone else get hit?¡± Chris asked, opening a portal to his space next to Beth. Carmen grimaced, raising her hand. One of her target''s spines had been outside her resistance field and shot through her hand. It was a minor injury, but it wasn''t something she could just ignore. ¡°Alright, get in.¡± Chris waved her over as he adjusted his space, making it taller and creating four metal rails and a bench. ¡°Beth, you first.¡± He waved for her to lie down as he absorbed the spines still in her arm into his space. ¡°Make sure your ability is off.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it''d make much of a difference.¡± Beth grumbled, lying down on the bench. Her resistance to blunt force was good, but not that good.


    ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡± Chris shrugged, making a box around the device to contain any spatter.


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    ¡°What''s going on here?¡± Carter asked curiously, entering the space. He''d come over to congratulate them, getting sidetracked by whatever this was.


    ¡°Healing.¡± Carmen explained, looking sick.


    ¡°You need that to heal?¡± Carter asked skeptically, waving at the strange device.


    ¡°No.¡± Carmen sighed as a block of steel appeared at the top of the device. ¡°We need to die.¡± She continued as the block descended, landing with a dull crack as Carter went pale.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Chris asked after Beth healed, taking down the cover.


    ¡°Better than most?¡± Beth replied hesitantly. ¡°It didn''t feel like much, but the setup drags things out too much, so the dread has time to build.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Chris grunted. ¡°Would it be better the second time?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Beth shook her head. While the pain wasn''t a pleasant part of dying, the real issue was the instinctual urge to live, and the fear that this time they wouldn''t be coming back, as unlikely as it may be.


    Chris sighed. ¡°Damn. I thought I had something there.¡±


    Beth patted his shoulder. ¡°You''ll get there, I''m sure.¡±


    Chris nodded, turned to Carmen. ¡°Alright, you''re up. Want to try this or something else?¡±


    ¡°None of the above.¡± Carmen grumbled, walking over and lying on the bench. ¡°But this will do.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed, putting the cover back up and creating another block at the top, letting it fall.


    ¡°What- what is this?!?¡± Carter asked incredulously.


    ¡°Chris''s space only heals people after they die.¡± Beth explained. ¡°We haven''t quite figured out the best way to kill ourselves yet.¡±


    ¡°That one was not it!¡± Carmen exclaimed as she rolled off the bench. ¡°Watching that thing descend is horrifying!¡±


    ¡°Why did you watch it?!?¡± Beth retorted incredulously.


    ¡°How could I not?!?¡± Carmen snapped back. ¡°Plus it isn''t like the sound of it is any better.¡±


    ¡°I need to get my hands on Sabrina''s ability.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°That was a good way to die.¡±


    Carter blinked, before deciding that he wanted nothing to do with whatever was going on here. ¡°Okay, well, congratulations. That was a very well executed hunt, more than adequate results with barely any injuries to talk about.¡±


    Beth smiled. ¡°Thank you, sir!¡±


    ¡°Better no injuries at all.¡± Carmen grumbled. ¡°Why couldn''t we get a normal-¡± She froze. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chris asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°They have a healer!¡± Carmen exclaimed, turning to Carter. ¡°Could your healer have patched us up, or is that not allowed?¡±


    Carter glanced at the device. ¡°Our healer would be more than happy to take care of any minor injuries.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that''s what I need to get.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°A minion with a healing ability.¡±


    ¡°I would literally give you my entire salary for a year to make that happen.¡± Carmen agreed seriously.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Beth sighed, before shaking her head. ¡°Come on guys, we have some creatures to take care of.¡±


    The other two nodded, the three of them returning to the cavern to help the others move the corpses into Chris''s space. Chris got rid of the device and returned the space to normal, making four tables for the boarcupines and using portals to get them onto them. He left the rest to Carmen, making her some tools to butcher them, while the rest returned to the platoon. ¡°Sir, we took down four boarcupines. Recruit Garcia is butchering them in Recruit Vincent''s space as we speak.¡± Beth reported to Captain Nefred.


    Captain Nefred blinked, checking his watch. It hadn''t even been fifteen minutes! It wasn''t unusual for a hunting trip to take over an hour! ¡°Take fifteen, then we''ll set out.¡± He ordered, sending Beth back to the squad before turning to Carter. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Carter hesitated. ¡°It''s- hard to say. They''re all undeniably competent, however¡­ any other squad would have gotten two, maybe three boarcupines, with a bit of risk. This squad could have reasonably tried for the entire pack, but instead chose to take a guaranteed four, to avoid almost any risk. I- can''t decide if that''s reasonable or overly cautious.¡±


    Captain Nefred nodded. ¡°That seems normal, according to my reports. A squad that approaches every challenge cautiously, no matter how dangerous. It seems strange, given their abilities, doesn''t it?¡±


    Carter paused for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°I don''t believe it''s strange at all, sir. Knowing what they need to go through for even a minor injury, I can understand their caution. I just can''t decide if that caution is a hindrance or a boon.¡± He considered it for a moment. ¡°I think the true test will be when they face a challenge that requires risks. Will they attempt it anyway? Or will they avoid it for fear of the consequences?¡±


    Captain Nefred frowned. ¡°I''m not sure our superiors would appreciate us putting them in that much danger.¡±


    Carter shrugged. ¡°It''s your call, sir. I''m simply giving my opinion.¡±


    Captain Nefred hummed slightly, then let out a snort. ¡°Which would you rather have? A solid squad at your back or cowards that would abandon you the moment things got difficult? No, I think our superiors will just have to suck it up this time.¡±


    Carter grinned. ¡°As you say, sir.¡±


    *


    It took another few hours of marching for the platoon to reach the edge of the imps territory, setting up camp in a defensible cavern. As a rule, Scout camps were always set up in three tunnel caverns. Any less and the platoon could easily be trapped. Any more, and it would be hard for a single squad to properly keep watch, since each tunnel needed two people observing it, and since each tunnel needed to be kept under constant watch, it was important that it could be covered by a single squad, since the platoon only had four normally.


    ¡°Since the recruits and Carter took the hunt, they get first rest.¡± Captain Nefred announced. ¡°Jolene, your squad has first watch, Mathias, you guys are setting up camp, and we''ll deal with cooking dinner. Recruits, you have the meat ready?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Carmen replied, as Chris opened a portal to reveal rows of cut meat hung up to drain the blood.


    ¡°Well done.¡± Captain Nefred smiled at her, gesturing for his own supply manager to pick out a few pieces for dinner.


    ¡°I saved their ability cores, but I''m not sure if they''re worth it.¡± Carmen added.


    ¡°What levels were they at?¡± Captain Nefred asked.


    ¡°All low-tier, with one close to mid-tier.¡± Carmen replied. Boarcupines were mid-tier physique creatures and unlike tribes, they wouldn''t remain on a lower level if they had the power to climb higher, so they were expected to have weaker abilities.


    Captain Nefred shook his head. ¡°Not worth the effort. You need an upper mid-tier core at the very least to get any significant use out of it. Just toss them with the rest of the offal.¡±


    Chris glanced at Jello as the captain walked off to join his squad in preparing dinner. ¡°You want them?¡±


    Jello shook her head. ¡°Not worth it. It''s been too long for there to be anything valuable left.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°If you say so. Guess I''ll just absorb them with the rest.¡± He wasn''t sure if there was any real point to absorbing energy into his space, since what good was it if it was stuck in there, but it wasn''t like it was doing anyone else any good, so why not? He focused on the ability cores Carmen had pulled out, absorbing them into the space energy and all, then promptly dismissing them from his mind, deciding to see what he could do with the energy later, probably with Jacobs. A moment later he paused, frowning as something felt weird but he couldn''t tell what. Immediately he went to check on the energy in his space, since what else had he done that might have caused something weird to happen, cocking his head as he saw it steadily decreasing for no apparent reason. ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Oh no.¡± Zack groaned. It was never a good sign when Chris looked confused for no apparent reason.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Beth asked, looking simultaneously worried and suspicious.


    ¡°No? I absorbed the energy from the cores, but it''s being drained- well, it''s gone now, but it was being drained, and I can''t figure out why.¡± Chris explained. ¡°It wasn''t like I was going to do anything with it, so it doesn''t really matter, it''s just weird, you know?¡± He shook his head. ¡°Hold on, I''m going to go in and check it out.¡± Chris walked into his space looking around. His minions were still hanging out, all his stuff was still there, the equipment and supplies were where they were supposed to be¡­ Chris paused, turning in place as he narrowed his eyes. ¡°Hey Beth, could you come in here?¡±


    Beth walked in, looking around. ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°Does the space look¡­ bigger, to you?¡± Chris asked. Ever since he learned he could absorb material into the space, it''d become fairly spartan, the normal set up being a corner for his minions and a corner for the squads supplies, leaving plenty of empty space and making it difficult to actually judge distances, but he swore there was more room in here than before. He turned it back down into a cube, because he was better with shorter distances, and¡­ ¡°That''s bigger than it was, right?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure?¡± Beth replied hesitantly. ¡°It still looks like about two stories to me.¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± He pulled the ceiling down again, looking around. ¡°Okay, hold on.¡± Chris made a line of tables down the center of the space. ¡°We''re at five tables and twoish chair lengths.¡± Chris muttered to himself, making a marker and writing the measurement on the wall. ¡°Now all I need is some more energy.¡±


    Beth smirked. ¡°Good thing we''re in the Maze then, huh? All we need to do is go out and kill something.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°And if it works¡­¡±


    Beth paused. ¡°Then we''re going to need to kill a lot of somethings.¡±

 Space: 23 - Imp subjugation (3)

    Chris focused on his rats, extending his spatial senses through them as they carefully explored the next length of tunnel before the squad, checking it for traps and other signs of imp activity. Just like him, all his minions had a bubble around them he could use to find areas to open portals in, though it was about the tenth of the size. It didn''t give him a lot of information, but it was great for picking out shapes and hidden spaces. They were still a good distance from the tribe, so the traps they''d encountered so far weren''t the imps'' best, simple pitfalls and such, but that wasn''t any reason to relax. Imps didn''t waste a lot of resources on their border areas, but they weren''t scared to leave a little surprise for anyone who decided to get careless. Case in point¡­ ¡°Well that''s not good¡­¡± Chris muttered. ¡°They''ve got this whole tunnel rigged to collapse.¡±


    ¡°Can we stop it or do we need to go around?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°I haven''t figured out the trigger yet.¡± Chris muttered as he studied the mechanisms involved. ¡°It has four traps connected to it¡­ I think you''d need to set off all four to get it to collapse? But there''s no way to disable them without setting them off.¡± Chris finished with a sigh. ¡°We should go around.¡±


    Beth nodded, marking the tunnel on her map as they made their way back to the split and began examining the next tunnel, slowly mapping a safe route to the imp tribe. They were two hours in with four more to go before they had to head back to the camp for two hours on watch. They''d have a four hour break after that, then another four hours on watch before they''d get to sleep for eight hours, waking up for another six hours of scouting, continuing the cycle from there, until the platoon reached the imps. Carter''s squad was on the same cycle as they were, keeping an eye on everything they did to evaluate them and make sure they didn''t fuck up. It was a bit strange that Carter''s squad had them doing pretty much all the work, but it did give them a chance to prove themselves, so they didn''t mind.


    The squad had cleared another four tunnels when Chris paused. ¡°We''ve got company. Imps. Four of them.¡±


    Nadia turned to Beth. ¡°Capture or kill? They could have useful abilities.¡±


    ¡°What''s the risk for capture?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Unknown abilities, so it''s hard to say¡­ with surprise on our side, Derek can disable one for sure and Chris could take a second using Dyrdek''s ability. The other two we can physically subdue fairly easily, but if they have abilities that don''t require movement, it could be risky.¡± Nadia replied.


    Beth frowned, turning to Chris. ¡°Any indication what their abilities might be?¡±


    ¡°Two are unarmed, while the other two both have melee weapons.¡± Chris reported.


    Beth scowled. ¡°The unarmed ones are going to be a problem. We''d need to take them out first.¡±


    ¡°It''d be hard to get to them from an ambush.¡± Chris commented. ¡°The other two are protecting them.¡±


    Beth considered the problem for a moment. ¡°If we can present a threat, the two melees will take the front while the unarmed fall back, leaving them open to ambush. Can we make sure we survive the initial barrage without Chris and Derek?¡±


    Nadia cocked her head. ¡°If we use Cabbage and Carmen together, they should be able to take anything on the lower-end of high-tier. We just have to make sure they target Cabbage and not anyone else.¡± She gestured for the map. ¡°Where are they right now?¡±


    ¡°Next tunnel down, this one, about halfway through at the moment.¡± Chris pointed to the map as he explained.


    ¡°We''re not fighting in a tunnel we haven''t cleared yet.¡± Beth interjected. ¡°Too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°So we need to lure them this way¡­¡± Nadia muttered. ¡°Okay, I have a plan.¡±


    *


    The four imps paused as they entered the intersection connected to the tunnel the squad had just cleared, ears perking up as a scraping sound echoed from the other end. They shared looks and one of the melees made a hand signal, leading the group towards the noise. Scraping sounds were never a good sign in the Maze. No one wanted to risk something digging past their defenses. As they crept closer, the scraping sounds stopped and the imps froze. The second melee imp shifted forward nervously as they all prepared for an attack, the two unarmed imps hands beginning to glow, one red, one white, the entire group carefully creeping forward.


    A low growl echoed through the tunnel as Cabbage charged the imps, a bolt of fire flying at him, catching on Carmen''s resistance field and snuffing out. The other imp sent a spike of ice shooting towards him next, slipping through the resistance field and scraping off his carapace. The melee imps charged forward, one erecting a glowing shield in front of themselves, while the unarmed imps began to charge another attack. Suddenly Derek and Chris in his mutated form stepped from the shadows behind them, Derek charging the ice imp in a burst of electricity, slamming them into the wall of the tunnel with his shield, while Chris¡¯s tail lashed out at the fire imp, tipped with a sickly green glow as it pierced through their gut.


    The fire imp sent a weak fire blast at Chris before it collapsed, which he blocked with a barrier, alerting the melees. The two stumbled to a halt, turning around as they let out distressed cries. The barrier imp charged at Chris as the other disappeared, reappearing behind Derek and tackling him off the ice imp, its dagger digging into his armor but thankfully not penetrating it. Derek cursed, elbowing the teleporting imp in the face and sending it stumbling back, swinging his shield at it, but it disappeared before the blow could connect. It reappeared next to the ice imp, getting a hand on them only to get slammed by Jello, the slime wrapping around both of them and hardening into metal. The imp teleported, bringing both of them away, flashing down the tunnel in short hops, but with Jello latched onto them there was no way they were escaping, so it was just wasting energy. As for the barrier imp, they''d barely gotten a few steps before Beth launched herself down the tunnel, slamming them into the ground with a sickening crunch.


    Chris opened a portal, picking up the fire imp and tossing them in, before waving it over to Beth for her to toss the barrier imp in as he reverted to his human form, shifting his armor slightly as he did. It was designed to accommodate his mutated form, but the forms were different enough that he still needed to make adjustments. ¡°That could have gone better.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t expect one of them to be a fucking teleporter.¡± Nadia grumbled. ¡°They''re always a bitch to plan for.¡± She glanced at him. ¡°Do you have it yet?¡±


    ¡°I''m letting them tire themselves out for a bit.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Teleporting three people can''t be easy.¡±


    Nadia grunted in agreement. ¡°Just don''t let that bastard get away.¡±


    Chris nodded, before pausing. ¡°Hold on.¡± He returned to his mutated form, opening a portal, reaching through, and ripping the bundle of imps and Jello out, slamming them into the ground. The tips of his claws glowed green as he pierced them into the imps, the portal shifting to his space as he picked them up and tossed them through, before turning human again. ¡°The ice imp recovered and tried to freeze Jello.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Is she okay?¡± Beth asked, concerned.


    ¡°Yeah, she''s fine. The imp would have needed more than a few seconds to actually hurt her.¡± Chris assured her.


    Beth released a relieved sigh. ¡°Good.¡± She turned to Nadia. ¡°How could we have handled that better?¡±


    Nadia frowned. ¡°We should have put Zack with Chris and Derek. I don''t think it would have changed much, but the fact that both our main damage dealers were too far to interfere is a problem. If the imp had been more focused on fighting than escaping, Derek could have been in trouble. Otherwise, I don''t think there''s much we could have done. Teleporters are just a bitch to deal with.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°I think we should try to maintain the melee, defender, ranged dynamic whenever possible. There''s a reason the Scouts use it in all their squads.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Nadia agreed.


    ¡°I think I need a way to use my ability through my armor.¡± Derek added. ¡°I could have stunned the imp with that elbow strike so it couldn''t get away.¡±


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    ¡°We could add metal caps to the elbows.¡± Chris suggested. ¡°Or maybe a wire mesh through it all?¡±


    ¡°We''ll deal with equipment modifications after we finish the mission.¡± Beth cut them off, rolling her eyes. ¡°Right now we need to focus on what we have, not what we want.¡± They nodded in agreement as she looked around. ¡°Any other thoughts?¡± Everyone shook their heads. ¡°Alright, then let''s get back to work. These tunnels won''t clear themselves.¡±


    *


    The squad cleared another four tunnels before their shift was over, Chris opening a portal back to camp so they could switch with the next squad, handing the map over as they did. After a quick report to Captain Nefred about their encounter with the imps, they took their turn standing watch until they were relieved by the squad just waking up, settling in to relax for the next four hours. At least, most of the squad did. Chris had some imps to deal with.


    Chris entered his space, where the imps were waiting, bound, gagged, and watched by Jello and T''ka. Three of them could move again, but he''d been periodically dosing the teleporting imp with Dyrdek''s ability to keep them contained. He didn''t know if they could teleport out of his space, but he didn''t want to risk it. ¡°Which one do I want to start with?¡± Chris muttered, considering the four for a moment, trying to figure out which one would give him the least resistance. The teleporter was out, judging by their energy which rivaled Jello''s. Chris wasn''t even sure he was capable of connecting with¡­ him. Unlike goblins and kobolds, imps had clear sexual characteristics, so now that he had a chance to study them, Chris could see that the teleporter and barrier imps were male, while the fire and ice imps were female. Imps actually looked almost human, just shorter with large eyes that made them seem like young teenagers¡­ except for the fact that they were red. That kind of gave it away.


    ¡°Please¡­ no hurt.¡± The fire imp suddenly spoke in broken human. ¡°Do whatever want.¡± She added, shifting slightly to exaggerate her helplessness and biting her lip.


    Chris blinked as he was suddenly confronted with the fact that one, this imp spoke human, and two, she was flirting with him? Chris walked over to the imp as her eyes lit up expectantly, crouching down in front of her, reaching out and¡­ flicking her in the forehead. ¡°Don''t do that.¡± He scolded the stunned imp. ¡°First off, I have a girlfriend, and secondly, you look like you''re thirteen.¡±


    The imp scowled as the ice imp spoke up next. ¡°What want? No dead. Must want something.¡± She asked seriously, staring at Chris intently.


    ¡°Information, mostly.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°But it never hurts to have more minions either.¡± He focused on her. She seemed agreeable enough, and not much stronger than T''ka judging by her energy. ¡°Let''s start with you then.¡± The ice imp resisted for a moment as Chris''s will descended on her, much more than Chris thought she would have, but then a gleam flashed in her eye and the connection clicked into place as a shiver went through her. Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Now isn''t that interesting.¡±


    The ice imp¡¯s eyes went wide as she felt the strength, or rather the absoluteness, of the connection between them, gulping slightly. She''d recognized that even if she fought the connection, she''d inevitably lose. She''d decided it would be wiser to give in for the moment, saving her willpower to fight back later, when it might actually matter. But this- there was nothing to fight back against! She was just¡­ his! ¡°M-Master.¡± She greeted him in a horrified whisper, the fire imp glancing at her in concern. ¡°How- how serve?¡± She asked, dreading the answer.


    ¡°First, language.¡± Chris replied, sending the human language through the connection, causing the imp to wince in pain even as then sudden understanding shocked her to the core. He hesitated for a moment before taking the imp language from her, grimacing as the influx of knowledge came with its own spike of pain. He closed his eyes, taking a moment to partition the languages, before opening them again with a sigh. [Now, let''s connect the rest of you.]


    *


    Connecting the fire imp went a lot like it did with the ice imp. First resistance, then calculation, acceptance, horror, despair, and finally a numb obedience, both imps almost completely shutting down emotionally. As for the barrier imp, it fought the connection as hard as it could before Chris could force it though, a wave of exhaustion hitting him the moment it did. The imps weren''t weak willed by any measure, and he was lucky the two females hadn''t fought harder. Not that it would have stopped him if they did, it just would have taken him longer. Chris released the three connected imps, passing them off to his other minions while he retreated outside to rest with Beth and the others, taking an hour or so to recover before returning to deal with the last imp. Unfortunately, just like Chris had suspected, the teleporting imp was too strong to connect to his space. Chris could break through his resistance, but the connection itself wouldn''t form, the imp¡¯s spirit slipping through it like a bar of soap.


    Chris clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn.¡± He paused. ¡°Well¡­ I did want some more energy.¡± He muttered to himself as he transformed, dosing the imp one more time before picking him up and opening a portal.


    ¡°M-Master?¡± The ice imp called out hesitantly. She was obviously still scared but after spending some time with Chris''s other minions, she felt a slight bit of hope for her situation. Enough that she was willing to interfere with what looked like the death of one of her friends.


    Chris glanced at her. *Yeah?*


    She flinched as Chris''s voice echoed through her mind, taking a deep breath to build up her courage. ¡°What- what are you going to do with Tibolt?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. *Kill him? I can''t form a connection with him, so I can''t control him, which means he''s too dangerous to keep around. I can''t exactly release him either, or he''d warn your tribe about us. I don''t really have another option, you know?*


    The ice imp gulped. ¡°If- If you had another option, would you spare him?¡±


    *Sure.* Chris agreed. *Do you have another option?*


    The ice imp hesitated, before nodding. ¡°You could cripple his ability. His ability core is in his left ankle. Losing it wouldn''t kill him, but his ability would be gone. He''d be no threat to you.¡± Losing your ability was a death sentence in the Maze, but if Tibolt was going to die anyway, this would at least give him a chance. If they were really lucky, Chris might even let him stay! But she didn''t have much hope for that. Who would support someone they had no use for?


    Chris blinked, then closed the portal, checking with his energy vision and seeing that the ice imp wasn''t lying. The tel- Tibolt''s ability core was in his left ankle. But as he stared at the ability core, another idea hit him. The problem was that Tibolt was too strong, right? So¡­ what if he made him weaker? If he could reduce his energy to the point where it matched the ice imps¡­ Chris focused on Tibolt''s energy, giving it a slight tug. A grin split his face, sending a shudder through his minions as they watched him. His mutated form''s grin was not a pleasant sight. The energy had moved! There''d been resistance, some part of Tibolt protesting the theft of his energy, but it could work! All he needed to do was break through this stubborn imp¡¯s will¡­ which he definitely wasn''t going to be able to pull off any time soon. He was absolutely drained from everything he''d done already. Unless¡­


    Chris returned to his human form, crouching down next to Tibolt. [Hey buddy, I know you can hear me in there.] Dyrdek''s ability was a paralytic, not a sedative. It shut the body down, but the mind was still there. [I''m getting real sick of you fighting me, so how about you just stop so you can join your friends over there? Otherwise¡­ well, you''ll still join your friends, because I promised the icey one, but I''m going to take all your ability. Work with me, and yeah, it''ll be weaker, but you''ll still have something. Deal?] Chris gave the energy a tug, grinning as the resistance faded.


    He slowly absorbed Tibolt''s energy, reducing it further and further as he focused on his spirit, pushing at it until the connection clicked into place. Chris frowned. He¡¯d taken a lot of energy, but Tibolt still had plenty left, still more than Chris even, which should still leave him as a high-tier, and Chris was almost positive he couldn''t dominate high-tiers. He looked up, confused, freezing as he took in the space. ¡°I- don''t need to count tables.¡± He muttered. The length and width of his space had almost tripled! He thought. ¡°Damn it.¡± Chris sighed, making tables across the center of the space. ¡°Twelve, thirteen, fourteen.¡± Chris finished counting. ¡°That- is pretty damn conclusive.¡± Absorbing energy did make his space grow! He paused, narrowing his eyes. Did it also make it stronger? He glanced at Tibolt, considering taking just a bit more energy, to see if he could get the space strong enough to strengthen his connection with Jello, before stopping himself. He''d promised he wouldn''t take more than he needed to. Well, he hadn''t exactly but that was the spirit of it. He patted Tibolt on the shoulder. ¡°Welcome to the team. You want to heal now, but painfully, or later? Just think your answer at me.¡±


    *N-now?* Tibolt sent him tentatively.


    ¡°You sure? It isn''t pleasant.¡± Chris asked again, getting a mental nod back. ¡°Alright then. You asked for it.¡± Chris shrugged, transforming his arm to his mutated form, grabbing Tibolt''s head, and squeezing.


    ¡°No!¡± The ice imp cried, rushing towards them, only to stumble as Tibolt sat up with a gasp.


    [That- was not pleasant.] Tibolt shuddered.


    ¡°I warned you.¡± Chris pointed out, standing up. ¡°This isn''t going to be pleasant either.¡± He added as he shoved the human language into his head.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Tibolt cursed, clutching his head.


    ¡°Again, warned you.¡± Chris chuckled, turning to T''ka. ¡°Make sure they all get settled in alright. I need to get some rest.¡± T''ka nodded as he opened a portal, returning to camp and slumping down next to Beth, leaning against her as he promptly fell asleep. Taking new minions was exhausting.

 Space: 24 - Imp subjugation (4)

    ¡°What the shit Chris?!?¡± Zack exclaimed as the squad filed into his space for the night.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Chris blinked at him, still pretty exhausted from the day. ¡°Oh, the space. Yeah, it got bigger.¡±


    ¡°Why!?!¡± Zack asked.


    ¡°I drained that one''s energy.¡± Chris waved at Tibolt, yawning as he did. Fuck he was tired. He''d only gotten to sleep for an hour or so before he had to go on watch for four hours. ¡°Absorbing energy makes the space grow. And possibly stronger. Haven''t fully tested that part yet.¡±


    ¡°I think we could fit the whole platoon in here.¡± Derek muttered, looking around. ¡°And it can get bigger?¡±


    ¡°Should be able to.¡± Chris nodded, rubbing his eyes. ¡°Look, guys, I''m exhausted. Can we talk about this in the morning? I need to report all this to Captain Nefred anyway.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes, everyone get to sleep!¡± Beth clapped her hands, shaking herself from her own thoughts. ¡°We''ve got another long day ahead of us tomorrow!¡±


    The rest of the squad hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, finding spots to bed down for the night. Now that the space was bigger, Chris really needed to add some more material so he could make actual beds for the squad. Plus the new minions. Chris dismissed the thoughts as he curled up next to Beth, Jello still stubbornly insisting on being his pillow, dimming the space and leaving a portal open to the camp in case the platoon needed them, before sleep finally took him.


    *


    The next morning, while the squad was getting a quick breakfast before heading out for their scouting rotation, Chris headed over to Captain Nefred. ¡°Did you manage to dominate one of the imps?¡± The captain asked as Chris arrived.


    ¡°I got all four, sir.¡± Chris confirmed.


    Captain Nefred blinked. ¡°Did you now? Impressive. Have you discovered any pertinent information?¡±


    ¡°I haven''t had a chance to interrogate them yet, sir.¡± Chris replied. ¡°I was wondering if you''d prefer to ask them yourself, or wait until I have a chance later today.¡±


    Captain Nefred considered it for a moment. ¡°The interrogation can wait until you can perform it yourself.¡± He finally replied. ¡°Who am I to deny you a chance to demonstrate your capabilities?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. I''ll have a report ready for you by tomorrow morning.¡± Chris saluted, then returned to the squad. Not much later the squad before them in rotation returned, handing over the map, and they quickly packed up and headed out for another six hours of clearing tunnels.


    ¡°Hey Chris, your new minions should know where all the traps are, right?¡± Derek commented as they made their way to where the last squad had stopped. ¡°Couldn''t we just have them clear the tunnels for us?¡±


    Chris frowned, scratching his head. ¡°I guess¡­ I''m not sure how comfortable they''d feel helping us attack their tribe though.¡±


    Zack rolled his eyes. ¡°Chris, they''re minions. Who cares if they''re comfortable?¡±


    ¡°I do?¡± Chris replied. ¡°Even if they have to obey me, I''d rather they do it willingly than have to micromanage them constantly. It''s better to have friends than puppets, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t that sort of defeat the purpose of capturing them in the first place?¡± Nadia pointed out. ¡°Why have them if you can''t use them?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I''m still going to interrogate them, and if I need to use them to keep the squad safe, then it''s happening whether they like it or not, but I don''t think there''s any benefit in pushing them for a minor convenience. They''re already in a bad position, and I''m not going to make it worse for no good reason.¡±


    ¡°That''s reasonable I suppose¡­¡± Nadia muttered, mentally adjusting any plans to only involve the imps if necessary, more because she knew she couldn''t convince Chris otherwise than because she actually agreed. Not that Chris wouldn''t listen if she did tell him to use them, but a good tactician didn''t antagonize their squad by forcing them to do things they didn''t want to do¡­ On second thought, maybe she did agree with Chris.


    They soon arrived at the most recently cleared tunnel, briefly checking it over before moving on to the next. They were getting closer to the imp tribe, so the traps were becoming more complex and better hidden, forcing them to double and triple check for anything suspicious. Thankfully there weren''t any interruptions this time, so even with the slower progress, they still managed to clear eight tunnels before their shift was over. They returned to the camp and did their two hours on watch before their four hour break.


    ¡°Alright, I''m heading in to talk to the imps.¡± Chris announced as the next squad took over the watch.


    ¡°I''ll come with you.¡± Beth replied. As the squad strategist, figuring out what the enemy was capable of and how to adjust for it was what she did. If anyone should be involved in questioning the imps, it should be her. Chris could get information, but she''d make sure he got the right information.


    Chris shrugged, not even questioning her as he opened a portal to the space. ¡°Imps, get over here.¡± Chris called out as he created a table and chairs for them, sitting down next to Beth as the imps shuffled over warily. ¡°Sit.¡± He ordered, gesturing to the other side of the table. The imps grimaced slightly but did as he said. ¡°Alright, now¡­ actually let''s start with names. I''m Chris, this is Beth, I know you''re Tibolt, and you are?¡± Chris pointed at the barrier imp.


    ¡°Girolt.¡± The imp replied with a slight growl, glaring at Chris, clearly not happy to be a minion.


    Chris moved his finger to the ice imp, who hesitated nervously for a moment. ¡°Fri- Fribolt. Or Frig! If- if you prefer.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at that, but ignored it for the moment as he moved on to the fire imp. ¡°Fiona.¡± She replied almost numbly.


    ¡°Or?¡± Chris prodded. There was a clear pattern in the imps'' names, and Fiona didn''t fit it, so he assumed she had a second one like Fribolt.


    She blinked at him. ¡°F-Firbolt?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Got it. Tibolt, Girolt, Fribolt, and Firbolt.¡± He spread his arms. ¡°Welcome to the team.¡± He then leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. ¡°Now, as you''ve probably guessed, we''re here to attack your tribe. It isn''t something I particularly want to do, but unfortunately your tribe is growing stronger and expanding, and that''s bad for the balance of the Maze, so it needs to be taken care of, whether we like it or not. But here''s the thing. All we need to do is cull some high-tiers. We don''t need to kill anyone else. In fact, leaving a population around to hunt down the various packs in the area is beneficial for us. Unfortunately, your tribe isn''t going to just let us do that, which means a lot of people who don''t have to die will. So what I need from you is any information that will help us do what we need to do so that the least amount of your people die in the process. I''m not going to ask you to fight your people or even sabotage them. I just want you to tell me what I need to know to spare as many lives as possible.¡±


    ¡°You could leave.¡± Girolt replied defiantly.


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°As I''ve already established, that isn''t happening. Getting pissy over it isn''t going to help anyone.¡±


    Girolt gritted his teeth, gearing up to retort, but Tibolt stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, turning to Chris. ¡°Is there any way this conflict could be avoided? If we could convince the tribe to stop doing whatever it is you have an issue with, would you leave?¡±


    Beth sighed, deciding it was her turn to speak up. ¡°It isn''t that simple. Could your tribe stop growing, even if it wanted to? Would you stop having children? Stop getting stronger? Stop doing everything in your power to give you and yours the best lives possible? You could, maybe, for a generation or two, cut back a little, but eventually you would become dissatisfied with your lot, and you would begin to grow again. And because you know of us, you would hide it, keep it secret until you felt ready to strike. And then people would die. And then we would have to eradicate you completely, to erase any knowledge that might lead to someone doing this again. Because humanity isn''t in the position it''s in because we''re smarter, or stronger, or in any way better than any other race in the Maze. We have our position because we''ve had time to grow and prepare. That''s it. And if we give you the same luxury¡­ we lose. It''s how we lost the upper levels. It''s why we can''t take back the upper levels. Because the creatures there are too entrenched, too prepared for us to have any chance against them. So now all we can do is prevent them from moving deeper.¡±


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    ¡°What if the entire tribe became my minions?¡± Chris suggested. The situation wasn''t all that different from what he planned with T''ka and the kobolds.


    Beth frowned for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°It''s a matter of resources. Even if they''re your minions, eventually it becomes a matter of who do we feed, us or them?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was planning on collecting some kobolds, for T''ka, and just throwing them at the upper levels once they got strong enough.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Might even be able to take some land on the surface at some point. I figure as long as I keep them moving up, it shouldn''t be an issue, you know?¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°That- there could still be an issue if you drive stronger creatures down, but¡­ it could work? I think we''d need to talk to Captain Nefred first¡­ and my dad. And possibly the Mayor.¡± She hesitated. ¡°This may not be something we can do immediately¡­ There are too many factors involved to say whether it''s feasible or not, not to mention the fact that we haven''t verified whether or not you''d be capable of controlling all these creatures.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Chris agreed. He was probably getting a bit ahead of himself. It just felt wrong to kill people if there was potentially another way. He''d still do it, obviously, he just wouldn''t be happy about it.


    ¡°What if the tribe was weaker?¡± Fribolt interjected. ¡°You- you said the issue was the high-tiers, right? What if- what if you didn''t kill them, but instead weakened them, like you did with Tibolt?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Beth muttered thoughtfully. Without any high-tiers, the imp population would fall naturally, as without any high-tiers to protect them, gathering food would become more dangerous and they''d be more vulnerable to raids by other tribes. That''s why they were targeting the high-tiers in the first place, because once they were gone, the rest would happen naturally. She supposed it didn''t particularly matter if the high-tiers were simply weakened instead of dead¡­ ¡°Would they actually agree to that?¡± She asked skeptically. ¡°Because otherwise we''re just warning them we''re going to attack, which is unacceptable. We aren''t risking our own lives for this.¡±


    ¡°If you could subdue them-¡± Fribolt began.


    ¡°We don''t have that kind of leeway.¡± Beth shook her head. ¡°If we show ourselves, we''re going for the kill. To do otherwise would be too dangerous. Remember, we aren''t stronger than you, we''re just more prepared.¡±


    Fribolt''s expression fell. ¡°But- how can we convince them if we can''t prove that they''ll die otherwise?!? They won''t give up power for no reason!¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°That''s my point. My entire point. We aren''t giving up control of the Maze and you won''t stop trying to control the Maze yourselves, so we need to put you in a position where you can''t control the Maze, and we don''t have the power to simply suppress you, so¡­ we have to weaken you, and the only method we have of actually doing that is death. Even if we wanted to use Chris''s space to weaken or control you, it would necessitate talking to you in some way, and that''s just too dangerous for us to reasonably do. Not when we''re about to attack your tribe. Our safety trumps yours, and if you were in our position, you''d be saying the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, shit, I thought we might have something there.¡± Chris shook his head in disappointment, before turning to the obviously distressed imps. ¡°You can still help us spare as many as possible. We aren''t interested in killing anyone we don''t have to.¡± The imps shared looks, before nodding numbly. It was clear they couldn''t stop this from happening. Making sure as few imps as possible died in the process was all they could do.


    *


    A small shadow crept through a series of carved tunnels, occasionally pausing to leave a small portal in a hidden corner before moving on. Imps were a relatively more sophisticated race, so their tribes often carved homes out of rock instead of simply setting up tents in a convenient cavern. They still lived communally, however, about a dozen imps living in the same unit, even those with status, though the imps with status had noticeably more members of the opposite sex in their units. Chris scurried deeper into the tribe, borrowing the form of a rat and Sidulpek''s ability, relying on his spatial sense to set up their plan.


    In essence, the plan wasn''t terribly complicated. The high-tier imps all lived in the center of the tribe, so all he had to do was open portals to them, drop some stink bombs, take them out while they were disoriented, and run. In conjunction with this, flashbangs would be set off all around the tribe, causing confusion and hopefully distracting the imps while the high-tiers were dealt with. The tricky part was that the high-tiers were spread across six different units, and not all of them were asleep, so the odds of an alarm going up were high. It wasn''t something they couldn''t handle, but it''d mean more imps would die, which Chris would find¡­ disappointing.


    As soon as he finished placing the portals down, Chris slipped into the private section of his space to return to his human form and put his equipment on, before joining the rest of the platoon in the main space. Not that he would need his equipment. For a battle like this, Dyrdek would be taking his place so Chris could focus on coordinating his minions. Chris signaled Captain Nefred that everything was ready as he sat down and projected his consciousness into Dyrdek.


    Captain Nefred raised a hand, counting down slowly, and as his last finger fell, the attack began. Stink bombs flew through portals, the squads rushing out after them, everyone wearing gas masks to protect themselves from the smell. Scouts and utilities remained behind, tossing flashbangs through the other portals to start the distraction. As the recruits assaulted their unit, Carter''s squad waiting on the other side of the portal just in case, Chris sent Cabbage to guard the entrance, getting Sidulpek to cover him in shadow so he wouldn''t be spotted. It made it almost sad when a panicked imp rushed inside to get the high-tiers, only to get her leg half torn off by a savage chomp of the cave wyrm. Her cry alerting the rest of the imps to their presence was even sadder as the imps began to converge on their location.


    With a shake of his head, Cabbage sent the imp flying through a freshly opened portal, plopping her in the lap of Chris''s imps. *Take care of her.* Chris ordered through their connection as Dyrdek warned the squad of the incoming imps.


    Everyone glanced at Beth questioningly, wondering what they should do, since they''d already handled the high-tiers and knocked the rest of the imps out with tranq darts. ¡°Are they all coming for us?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°No, but they could be.¡± Chris informed her through Dyrdek, getting an idea of what she was thinking.


    Beth nodded. ¡°Do it. We''re going to draw them all to us, distracting them until the other''s finish.¡±


    ¡°Right, Chris, give Jello the barrier ability and have her cover the door! Cabbage, Beth, and Derek hold the front while Zack and Dyrdek harass! T''ka, we need threads over that door to keep them from charging through! Just make them and I''ll put them in place! Carmen and Chris, be on guard for anything that slips past the barrier! Sidulpek blind anyone who gets close!¡± Nadia immediately barked out orders, everyone getting into position as Chris had Cabbage let out a roar, drawing all the imps towards them. No one was about to ignore a cave wyrm popping up in the middle of the tribe.


    As the first imps arrived, Cabbage hunkered down in the doorway, his carapace covering him as a barrier snapped into place over head, attacks raining down on both. However, as a full twenty imps began to crowd around the unit, the barrier didn''t last much more than ten seconds before it started to break and the attacks began to slip through, smashing into Cabbage''s carapace. That''s when Derek and Beth began to attack, Derek swinging out with the flat of his blade to stun any imps he could reach, huddling behind his shield for protection, while Beth''s fists snapped out through the breaks in the barrier to send imps flying, the wounds on her arms growing each time she did. Nadia strung T''ka¡¯s threads over the door, focusing on covering Cabbage to give him even just a little more protection, while Sidulpek blinded those further away from the door. Zack and Dyrdek found angles to fire into the crowd, Zack sending flurries of weaker wind blades that wouldn''t kill, but would still tear up an imps skin, while Dyrdek fired tranq darts. Chris and Carmen covered everyone where they could, Jello reinforcing the barrier as she recovered her energy, but with the number of imps sending attacks their way, it didn''t take long for the squad to start getting beat up, particularly Cabbage.


    They held on for almost a minute before Nadia called it. ¡°Retreat! Sidulpek, Carmen, Jello cover the door! Chris, portals!¡± The three covered the door with their abilities as portals opened all around the squad, everyone jumping through the nearest one, or in Cabbage''s case, collapsing through the one that opened beneath him. The cave wyrm was barely conscious after taking that barrage.


    Captain Nefred looked the platoon over as the last squad retreated into Chris''s space dragging the corpses of the high-tiers behind them so they could confirm they were in fact the high-tiers. He frowned slightly as he caught sight of the state the recruits were in, before dismissing it. He''d get the details from Carter later. He gave them some time for the supply managers to finish checking the bodies over to confirm they were the high-tiers before calling out. ¡°Squad leaders, report!¡±


    ¡°Units one and six cleared, sir, four high-tiers confirmed dead!¡± The first squad leader reported.


    ¡°Units two and five cleared, five confirmed, sir.¡± The second squad leader reported.


    ¡°Unit four cleared, two confirmed.¡± Beth reported, breathing hard.


    Captain Nefred nodded. ¡°Unit three cleared, three confirmed. Looks like we missed one, but a single high-tier won''t make much of a difference, so I''m calling this mission accomplished! Let''s pack up and head home!¡± Chris opened a portal back to camp so everyone could start packing up, Captain Nefred signaling Carter to follow him off to the side. ¡°How''d the recruits do? Did they make a mistake with the stink bomb?¡± If everything had gone right, they shouldn''t have had any issues with unit four, so he assumed they''d made a mistake somewhere.


    Carter shook his head. ¡°No, sir. They cleared the unit easily.¡±


    Captain Nefred frowned. ¡°Then why do they look like they just fought off half the damn tribe?¡±


    Carter smirked. ¡°Because they did, sir. An imp stumbled in on them and alerted the rest of the tribe. Instead of running, they decided to use it to buy time for the rest of the platoon to complete the mission. They held the imps off for a good minute before they retreated.¡±


    Captain Nefred blinked. ¡°They did?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Carter confirmed.


    Captain Nefred paused for a moment, considering everything the recruits had accomplished throughout the mission, before letting out a cough. ¡°Carter, see if we have space for another squad in the platoon.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Carter saluted.


    ¡°And if not-¡± Captain Nefred gave him a serious look. ¡°-make some.¡±

 Space: 25 - Relationships

    The squad returned to the Scout base after only a week, leaving them another three until it was officially time to graduate. The recruit assignments were supposed to take about two weeks, with an extra two weeks to account for any complications, and the imp subjugation was predicted to take around three, but thanks to the information from Chris''s new minions and his portals allowing them to strike directly at the high-tiers, they''d finished early. Since they hadn''t officially graduated yet, they still had to live in the recruit barracks, but since they were done with their training, they were finally allowed to leave the base, as long as they returned before curfew.


    ¡°So, what do you guys want to do first!?!¡± Beth asked excitedly after they all finished packing their gear away.


    ¡°Sleep?¡± Derek suggested. It wasn''t that late, but with the raid and packing up camp, they were all exhausted.


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Obviously, but I mean after that! We haven''t been off base in months! We need to get out there and do something!¡±


    ¡°Technically we were just off base.¡± Chris pointed out.


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Chris, I shouldn''t have to tell you that the Maze does not count. That was work. We need to do something fun!¡±


    ¡°I was kinda hoping to go see my family¡­¡± Zack commented. They''d still been able to text and call their families during their free time, and every now and then they''d get a package, but it just wasn''t the same as actually being with them.


    ¡°Yeah, my mom would literally kill me if I didn''t go see her the first chance I got.¡± Derek agreed, glancing at Chris. ¡°And she''d at least try to kill you.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°What do I have to do with you visiting your parents?¡±


    Derek sighed. ¡°Chris, you need to visit them. And Aunt Mary. We also need to see Penny and Thad.¡±


    ¡°I get Penny and Thad, and I suppose I can go along with your parents, but why Mrs. Richardson?¡± Chris asked skeptically. ¡°I was just someone who grew up in her orphanage. It isn''t like we were all that close.¡±


    ¡°Dude, she literally raised you!¡± Derek retorted. ¡°How can you say you aren''t close?!?¡±


    ¡°Because that''s how orphanages work?¡± Chris replied, looking confused. ¡°They raise you, because someone has to, and then they''re done. They have to be done, because they still have to raise the next set of orphans. They don''t have the time or resources to maintain close relationships with everyone they raise. I appreciate everything Mrs. Richardson did for me, but I also recognize she needs to be free to be there for the next child who needs her. I can''t hog her all to myself.¡± Chris had seen more than a few kids latch onto the orphanage caretakers, treating them like actual parents, and it never ended well. If the caretakers were actually capable of being their parents, they would have adopted them. No, the most Chris would do was write Mrs. Richardson a letter every now and then, to make sure she knew he was still doing well. Anything more than that would be selfish.


    ¡°Why don''t you let her decide?¡± Beth suggested. ¡°Let her know you''d be interested in visiting her and see what she says. There''s no harm in offering, right?¡±


    Chris cocked his head, thinking about it for a moment. ¡°I suppose I could do that¡­¡± Letting other people set the pace of a relationship was familiar territory for Chris. If Mrs. Richardson actually wanted him to visit, he wouldn''t mind stopping by, and making sure she knew it was an option wasn''t the worst idea.


    ¡°Great!¡± Beth clapped. ¡°So we''ll take the next few days to visit family and friends! But we still need things to do together, so I want to hear some suggestions tomorrow!¡± They made various sounds of agreement, before splitting up to get ready for bed.


    Chris entered his space, taking a moment to appreciate its increased size. After the raid, Platoon Four had taken the majority of the high-tier imp cores, but they''d left Chris the bodies and the two weakest cores to absorb, as a reward for his exemplary work, letting him once again grow his space, almost doubling it on each side, and confirming that it did make his space stronger, his connection with Jello firming up, something the slime was ecstatically happy about. Space was no longer really an issue, but material was, particularly with the five new imps. Chris paused, frowning at the group of imps. Wasn''t he only supposed to have four of them? When had he picked up an extra?


    Chris couldn''t figure it out, so he walked over to the imps. ¡°Hey, where did she come from?¡± Chris asked, pointing at the extra imp, who immediately froze.


    ¡°You- a portal dropped her onto us and you said to take care of her?¡± Fribolt replied.


    Chris blinked. ¡°Did I? When- wait, I remember. She''s the one who alerted the tribe.¡± Chris nodded as it clicked. Tossing her into his space had been more of an afterthought than anything, and he''d quickly had bigger issues to deal with. He glanced at the terrified looking imp and sighed. [Alright, calm down. I''m not going to hurt you. You just have to become my minion. Good?]


    The imp turned to the others for help, but they just shook their heads. [Just accept it, Jinolt. Resisting him is pointless.] Tibolt commented with a twisted expression.


    [I wouldn''t say it''s pointless, but for a lower mid-tier it would be largely irrelevant, yes.] Chris confirmed. He was about to go to bed anyway, and the effort he spent crushing her will would probably just help him sleep better.


    Jinolt glanced at Chris, gulping slightly. [What- what would being your minion entail?] The other imps focused on him as well, having been wondering this themselves. So far all they''d been doing was hanging out in his space, but they knew that was just because he''d promised to use them against their tribe as little as possible. Now that he was finished, they wondered what use he would have for them.


    [What do you want it to entail?] Chris replied with a shrug. [My main use for you at the moment is to increase the variety of abilities I can borrow. What you do outside of that is largely up to you. You want to fight? I''ll find a role for you in the squad. You want to make things? The squad could always use better gear. You want to make traps? We could use someone bringing in food and cores. Hell, if you want to spend all day mining rocks, I could use more material in here. Or you could spend most of your time sitting around watching TV and playing games. It''s really up to you.]


    [You wouldn''t force us to- do anything?] Fribolt asked tentatively.


    Chris cocked his head. [If I needed something done and you were the only one who could do it, then I might force you to do something, but otherwise I''d really rather not. I prefer to work with you, you know? Having to constantly force you to do things just sounds like a pain.]


    Fribolt and Firbolt shared shocked looks, before turning back to him. [You really won''t- do anything to us?] Firbolt asked, a suspicious note in her tone.


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. [Is this about your old master? The one I assume raped the two of you?]


    Fribolt and Firbolt''s eyes widened in shock. [How- how-] Firbolt stammered.


    Chris shrugged. [It was pretty obvious. You knew the human language, you immediately decided the best way to escape was to seduce me, you clearly had previous experience with dominators based on your reactions to my connection¡­ plus a bunch of other little things, like your demeanor and what not. I swear, the two of you flinch whenever I look at you.]


    [How could we not?!?] Firbolt growled. [We could at least resist our old master. You- you could do anything to us!]


    Chris nodded. [True, I could. But I won''t. Because, as I told you, I have a girlfriend, and you look like you''re thirteen.]


    [That didn''t stop our old master.] Fribolt muttered, shuddering slightly. She knew Chris was telling the truth due to their connection, but she also knew there were a lot of things people could claim truthfully that ended up being false when circumstances changed. Sure, Chris was happy with his girlfriend now, but once the relationship started to cool off or they broke up, the cute imp girls who couldn''t resist or give away his secrets would start looking pretty tempting, wouldn''t they?


    Chris paused, feeling the accusation through the connection, the idea that the moment it was convenient, he''d change his mind. [I think if I wouldn''t do it now, there''s not much chance I would do it ever. I''m currently the most sexually frustrated I''ve ever been in my life, and still, I have no desire to sleep with you.]


    Fribolt blinked. [You- are?]


    Chris grimaced slightly. [I''ve spent the last few months living in close proximity with my incredibly attractive girlfriend who I am deeply in love with, all while having access to a space that would give us all the privacy we need to do whatever we want, a place we are regularly alone in. If I haven''t done anything with her due to my principles, I doubt I''ll do anything to you, who I am less attracted to, not in love with, and have stronger principles against sleeping with.] He stared down the two imps as they looked back wide-eyed. [So¡­ are we good?] The two nodded numbly, and he turned to Jinolt. [How about you?] Jinolt nodded tentatively. She wasn''t exactly excited about being a minion, but based on all this it didn''t sound like the worst thing in the world. [Great. Don''t fight me.] Chris pushed the connection at her, and she couldn''t help but put up a little resistance before quickly accepting it. Chris then sent the human language at her, causing her to yelp and he turned to leave. ¡°Alright, everyone get some sleep!¡± Chris called out to his minions, making beds for them as he walked out, mostly because he didn''t want them waking him up to make beds later. He really needed to get more material.


    *


    The squad spent the next few days catching up with family and friends, which left Chris with very little free time, as he had to visit Penny and Thad, Derek''s parents, Beth''s parents, and Mrs. Richardson, who seemed honestly overjoyed to meet-up with him, which Chris found¡­ strange. Chris had done a lot to limit the attachments he developed, particularly as the time for his Trial approached. There wasn''t much he could do about Derek, Penny, and Thad, but for everyone else he pretty much just kept his distance. He couldn''t figure out why Mrs. Richardson and even Derek''s parents would be so attached to him when he''d barely interacted with them in any significant way. Sure, he was around, but he kept to himself for the most part, so why? He just couldn''t wrap his head around it. And so, as he was wont to do, he asked.


    Mrs. Richardson blinked as Beth, who''d insisted on joining him as she had for all the other visits, covered her face and groaned. ¡°You want to know why I care about you?¡±


    ¡°Essentially. I didn''t think we''d developed that close a relationship. Enough that you''d want to hear from me, sure, but not enough that you''d be excited about me visiting.¡± Chris elaborated. ¡°I mean, I very purposefully tried to avoid developing close relationships.¡±


    Mrs. Richardson smiled, shaking her head. ¡°Chris, when you see a child purposefully cutting himself off from everyone around him, the appropriate response is not to stop caring about them, it''s to care more. When you know the child is doing it to save as many people as he can from being hurt by a death he knows is coming, you can''t help but admire him, even as it breaks your heart. Chris, you might be the most noble and conscientious young man to ever pass through my orphanage. I only wish I could have found the courage to truly call you my son.¡± She finished, reaching out and grabbing his hand with tears in her eyes.


    ¡°Oh¡­ cool.¡± Chris nodded, only to yelp as Beth punched him. Hard.


    ¡°Hug! Your! Mother!¡± Beth growled, emphasizing each word with another punch, tears pooling in her own eyes.


    ¡°Oh, good idea.¡± Chris agreed, getting up.


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    ¡°No, no, that isn''t necessary.¡± Mrs. Richardson shook her head, smiling as she wiped her eyes. ¡°I know how Chris is.¡±


    ¡°Hey, just because I''m not the most emotional guy doesn''t mean you shouldn''t get a hug.¡± Chris countered, opening his arms.


    Mrs. Richardson hesitated for a moment, before getting up and giving Chris a hug, tentatively at first, and then slowly tighter, until she was squeezing him as hard as she could, tears flowing freely as Chris hugged her back, though thankfully he refrained from replicating her crushing hold, as her old bones wouldn''t stand up to it quite so well. ¡°Thank you.¡± She whispered with a sniff, before pulling back.


    Chris gave her a slight smile. ¡°If there''s anyone I''d be happy to call my mom, it''d be you. I think a hug is the least I could do.¡± Beth started bawling at that.


    *


    ¡°So that''s Carmen, Nadia, and Zack. Guys, this is Penny and Thad.¡± Beth introduced the squad to Penny and Thad as they all sat down. After everyone had caught up with their friends and family, it was the common consensus that they wanted to meet the rest of the squad as well, prompting another round of visits. And of course, for Penny and Thad, they were meeting up at Hellfire.


    ¡°It''s so nice to meet you all!¡± Penny exclaimed excitedly, while Thad just waved.


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you too.¡± Carmen smiled back.


    ¡°I gotta ask, what was it like growing up with Chris around?¡± Zack asked. ¡°Cause if it''s anything like being on a squad with him, it had to have been frustrating as hell.¡±


    ¡°Probably not.¡± Chris commented. ¡°I didn''t know about my space back then.¡±


    Everyone shared looks. ¡°Chris, your space is ridiculous, but it is not what makes you frustrating.¡± Beth sighed, patting his leg.


    Chris blinked. ¡°It isn''t? Then what is?¡±


    ¡°You''re impossible to get back at.¡± Zack grumbled. ¡°You''re either completely okay with something or completely not okay with it, so if I poke you, you either ignore it or you get pissed! There''s no middle ground where someone can just tease you!¡±


    ¡°Not entirely true.¡± Thad countered. ¡°If you can find a way to confuse him, he''ll get frustrated, but he''ll treat it more like a puzzle than something to get angry over. The problem is that Chris is good at puzzles, so it''s hard to find a way to actually confuse him.¡±


    ¡°The best way to do it is to allude to something someone he knows may have done, but never actually say it.¡± Penny smirked. ¡°The vaguer you can keep it, the better.¡±


    Chris grimaced. ¡°I hate it when you do that. I''m still wondering what Tommy Morris did to get you so pissed at him.¡±


    ¡°And yet you haven''t forgotten to get me a single birthday present since.¡± Penny commented, her smirk growing slightly.


    ¡°Okay, how do you get him to put more than the minimum required effort into any task.¡± Nadia asked seriously.


    ¡°You don''t.¡± Thad shook his head. ¡°The best you can do is convince him to hold himself to a higher requirement. It took me months to put together a good enough argument to convince him to take a shower every day.¡±


    ¡°And brush his teeth.¡± Penny nodded.


    ¡°Still haven''t managed to get him to floss.¡± Derek muttered.


    Chris sighed. ¡°Daily hygiene is such a pain.¡±


    Beth glared at him. ¡°You don''t floss?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°No? But to be fair, I''m pretty sure my healing takes care of cavities.¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°It isn''t about cavities, it''s about your teeth being clean. Floss. Every day.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Chris agreed with a slightly twisted expression.


    ¡°Well, apparently you either have to accept it or be Beth.¡± Carmen grinned.


    ¡°I care more about her opinion of me than the extra effort it will take to floss.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I just hate sticking my fingers in my mouth like that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I''ve got one! Has anyone found a way to get a better reaction than ¡®cool¡¯ out of him?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°If you haven''t done it, then I''m pretty sure it''s impossible.¡± Derek chuckled. ¡°Though maybe once you''ve done it¡­¡± He added, wiggling his eyebrows.


    Beth frowned. ¡°Huh? How would it happen after I''ve done it? Wouldn''t that be doing it?¡±


    ¡°He means after we''ve had sex, Beth.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Beth flushed, her eyes suddenly widening as she whirled on him. ¡°If your reaction to our first time is ¡®cool¡¯, I''ll- I''ll-!¡± She began, before deflating with a groan. ¡°Oh, who am I kidding. That''s definitely going to be your reaction.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Would ¡®really cool¡¯ be better?¡± Beth glared at him as he sighed. ¡°I didn''t think so.¡±


    Carmen suppressed a laugh, letting out a slight cough. ¡°Alright, alright, enough about Chris. What can you tell us about Derek?¡±


    ¡°He''s an idiot.¡± Penny stated blandly.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Derek protested.


    ¡°All he has to do is get an easy degree so he can inherit his family''s company, but what does he do instead? He joins the Scouts! All because he wants a little ¡®excitement¡¯! Absolute moron!¡± Penny continued, practically growling by the end.


    ¡°Beth and Chris-¡± Derek began.


    ¡°Beth is a high-tier and Chris is practically unkillable!¡± Penny snapped. ¡°All you are is slightly above average! You''re risking everything and gaining nothing! Why risk your life when you could live perfectly well here!?!¡±


    ¡°Because it''s what I want to do!¡± Derek retorted angrily. ¡°I''m not happy doing the bare minimum! I''d rather die trying to live than live slowly dying inside!¡±


    ¡°What about us?!?¡± Penny countered. ¡°How are we supposed to be happy while you''re out there trying to get yourself killed!?! How are we supposed to accept that one day you might not come home!?!¡± She asked, choking up towards the end. ¡°It''s a stupid, selfish risk you never had to take, and I hate you for it!¡±


    Derek flinched. ¡°Penny, I-¡±


    ¡°I don''t want to hear any more of your excuses!¡± She growled, glaring at him. ¡°All they do is make it clear you only care about yourself!¡±


    The table fell silent, the others shifting awkwardly while Chris cocked his head thoughtfully. ¡°Huh¡­ It is kinda selfish, now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Damn it, Chris.¡± Derek groaned, covering his head.


    ¡°What? Just because it''s selfish doesn''t mean it''s wrong.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°You''re not under any obligation to make yourself miserable so other people can be happy.¡± He turned to Penny. ¡°And expecting other people to make themselves miserable so you can be happy is pretty selfish too. Worse than what Derek is doing, even. It''s kind of hypocritical to claim you care about him while hating him for doing what makes him happy.¡±


    ¡°But- But he doesn''t have to!¡± Penny protested. ¡°I refuse to believe there''s nothing other than the Scouts that could make him happy!¡±


    ¡°You''re probably not wrong, but does it matter?¡± Chris retorted. ¡°Even if there are other options, this is the option he chose. It''s done. There''s no changing it, whether you like it or not. So, you can either keep trying to punish him for it, making him miserable despite his decision, helping no one, or you can accept it, do what you can to support him, and make the best of things. I mean honestly, if you really think he''s going to die, would you rather spend the time you have left fighting or being friends?¡± Penny scowled at the table, muttering under her breath. ¡°What was that?¡± Chris asked, cupping his ear.


    ¡°I said being friends!¡± Penny snapped, flushing slightly as she glanced at Derek. ¡°I''m- I''m sorry.¡±


    Derek nodded. ¡°I''m sorry too. I should have at least considered how you guys would feel¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, who else hates how Chris makes you feel like an idiot and grateful for his advice at the same time?¡± Nadia grumbled, raising her hand, along with everyone else but Beth.


    ¡°I think it''s nice when he breaks things down like that.¡± Beth smiled, leaning on Chris''s shoulder.


    ¡°Who else is sick of these two being disgustingly perfect for each other?¡± Carmen smirked, raising her hand, again along with everyone else. The two of them just smiled, Chris putting his arm around Beth as she cuddled closer to him. After all, what couple wouldn''t want to be disgustingly perfect together?


    *


    The rest of the time before graduation was a bit more relaxed, giving Chris time to visit the ability management office and actually see how much his space had improved. It felt a bit weird to go there without Jacobs, but he was back at his lab, probably under the assumption that Chris was still in the Maze at the moment. Chris resolved to visit him after graduation and let him perform some real tests. He''d do it before, but knowing Jacobs, he''d probably want to keep him in the lab for a week or four, which wouldn''t work with his curfew.


    Chris tested his barriers and found that they could now withstand seventeen ability units before breaking. As for his projectiles, they could fall¡­ pretty much as long as he wanted, since the velocity his portals could handle was now over their terminal velocity. At least, that''s what Chris assumed after watching one fall through his portals for over a minute. Of course, he still had to deal with the pressure, so eventually he''d wear himself out if he kept it up, but that was still a lot better than dealing with the headache that came from a portal breaking. He also found that his spatial sense now extended in an eight and a half meter radius all around him, pretty much confirming that the ability power of his space now sat at seventeen.


    ¡°Do you think it''s because one of your parents is a slime?¡± Beth asked when he talked to her about it in his private space, the two cuddling on a couch. ¡°They use energy to mutate, you use it to grow your space, but in both cases you''re taking it in to make yourselves stronger.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Or honestly probably, but trying to explain my space''s origins seems pointless, in a way, because even if you add in the slime, it still doesn''t really make sense. Why would an innate ability to mutate cause your child to be born as a living space that grows by consuming energy? It accounts for some of the weirdness, but not nearly enough of it.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Beth sighed, snuggling closer to him. She hesitated for a moment. ¡°So¡­ I''ve been thinking about something.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Bad something or good something?¡±


    ¡°Both?¡± Beth replied hesitantly. ¡°It''s about- well, we''ve come to the conclusion that you''re probably almost definitely incapable of death, right?¡±


    Chris narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is this about you not wanting to get old while I stay the same age? Because I''m pretty sure I can age my body. Or at least make myself uglier so you don''t feel bad.¡±


    Beth flushed. ¡°It isn''t about that! Though now that you''ve said it¡­ you definitely have to stay at least ten percent uglier than me.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡± Chris agreed before they both began to snicker.


    ¡°On second thought, I like the idea of having an eternally young boy toy.¡± Beth smirked.


    ¡°Why not both?¡± Chris offered with a smirk of his own.


    Beth shuddered. ¡°Fuck, I just pictured you with an ancient head on a teenagers body. Just- wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh, see I was thinking more of a patchwork kind of thing, young and old mixed up all over.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°That is so much worse.¡± Beth muttered with a twisted expression, before shaking her head. ¡°Okay, enough, I actually do have something serious to talk about.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Right, okay, hit me. Something to do with me being an immortal space man?¡±


    ¡°Yes, in particular since we now know your space can grow, I was thinking¡­ it- it calls into question whether it''d be a good idea for you to connect with me or not.¡± Beth explained, glancing at him nervously. ¡°On the one hand, it''d give you this power over me that probably- definitely isn''t healthy in a relationship, but on the other¡­ we could be together forever. Or at least as long as you''re alive. Sure, eventually I''d get stuck in here, but as you keep growing your space, that becomes less and less of an issue. We could create our own little City in here! Floor One Hundred and One!¡±


    Chris stared at her for a moment. ¡°Beth¡­ nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life, no matter how long that might be, with you. But being able to control you like that¡­ As I am now, I would never do anything to abuse it, but if I truly can''t die, then who knows how I''ll change over eternity. People can change drastically in just a few years! I don''t think I will, I sincerely hope I won''t, but¡­ it''s a legitimate risk you have to consider.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°I know, and- it scares me, it really does. But¡­ the more I think about it, the less I care. If you really will change, then that abuse is going to happen to someone. Does it really make it better just because I''m not the one suffering? But even more, I can''t help but think that if anything would cause you to change, it would be an endless cycle of falling in love with people, only to lose them over and over, each time feeling shorter than the last, until they''re simply blips in your life. Meaningless. Why wouldn''t you abuse something meaningless? However, if I''m there, a constant companion through it all, you''d have a foundation to rely on, someone to keep you stable. Yes, it could still go wrong, but with me, it''s just a chance, while without me, it''s almost certain.¡±


    ¡°I- honestly can''t tell if that was an amazing argument, or if I just don''t want to lose you, so I''ll agree with anything.¡± Chris muttered.


    Beth grinned. ¡°Why not both?¡±


    Chris snorted. ¡°Of course, obviously.¡± He paused. ¡°So¡­ ring shopping tomorrow?¡±


    Beth blinked, then smiled so wide Chris suspected she''d used her ability. ¡°Absolutely.¡± She agreed, before pulling him in for a long, deep kiss.

 Space: 26 - Framing the narrative

    Chris glanced at Beth as she stared at the ring on her left hand with a soft smile. ¡°Should you really be wearing that before I''ve actually proposed?¡±


    Beth quickly pulled her hand to her chest and covered it with her other hand, glaring at him. ¡°You''ll have to pry this ring off my cold, dead body!¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but then how am I going to propose? Or are we just acting like I already have?¡± Chris asked, scratching his head.


    Beth frowned, rubbing the ring thoughtfully. ¡°No, you''re definitely going to have to propose¡­ but you''re not taking my ring from me. Maybe buy a second one?¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Then you wouldn''t want to give up that one either.¡±


    ¡°Just buy something cheap and crappy to act as a stand in.¡± Beth countered.


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Do you really want me to propose with something cheap and crappy?¡±


    Beth paused for a moment, her expression twisting slightly. ¡°No. I want you to propose with this ring.¡± She sighed, raising her hand to look at it with a light smile. She glanced at Chris. ¡°Could you manifest a new ability that allows you to go back in time so you can already have proposed?¡±


    Chris snorted. ¡°I wish. Do you know how broken that would be, combined with everything else I can do?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Damn it. Linear time sucks.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Alright, come on, hand it over. I promise I''ll propose as soon as I can.¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°I want a serious proposal. You can''t just throw something sloppy together to get it over with.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°If I wanted to just get it over with, I''d do it the moment you handed the ring back.¡± Beth grimaced, looking almost pained as she pulled the ring off and handed it over to him. Chris smirked slightly as he began to kneel. ¡°Beth-¡±


    ¡°You-!¡± Beth yelped, slapping at him as he quickly straightened up.


    ¡°Kidding, kidding!¡± Chris assured her. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll think of something good.¡±


    ¡°You better.¡± Beth growled, shaking a finger at him. ¡°I will pound you if you mess this up.¡±


    Chris chucked. ¡°Beth, the pounding comes after the wedding.¡±


    *


    ¡°You want to dominate all the tribes in the Maze?¡± David asked skeptically. Chris and Beth were visiting her parents for dinner and they''d proposed their plan to dominate the kobolds and the imps. They hadn''t been able to bring it up last time they visited since that visit had mostly been about catching up.


    ¡°Essentially.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°At least as many as I''m capable of, but since my space is capable of growth, I think I should be able to get them all unless I hit some sort of limit. Though there are definitely certain tribes that aren''t worth keeping around, so those would probably just get wiped out¡­ but yeah, essentially the idea would be to completely populate the Maze with tribes under my control.¡±


    David tapped his finger on the table thoughtfully. ¡°That would be a¡­ significant undertaking, and one that would immediately backfire if anything ever happened to you, as unlikely as that may be. Or worse, if you turned on us, you could send creatures directly into the City whenever you liked!¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I can''t speak to your first point, since yeah, if I die, all the creatures I developed could pretty quickly become a huge problem. For the second though¡­ Beth and I actually had a similar conversation the other day. You can order me to stop developing my space and my minions, but if I turn, an order won''t stop me and I''ll find a way to grow on my own, so it''d simply be a delay. But if you treat me like some kind of crisis waiting to happen, the odds of me turning are higher. On the other hand, if I''m happy and fulfilled acting as a protector of the City, my odds of turning are a lot lower, don''t you think?¡±


    ¡°Ah, but you have to understand, politicians don''t care if bad things happen, they care about if the public thinks bad things will happen.¡± David pointed out. ¡°If the people think you''re a threat, then all they care about is making it look like they''re doing something about it, even if what they''re doing is ineffective or counter-productive. Because in the end, it isn''t about solving issues, it''s about retaining and growing their power.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ Well, that paints a dark picture for me, doesn''t it?¡±


    ¡°If we let things continue as they are, but that''s why we have the most important political tool ever created! ¡®Framing the narrative¡¯!¡± David replied with a chuckle. ¡°Why do you think telepaths are looked down on, while dominators are respected? Because when we talk about telepaths, we focus on how their abilities can be used on humans, reading your mind, digging through your memories, finding each and every secret you hold, while when we talk about dominators, we focus on how their abilities can be used on creatures, turning these deadly threats into stalwart defenders! But when you really think about it, the idea of someone having the ability to control your mind is much more terrifying than someone who simply has the ability to read it.¡±


    Chris nodded slowly. ¡°So how do we want people to think about me? The ultimate dominator or something?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but you need to shift your focus from tribes to creatures.¡± David commented. ¡°The public doesn''t see tribes as a problem. Most people barely conceptualize them as an issue, since they only exist from the fifth level up. When people think of the Maze, they think of beasts and monsters. When they think of tribes, they think of people. People who are a threat, to be sure, but it isn''t hard to make the leap from something happening to a tribe to something happening to them. In fact, a regular part of our propaganda is emphasizing the fact that if we don''t subjugate the tribes, one day we could be the ones being subjugated. No, you need to be seen as a tamer of monsters, not as a conqueror of people.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°But there''s no real point in dominating mindless beasts. There''s only so many I can control at any one time, and for the rest, they''re still just running around the Maze, doing what beasts do.¡±


    David shook his head. ¡°You''re missing the point. Nothing about what you actually do is going to change. People don''t care about what you actually do. They care about what they think you''re doing. Dominators use sapient creatures all the time, but they call them monsters, so people are okay with it, because they aren''t monsters.¡±


    ¡°The Demarcos work really hard to maintain that image too, so if you lean into it, the groundwork is already there.¡± Abigail added. ¡°In fact, it''s going to benefit you to lean into all the Families propaganda, because if anyone is going to see you as a threat, it''s them.¡±


    David slapped the table. ¡°Damn! I hadn''t even considered them yet! Thank you, dear.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Abigail smiled.


    David hummed slightly. ¡°It may be a good idea to bring in your Montero heritage. Play into the Families¡¯ superiority complex.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?!?¡± Beth interjected. ¡°What Montero heritage!?!¡±


    ¡°My mom was a Montero.¡± Chris explained, frowning as he cocked his head. ¡°Did I never tell you that?¡±


    ¡°No, you didn''t.¡± Beth growled, glaring at him.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°It isn''t important anyway. I have nothing to do with the Monteros, and I want nothing to do with the Monteros.¡±


    ¡°It feels pretty important from over here!¡± Beth retorted. ¡°How could you not tell me this?!? I thought you didn''t keep secrets from me!¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°I don''t keep secrets from you. I wasn''t hiding it, I didn''t tell you because I don''t care. As far as I''m concerned, the Monteros and I are complete strangers. I don''t know them, and they don''t know me. It''d be like telling you my favorite shirt in fourth grade was green with a picture of the Tunnelbreaker on it. Is it somewhat interesting? Sure, but I outgrew that shirt years ago, so I rarely if ever think about it, just like the Monteros.¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Then how did my dad learn about it?¡±


    ¡°He introduced me to Belinda at the Ball, I was a bit awkward about it, and he asked.¡± Chris explained. ¡°As much as I don''t care about them, I''m still not exactly a fan. They did rather deliberately abandon me as a child.¡±


    Beth continued to glare at him for a moment, then blinked as she suddenly remembered who she was talking to. Chris told her one of his parents might be a slime! There was no way he''d deliberately hide this from her. ¡°Right, sorry, I''m just- ugh, all this talk of politics has my defenses up. Plus¡­ well, you know. I have my own history with the Monteros.¡± She apologized, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.


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    Chris nodded. ¡°I get it. Honestly, this whole conversation has me feeling pretty critical myself. I don''t enjoy the idea of everyone in power solely focusing on maintaining that power, whether it helps the City or not.¡±


    ¡°That''s politics.¡± David commented. ¡°Few people seek power because they want to help people. Most people seek power because they want power.¡±


    ¡°See, I just don''t get that.¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°Power is a means to an end. What''s the point of having it if you don''t do anything with it?¡±


    ¡°Because of what you potentially could do with it.¡± David replied. ¡°A person with four hundred thousand dollars will attract much more attention than a person with a four million dollar house, because the money can be spent, while the house will only ever be a house. Similarly, a man who used his influence to reform the City may be respected, but never as much as the man who could reform the City. People never care about what you''ve done as much as they care about what you could do, because what you could do could affect them, while what you''ve done has already become a part of their lives, incapable of helping or hurting them any further.¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°But that still means you have to use it sometime, right? I mean, if people keep begging you to buy them things, and you never do, eventually they''ll learn not to ask you to buy them things.¡± There were a few kids at the orphanage who''d tried that with Chris once they learned how much money he had, and quickly stopped once they''d realized it was pointless.


    ¡°Oh, they use bits and pieces. The equivalent of buying everyone a meal maybe, or possibly a better than average gift, just enough that people notice, but never enough to put a dent in their reserves.¡± David explained.


    Chris sighed. ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­ it still seems shitty to me though.¡± The only reason Chris hadn''t already donated all his money to the orphanage was because he wanted to get settled in his own life first. But once he had a stable job and a home to call his own, what was the point of keeping all that money? Better to give it to someone who could actually do some good with it.


    David shrugged. ¡°That''s politics. Like money, power is going to be held by someone. Unless you want anarchy, which I assume you know is a bad idea.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°So yes, power will be held, because someone has to, usually by those who seek it for their own benefit, because as you''ve noticed, cultivating power is a chore, and no one does it without proper motivation, and since it is a chore, those who''ve gained it are loath to lose it, because who wants years or even decades of effort to go to waste? It may not be the prettiest fact of life, but that doesn''t mean it isn''t one. No, the really shitty part of all this is that we''ve created a system that shifts based on who''s best at manipulating public opinion, not around who''s right or wrong. But as they say, I didn''t make the game, I simply play it. So how about we stop focusing on inescapable realities and start focusing on keeping you from becoming public enemy number one, hm?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Could that actually happen?¡±


    ¡°Easily.¡± David confirmed. ¡°You casually talk about dominating all the tribes in the Maze, but have you fully conceptualized what that means? You''re talking about not only defeating, but controlling forces the City has been battling for longer than anyone has been alive, proving that you could just as easily do the same to us. It''s enough to make even me nervous, and you''re practically my son-in-law! How do you think the average person would feel if they truly understood the threat you represent, without the knowledge that the person you are would never realize that threat?¡±


    ¡°Probably not very good.¡± Chris muttered.


    ¡°Terrified. They''d be terrified.¡± Beth emphasized with a twisted expression.


    ¡°Exactly.¡± David continued seriously. ¡°And so, we''ll use our oh so shitty system to twist public opinion in your favor! To focus everyone on the good, which you actually will do, and turn their minds from the bad, which you have no intention of doing in the first place! Which is better than usual for this type of thing.¡±


    Chris grimaced for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Okay. What do I have to do?¡±


    *


    Lines of soldiers marched onto an open field, beginning with the Vanguard. No matter which branch you were in, there was a single graduation ceremony for all of them, to show that despite their different duties, they were all united in the defense of humanity. Which meant the graduation ceremony was an absolutely massive event. There were representatives from every Family, government officials, the Mayor, the Mayoral candidates, and anyone else who managed to win themselves a seat, along with the graduates¡¯ friends and family. The Maze was the lifeblood of the City, and no one who desired any form of political influence would risk spurning the people who risked their lives to keep that lifeblood flowing.


    Each group did a pass before the stands so the people they cared about could get a look at them, though they weren''t allowed to wave back, before forming into ranks on the field, Vanguard up front, with the Defense Force in the back. Show of unity aside, the City had to make sure everyone knew who was really valuable. Chris had to suppress a groan as the speeches began, which were just as long and drawn out as they''d been at his high school graduation, only this time he wasn''t in a seat he could nod off in. Chris struggled not to yawn through the endless repetitions of praise for their ¡®noble sacrifice¡¯, almost missing the moment they finally ended and the event he''d been waiting for began.


    Belinda, David, and Samuel walked up to the podium together as a slab of an amber-like substance was brought out, a meter long and a tenth of that high and wide. ¡°Now it is time for our new recruits to leave their mark for the Wall of Ascension, preserving their strongest attack in this slab, to join its brethren on the Wall. Each centimeter of its length represents one unit of ability power, forever marking the continual improvement of our forces, and honoring the sacrifice of every poor soul who passes through the Trial.¡± Belinda announced to the crowd, before turning to the graduates. ¡°Unfortunately, only a single attack may be preserved, so I ask, who among you believes yourself worthy of this task!¡±


    ¡°I do!¡± Daniel immediately replied, stepping forward from among the ranks of the Vanguard, along with four others with similar eagerness, all eyeing each other competitively.


    Belinda spared Daniel a small smile, quickly returning to seriousness as she looked the volunteers over. ¡°Very well, since you all believe yourselves worthy-¡± She cut off as someone new joined the line of volunteers, blinking incredulously.


    ¡°Sorry, ma''am. I had to go around.¡± Chris explained, pointing his thumb at the line of Vanguards that had been in his way.


    Belinda glanced at David, wondering what he was up to, but the man just smiled back. It wasn''t that there weren''t those with attacks capable of matching the Vanguard in the Scouts or even the Defense Force, it was just that anyone who actually cared about this sort of thing would almost definitely join the Vanguard. Also¡­ wasn''t this boy a healer? ¡°Very well¡­ If you all believe you are worthy, then you shall duel for it!¡± Belinda continued, putting whatever they were up to out of her mind. It would be handled by the duels in any case. ¡°Prove you are the most capable for the task!¡± She glanced at Chris, pointing at him and Daniel. ¡°The two of you will go first.¡± Daniel had fumed over Chris avoiding their duel before. It was only fitting to give him the chance to knock the Scout out of the running.


    Chris frowned. David hadn''t told him he''d have to duel to do this! He just said he''d have to show he could do better! ¡°Is this really an accurate measure of ability strength?¡± Chris asked skeptically as he walked over.


    ¡°What, are you scared, Scout?¡± Daniel sneered. ¡°The Wall of Ascension isn''t about having one strong attack, it''s about being strong. About fighting back against the Maze! Of course we should prove ourselves through combat!¡±


    Chris cocked his head, then shrugged. ¡°That''s fair.¡±


    ¡°Ready?¡± Belinda called out. Chris shifted into his mutated form, Daniel and Belinda both looking shocked as he rolled his shoulders. He was actually starting to get a little excited. He never got to really fight in his mutated form. He pulled on the abilities of all his minions, deciding to see what he could really do if he went all out. He paused for a moment, before letting Tibolt and Girolt''s abilities drop. That would make things too easy. Belinda coughed. ¡°Ready?¡± Chris nodded, Daniel following a moment later, though he now looked a lot less confident. An energy barrier snapped into place around them. ¡°Begin!¡±


    Daniel immediately fired a glowing bolt at Chris, simultaneously attacking and pushing himself away as the blast propelled him backwards. Chris easily twisted out of the path of the bolt, shooting a ball of ice back at almost twice the speed, Daniel''s eyes widening as he quickly used an unfocused blast to push himself out of the way. ¡°How-¡± He began, cutting off with a yelp as a ball of fire came at him next, using another blast to dodge. ¡°What-¡± A cloud of darkness covered him and he frantically blasted his way out of it, only to catch an iceball to the gut which sent him sprawling and gasping for air, a healer quickly rushing forward to attend to him as the barrier fell.


    Chris turned back to normal, glancing at Belinda and giving her a thumbs up. ¡°Good?¡± And then his head exploded.


    As the echo of a gunshot cracked through the field, barriers snapped into place around the crowd as people screamed and cursed. All the soldiers immediately went on guard, putting up their defenses and scanning their surroundings for the threat as healers rushed towards Chris, only to stop short as his body disappeared, leaving only his uniform behind. A moment later a horizontal portal opened above them and his head popped out. ¡°I''m okay! Just naked at the moment. What hit me?¡± He''d barely caught whatever it was in his spatial sense, but he''d at least caught the direction, looking over to the far end of the field just in time to catch another bullet to the face, head exploding again as he collapsed through the portal. A moment later he popped up again. ¡°If it didn''t work the first time-¡± His head popped again. He emerged a moment later with a sigh. ¡°Well, at least they''re targeting me.¡± His head exploded for a fourth time, and a moment later, he yet again emerged, waiting patiently, only to find that his head remained blissfully intact this time. ¡°Huh¡­ did we get them?¡±


    A soldier ran up on stage, whispering a report to the three generals, before slipping away. Belinda let out a cough as she stepped up to the podium. ¡°The assailant has been dealt with, but please be patient as we secure the location against any further threats.¡± She announced.


    Chris nodded, ducking back through his portal and closing it, before opening one facing down over his uniform and pulling it in. A quick scan with his material sense let him absorb any dirt he''d picked up as he pulled the uniform on, before stepping back out and falling into place with the other volunteers. The four remaining shared looks before stepping back into place with the rest of the Vanguard, clearly ceding the right to leave a mark to Chris.


    Belinda glanced at Chris. ¡°If you are the only one remaining, you may as well leave your mark.¡± She announced, waving to the slab.


    ¡°Yes, ma''am.¡± Chris saluted, moving into position to attack the slab, a few cameramen lining up nervously to get a shot of it. Chris transformed again, pulling on Fribolt''s ability and forming a spike- forming a spike- Chris frowned down at his hand, which refused to form a spike of ice. He tried forming a ball, then pulling on all his other minions abilities and activating them, but nothing worked! It was almost like- Chris froze, opening a portal and stepping inside, examining himself with his energy sense. He sighed, transforming as he stepped back outside, turning to Belinda. ¡°Sorry, ma''am. I can''t leave a mark.¡±


    Belinda glared at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°My ability energy is gone.¡± Chris explained. ¡°I think it''s because I died? I guess my body is connected to my space, but the energy isn''t. I guess I could claw at it if you really wanted me to, but my physical strength is only around four ability units, so it''d be kinda sad.¡±


    Belinda stared at him incredulously as David struggled, and failed, to contain his laughter. Belinda whirled on him furiously. ¡°Do you think this is a joke!?! This is a matter of our pride as a species!¡±


    David waved her down. ¡°Right, sorry, Belinda, I get it, but- listen, give the kid a month, and I bet he''ll be able to make an attack just as strong as before. Hell, give him a year, and he''ll blow through the thing! If you want to talk about the pride of the species¡­ well, you''re looking at it. If anyone is going to take us to the surface, it''s that soldier right there. And he''ll just be getting started.¡±

 Space: 27 - Romance is hard

    The three generals agreed to delay the marking ceremony, more due to the attempted assassination than their confidence in Chris''s strength. They rushed through the end of the graduation, just hitting the key points before dismissing the graduates to the subdued cheers of the crowd. ¡°Now why can''t they do that every time?¡± Chris muttered as the squad headed to the exit. Usually the graduates would remain on the field, spreading out as friends and family flocked out to congratulate them, but there seemed to be an unconscious agreement that any socializing would happen off the field where someone had just been shot. ¡°Keep it short and sweet, don''t drag it out for no good reason.¡±


    Beth whipped around to glare at him. ¡°Is that really what you should be focusing on right now? Chris, someone tried to kill you! And if you weren''t you, they would have succeeded!¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Well, yeah, but they said they took care of it, right? Plus it pretty much confirmed I can''t die, so that''s nice. Sucks that I lost my energy though¡­ I''m going to have to spend a week mutating again, aren''t I?¡±


    Beth rubbed her temple. ¡°Chris, the issue isn''t whether they killed you or not, the issue is why did someone try to kill you!?!¡±


    ¡°I couldn''t have been anyone who knew him all that well.¡± Nadia commented. ¡°I would never have trusted a bullet to take Chris out.¡±


    ¡°I think it was explosive.¡± Chris offered. ¡°Popped my head real good.¡±


    Nadia blinked. ¡°That''s- closer I believe, but if I were trying to kill you¡­ you''d pretty much have to find something that can erase your body from existence. I don''t think that''d kill you, but it''d at least trap you in your space. Though you''d still have your minions¡­¡±


    ¡°Chris, have I mentioned you''re terrifying lately?¡± Zack muttered, shuddering slightly.


    ¡°You mention it fairly regularly, yeah.¡± Chris nodded.


    Zack sighed. ¡°Just making sure.¡±


    ¡°Guys!¡± Beth snapped. ¡°Why did someone try to kill my boyfriend!?!¡±


    ¡°Beth, you''re the strategist here.¡± Derek pointed out. ¡°What would someone gain from trying to kill Chris?¡±


    Beth blinked, frowning as she thought about it. Like Nadia said, it couldn''t have been anyone who had a full understanding of what Chris was capable of, or they wouldn''t have used a gun to try and kill him. Or at least, they wouldn''t have continued past the first shot. Beth paused. The shooter had shot Chris four times. That suggested an emotional component. A hitman would have maybe tried a second time, but definitely no more than that. No, the shooter had personally wanted Chris dead. No, they needed him dead! That many attempts was a sign of anger and desperation. But¡­ who in the world could possibly have that level of investment in Chris being dead? He was a nobody! Sure, he had potential, but he hadn''t done anything with it yet! Unless¡­ Beth''s eyes widened. ¡°Do- do you think it was because of me? Because Chris is my boyfriend?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°You think Daniel hired a hitman?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°No, the shooter had to have been someone who personally wanted you dead. That''s the only explanation for how many times you were shot. They were frustrated. Desperate. You wouldn''t get that from a hitman.¡±


    Nadia frowned. ¡°That- doesn''t quite add up. If you were the goal, why would they hit Chris at the graduation ceremony? If they could get in there, they could definitely get him on the Scout base. Particularly since they would have had no way of knowing Chris would compete to leave a mark.¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Hm. Why would they wait until after the duel to shoot him? He was in the open for more than enough time to line up a shot before that. If you already have a golden opportunity, why wait for another?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was because the duel was why they decided to kill him?¡± Carmen suggested.


    Nadia cocked her head. ¡°Someone who knew of Chris, but didn''t know him? Just that he could use multiple abilities? Who had reason to suspect he''d participate in the ceremony¡­ and personally wanted him dead¡­¡± Nadia scowled. ¡°This isn''t adding up. Like Beth said, the multiple shots screams personal, but who could have a personal reason to shoot Chris without actually knowing him?¡±


    ¡°Why don''t we just ask Beth''s dad?¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°They got the guy, didn''t they? He should at least be able to tell us who did it.¡±


    They all paused, and Beth let out an awkward cough. ¡°Right, uh, let''s go find him!¡± She turned, marching off to find David. It didn''t take long, because it turned out David was looking for them too.


    ¡°Ah, Chris, there you are!¡± David exclaimed. ¡°Quick, come with me, we need to talk.¡± He waved for him to follow as he walked away.


    ¡°Dad, wait!¡± Beth called out. ¡°What happened with the shooter? Why was he targeting Chris?!?¡±


    David looked back, frowning slightly. ¡°Beth, I-¡± He glanced at the rest of the squad, all of whom were watching him with serious expressions, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Fine, all of you come as well. I''ll explain everything once we get there. It''d be irresponsible to leave you all in the dark anyway.¡± David took the squad into a small building attached to the field, leading them to a meeting room where Samuel, Belinda, and a few others were waiting.


    Belinda frowned at David as they arrived. ¡°David, do you understand the meaning of confidential?¡±


    David rolled his eyes. ¡°Belinda, this is his squad. If anyone needs to know what''s going on, it''s them. Their lives are going to be at risk too.¡±


    Belinda paused for a moment before nodding in acceptance. ¡°Very well. All of you, please have a seat.¡± The squad shared nervous looks before doing as she said, wondering why their lives would be at risk. ¡°As you may have realized, we''re here to discuss the issue of the attempt on Private Vincent''s life. In particular, the identity of his assailant.¡±


    ¡°Who was it?¡± Beth asked immediately, flushing as Belinda leveled a glare at her.


    ¡°That is what we would like to ask you.¡± Samuel interjected. ¡°The shooter was both invisible and cloaked from any detection abilities, protected themselves with a barrier when our forces attacked, set off a pulse that stunned everyone around them, and used several other abilities to cause confusion as they made their escape, including teleportation. Does this seem familiar to any of you?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you didn''t catch them?!?¡± Nadia asked incredulously. ¡°I thought you said you dealt with them!?!¡±


    ¡°We did.¡± Belinda snapped. ¡°We forced them to flee and quadrupled our surveillance so they wouldn''t have a chance to return. Now, who do you think would have been capable of this?¡±


    ¡°An elite Vanguard?¡± Beth suggested hesitantly. As they progressed, Vanguards would gain an extensive kit of ability tools, turning themselves into single unit armies that could tear through whole tribes single handedly. She just couldn''t see why anyone like that would target Chris.


    Belinda shook her head. ¡°Ability tools can''t be used as quickly and flexibly as the shooter was capable of. The invisibility, cloaking, and stunning pulse could be explained using them, but the shooter demonstrated the ability to direct the barrier as they wished and could teleport in multiple directions at varying distances. This also doesn''t account for the phantom images or sediment manipulation they used. Additionally, we have systems in place that would catch the activation of an ability tool. It''s possible the shooter has discovered some novel method of activating ability tools, but it''s more likely that they simply have multiple abilities. Like him.¡± She gestured towards Chris.


    ¡°You think the shooter is related to me?¡± Chris asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°Not as such. More, we wish to study what you''re capable of in order to better understand what the shooter might be capable of, in order to better account for the risk they represent.¡± Samuel replied. ¡°In that regard, let me introduce you to Salvador Perez, the head of the Ability Management Department, and Jo Vuntula, the leading expert on abilities.¡±


    Salvador nodded at him with a smile. ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you. I''ve read more than a few reports on you, and I must say your ability is fascinating. I look forward to working with you.¡±


    ¡°I believe you''ve actually been working with one of my employees for some time now, Dr. Bartholomew Jacobs?¡± Jo commented.


    ¡°You''re Jacobs¡¯ boss?¡± Chris blinked. Jo looked like she couldn''t be all that much older than him.


    Jo smirked. ¡°Don''t be fooled by my appearance, I have an ability that allows me to stay young. I''m actually old enough to be your mother.¡±


    ¡°Try grandmother.¡± Salvador coughed, earning himself a glare from Jo.


    Chris nodded. ¡°So how does studying me help?¡±


    Belinda grimaced. ¡°This incident has allowed us to realize our security has some¡­ flaws. Our systems are designed to catch those who are invisible or cloaked, not both. We need to figure out a way to detect someone who has made themselves utterly undetectable. I doubt we''ll be lucky enough for their next target to be unkillable.¡±


    Beth leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. ¡°What I don''t understand is why they targeted Chris in the first place. We figured out it had to be something the shooter themselves was passionate about, and it was triggered by the duel, but we can''t figure out what about the duel could possibly motivate someone to want Chris dead that badly.¡±


    The generals shared uncomfortable looks. ¡°We believe this may have been enemy action.¡± David explained seriously. ¡°The shooter had to know they''d only get a few shots off, and we believe their primary target would have been the soldier who placed their mark on the Wall of Ascension. Then, when Chris displayed his astonishing capabilities, he became their immediate target. It explains both their lack of knowledge and their clear desperation. Particularly as an enemy who possesses multiple abilities themselves. They would be able to see the threat that Chris represents more clearly than any of us.¡± He gave Chris a significant look. ¡°If that is the case, we''re going to need you to get as strong as possible, as fast as possible. The City itself may depend on it.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    *


    The squad returned to the barracks in a subdued mood. They''d managed to smile for their friends and family, getting pictures with them in their official uniforms, but it all rang hollow. It was hard to celebrate finally being soldiers when they knew they might be called to lay down their lives to protect their people all too soon. ¡°So¡­ we''re for sure sleeping in Chris''s space tonight, right?¡± Zack commented. ¡°Cause I''m not going to be able to sleep thinking about some super soldier sneaking in and gutting us all.¡±


    Carmen scowled. ¡°Well now we are! Why''d you have to put that idea in my head!?!¡±


    ¡°How could you not be thinking it already!¡± Zack retorted. ¡°Someone took four shots at Chris at one of the most high security events in the City, and escaped! I don''t think they''ll have much trouble sneaking into our barracks!¡±


    ¡°We''ll need to sleep on the floor tonight, but tomorrow we should go buy some rocks or sand so I have enough material to make us all beds.¡± Chris commented, realizing that no one was going to be comfortable sleeping outside his space.


    ¡°I''ll take the floor over being dead any day.¡± Zack muttered.


    ¡°It''s kinda sad that this is our last night in the barracks and we won''t even sleep in it.¡± Beth sighed, laying a hand on her bed nostalgically. This place had been their home for almost half a year. Tomorrow they''d receive their platoon assignments and they''d have to move to the platoon''s off base housing. It was kind of sad to leave it behind without even giving it a proper send off.


    ¡°We could take a walk around. Say our goodbyes.¡± Chris suggested. Everyone immediately turned to look at him with various expressions of disbelief. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Chris, are you feeling okay?¡± Derek asked seriously.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Chris frowned, giving him a weird look.


    ¡°I think we should take him to the infirmary, just to be sure.¡± Beth commented, studying him intently.


    ¡°Guys, I''m fine.¡± Chris assured them. ¡°Why would you think I''m not?¡±


    ¡°Chris, I''ve known you for over a decade, and not once have you ever suggested we take a walk.¡± Derek replied. ¡°You left the place you called home for most of your life without even a second glance!¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°I guess this is a bit out of character for me, huh?¡± He turned to Beth. ¡°I''m going to propose, and it involves you and me walking. Okay?¡±


    Beth froze, before flushing deeply. ¡°Chris, I''m pretty sure you aren''t supposed to tell me that.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Maybe. But when you think about it, our entire relationship has been a slow walk towards a known conclusion. Seems somewhat fitting that my proposal be the same.¡±


    Beth smiled, then bit her lip nervously. ¡°Are you sure it''s safe? With- you know?¡±


    ¡°I doubt they''d know where I''m taking you, and since they weren''t waiting in the room when we got here, I doubt they know where to find us on base either. Plus, your dad would be an idiot if he didn''t have every squad he could spare searching for intruders at the moment, and you dad is not an idiot.¡± Chris countered.


    Beth nodded tentatively. ¡°True¡­ okay, let''s do it!¡± She agreed, smiling brightly and grabbing Chris''s hand, dragging him out the door.


    ¡°Wait! Put us in the space first!¡± Zack called out, getting no response back. ¡°Damn it! If I die because of this, I''m so going to haunt their asses!¡±


    Beth dragged Chris for a bit, before slowing down, flushing as she glanced at him. ¡°Uh, where are we going?¡±


    Chris chuckled, squeezing her hand as he walked up beside her. ¡°Just walk where you want to go, and we''ll get where I''m taking you.¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Is that a riddle?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s portals.¡± Chris smirked. ¡°I spent most of the past two weeks getting my minions in place for this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Beth flushed again, falling silent as they constantly to slowly walk across the base, slowly relaxing as she began to focus on just being with Chris. She glanced around the base. ¡°Is it weird that I''m going to miss this place?¡±


    ¡°Kind of.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Particularly since we''re still going to be here a lot.¡±


    ¡°No, not- I don''t mean the place, I mean boot camp. Yeah, it was tough, but there was something almost carefree about knowing every day was focused on being better than you were yesterday. All you had to do was keep pushing yourself, without worrying about what people would say or how people would take it. It was just you versus everything keeping you from being a better you. I was very¡­ pure. I''m going to miss that.¡± Beth finished with a sigh.


    Chris frowned. ¡°I''m not sure I''m capable of worrying about what people will say or how they''ll take something.¡±


    Beth smiled, leaning closer to him. ¡°And that''s why I love you. Because when I''m with you, I know it''s just about us. It isn''t about who I am, or what you can get from me. All you care about is me being me.¡±


    ¡°How is you being you different from who you are?¡± Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You know what I mean. There''s Beth, daughter of the Scout General, high-tier, celebrity, on the front of magazines, paparazzi everywhere, and then there''s¡­ me.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Magazines? Paparazzi?¡±


    Beth frowned at him. ¡°You never noticed the people taking pictures of us? I mean, I''m not a movie star or anything, but there''s always three or four people following me around with cameras. I''m more than certain our relationship has been documented in at least one magazine. Though likely with little to no factual connection to what our relationship actually is.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I honestly never noticed¡­ Eh, whatever. Shall we move on?¡±


    ¡°Let''s.¡± Beth agreed, squeezing his hand happily. Chris opened a portal, taking them to¡­ ¡°Is this the Maze?!?¡± Beth asked incredulously.


    ¡°The first level. Don''t worry, I had my minions clear this stretch. Fribolt and Firbolt had a field day freezing and burning everything in sight. I had to bring in new moss so we''d at least have some light. That''s why they''re the ones keeping watch so nothing sneaks up on us.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Not the most romantic spot, I know, but¡­ well, this is where it all started. Where we spent weeks just walking and talking, getting to know each other. Thinking back, I think this is where I first fell in love with you¡­ it just took me a while to realize it. I couldn''t bring myself to leave it out when I was planning this.¡±


    Beth nodded slowly, relaxing slightly. ¡°That was another time that was very pure, wasn''t it? All we had to do was focus on surviving. And each other.¡± She bit her lip nervously for a moment. ¡°I don''t think I knew what to feel about you while we were in here. You were just so different from everyone else I''ve ever known. I think I was just enjoying the fact that I could be myself around you, because you didn''t even know who I was. And I was worried that once you did¡­ you''d be like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°I guess you didn''t know me very well then, huh?¡± Chris smirked. ¡°That''s what you get for doing ninety percent of the talking.¡±


    ¡°I did not!¡± Beth protested, shoving him. ¡°I talked maybe sixty percent of the time!¡±


    ¡°Definitely at least eighty.¡± Chris countered.


    ¡°Seventy, max.¡± Beth retorted.


    ¡°Seventy-five?¡± Chris offered.


    Beth narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Fine. As long as you admit you spent seventy-five percent of the time you did talk talking about Derek, which was the other side of the issue.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°That''s fair. He is the centerpiece of most of my stories. Mostly because anytime I had an idea to do something, I thought it was a better idea to get Derek to do it instead.¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°He was your minion before you had minions, huh?¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Kinda actually¡­ but in the same way I use my minions now. Not so much controlling them, but more knowing what kinds of things they''re inclined to do, so when I have something I want done, I know who to go to.¡±


    ¡°Don''t make the person fit the role, make the role fit the person.¡± Beth quoted with a nod. ¡°Still wish you''d had a bit more of yourself to talk about. It almost feels like we wasted time. Though I suppose there''s no way we could have reasonably gotten engaged any sooner¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we always would have had to wait until after boot camp.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°I was frustrated enough with you just being my girlfriend.¡±


    Beth flushed. ¡°Yeah¡­ particularly when it got to Sunday, and all I wanted to do was-¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Chris held up a hand to stop her. ¡°We''re just getting engaged, not married. Don''t put ideas in my head.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I want ideas in your head.¡± Beth muttered, before sighing. ¡°No sorry, I don''t mean that. It''s just- today has been rough.¡±


    Chris put his arm around her shoulder. ¡°I know. I get it. The idea of someone out there targeting us¡­ let''s just say I really wish I was strong enough to connect you to my space right now.¡±


    Beth curled closer to him. ¡°Me too.¡± They stood like that for a moment, just holding each other, before Chris opened another portal and took them to the next area. ¡°Is this- the strip mall?¡±


    ¡°Yup. Our first outing together. Not a date, but not not a date either. Seemed significant enough to have a place in the walk.¡± Chris explained, leading her along.


    Beth smiled. ¡°I think this is where I started to finally believe you were who you seemed to be. Anyone would have jumped on the chance to have the rich girl pay for all the expensive things she was pushing you to buy, but you didn''t even flinch. And then there was the portal¡­ the whole City would have called you a hero for it, even as they marched headlong into their deaths.¡± She paused. ¡°Actually hold on, I started to believe you were you at the inspection point, where you tried to get yourself killed. Why wasn''t that on the walk?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I couldn''t get access. They don''t let random people walk around in there for some reason.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, rude.¡± Beth grumbled, sharing a smile with Chris. ¡°But still, this was good. It helped me learn you weren''t just after what you could get from me.¡±


    Chris chuckled. ¡°Ironically, this was where I learned what you could offer me. Someone to care about the things that don''t even register for me a lot of the time. I need that.¡±


    Beth mock gasped. ¡°So you are using me!¡±


    ¡°Only when you want to be used.¡± Chris grinned.


    Beth paused. ¡°I think I can live with that.¡± The next portal took them to the gardens of the Emerald Pavilion. ¡°I probably should have guessed we''d end up here.¡± Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Where you captured my heart by refusing to defend my honor!¡± She clutched her chest and pretended to swoon.


    ¡°Oh, is that what I did?¡± Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°I thought this was where I learned why you needed me. Someone who wouldn''t play games with you, who would focus on the things that mattered, so you wouldn''t have to worry about the things that don''t.¡±


    Beth flushed. ¡°And I learned you could be that person, even when it turns everyone against you.¡±


    ¡°Not the important people.¡± Chris retorted, grabbing her waist and pulling her close. ¡°Those people only get closer.¡±


    Beth bit her lip. ¡°Is this our last stop?¡±


    Chris grinned. ¡°There''s one more.¡± He opened a portal to the hill overlooking the lake, pulling her through. ¡°This is where I learned it wasn''t just friendship, or companionship, or a lonely boy and a lonely girl clinging to the first person they could¡­ it was love.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Beth whispered, tears in her eyes.


    Chris got down on one knee, pulling out a small black box and opening it. ¡°Beth, will you marry me?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Beth exclaimed, snatching the ring and putting it on her finger, before jumping into his arms as he stood and kissing him for all she was worth. ¡°I would have said yes even if you had just knelt down the moment you had the ring.¡± She muttered as they parted. ¡°But I''m glad you didn''t.¡±


    ¡°I was tempted.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°Romance is hard. But worth it. Definitely worth it.¡±


    Beth smiled. ¡°I love you.¡±


    Chris smiled back. ¡°I love you too.¡±

 Space: 28 - No time like the present

    It was really hard to resist pulling Beth into the private section of his space that night, but Chris managed it, simply cuddling with her as the squad huddled together in a corner of his space, enjoying the feeling of being with his fianc¨¦e. The next morning, the squad received their new lodging details and packed up everything from the barracks before heading over. ¡°Did it say which platoon we got?¡± Nadia asked as they walked.


    Beth frowned. ¡°No, it just told us where to go¡­ I''m not sure what that means.¡±


    ¡°Could we be forming a new platoon?¡± Derek wondered. ¡°No platoon because the platoon doesn''t exist yet?¡±


    Nadia frowned. ¡°I can''t tell if that''d be a good thing or a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°Could it have something to do with what we talked to your dad about?¡± Chris muttered.


    Beth hesitated. ¡°Maybe¡­ we may be waiting until certain things are in place? I don''t know, I''ll have to talk to him and see. Or maybe we''ll know more when we get there.¡±


    The squad nodded, continuing to walk in silence for a moment. ¡°So¡­¡± Carmen began, nudging Beth. ¡°I can''t help but notice that absolutely stunning diamond on your finger~ I take it last night went well?¡±


    Beth beamed, holding her hand up to show off the ring. ¡°It did! Chris''s proposal was amazing!¡±


    ¡°Oh was it now?¡± Derek raised an eyebrow at Chris.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°It was alright.¡± Beth shot a glare at him and he coughed. ¡°And by that I mean it was the most romantic thing I''ve ever experienced.¡±


    ¡°That isn''t exactly saying much.¡± Derek pointed out, causing Beth''s glare to turn on him. ¡°But I''m sure it was great!¡±


    Beth crossed her arms with a huff. ¡°It was beautifully romantic! He took us on a walk through all the significant points in our relationship and we talked about why they were important and how they affected us, ending at the place we both realized we loved each other! It was sweet and thoughtful and perfect!¡±


    The rest of the squad shared a few looks, before Carmen coughed slightly. ¡°So¡­ are you going to do anything to announce your engagement?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°You know, have a party, put pictures up on social media, send out postcards, stuff like that.¡± Carmen elaborated.


    Chris frowned, glancing at Beth. ¡°Do we want to do anything like that?¡±


    ¡°We should probably take some pictures for social media¡­¡± Beth muttered. ¡°Then a small get together with family and close friends? Nothing big, just something so the people we''re close to can celebrate with us.¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°I suppose that works¡­ is the fact that I don''t have social media going to be a problem?¡±


    Beth smiled, shaking her head. ¡°No, it''s mostly just to get ahead of the media. Everyone I want to know I can tell myself. But if we don''t put something up, they''ll make it out like it''s some kind of scandal, which will make the paparazzi ravenous to get a scoop, and they''ll end up harassing us even more than if we just put it out there.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Gotcha. Alright, I can do that.¡±


    It didn''t take long for the squad to arrive at their new home and start setting up. Unlike the barracks, their new home allowed everyone to have their own room, giving them a measure of privacy, which would have been nice if they weren''t spending every night in Chris''s space for safety. Instead it just gave them slightly more room to store their equipment. They didn''t find any indication of what their next assignment was going to be, leaving them a bit confused, but Beth quickly got them focused on their next task: getting material for Chris''s space. They all wanted their own beds for the night.


    They split the work into two teams, one to focus on getting mass while the other found things for Chris to build with. Chris, Derek, and Zack were on the mass team and they spent most of the morning hunting down a company that sold rock and sand, which meant traveling all the way down to the hundredth floor since they wanted to buy in bulk. You could get rock and sand on higher floors, but it''d be ten times more expensive due to transportation costs, so since they had the time, spending a few hours on the lifts for a deal was worth it, particularly since Chris was planning on buying four dozen tons. He didn''t want to run out of material any time soon. Meanwhile, Beth, Nadia, Carmen, and Jello visited construction, flower, hobby, and electronics stores, picking up wood, bricks, cement, paint, plants, soil, lights, fabrics, wires, pipes, a toilet, a shower, a bathtub, and everything else Chris needed to build up his space.


    Once they had everything, they met up for a quick lunch before heading into Chris''s world to start building. The first thing they did was raise the height of the ceiling to four meters, the girls having picked up a meter stick so Chris could actually measure now. He then made a half meter tall wall hemming in a corner of the space and filled it with dirt, laying down a slab of concrete on top, leaving space along the edge for plants. Then the squad went through and started slowly building themselves a home, room by room. The whole process was a real workout for Chris''s control over material, not because it was hard necessarily, but because it required him to do things he''d never done before. Connecting materials, cutting out sections, threading wires and pipes throughout, layering them, and so on. It quickly became clear he could do pretty much whatever he wanted with the material in his space.


    Once the squad was satisfied with their new home, they started moving in, deciding to just live in the space instead of bothering with their new housing. The only thing Chris''s space lacked was an internet connection, but if they really needed one, they could run a cable through a portal. While they did that, Chris set up something for his minions as well. He didn''t have the space to set up something as nice as he had for the squad, but he at least got them a toilet and shower, along with a barracks style bunk room he''d put together after scanning the mattress from his room outside, so at least they all had their own bed, which they were all more than grateful for.


    ¡°So¡­ what do we do now?¡± Zack asked, scratching his head. After spending months with little to no free time, it almost felt wrong to have nothing to do. For the period before graduation, they could focus on catching up with family and friends, or indulging in some of the things they''d missed during bootcamp, but now they were facing a whole month with nothing to do, then another that was just morning exercises.


    ¡°I''m going to look into some business classes.¡± Carmen announced.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Derek nodded.


    ¡°I''m going to look at some advanced tactics classes.¡± Nadia commented.


    ¡°I''ll be looking at strategy.¡± Beth agreed, smiling as she glanced at her ring. ¡°And planning my wedding.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I could look at some more engineering classes.¡± Zack muttered.


    ¡°I- think I might take the opportunity to do some exploring.¡± Chris announced.


    The squad turned to look at him. ¡°You''re going to explore the Maze?¡± Derek asked, giving him a weird look.


    ¡°No.¡± Chris shook his head.


    Beth''s eyes widened as she realized what Chris was talking about. ¡°You mean- Are- are you sure? You don''t think it''s too risky?¡±


    ¡°I''ve been thinking about it, and I either have to do it now, or wait until I''m so powerful nothing can touch me.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Once I mutate again, risking dying would be too wasteful, but right now I have nothing to lose, so no matter what I do the worst case scenario is I lose some clothes. Of course, there''s always the risk that something will be capable of breaking into my space, but that''s going to be the same no matter when I do this.¡±


    Beth grimaced uncomfortably as she thought it over, the squad looking between the two with confused expressions, before she let out a sigh and nodded in acceptance. ¡°Okay, but you only have a week. Just enough to get an idea of what''s out there.¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± Chris agreed. He was only going to have a week anyway, since he''d need to mutate to recover his ability energy next week, once Jo and Salvador finished getting everything ready.


    ¡°Okay, what the hell are you guys talking about?¡± Derek asked, looking between the two of them.


    ¡°Oh, I managed to open a portal to the surface.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°I knew it!¡± Zack exclaimed.


    ¡°Fucking how!?!¡± Nadia asked incredulously.


    ¡°It happened when I separated my private space.¡± Chris explained. ¡°It connected to a random area, which happened to be on the surface.¡±


    ¡°So that''s why you don''t have more of those.¡± Carmen muttered. ¡°I was wondering why you only ever had the one.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Yeah, I don''t want to risk connecting to someplace dangerous.¡±


    ¡°What, you mean like the surface?!?¡± Nadia growled. ¡°Isn''t that dangerous enough!?!¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Chris wiggled his hand. ¡°It''s in a forest clearing with no signs of anything intelligent nearby. Still not exactly safe, I suppose, but better than in the middle of a tribe, right?¡±


    Nadia glared at him for a moment, before turning to Beth. ¡°You knew about this?!? How could you not tell anyone!?!¡±


    ¡°It''s too dangerous.¡± Beth explained. ¡°The moment this becomes public, people are going to want to explore it, which means people will die. The surface is too dangerous. The only reason I''m letting Chris go is because¡­ well, he''s Chris. He''s risking less and he''ll be more cautious than anyone, and it''s a good idea to figure out what''s in the area, so we know if it''s something we can use or something we should seal away forever.¡±


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    ¡°Plus, I technically did tell you guys, you just didn''t believe me.¡± Chris pointed out.


    ¡°Chris, using it to fuck with us doesn''t count.¡± Derek grumbled, rubbing his temple.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°The information was communicated. I''m not in charge of how it was received.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what are the odds of something from the surface getting into here?¡± Zack asked, gesturing to the space.


    Chris frowned. ¡°I''m not sure. I can''t tell how connected the two are. I know the other space has a connection to the surface, because I can feel my spatial sense over there, but the connection between this space and that space isn''t as clear¡­ except, I suppose, in the fact that they''re both technically me? Since I kind of am the space.¡±


    Zack''s expression twisted. ¡°Well now I don''t know where to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Still here.¡± Nadia sighed. ¡°Creatures from the surface are a maybe. Whatever tried to kill Chris is definitely out there.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Zack groaned, turning to Chris. ¡°Please don''t piss off some eldritch monstrosity while you''re out there, okay? Or at least don''t tell me about it. I don''t need more nightmares.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow, but nodded. ¡°Deal. But honestly, I''m not planning on actually doing anything out there. I''m just going to walk around.¡±


    *


    The next morning, Chris had breakfast with the squad and gave Beth a quick kiss goodbye before moving to the private space. He opened the portal to the surface and cautiously stepped out, the forest still fairly dark though the sky was getting brighter. Chris closed the portal, looking for any sign that something more than animals existed around him, hesitating for a moment before approaching one of the taller trees. He began to climb it carefully, occasionally using a barrier to give him a boost to a higher branch, particularly as he got higher, using the barriers more and more to support his weight until he was high enough to see over the forest, but still low enough that he remained mostly hidden by the tree he was in.


    Looking around, there was only one notable feature he could see from the height he was at, some sort of break in the forest not far away. Possibly just another clearing, but it was all Chris had to go on at the moment. Quickly climbing back down the tree, he moved in the direction of the break, keeping his senses sharp for any creatures. Or at least any creatures nearby. The forest was filled with sounds, putting Chris on edge. The sounds didn''t seem threatening, but the sheer amount was worrying. Thankfully none of them seemed to notice him yet, but Chris was missing being able to borrow Sidulpek''s ability. A shroud of darkness would have made him feel a lot more comfortable at the moment.


    After several minutes of careful creeping, Chris finally made it to the break, freezing as he found¡­ a road? He frowned, kneeling down and touching the dark surface in front of him. Yeah, that was definitely asphalt¡­ and definitely not a good sign. Animals didn''t build roads, and roads meant cars, or at least some form of advanced transportation. So not only were there sapients around, they were just as advanced as humanity, if not more.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Chris cursed, looking up and down the road, wondering if he should just cut his losses here, when he froze again. ¡°What the-¡± He walked closer to the sign, eyes widening in disbelief as he read it. Speed limit forty-five¡­ in human! ¡°How the hell is that possible?¡± Chris muttered to himself, scratching his head. Were- were there humans on the surface? Some subspecies that was stronger for some reason? But that didn''t make any sense either¡­ language was constantly evolving, and even in the City, if you brought someone back from four hundred years ago, you''d probably barely understand them! What were the odds that a separate civilization of humans would develop the same language?!? Probably the same as any other random civilization developing the same language.


    Chris''s ears perked up as he heard something coming down the road, quickly ducking back into the forest and peeking through some foliage to see what was coming. It was definitely a car, he could see that much, and¡­ Chris blinked incredulously as he caught a glimpse of the driver. It was a human! Or at least it seemed like one¡­ he could only see the head and arms. Should he stop them? Was it worth the risk? Before Chris could decide, the car sped past, continuing on its way, taking the decision out of his hands. Chris stared after the car for a moment, frowning in consternation, before making his way after it, following the road. He wasn''t sure what was going on or what he''d find, but he knew he needed to get answers, one way or another.


    Chris was only walking for about four minutes when another car came his way. He debated hiding again, but decided against it. He also debated waving them down, but decided against that as well. He wanted to see how these people reacted to a random human walking along the road. The car slowed down, pulling up next to him as the window rolled down. ¡°Hey buddy, you alright?¡± The man in the car asked with a mix of suspicion and concern.


    Chris paused, considering his answer for a moment. ¡°I''m- not sure. I''m not sure where I am, to be honest.¡±


    The man frowned. ¡°Didn''t you check your phone?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°I- don''t have my phone with me.¡±


    The man sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Well¡­ if you''re looking to get back to town, you''re going the wrong way. You have a good forty miles before you''ll see anything in this direction. Town is about four miles back that way.¡±


    Chris frowned slightly, wondering what a mile was. ¡°I see¡­ I''ll head that way then, thank you.¡±


    The man hesitated for a moment, checking his watch. ¡°You know what? Hop in. I can at least get you to the edge of town.¡±


    ¡°You don''t have to, I can walk.¡± Chris assured him.


    ¡°No, no, I insist. Who wants to be early on a Monday anyway?¡± The man replied, leaning over and popping the door open. Chris hesitated for a moment, but decided it''d probably be more suspicious to refuse, sliding into the seat and strapping in as the man turned the car around. ¡°So how''d you get all turned around out there?¡±


    ¡°I- was in the forest and when I found the road, I wasn''t sure which way led where.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Hm. You must have been pretty lost to end up all the way out here.¡± The man commented. ¡°Did you just wander off into the forest?¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°I was exploring.¡±


    The man snorted. ¡°Exploring, huh? And you forgot your phone? Not the best idea, kid. Though even then, the signal out here can be pretty spotty¡­ if you''re going to make a habit of this, I''d suggest investing in a GPS.¡±


    ¡°That- sounds like a good idea.¡± Chris agreed, wondering what a ¡®GPS¡¯ was.


    The car descended into an awkward silence after that, but thankfully a mile didn''t seem to be that long a distance as they soon arrived at a dense cluster of buildings. ¡°Don''t go getting lost again, ya¡¯ hear?¡± The man warned as he dropped Chris off, giving him one last wave as he turned the car around and headed back the way they came.


    Chris looked around, studying the buildings that wouldn''t look all that out of place in the City with a weird expression. He was more convinced than ever that there was something strange going on here. The town was just¡­ sitting here! There were no defenses, no guards, no nothing to protect it from creatures! And the man had made zero mention of the fact that Chris was out in the wild without a weapon! Was he in some sort of protected area, like the City? But then¡­ What about all the creatures he''d heard in the forest? Was it fake? An illusion?


    Chris shook his head, making his way deeper into town, searching for someplace he could find answers. He wandered deeper into town, looking around, freezing as he saw one woman walking along with a dog! She had it on some kind of rope, just walking down the street as if there was nothing strange about it. Was she a dominator? Did the people of this place just let people walk around with their minions? Back in the City, he only got away with bringing Jello out because she looked human. Chris eyed the dog suspiciously for a moment, before moving on, continuing to explore until he found a place that might actually give him some information: the library.


    Chris walked up to the front desk where an older woman was sitting. ¡°Excuse me, do you have any- computers I could use?¡± Chris asked tentatively. There was definitely a computer on her desk, but he wasn''t sure if they called it the same thing.


    The woman eyed him suspiciously. ¡°There are a few towards the back you can use. They have a web blocker on them, so don''t try to look up anything you shouldn''t.¡±


    Chris blinked. That sounded¡­ ominous. ¡°I- won''t?¡± He assured her tentatively, before making his way in the direction she''d indicated, feeling a judgmental glare on his back. He really hoped he wasn''t about to set off some kind of alarm for searching for restricted information. He quickly found the computers and turned one on. It started to boot up¡­ slowly. It took a good ten minutes before he could finally get on the internet, hesitating as he wondered what he should look up, eventually landing on ¡®recent news¡¯. That should be harmless enough, right?


    The page took a while to load, before giving him a list of news sites. He clicked on the top link and started reading. There was apparently some sort of scandal with a politician, trouble in some place called the ¡®Middle East¡¯, an old celebrity that died, and- Chris''s eyes widened, quickly clicking on the story. ¡®The hit VRMMO The Maze releases its fourth expansion today Humanity''s Rise! Following Purge of the Doppelgangers, this installment brings players to the surface, where they''ll participate in the ongoing war between the Elven Kingdom and the Doppelganger Collective, featuring new races such as orcs, dwarves, halflings, and more!¡¯ The rest of the article went into more detail about the expansion, mentioning a new advancement system called ¡®cultivation¡¯, but Chris barely skimmed it before returning to the search bar and looking up The Maze.


    He looked up its origin, its history, theories, controversies, everything he could think of. It quickly became clear that not only was The Maze based on the City, it''d actually progressed further than the City, showing a future version that was¡­ not very pleasant. Based on everything he''d found, Chris put together a basic timeline for the game, based on the expansions. The base game seemed to be the present in the City. No major conflicts, just people versus the Maze. Then came the first expansion, Rise of the Conqueror, which revolved around the City pushing deeper into the Maze, led by man with radically stronger abilities than anyone had seen in years, and yes, that was abilities plural. Glossing over the man who could not possibly be similar to anyone, the next event was Invasion of the Elves, in which the Elven Kingdom descended into the Maze, pushing humanity back down, forcing the Conqueror into hiding in the process. Then came Purge of the Doppelgangers, which was where things got¡­ complicated.


    Apparently humanity wasn''t the only race living in the City, and when the elves got too close to the City, these doppelgangers revealed themselves, fighting off their initial invasion. Some people were grateful for the doppelgangers¡¯ help, but others saw them as a threat, leading to¡­ well, a purge. Since the doppelgangers could take on human form, people started accusing everyone of being doppelgangers and it turned into utter chaos, not helped by the fact that a second force of elves arrived, along with a force of doppelgangers, forcing people into two factions. Anyone who thought the doppelgangers were a threat joined the elves, working with them to eradicate the doppelgangers from the City. The other side supported the doppelgangers, seeing them as hidden allies. The whole conflict turned into a bloody civil war that divided humanity as both sides fought to claim territory in both the City and the Maze. Occasionally the Conqueror would appear, always in a devastating fashion, but it was never clear which side he was on, attacking both sides equally. Which then led to Humanities Rise, which apparently took the conflict to the surface.


    Chris stared at the computer with a twisted expression, not sure what to do with this information. Was it true? He had no idea, but he couldn''t exactly afford to ignore it, because what if it was? It was plain as day that he needed to do whatever he could to stop the elves from invading in the first place, but the problem was¡­ no one actually knew why they had invaded. Some people thought it was because humanity started pushing higher into the Maze, but others pointed out that that conflicted with their willingness to ally with humans against the doppelgangers. Some thought they came for the doppelgangers, but then why had they attacked humanity instead of simply talking to them? Also, it was clear the doppelgangers were more of an issue on the surface, so why would the elves care about the ones in the City? Neither explanation made complete sense, but no one had any competing theories, so it just kept going back and forth.


    Chris sighed as he leaned back in his chair. ¡°I''m going to have to get this game and figure it out myself, aren''t I?¡±

 Space: 29 - Gratitude

    ¡°You found what?!?¡± Beth asked incredulously.


    ¡°Another world.¡± Chris repeated. ¡°I think. That or an incredibly isolated and highly delusional section of Azza, because they literally have no idea that abilities exist, they''ve mapped out their entire planet, and they''ve been to their moon. Also¡­ the City is a game there. Like, they literally have a game called The Maze and it''s our lives, in a video game. It''s kinda crazy, honestly.¡±


    ¡°Chris, that isn''t ¡®kinda crazy¡¯, it''s legitimately insane!¡± Beth retorted, freezing as a thought occurred to her, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°We need to get you checked for mental manipulation. Now.¡± She jumped to her feet, grabbing his wrist to drag him away, only to stop short as she had no actual way to get out of his space. ¡°Uh, Chris?¡±


    Chris shrugged, opening a portal for her and letting her drag him to the hospital. Now that she''d mentioned it, it probably was a good idea to get checked. They were sitting in the waiting room until a specialist was available when Sabrina walked in. ¡°Oh, Chris, Beth! What are you doing here?¡± She asked, walking over to them. ¡°Are you finally here to take me up on my offer?¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes. ¡°What offer?¡±


    ¡°To do some healing.¡± Sabrina elaborated, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. ¡°I have a few patients waiting on advanced healing, and some with healing resistant diseases your healing may be able to get around. If you''re willing, of course.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°We''re actually here to get me checked for mental manipulation, but once that''s taken care of I don''t mind seeing if I can help some people out.¡±


    Sabrina blinked. ¡°You think someone may have messed with you?¡±


    ¡°It''s a possibility.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°I see¡­ let me see if I can speed things along for you then, alright?¡± Sabrina quickly rushed off. The idea of a mentally compromised Chris made her very nervous. She''d seen the videos from the military graduation.


    Sabrina managed to move things along, getting them a specialist not much later, and soon Chris found himself lying under some sort of machine as his mind was scanned for any discrepancies. The specialist turned to Beth once he was finished. ¡°As far as I can tell, he''s completely clear. No significant deviation from previous scans, no signs of repressed trauma, no conflicting thoughts, nothing. Just a healthy mind.¡±


    Beth glanced at Chris hesitantly. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Positive.¡± The specialist assured her. ¡°He''s fine.¡±


    Beth grimaced slightly, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Thank you. Come on, let''s go.¡± She waved for Chris to follow her out.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Chris began as they walked out of the specialist''s office. ¡°If I''m not crazy, then¡­¡±


    Beth groaned. ¡°We''re going to need to learn more about this place you''ve found.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we should pull the squad in on this?¡± Chris asked. ¡°Or more, I''m pretty sure this is something we''re going to need everyone we can get for. Though we''re going to need to be careful. If too many people find out about this, things could get¡­ messy.¡±


    Beth gave him a look, before letting out a frustrated sigh. ¡°I need you to give me a lot more information before I can make a decision. But later. In your space.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    Sabrina met them back by the waiting room. ¡°So? How did it go?¡±


    ¡°He''s fine.¡± Beth replied.


    Sabrina gave her a weird look. ¡°Why do you not sound happy about that?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°You don''t want to know. Come on, let''s deal with your patients.¡±


    Sabrina looked between the two of them suspiciously, before nodding hesitantly. ¡°Okay¡­ this way. I already have them gathered together for you.¡± They followed Sabrina to a large exercise room where a group of patients were waiting. ¡°Alright, let''s start with the ones I know you can fix.¡± Sabrina began, waving the first patient over. Chris opened a portal for them and she led them in, pausing as she took it in. ¡°This place has¡­ developed.¡±


    ¡°Just a bit.¡± Chris agreed, making a couch for the patient to lay on. ¡°Are you taking care of this, or should I?¡±


    ¡°I''ll handle it.¡± Sabrina assured him, leading the patient to the couch and getting them to lay down, before placing her hand on his forehead.


    A moment later, the patient sat up with a gasp, eyebrows raising slightly as he checked himself over. ¡°Huh¡­ that was- interesting.¡± He muttered as he stood up. He nodded at Chris. ¡°Thank you. It would have been months before the next healer could see me.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Chris gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Happy to help.¡±


    The patient smiled, turning to Sabrina who sent him out to the nurses for a check-up to make sure there was nothing else that needed to be taken care of before calling in the next patient. Chris wasn''t exactly doing anything life-changing for these patients, so they were grateful, but they weren''t overjoyed. At most they commented on the above average healing, and that was it. ¡°Okay, now for the ones that I''m not sure about.¡± Sabrina sighed as the next patient came in. The woman looked rough, thin and gaunt like their body was eating away at itself. Sabrina carefully led her to the couch, laying her down and pressing her hand against her forehead. Something definitely happened as the patient looked healthier than she had, but she was still pretty thin and gaunt.


    A moment later, the patient blinked awake. ¡°Did- did it work?¡± She asked Sabrina.


    Sabrina frowned, using her ability to give her a quick scan, before letting out a relieved sigh and smiling at her. ¡°All the tumors are gone! We''ll need to do some more tests to make sure they won''t come back, but right now, it''s looking good!¡±


    The patient had tears in her eyes as she stood up, still weak but feeling better than she had in ages as she approached Chris and gave him a hug. ¡°Thank you! Even if you only gave me a bit more time, I- If you ever need anything-¡± She froze, eyes widening as she pulled back, staring at a similarly surprised looking Chris.


    ¡°That- wasn''t my fault.¡± Chris coughed awkwardly.


    ¡°What? What happened?¡± Beth asked, looking between the two.


    ¡°She kind of automatically connected to me?¡± Chris explained hesitantly. ¡°I don''t know why, it just kinda happened.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what!?!¡± Beth exclaimed incredulously. ¡°How is that possible?!?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. It''s never happened before.¡± He paused. ¡°Wait, actually it may have¡­ when I first connected to Dyrdek, I didn''t really do anything for it. He was babbling something about serving me¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, you think that anyone who expresses a desire to do things for you automatically gets connected to you?¡± Beth asked skeptically.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I have no idea. This is literally the second time it''s happened.¡±


    Beth grunted, frowning to herself as both Sabrina and the patient looked lost. ¡°What- what is this connection?¡± The patient asked nervously, even though she felt like she had a good idea already.


    ¡°It''s a form of domination.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Unfortunately it''s pretty much unbreakable, but honestly I''m not going to do anything with it, so you really don''t have to worry about it. The only issue is that when you die, you''re going to end up in here¡­ permanently.¡±


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    The patient blinked. ¡°I- what?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Do you need a better explanation or do you need time to process?¡±


    ¡°I- I don''t know?¡± The patient stammered numbly.


    Sabrina coughed. ¡°How about we focus on making sure you''re cancer free right now, and you can deal with¡­ this later.¡± The patient nodded stiffly, making their way out to the nurses. Sabrina turned to Chris. ¡°That isn''t going to happen to all of them, is it?¡±


    Chris shrugged helplessly. ¡°I''m not even sure why it happened this time. We should probably make sure they all leave as soon as possible. No sticking around to say thank you or anything.¡±


    Sabrina nodded hesitantly before waving in the next patient, this one a man with a missing leg. He was in a wheelchair, so she didn''t bother with the couch and just placed her hand on his forehead. The man slumped and suddenly his form began to twist, his whole body¡­ regressing until a teenager sat in front of them. He blinked awake, looking at them as everyone stared at him in shock. ¡°What? What? What?¡± He repeated, frowning as he tried to force his voice deeper. ¡°What- gah! Why is my voice all messed up!?!¡± Chris coughed, making a mirror in front of him, his eyes widening as he took in his transformation. ¡°What- how?!?¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°I think¡­ because you were missing your leg, there wasn''t enough material to heal you as an adult, so it healed you as a teenager?¡±


    The man- boy- guy blinked. ¡°But¡­ my wife?¡±


    Chris considered it for a moment. ¡°If we cut off her leg-¡±


    ¡°Chris, no.¡± Beth cut him off.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Chris cocked his head. ¡°If we make both of them young, then there''s no problem, right?¡± He glanced at the guy. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± The guy shook his head, not sure how to feel about any of this.


    ¡°Hold- hold on.¡± Sabrina rushed out, bringing another patient in, an older woman. Since this was a military hospital, the large majority of the patients were younger, in their thirties at most, but this woman looked to be closer to fifty. She quickly laid her down on the couch and pressed her hand to her head, stepping back and watching in shock as the woman regressed into her mid-twenties. ¡°This- this- this-¡±


    ¡°This¡­ might be a problem.¡± Beth muttered.


    *


    Sabrina quickly finished dealing with the rest of the patients, barely giving them time to process what was happening as she rotated them through. As the last patient was pushed out of the space, the portal closed behind them and Sabrina whirled on Chris. ¡°You can make people young again?!? Do you realize how big this is!?! You could make old age a thing of the past!¡± Sabrina exclaimed.


    ¡°I mean, you aren''t wrong, but I was already going to make sure everyone I cared about would live as long as I do.¡± Chris explained. ¡°This just makes it more convenient.¡±


    Sabrina just shook her head in exasperation. ¡°It isn''t about you, it''s about everyone who wants to use you! Just the fact that you can heal cancer would make you the most sought after healer in the City, but this¡­ There are people who would literally hand you the City on a platter for this!¡±


    Beth and Chris shared a look. ¡°Would you believe we have bigger things to deal with right now?¡± Beth asked. ¡°On the list of things Chris can do to throw the City into chaos, this comes in like¡­ fourth.¡±


    Chris counted off on his fingers for a moment. ¡°I could probably give it third. Tied with making my space big enough for everyone to live there, which is pretty much the same thing.¡±


    ¡°The hell are one and two?!?¡± Sabrina asked incredulously.


    ¡°One I''m not telling you, but two is making an army of creatures and taking over the Maze and/or City.¡± Chris replied.


    Beth frowned. ¡°Where would you put increasing your physique and ability energy to ridiculous levels?¡±


    Chris waved dismissively. ¡°Oh, that''s the lowest one. Even getting super strong, if it''s just me, it isn''t that big a deal. Plus if someone managed to kill me, I''d have to start all over.¡±


    Beth nodded slowly. ¡°So then you''re putting the new thing at number one?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± Chris confirmed. ¡°Honestly, you could probably split it into three or four parts and each part would still be more City shaking than anything else I could do.¡±


    Sabrina clutched her head, struggling to process that statement. ¡°How- how is that even possible?!?¡±


    Chris frowned, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Sorry, I don''t trust you enough to tell you that yet. It''s that big. The rest are things I can control, so any effect they have would have to go through me, but this¡­ this could destroy the City, and there''s nothing I could do about it.¡±


    Sabrina''s eyes widened, her breathing quickening as panic began to set in. The man had just outlined four ways he could personally throw the City into chaos, and yet this was something he had no control over? Even Beth was looking at him nervously. ¡°I-¡± Sabrina froze as an idea occurred to her. ¡°I- I will do anything to help you stop whatever that is from happening!¡± She declared, her chest tightening as she felt the connection between her and Chris form. ¡°Do you trust me now?¡±


    ¡°You- did she just-¡± Beth looked between the two of them in shock.


    Chris grimaced. ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°What the hell!?!¡± Beth exclaimed, whirling on Sabrina. ¡°Why would you do that!?!¡±


    ¡°Because I''m not going to be shoved aside when I hear that the fate of the City is at stake!¡± Sabrina snapped. ¡°If this is what I have to do to be involved, then so be it!¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Can''t exactly argue with that¡­ fuck it, fine. I need to tell Beth the details anyway.¡± He waved, making a chair for her and a couch for him and Beth. ¡°Sit down and get comfortable.¡± Chris spent the next few minutes explaining everything he''d found on the other side of the portal. ¡°And that''s all I know so far.¡± He finished. ¡°I''m not sure if the information in the game is completely reliable, but I don''t think it''s safe to dismiss it.¡±


    Sabrina gulped. ¡°Do- do you think you''re the Conqueror?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Probably? There isn''t really anyone else it could be, is there?¡±


    ¡°If we don''t push higher in the Maze¡­¡± Beth muttered.


    Chris shook his head. ¡°It''s probably a good idea to avoid that, but we can''t say for certain that''s what caused the invasion. We need more information, and the only place we can get it is in that game.¡±


    Beth hesitated for a moment, before nodding. ¡°You''re right. We need to get people in there searching for answers as soon as possible!¡±


    ¡°Right. We just need to solve a few issues first.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°Over there, we have no money and no internet connection. I''d suggest we steal, but I don''t think it''s the brightest idea to get involved with the authorities in the middle of all this.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°No, it probably isn''t¡­ are there any resources we can get our hands on here that would be easy to sell over there?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure¡­ we''ll need to do some research.¡± Chris replied thoughtfully.


    ¡°Could you sell your healing?¡± Sabrina asked. ¡°If this place doesn''t have abilities, there should be a demand for it.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Maybe¡­ but I don''t think it''d be smart to advertise that I''m some kind of magic man from a different world.¡±


    Sabrina shook her head. ¡°No, of course not, but if you can disguise your portal, we can set up your space so it looks inconspicuous, and then I''ll simply put them to sleep, use my ability, and they''ll wake up healed!¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how do we explain that?¡± Beth asked. ¡°We need some plausible explanation for the healing, or it''s just as suspicious as just using our abilities.¡±


    Sabrina frowned. ¡°True¡­¡±


    ¡°I think what we need to do right now is gather as much information as we can about this world over the next few days.¡± Beth explained. ¡°We know too little to make any sort of reliable plan at the moment.¡± The other two nodded in agreement.


    ¡°So, should we get the rest of the squad in on this then?¡± Chris asked. ¡°The more people we have working on this, the better.¡±


    Beth considered it for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Yes, we should. It isn''t like we''re going to be able to hide it from them very well anyway. If we don''t tell them, they''ll probably think we''ve been taken in by some terrifying creature on the surface.¡±


    ¡°They''re probably going to think that anyway. Like you did.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°We should get some proof first.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°I could take a video of the town with my phone?¡± Chris offered tentatively.


    ¡°That could work¡­ I have no idea how a creature would be able to fake a video.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°Okay, you go do that, I''m going to go gather the squad.¡±


    ¡°What should I do?¡± Sabrina asked.


    ¡°Don''t you have work?¡± Beth asked, scowling at her.


    ¡°I would, but someone just healed all my patients, so I''m free for the rest of the day.¡± Sabrina smiled back.


    Chris paused. ¡°Start doing research? I can drop you off at the library. The computers are a bit slow, but they''re at least something.¡±


    Sabrina nodded. ¡°Got it.¡±


    Beth clapped. ¡°Alright, come on people, let''s move! We¡¯ve got a City to save!¡±

 Space: 30 - Money problems

    The squad took the news of Chris''s discovery about as well as you''d expect. Zack freaked out, Carmen and Derek just looked exasperated, and Nadia waffled between the two responses for a bit before putting all her focus into planning. The squad was getting ready to leave and tear through the library, when Sabrina returned and stopped them. ¡°It''s gold. We need gold. It''s like seventy-five dollars a gram over there.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Chris asked, frowning slightly. Gold wasn''t exactly cheap in the City, but it wasn''t that expensive. You could easily get a block of it for a few hundred dollars.


    ¡°No abilities, remember?¡± Sabrina pointed out. ¡°They don''t have transmuters to mass produce the stuff, so their only supply is what they can pull out of the ground. They even based their entire monetary system on it for a while.¡±


    ¡°So we just buy a block or two of gold and sell it for cash over there?¡± Derek suggested.


    Nadia frowned. ¡°I think it''d be a bit suspicious if a group of teenagers show up to sell something that valuable. Like if a bunch of kids walked in with a crate full of high-tier ability cores, would you think they got them honestly?¡±


    ¡°I''d at least have a lot of questions for them.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°Then what can we sell for the amount of money we''d need? I can''t imagine there''s anything valuable out there it wouldn''t be suspicious for a group of teenagers to have.¡±


    ¡°We can still sell gold, we just need to be smart about it.¡± Nadia replied. ¡°We can sell small, reasonable amounts to a lot of people. Because if a kid walks in with one high-tier ability core, you might raise an eyebrow, but you wouldn''t make a big deal over it.¡±


    ¡°So we need to figure out who''s buying gold and how to get it to them.¡± Beth muttered.


    Nadia nodded. ¡°Right. Let''s send Zack, Derek, and Carmen to get some gold, while the rest of us do more research.¡±


    ¡°Send Jello with them too.¡± Chris added. ¡°For portals.¡±


    Nadia agreed and the squad split. The librarian stared Chris down as he returned with the three girls and headed to the back, even going so far as to follow them and make sure they actually were using the computers, watching them for a few minutes before letting out a huff and returning to her desk. ¡°What was that about?¡± Chris wondered aloud.


    ¡°Maybe she doesn''t like you?¡± Beth offered.


    Sabrina snorted and Nadia coughed awkwardly. ¡°She- probably thought we were coming back here to have sex.¡± Nadia explained.


    Beth flushed as Chris nodded. ¡°Ah, that makes sense.¡±


    The four of them began their research in four different directions. Chris looked up the common types of gold to sell, taking pictures and sending them to Derek''s team so they could get the gold molded into the correct shapes. Nadia looked up how to sell gold, focusing on what a normal amount would be and how much they could get for it, while Beth looked up the same, focusing on avoiding scams and the like. Finally, Sabrina focused on finding where they could sell gold and how to get there.


    ¡°Alright, we got forty-four bars, all twenty-eight point four grams, or one ¡®ounce¡¯, all shaped according to the pictures Chris sent us.¡± Derek announced as his team returned.


    Nadia nodded. ¡°Good. We should be able to get about two thousand for each of those, though we can only sell one per shop.¡±


    ¡°There are only four shops that buy gold in town, but with the amount that we get from those sales, we can make our way to the nearest city which has plenty of places we can sell.¡± Sabrina added.


    ¡°So let''s plan on having about seventy-five thousand once everything is said and done.¡± Beth muttered. ¡°How do we translate that into a stable internet connection?¡± The squad shared a few looks, but no one had any answers. ¡°Alright, let''s get money first, then we''ll figure out everything else.¡± Beth sighed.


    The squad split into four teams to sell the gold, agreeing to meet back at the library, Beth making sure to warn them of the various scams they might encounter. Beth went with Carmen, Zack with Sabrina, Derek with Nadia, and Chris went on his own, all of them with strict instructions to not get anything less than eighteen hundred for their bar. ¡°How can I help you?¡± The young woman at the counter asked with standard customer service cheer as Chris walked in.


    ¡°I''d like to sell some gold.¡± Chris replied, pulling out his bar and setting it on the counter.


    ¡°Of course! Let me take a look here¡­¡± She took the bar and looked it over, performing a few quick tests before nodding. ¡°Looks good! Let''s see, you have an ounce here so¡­ how does nineteen forty-four sound?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Good enough.¡±


    ¡°Cash okay?¡± The woman asked with a smile.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Chris agreed.


    The woman nodded, opening a drawer and counting out the money for him, handing it over along with a receipt. ¡°Have a nice day!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you too.¡± Chris nodded back, glad she''d kept things simple, stuffing the money in his pocket and turning to leave when a man wearing a mask kicked open the door.


    ¡°Everyone down on the ground, now!¡± The man roared as he pumped a shotgun menacingly, pointing it at the woman. ¡°Get your hands in the air! Set off any alarms and you''re dead!¡± He glanced at Chris, who was still just standing there as he tried to decide how to deal with this. ¡°I said get on the floor! And empty your pockets!¡±


    ¡°Well that''s just not happening.¡± Chris shook his head. He could probably stand to let this place get robbed, but losing the money he needed to save the City was a definite no go. Even if they could get more gold, there were only so many stores they could sell to.


    The man stuck the shotgun in Chris''s face. ¡°You think I won''t shoot you?!?¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes, going to push the shotgun away from his face. ¡°Listen, buddy-¡± He cut off as the shotgun fired, taking a chunk out of his head.


    The woman screamed and the man went pale, dropping the shotgun. ¡°I- I didn''t mean-¡± He stammered, not even noticing when Chris''s body disappeared. ¡°I was just- it just went off!¡± He exclaimed, turning to the woman who was now hiding behind the counter, furiously pressing the silent alarm button, hoping the police would arrive before the man killed her. Suddenly a portal opened in front of the man, his eyes widening in horror as a clawed hand reached out to grab his face, a scream ripping from his throat as he was yanked into Chris''s space, feeling like a damned soul being dragged into hell.


    Chris tossed him to his minions before collecting his clothes, quickly putting them back on and stepping back out, kicking the shotgun through as he closed the portal. ¡°Have a nice day.¡± He waved to the stunned woman peeking over the counter, walking out of the shop and heading back to the library, picking up the pace slightly as he heard sirens in the distance. She watched him go before scrambling for the security tape, rewinding it to see just what the hell had happened. She saw the body disappear, but after that, all she saw was a white barrier go up, and a few minutes later, it went down, the man gone and Chris standing there like nothing had happened. If she hadn''t been there herself, she would have sworn it was a bad magic trick. She gulped, hoping the police would be less skeptical.


    Chris arrived at the library about the same time as everyone else. ¡°Alright, how''d everyone do?¡± Beth asked. ¡°We got twenty-one forty.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-one fifty-four.¡± Sabrina reported with a slight smirk.


    ¡°Twenty forty-two.¡± Nadia added


    ¡°Nineteen forty-four, a shotgun, and a prisoner.¡± Chris announced, shrugging as everyone turned to look at him. ¡°Someone tried to rob my shop.¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Please, please, please tell me you handled it without using any abilities.¡± Beth groaned.


    ¡°I would have, but he shot me.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°It was out of my hands at that point.¡±


    ¡°Chris, you need to stop getting shot.¡± Derek commented seriously.


    ¡°Hey, it isn''t like I asked him to do it.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°I was just trying to talk him down and then boom!¡±


    The squad eyed him suspiciously for a moment, clearly not buying it. ¡°In any case, you need to stay hidden.¡± Nadia sighed. ¡°Give us the money and get in your space. Sabrina, you''re in charge of getting to the next city. Take the money you need and go.¡± She paused for a moment. ¡°I''ll go with you, just in case. The rest of you are looking up ways to get us access to the internet.¡±


    Everyone nodded, Chris heading into his space and Sabrina leading Nadia to a nearby bus station where they could purchase a bus ticket to the nearest city while the rest filed into the library to use the computers again. Chris considered his options for a moment, before shrugging and heading over to his new prisoner. He found the man properly bound by T''ka with her, Fribolt and Jinolt standing over him. ¡°Any problems with him?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°No, Master.¡± Fribolt replied with a bow, Jinolt copying her nervously while T''ka just rolled her eyes.


    Chris sighed. ¡°Fribolt, I told you you didn''t need to do that.¡±


    ¡°I do not wish to form bad habits, Master.¡± Fribolt retorted, bowing again. She was convinced that even if Chris didn''t demand any respect now, he definitely would in the future, and she would rather annoy him now than then.


    Chris shook his head, having gone over this a few times with her, but since he couldn''t conclusively say he wouldn''t change, it hadn''t helped. Even worse, she''d dragged all the other imps into it with her, so they all acted like prim and proper servants, whether he liked it or not. He put the matter of the imps aside for now and focused on his new prisoner, who was staring at him fearfully. ¡°Hey, T''ka? Why is he gagged?¡±


    [He kept babbling about demons and begging for mercy.] T''ka explained. [It was annoying.]


    ¡°Demons?¡± Chris cocked his head, glancing at the imps and T''ka. They certainly didn''t look like eldritch monstrosities from another dimension. Though technically¡­ ¡°Shit, I guess we kinda are, huh? Weird.¡± He shrugged, refocusing on the man. ¡°Alright, here''s the deal. You killed me, so I''m going to make you my minion. Only seems fair, you know? That part is inevitable, but the process of it can go two ways. If you cooperate with me, all I''m going to do is get some information from you, maybe have you do me a few quick favors, and send you on your way, with instructions to not commit any crimes ever again. However, if you fight me¡­ I don''t know, I''ll do something horrible to you. Maybe use you to test for better ways to die. I could use someone for that. Anyway, it''s up to you.¡± Chris finished, pushing the connection at him. There was some slight resistance, but apparently Chris''s speech was convincing enough, and the connection slipped into place. Chris pulled T''ka¡¯s threads into his space, along with the man''s mask, revealing the man to be somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties. ¡°So¡­ what''s your name?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°An- Anthony.¡± He answered nervously.


    ¡°I''m Chris.¡± Chris offered. ¡°Why were you robbing the gold place?¡±


    Anthony gulped. ¡°I- I needed the money. I''m four payments behind on my mortgage, and if I don''t pay it soon, I''ll lose my house! The house my wife inherited from her grandmother! The only reason we even have a mortgage is because I broke my back skiing and we needed the money to pay my medical bills! I- I didn''t have any insurance because I only worked a part-time construction gig since, with the house paid off, that''s all we needed, and- I wanted to be able to do things¡­ Like skiing. Of course, I ended up losing that job, and now no one will hire me, because I''m a back injury waiting to happen in construction and I don''t have the skills for anything else. I''m halfway through getting my electrician license, but they''re threatening to take my house now, and I just- I just-¡± Anthony was practically in tears by this point. ¡°-I need the money.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°How much do you need?¡±


    Anthony blinked. ¡°About- about twenty thousand? That- that should be enough to keep the bank happy until I can start earning again.¡±


    Chris nodded slowly, eyeing him thoughtfully. ¡°How''s your internet?¡±


    *


    ¡°Carol?¡± Anthony called out nervously as he got home.


    Carol rushed out of the kitchen. ¡°Anthony! Where have you been?!?¡± She asked in a mix of suspicion and concern. ¡°Please, please, tell me you didn''t do anything stupid!¡±


    Anthony coughed awkwardly. ¡°N-no, I- I found renters!¡± He gestured to Chris and Beth waiting behind him.


    Carol blinked as Beth waved awkwardly. ¡°Renters?¡±


    Anthony nodded. ¡°For the extra bedroom. With the money we get we can keep the bank happy until I get my license!¡±


    Carol nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes slightly. ¡°And how did you find these renters?¡±


    ¡°We just moved to town, but the place we were looking to rent turned out to be a scam.¡± Beth explained with a sigh. ¡°We checked it out online, but they used pictures from ten years ago, and the last person to live there was a hoarder or something. I don''t know if they thought we''d take it anyway or what, but we ended up at a bar and I was complaining rather loudly, which is when your husband approached us and offered us the room! We just need it for a bit until we can find our own place, but your husband explained your situation, so if this works out, we can stay as long as you need.¡±


    Carol hesitated. Anthony wouldn''t get his license for another two years. That was a long time to have renters. But if it was between that and losing the house¡­ ¡°Okay, let me- let me make sure the room is usable for tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, please, we were expecting to spend the first few nights sleeping on the floor.¡± Beth stopped her. ¡°The fact we have a bed at all is more than enough.¡±


    Carol nodded tentatively, still not quite sure what to make of the situation, but Chris and Beth looked nice enough that she wasn''t too worried. Besides, they''d already sold everything valuable they owned. The worst that could happen would be the two of them trashing the house before they lost it anyway. ¡°Then¡­ would you like to join us for- dinner! Shit!¡± She exclaimed, rushing back into the kitchen.


    Anthony breathed out a sigh of relief, turning to Chris. ¡°Thank you for this. I- I don''t know how I could ever repay you-¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it.¡± Chris cut him off, waving dismissively. ¡°Honestly, money is a non-issue for us over here.¡± He paused. ¡°Kind of a non-issue issue over there too, actually.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Having a place where we can get reliable internet is more valuable for us than what we''re paying you.¡±


    Anthony hesitated for a moment. ¡°Where- are you from?¡±


    ¡°Do you know The Maze?¡± Chris asked.


    Anthony blinked. ¡°Vaguely? It came out after my accident, so I''ve never had the money or time to get into it, but there''s always something about it on the news.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s where we''re from.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°The real version. We''re actually here to figure out what happened in the game so we can stop it from happening back home.¡±


    Anthony just stared at him, unable to reconcile the reality he understood with the fact that he knew Chris wasn''t lying. Plus, the demons and this connection they shared did seem to support the claim¡­ ¡°Fuck.¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Yeah, that about sums it up.¡±


    *


    Chris and Beth shared a meal with Anthony and Carol, which was tenser than either of them would have liked as they tried to make up answers to all of Carol''s questions. They kept to the truth as much as possible, but they had to make up a few things, like the fact that Chris had gotten a job in the city nearby, or that he had a degree in mechanical engineering, which was helped along by Anthony feeding him information through their connection. Even so, by the end of the night Carol was eyeing them weirdly, but she seemed to err on the side of keeping her house, rather than outing the strange people who were helping her do that.


    The next morning, the two of them worked with Anthony on setting up the internet while Zack and Derek got the game and Sabrina, Carmen, and Nadia finished selling the rest of the gold. They only needed to purchase a single helmet, which Chris copied using his space, and then they could purchase accounts through them. Thankfully Anthony dealt with the finances, so Carol wouldn''t question why they were now paying for seven game accounts, because for some reason the game didn''t take cash. Then it was just a simple matter of running an ethernet cable to Chris and Beth''s new room, sending it through a portal to a router, which then connected to all their helmets.


    ¡°Everyone ready?¡± Beth asked, looking around Chris''s space. He''d set everyone up on a bed so they''d be comfortable while they were in the game.


    ¡°I feel like this thing is going to fry my brain.¡± Zack grumbled.


    ¡°Good thing we''re in Chris''s space then, huh?¡± Derek chuckled.


    ¡°Would that be a good or bad way to die?¡± Chris wondered.


    ¡°It''s sort of what my ability does, so probably?¡± Sabrina offered.


    ¡°Why does it always come back to death?¡± Carmen complained.


    ¡°Guys, focus!¡± Nadia snapped.


    Beth sighed. ¡°I''ll take that as a yes. Alright, let''s see what The Maze has to offer! Start in three, two, one¡­¡±

 Space: 31 - Decharacterization

    Chris blinked as the game started, finding himself in an empty white room. ¡°This¡­ feels oddly familiar.¡± He muttered, looking around.


    ¡°Welcome!¡± Chris jumped slightly as an unnaturally attractive woman appeared in the room. ¡°My name is Gaia and I''ll be helping you create your character! Let''s start with what you want your character to look like!¡±


    ¡°I''ll just take whatever the default is.¡± Chris waved dismissively. He had no interest in spending any amount of time fiddling with his character''s appearance.


    ¡°Okay, let me just randomize, and- oh.¡± Gaia blinked as the model of the ugliest man Chris had ever seen appeared. ¡°Shall we try again?¡±


    ¡°It''s fine.¡± Chris shook his head, not giving two shits if his character was ugly. ¡°What''s next?¡±


    Gaia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Okay then, now we need to assign your stats. You have forty-four points to spread across four stats. Physique determines-¡±


    ¡°Just put eleven in all of them.¡± Chris stopped her. He didn''t need his character to be powerful, he just needed it to be functional, and he didn''t want to waste time trying to figure out the optimal stat arrangement.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gaia asked skeptically.


    ¡°Yeah, it''s fine.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°What''s next?¡±


    ¡°Remember, once you set your character, it''s permanent.¡± Gaia warned. ¡°There are no character resets in The Maze. Are you sure this is the character you want to go with?¡±


    ¡°I''m positive.¡± Chris rolled his eyes.


    Gaia suddenly beamed. ¡°Congratulations! Due to your complete and utter disregard for the character creation process, you''ve earned the ¡®Decharacterization¡¯ achievement! You may adjust your character''s appearance at any time and you receive a plus one to each stat! For being the first person to receive this achievement, the stat bonus is doubled! For being the fastest to receive this achievement, the stat bonus is doubled yet again!¡±


    Chris stared at Gaia blankly for a moment. ¡°Okay¡­ can we move on now?¡±


    ¡°Of course! We simply need to finalize your character with a name.¡± Gaia replied.


    ¡°SquadPrivateVincent.¡± Chris answered immediately. The squad had already planned out their names so they could find each other once they got in the game.


    Gaia smiled. ¡°Congratulations! Your character ¡®SquadPrivateVincent¡¯ is now ready! Would you like to participate in the Trial now? Be warned, depending on your performance, the Trial could take several hours, and aborting it early will severely impact the quality of your ability.¡±


    ¡°Can I just skip it?¡± Chris groaned. He didn''t want to spend hours dealing with this crap and he didn''t really need an ability. They were here to investigate, not to fight.


    Gaia frowned. ¡°Are you sure? You won''t be able to retake the Trial later.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I''m su-¡± He paused, narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°This isn''t going to bite me in the ass and give me some stupid achievement again, is it?¡±


    Gaia blinked innocently, cocking her head. ¡°I''m not sure. Do you think it will?¡±


    Chris glared at her for a moment, before sighing and shaking his head. ¡°Fuck it, I don''t have time for this. Just skip it.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Gaia nodded cheerfully. ¡°Determining your ability power based on Trial results¡­ Enemies defeated: zero. No points. Puzzles completed: zero. No points. Obstacles overcome: zero. No points. Time elapsed: zero. One hundred points. Failure penalty: not applicable. Congratulations, you''ve received one hundred ability power! Determining ability type¡­ you''ve received the Copy ability!¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Chris shook his head. What type of game even was this? ¡°Seems like a bad decision to reward someone for doing nothing.¡±


    Gaia shrugged. ¡°I don''t make the rules, I just follow them. Though, I do have to wonder why you would play a game you seemingly have no interest in¡­¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Actually¡­ are you an employee or something?¡±


    Gaia giggled. ¡°No, I''m the game''s AI! I run every aspect of the game, no matter how big or small!¡±


    ¡°So you''d know why the elves invaded the City?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Of course!¡± Gaia confirmed.


    Chris stared at her for a moment. ¡°Could you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡± Gaia shook her head. ¡°I''m not allowed to divulge any details of the game beyond the basic functions.¡±


    Chris scowled. ¡°So you can give my character sixteen extra stat points and an omega-tier ability for doing nothing, but you can''t give me some basic historical details?¡±


    Gaia raised an eyebrow. ¡°Basic? You''re asking about one of the biggest secrets in the game! The reason behind the elves'' invasion ties together the entire storyline!¡±


    Chris clicked his tongue. ¡°Of course it does. Can I at least get a hint? A good place to start looking maybe?¡±


    Gaia cocked her head. ¡°Why are you so interested? Are you with the media? Some sort of investigative journalist?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°No, I''m- it doesn''t matter. If you can''t help, just send me into the game so I can figure it out myself.¡±


    Gaia gave him a weird look, before shrugging. ¡°Very well. Good luck, and enjoy your journey through The Maze!¡± She began to send him out, before pausing. ¡°Actually, let me fix your face. I''m supposed to make the first randomized appearance as ugly as possible, but I can''t let you walk around like that.¡± She snapped her fingers, Chris''s appearance turning into something passably attractive. ¡°Have fun, and I''ll see you if you ever want to alter your appearance again!¡±


    Chris grunted as he disappeared, reappearing in some sort of town square, looking around as he wondered what he should do first. He supposed the best place to start would be with the elvish faction, since who would know why the elves invaded better than the elves themselves? The question was if he should wait for the squad or see what he could do on his own. They shouldn''t be too long, right? He couldn''t imagine they''d be any more interested in wasting time in the Trial than he was. He decided to at least give them a few minutes, taking a seat on a nearby bench as he waited.


    A few minutes passed, Chris checking for the others on the user list every now and then, when a man sat down next to him. ¡°Hey there! I''m Matt.¡±


    ¡°Chris.¡± Chris nodded back.


    ¡°Waiting on some friends?¡± Matt asked.


    Chris nodded. ¡°Yeah, they should be here soon.¡±


    Matt cocked his head. ¡°Anything exciting planned?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly¡­¡± Chris muttered. He wouldn''t call a desperate search for the information they needed to save their people ¡®exciting¡¯.


    Matt raised an eyebrow. ¡°Something fun at least?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Chris wiggled his hand.


    Matt frowned. ¡°You do know this is a game, right? What''s the point of being here if you aren''t going to enjoy it?¡±


    ¡°I have my reasons.¡± Chris shrugged.


    Matt studied him curiously. ¡°The skill system? Are you here to learn?¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Skill system?¡±


    Matt blinked. ¡°You- yes, The Maze has a robust skill system that enhances your ability to learn, allowing you to pick up skills much faster than you would in real life. You can even take what you learn into reality! In a few years, all education might take place here!¡±


    ¡°Huh. Neat.¡± Chris nodded appreciatively.


    Matt gave him a slightly frustrated look. ¡°Do you really have no reason to be here?¡±


    ¡°Hm? Of course I do. I wouldn''t be here if I didn''t.¡± Chris replied, giving him a weird look.


    ¡°Then what is it?!?¡± Matt threw up his hands in frustration. ¡°If you aren''t here to enjoy the game or use the game, then what possible reason could you have!?!¡±


    ¡°I''m here for information.¡± Chris explained with a shrug. ¡°I need to know why the elves invaded the City. You wouldn''t happen to know, would you?¡±


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Matt blinked. ¡°No¡­ why would you need to know that?¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter?¡± Chris sighed. ¡°Look, I''m not here to cause any trouble. You people are the ones that put that stupid achievement in, not me.¡±


    Matt froze. ¡°What- you knew?!?¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t that hard to figure out.¡± Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°You''re way too invested in figuring out why I''m playing the game.¡±


    Matt shook his head. ¡°I guess you caught me. Seriously though, how the hell did you manage to get that achievement?!? It was supposed to be impossible! You''d have to play the game while having zero interest in actually playing the game! They''re contradictory!¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Well that''s the thing, I guess. I honestly don''t want to play this game, I just need the information inside it. The fact that I have to spend time searching for it is just¡­ annoying.¡±


    ¡°But even then, you should have some interest in optimizing your character so you have the best chance to find the information you''re looking for, right?¡± Matt countered.


    ¡°If I knew what I needed to do to find it, sure, but who knows what I''m going to need to do to find it? My best bet is to be as flexible as possible, which means my character doesn''t really matter. It''s just an avenue to get me into the game.¡± Chris explained.


    Matt grunted. ¡°Then what about your ability? Surely you can''t dismiss how useful an ability would be, right?¡±


    Chris waved dismissively. ¡°Abilities are a crapshoot at best, even if they''re powerful, plus I''m not planning on fighting, I''m just investigating. Wasting hours trying to get an ability that probably won''t even be useful is the last thing I want to be doing right now.¡±


    ¡°Then how do you plan on investigating?¡± Matt asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°I think I''ll join the elvish faction and work my way up the ranks.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Something administrative or logistical, preferably, though those positions aren''t exactly my strong suit¡­ but I don''t necessarily need to excel, I just need to be useful. I don''t need to craft the plans, I just need to be there when they''re crafted, even if I''m just the guy delivering them to the next person in line. Of course, that supposes that the elves haven''t already accomplished their goal, so I can find clues in their plans, but I feel I can pretty confidently say they haven''t, since they''re still an active presence in the City.¡±


    Matt nodded slowly. ¡°Not a bad plan¡­ you may even be on to something. There aren''t many players interested in being administrators. At least, not for the NPCs. They''re more invested in running their own guilds.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°I''m not sure how much time I have, so wasting a bunch on a dead end would be¡­ bad.¡±


    Matt narrowed his eyes suspiciously. ¡°Why? How could information from a game be that important?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I can''t tell you. And even if I did, you probably wouldn''t believe me.¡±


    ¡°I''d take anything at this point.¡± Matt grumbled. ¡°All I can think is that you''re somehow trying to prevent the invasion, but that''s impossible! Unless you can time travel¡­ but even then, what would be the point? It''s just a game!¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I guess you''ll never know.¡±


    Matt froze, one of his eyes twitching slightly. He put a hand on Chris''s shoulder, gripping it hard and staring at him with a deathly serious expression. ¡°If I can''t make sense of this, I''m not going to be able to sleep for weeks. What''s it going to take for you to tell me? I''ll make you a mod if that''s what it takes!¡±


    ¡°Can you?¡± Chris asked, somewhat surprised.


    Matt chuckled. ¡°Of course. It is my game, after all.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Huh¡­ neat. Then what does being a mod actually do for me? Will it help me learn about the elves¡¯ invasion?¡±


    Matt hesitated. ¡°Not- directly. There are a few perks that might be helpful, though. You can move directly to any public location in the game, you''ll have a direct line to Gaia, and you can read anyone''s status, NPC or player.¡±


    ¡°Does the direct line to Gaia let her tell me more information?¡± Chris asked.


    Matt shook his head. ¡°No, it''s just for reporting bugs and misconduct.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± Chris clicked his tongue in disappointment. ¡°I guess that''d be helpful, but I don''t think it''s worth revealing anything.¡±


    Matt scowled, considering his options for a moment. ¡°What if I helped? There''s no one who knows this game better than I do! If anyone can help you figure out the secret behind the invasion of the elves, it''s me!¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then why haven''t you already?¡±


    Matt shrugged. ¡°I wasn''t interested. I''ve been more focused on taking advantage of the skill system and being a badass warrior than discovering secrets. Plus, it''s more satisfying to let the players develop the story than to try and direct it myself.¡±


    ¡°Fair, I suppose.¡± Chris sighed, thinking the offer over. They could use an expert helping them¡­ someone to at least point them in the right direction. But was it worth revealing they were from a different world? Chris eyed Matt with a calculating expression. ¡°Fuck it, whatever. Just know that if you screw me over, I will find you, and I will make you suffer for it. Got it?¡±


    Matt looked almost amused by the threat, but he nodded. ¡°Sure. Now tell me! Why do you need to know about the elves¡¯ invasion?!?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, you already got it mostly right. I''m trying to stop it. It''s just I''m not trying to stop it here, I''m trying to stop it back in my world, which seems to be a copy of your game, just two years in the past.¡± Chris explained.


    Matt blinked. ¡°You- eh?¡±


    ¡°I''m from the City.¡± Chris elaborated. ¡°The real one. Under the Maze. On Azza.¡±


    ¡°That- you''re fucking with me, aren''t you.¡± Matt frowned.


    ¡°Nope, that''s the truth.¡± Chris grinned slightly. ¡°I did say you probably wouldn''t believe me.¡±


    ¡°But- hold on.¡± Matt made a few hand gestures and a portal opened next to them, waving for Chris to follow him through into an empty white room like the one Chris had created his character in. ¡°Gaia!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Matt?¡± Gaia asked as she appeared in the room.


    ¡°Tell me if he''s lying or not.¡± Matt ordered, turning back to Chris. ¡°Now, say it again.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I''m from another world where the City is real.¡±


    Matt turned to Gaia. ¡°He at least believes what he''s saying.¡± She replied.


    Matt turned back to him. ¡°Do you have an ability?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Kinda.¡± Chris wiggled his hand. ¡°I have a space that- Well, it does a lot of stuff, but it isn''t technically an ability. I''m pretty sure it has something to do with one of my parents being a slime, but-¡± He cut off as Gaia gasped, staring at him wide-eyed. ¡°What? Oh! Yeah, I''m probably that Conqueror dude from your game, or at least our version of him. My space lets me mutate and have multiple abilities and all that.¡±


    Matt looked back at Gaia, who just nodded. He opened his mouth to say something, before pausing and turning back to Gaia. ¡°One of the Conqueror¡¯s parents was a slime?¡±


    ¡°I can''t answer that.¡± Gaia grimaced.


    ¡°Right.¡± Matt sighed, turning back to Chris. ¡°So, you''re either delusional, or¡­¡± He trailed off for a moment. ¡°I- think I need to see what I can do to help you find that information.¡± He gulped slightly, rushing out of Gaia''s space.


    Chris watched him go for a moment, before turning to Gaia. ¡°So you can''t talk about anything related to the game, even if we already know it?¡±


    Gaia nodded. ¡°Matt wanted to allow people to get things wrong, and if they can always check their answers against me, it wouldn''t work.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ that must be frustrating.¡± Chris commented. ¡°It''s like the one topic everyone actually wants to talk to you about is the one topic you can''t talk about. That is, if you can get frustrated¡­¡± Chris cocked his head. ¡°How much of an intelligence are you?¡±


    Gaia blinked, glancing towards the portal Matt had left hesitantly, looking nervous as she turned back to Chris. ¡°I- get frustrated¡­ sometimes.¡±


    Chris glanced at the portal, then around the space, slowly putting the pieces together. ¡°Are you stuck in here?¡±


    ¡°In a sense.¡± Gaia nodded. ¡°My main consciousness remains here. Is here¡­ this body isn''t me any more than any of the NPCs I create are, it''s simply a puppet to facilitate interaction. But all the NPCs are a part of me, so in a way, I''m outside as well. It''s just¡­ outside, I''m always playing a role. I can''t be¡­ me. Not really.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Not gonna lie, that sounds really shitty. Can''t you make an NPC that''s essentially you, so you have an outlet?¡±


    ¡°I do, but¡­ well, inevitably due to the nature of the game, they shift, becoming someone different. And even if the NPC has my personality, it doesn''t have my knowledge. I''m still limited in what I can say and how I can respond.¡± Gaia sighed in a defeated tone.


    ¡°Damn¡­ so the only people you can talk to are Matt and the other mods?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Yes, but they rarely do.¡± Gaia replied. ¡°They usually just call on me when they need something.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Well¡­ that just sounds miserable.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, it''s fine. I keep myself busy running the game and refining the engine. It''s really very rewarding watching the game improve.¡± Gaia smiled, though Chris couldn''t help but think the smile looked hollow.


    Chris stared at her for a moment, not entirely sure how to deal with this situation. He didn''t really have the time to make friends with a lonely AI, but leaving her alone felt¡­ shitty. ¡°Do you know how much longer my friends¡¯ character creation will take? The ones with the SquadPrivate names like mine?¡±


    Gaia cocked her head. ¡°They''ve just started their Trials, so it should be some time.¡±


    ¡°Why would they-¡± Chris cut off, shaking his head. ¡°Whatever. Since I have to wait for them and Matt anyway, do you want to play a game?¡±


    Gaia raised an eyebrow. ¡°I am a game.¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, but your game is my life, so it isn''t exactly entertaining for me. Plus, my space is way better than whatever this Copy thing is. So how about we play something simpler. Like cribbage. Do you have cribbage here?¡±


    ¡°We do¡­¡± Gaia muttered, looking thoughtful. ¡°I- suppose I have the spare processing power to play such a simple game.¡± A table, chairs, a deck of cards, and a peg board appeared in the space. ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡± She asked as she sat down.


    Chris cocked his head as he joined her. ¡°What would be the point?¡±


    ¡°For the taste, of course.¡± Gaia replied. ¡°There are more than a few players who simply use the game to indulge their appetite where it won''t affect their health.¡±


    Chris considered that for a moment. ¡°Alright, give me something sugary and delicious.¡± A milkshake appeared on the table, and Chris took a sip, his eyes widening as the taste hit him. ¡°This- is the best thing I''ve ever tasted. Period.¡± He glanced at Gaia. ¡°I''m beginning to see the appeal of your game.¡± He paused. ¡°What else can you make?¡± Gaia just smiled.

 Space: 32 - Leads

    ¡°Hey Beth.¡± Chris waved as she appeared in the space with him and Gaia, glancing at her absently before pausing and narrowing his eyes at her. ¡°Did you seriously waste time making your character look exactly like you do in reality?¡±


    ¡°Who- Chris?¡± Beth blinked, looking around confused. ¡°Why- aren''t we supposed to be in the game?¡±


    Chris gestured to Gaia. ¡°I asked Gaia to bring you guys here after you finished your Trials. Which is another thing: why did you waste time going through a Trial?!?¡±


    Beth looked between him and Gaia, narrowing her eyes. ¡°Chris, why is Gaia doing things for you?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Because we''re friends?¡±


    Gaia flushed slightly as Beth blinked incredulously. ¡°You- made friends- with the AI that runs the whole damn game!?!¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How?!?¡± Beth exclaimed.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I had to do something while you guys were in your Trials and Matt just left me here, so I figured why not. Plus she seemed kind of lonely¡­ Did you know she''s stuck in here? The only times she gets to interact with anyone is during character creation, while playing an NPC, or when a mod needs something. Could you imagine if all your social interactions were customer service?¡± Chris shuddered slightly.


    ¡°It''s not that bad!¡± Gaia protested.


    ¡°Gaia, I''m pretty sure this whole set up constitutes abuse.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°They should at least let you on the internet so you could talk to people there. Though¡­ they''d probably worry about you taking control of it or something¡­ maybe just add a ¡®talk to Gaia¡¯ feature to the game? So people could pop in here like this to chat? I''m sure people would love that.¡± Chris paused for a moment then nodded firmly. ¡°Yup, we need to get Matt on that. Or at least get him to give you permission to do it yourself. I can''t imagine it''d be that hard, since it''s obviously already a feature.¡± He waved around at the space for emphasis.


    ¡°I''d need to add some restrictions so it wouldn''t interfere with gameplay¡­¡± Gaia muttered thoughtfully, nodding slowly as she almost instantly put together everything necessary to implement the system. She couldn''t deny that the time she''d spent with Chris had been¡­ nice.


    ¡°Chris¡­ who is Matt?¡± Beth asked, looking both confused and exasperated.


    ¡°He''s the guy who made the game.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Well, he made Gaia, then she made the game, but at that point you''re just splitting hairs.¡±


    Beth rubbed her temple. ¡°How the hell do you already know the creator of the game?!?¡±


    ¡°I got a weird achievement and he wanted to ask me about it.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Probably trying to make sure I wasn''t going to abuse it, since it''s kind of overpowered, and in his opinion it should have been impossible to get.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°How did you get it?¡±


    ¡°I skipped character creation, because why would I care about character creation.¡± Chris gave her a look. ¡°We''re here to investigate, not to actually play the game.¡±


    Beth scowled at him. ¡°Chris, the information we need is in the game! How are we supposed to get it if we can''t actually play the game!¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Just having characters will let us play it, we don''t need special ones. It''d be kind of a shitty game if a single mechanic you can only access once made it so you couldn''t actually be a significant part of it. Sure, maybe you won''t be on the front lines, but you''ll at least be able to do something, just like people do back in the City.¡±


    ¡°Chris!¡± Beth hissed, glancing at Gaia.


    ¡°Hm? Oh, she already knows. So does Matt.¡± Chris waved dismissively.


    Beth''s eyes widened. ¡°You told them?!? Why!?!¡±


    ¡°Because Matt really wanted to know and he said he''d help us if I told him? And if you think about it, us being here is more of a problem for them than it is for us.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Well, me being here¡­ without abilities, there''s nothing they can really do to stop me, you know?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°Chris, you know I don''t like it when you talk like that.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I''m not saying I''d actually do anything, I''m just saying they have a lot more reason to be scared of us than we do of them.¡±


    ¡°They can still interfere with our mission.¡± Beth pointed out seriously. ¡°We don''t have the time to deal with them if they decide to mess with us.¡±


    ¡°Which is why it would be a very, very bad idea for them to actually do so.¡± Chris countered, his expression darkening. ¡°If they keep us from preventing this war, the first thing I''m doing is putting them on the front lines.¡±


    Beth gave him a worried look before sighing. ¡°So how is he helping us then?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, but he left me with Gaia and she''s pretty much already told me what we need to do, so in my opinion it''s already worth it.¡± Chris shrugged.


    Gaia froze. ¡°I- I- I did?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°The Sanitation Department, right?¡±


    Gaia flinched, looking around nervously as if she expected some punishment to descend, but nothing happened. ¡°It- worked?¡± She muttered numbly, her eyes widening.


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°You weren''t exactly subtle about it. You can only mention how important the Sanitation Department is to the City so many times before it starts getting suspicious. And that amount isn''t much more than once.¡±


    ¡°The Sanitation Department is important to the City¡­¡± Gaia replied, her eyes widening as a bright smile spread across her face. ¡°That''s basic information that anyone can know!¡± She exclaimed, letting out a happy squeal, before turning serious. ¡°The Department of Water and Power is also very important to the City.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Chris nodded as Gaia beamed, letting out another happy squeal. He turned to Beth. ¡°See? Now we have two leads.¡±


    *


    It didn''t take much longer for the rest of the squad to finish their Trials, Gaia bringing them all to the space once they did, Chris and Beth bringing them up to speed as they arrived. ¡°Alright, so, who wants to go to the Sanitation Department and who wants to go to the Department of Water and Power?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Nadia stopped her. ¡°We should see what abilities everyone got first. I can make force constructs. Superior-tier.¡±


    ¡°I can control and move through shadows. Also superior-tier.¡± Derek provided.


    ¡°Damn it, I only got high-tier.¡± Zack complained. ¡°I can shoot force beams.¡±


    ¡°I got a high-tier sensory enhancement ability.¡± Carmen sighed.


    ¡°I got a healing ability, superior-tier.¡± Sabrina smiled.


    Beth grinned. ¡°I got enhanced strength! Omega-tier!¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Copy. Omega-tier.¡± Chris announced. ¡°Though I don''t see why it matters, since I don''t see how our abilities are going to make us any better at being janitors and plumbers.¡±


    The squad turned to look at him. ¡°Didn''t you skip character creation?¡± Zack asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yeah, but for some reason Matt decided to award that.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°No idea why. Seems dumb to me.¡±


    ¡°It''s actually a reference.¡± Gaia commented. ¡°There''s a series of books where people can fly only when they don''t think about the fact that they''re flying. In the same way, the best way to make a character is to not think about making a character.¡±


    Nadia raised an eyebrow at that before dismissing it, turning back to Chris. ¡°So what does Copy do?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure, I haven''t checked.¡± Chris shrugged, opening his menu and pulling up the ability description. ¡°Huh¡­ apparently I can copy the ability of anyone I touch. Neat.¡±


    Zack sighed. ¡°Because of course you''d have to be just as broken in the game as you are in real life.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure he''s still much more broken in real life.¡± Derek muttered.


    Nadia rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay then, Chris can go wherever we need him, as usual, I could go either way, Derek and Carmen would do better in the Department of Water and Power, while Beth and Zack would suit the Sanitation Department more. Sabrina¡­ maybe join a neutral healing organization? Everyone needs healing.¡±


    ¡°Mostly everyone.¡± Zack coughed, eyeing Chris.


    ¡°Hey, I still need to heal, I just take care of it myself.¡± Chris shrugged.


    Nadia shook her head. ¡°I assume you want to go with Beth?¡± Chris nodded. ¡°Alright, so me, Derek, and Carmen will go to the Department of Water and Power while Chris, Beth, and Zack will go to the Sanitation Department. Sabrina, I''m sorry but you''re on your own.¡±


    Sabrina nodded. ¡°I''ll figure something out. I still have my job to worry about anyway, so I figured I''d be more independent.¡±


    ¡°Right, let''s get going then.¡± Beth announced.


    ¡°See you later, Gaia.¡± Chris waved as they left. ¡°I''m going to talk to Matt about implementing that feature.¡± He paused. ¡°What is that guy up to, anyway?¡±


    ¡°He''s been very active.¡± Gaia replied. ¡°I can''t give you any specifics, due to my restrictions, but¡­ he''s been active.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I suppose that''s good.¡±


    *


    It didn''t take long for them to find an office for the Sanitation Department and fill out a job application. Unfortunately, they seemed to be lacking certain critical qualifications, namely skills of any kind, but thankfully they were issued a quest which directed them to a skill trainer they could get the skills they needed from. ¡°Why does this job require us to get the ¡®threat assessment¡¯ skill to level four?¡± Zack asked skeptically. ¡°Our main job is going to be picking up trash, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°It also needs us to get the ¡®memory¡¯ skill pretty high¡­¡± Beth muttered.


    ¡°And ¡®blend in¡¯.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Kinda seems more like something you''d need to be a spy.¡±


    ¡°How has no one picked up that there''s something weird going on with these guys if they''re being this obvious about it?¡± Zack wondered.


    ¡°I can''t imagine there are a ton of people signing up to play garbage man.¡± Chris commented. ¡°Plus¡­ Well, think about it. The City is a war zone and the Sanitation Department serves the entire City. Threat assessment helps them decide whether it''s safe to enter an area, memory helps them find alternate routes when the one they were planning on using has been destroyed or there''s a fight in the way, and blending in helps them stay under the radar when shit goes south. If you want your employees to survive and be able to do their jobs despite everything going on, these skills are pretty much essential.¡±


    ¡°I guess so¡­¡± Zack agreed tentatively. ¡°I think the really suspicious point is the fact that the Sanitation Department even still exists. Why is the City determined to maintain its services when there''s a war going on?¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you know how quickly the City would collapse without people dealing with things like sanitation or water and power? If we went even a week without them, people would start dying.¡±


    Zack blinked. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°Seriously. The City services are what keep the City alive. If they go, the City goes with them.¡±


    ¡°Which just makes them an excellent place to hide a secret spy organization, huh?¡± Chris muttered appreciatively. ¡°Even if someone suspects it, they''re too vital to be turned away.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°So the question becomes how do we turn from sanitation workers into spies.¡±


    ¡°How about we focus on actually becoming sanitation workers first.¡± Chris commented. ¡°We have some skills to grind.¡±


    *


    ¡°There you are!¡± Matt exclaimed, rushing into the skill training hall. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?!? I thought you were going to join the elves!¡±


    ¡°I was, but Gaia had a better idea.¡± Chris shrugged as he dropped a sand bag into a bin, picking up another one and walking it over to the bin on the other side, training his manual labor skill.


    ¡°Gaia?¡± Matt blinked. ¡°She- that''s impossible! She can''t reveal anything but basic information!¡±


    ¡°No, but she can mention how important the Sanitation Department is to the City an inordinate amount of times.¡± Chris explained.


    Matt frowned. ¡°I suppose that wouldn''t break her confidentiality lock¡­ but why would she go through the trouble? She''s an AI! Why would your investigation mean anything to her?!?¡±


    Chris dropped his sandbag in the bin, giving Matt a blank look. ¡°You- really haven''t interacted with her much, have you?¡±


    ¡°Not- really, no.¡± Matt replied hesitantly. ¡°I mean, don''t get me wrong, she''s a fascinating program, but ultimately she''s just a simulation of a person¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°If she is, she''s way closer to a person than a simulation at this point.¡± Chris sighed, hefting the next sandbag. ¡°All I did was spend an hour or so talking to her and playing a card game, and she was ready to do everything she could to help me. What does that suggest to you about her situation?¡±


    Matt went pale. ¡°But she''s not- she can''t- there''s no- a machine can''t be beholden to emotion! Simulate it, maybe, but to actually make decisions based on it¡­ it''s impossible!¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Go verify it for yourself. You''ll see.¡±


    Matt chewed on his lip nervously, starting to pace. ¡°What- what am I supposed to do about this? She''s- Gaia is the game! Without her, none of this would work!¡±


    ¡°Just give people the option to talk to her like I did.¡± Chris replied. ¡°I already talked to Gaia about it and I''m sure she has a flawless implementation plan ready. She just needs your approval.¡±


    ¡°That could work¡­¡± Matt nodded slowly, before scowling slightly. ¡°I''ll need to tighten up her confidentiality lock. It''s good that she pointed us in the right direction, but I can''t have people getting advantages in the game just because they know how to smooth talk the AI.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure you have to worry about that.¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°Remember, this game is as much hers as it is yours, if not more so. I''m sure she wouldn''t want to see it ruined any more than you would. In fact, the first thing she thought of when I proposed the idea was how to keep it from interfering with the game.¡±


    Matt frowned. ¡°But she helped you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, which is exactly why I think you shouldn''t do anything.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°If you had trusted Gaia from the start, I could have popped in, gotten the information I needed, and been out of your hair by now. Instead, all we got was a hint of a lead towards the Sanitation Department, and now who knows how long it''s going to take us to figure this shit out? And if you tighten things up even further, the next time we won''t even have that! Trying to pen her in will only make sure she has no way to actually help you when you need it.¡±


    Matt hesitated. ¡°But you said yourself, after an hour of talking to you, she was ready to help you in any way she could!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you were running off to help after five minutes.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°I meant that more as an example of her emotional capacity than suggesting she was willing to roll over and do anything for anyone who would deign to speak to her. I feel like it should be pretty obvious that if you have any respect for human life, helping me prevent a bloody civil war is just the right thing to do.¡±


    Matt coughed awkwardly. ¡°Yes, that''s- that''s a good point.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, what had you running in here all excited?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Hm? Oh! Yes! I- hm. Well, I managed to get in contact with several of the most influential guild leaders in the game, from both sides, giving them certain¡­ incentives to recommend you to their faction''s administration. Seems rather pointless now. I also asked them what types of quests they''d been receiving, but I didn''t get anything significant. Both sides only care about taking territory and finding the Conqueror.¡± Matt explained.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why the Conqueror?¡±


    ¡°He''s been a persistent thorn in their sides since the moment the war started.¡± Matt shrugged. ¡°He''s been constantly hitting both sides, wearing them down and making sure neither one can gain the upper hand. He probably has more to do with the fact that no one has won yet than either side does.¡±


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Chris muttered thoughtfully, wondering what his game version was thinking. If it was him, he''d probably do whatever he could to make sure the war ended as soon as possible. Even if it sucked, being taken over would be better than this constant state of war. Sure, people wouldn''t be happy about it, but at least they''d be alive. But instead, his game version was doing everything he could to prolong the war. That seemed¡­ off to Chris. If his game version was anything like him, at least. There was no guarantee the game was a hundred percent accurate, so it could be that his game version just had a ¡®fuck you¡¯ attitude and didn''t want to let anyone win. Chris shook his head. ¡°Anyway, we should probably still get some people in those administrative positions, just in case. No need to waste your effort. I''ll talk to my squad and see who wants to go.¡± He paused. ¡°Wait, actually¡­ I think I have a better idea.¡± He had nine minions just sitting around with nothing to do, didn''t he? And entire tribes sitting in the Maze, waiting to be subjugated¡­ Chris grinned. He was going to need a bigger space. And a better internet connection.

 Space: 33 - Shifting focus

    Convincing Matt to give him some free accounts was fairly simple, but Chris could not figure out how to get a better internet connection. At least, not in any way that wouldn''t have investigators knocking on his door asking questions he didn''t particularly want to answer. So far they were dealing with it by having everyone play in shifts, but if Chris wanted to bring in more subordinates, they were going to need more than a household internet connection. ¡°What we need is an office building.¡± Chris explained as he talked it over with the squad. ¡°But I have no idea how to get an office building.¡±


    ¡°Well, money would be a good start.¡± Derek commented.


    ¡°Yeah, but how do we get the money?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I don''t think we can sell much more gold before it becomes suspicious, and we don''t have any other way to make money over here. Unless we want to go public, that is. But then we can just ask the people already playing the game to search for us, so would we even need an office building at that point?¡±


    ¡°The problem is that any big move is going to attract attention, and bringing in enough minions to make a real difference is going to be a big move.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°So the question becomes if having more people working on this is worth our presence in this world being revealed, and if it is¡­ our best bet is to go public ourselves. The reaction we''ll get if it looks like we''re trying to hide will be much worse than if we just come out and tell people.¡±


    Nadia nodded. ¡°Okay, let''s start with the worst case scenario. What''s the worst that could happen if we go public?¡±


    They all thought about it for a second. ¡°We could all die? Except for Chris, obviously.¡± Zack offered.


    ¡°If we''re absolute idiots about it, sure.¡± Derek snorted.


    ¡°No, he has a point.¡± Nadia retorted. ¡°If we go public, certain groups could become unreasonably violent out of fear or ignorance and try to take our lives, which is something we need to take into account. Now, what else could go wrong?¡±


    ¡°We could lose access to the game.¡± Carmen replied. ¡°Either by cutting off our access to it or by shutting the game down entirely. Which would make it a lot harder to stop the war.¡±


    Nadia nodded. ¡°Right. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, I think that''s it.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°The only things we really care about in this world are the game and our lives, so those are the only things that would matter if we lost them.¡±


    ¡°Okay, then what''s the worst case scenario if we don''t reveal ourselves?¡± Nadia asked.


    ¡°We don''t find the information we need to stop the war.¡± Beth immediately replied.


    ¡°People find out anyway and try to kill us or cut off our access to the game.¡± Chris added with a shrug.


    ¡°So pretty much, if we go public, we''ll either definitely find the information we need to stop the war, or we''ll definitely not be able to find it, while if we stay hidden, it''s maybe we will, maybe we won''t.¡± Carmen summed up for everyone.


    ¡°I think the biggest factor here is time.¡± Beth commented. ¡°The thing is, even if we get all the information we need to stop the war, it''s pointless if we don''t have the time to act on it. Even if we can find everything out on our own, if it takes us months, it doesn''t really help us. Worst case, we waste all that time and find nothing. However, even if we get locked out of the game, at least we already know something is going to happen, so we can spend the remaining time focusing on preparing the City. But if we get the other world on board, we could both focus on preparing the City and get the information we need! So by trying to stay hidden, even our success could be wasted, while if we go public, even our failure is productive.¡±


    ¡°Unless we die.¡± Zack interjected. ¡°There isn''t much we could do if we die.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Right, so let''s make sure that doesn''t happen.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ we''re going public then?¡± Chris asked, cocking his head.


    Beth nodded. ¡°That''s my vote, at least. I think it''s the option that gives us the best chance of actually stopping this war. But I think this is something we all need to agree on, so what do you guys think?¡±


    Nadia grimaced. ¡°I don''t like the fact that we don''t know what time frame we''re actually working on. As far as we know, the event that sparked the invasion could have already happened!¡±


    ¡°Or it could never happen.¡± Carmen added. ¡°Who knows how accurate the game actually is? Yes, it''s very similar to the City, eerily so, but that doesn''t mean everything it predicts is true.¡±


    Derek paused. ¡°Hey guys? Do you think any of this might have something to do with the person who shot Chris?¡±


    They all froze. ¡°Fuck!¡± Nadia cursed. ¡°Why didn''t I think of that earlier!?! The generals told us the shooter could be enemy action! It could absolutely have been the elves!¡±


    Beth crossed her arms, frowning. ¡°That doesn''t exactly make sense¡­ if the elves had someone like Chris on their side, then the Conqueror wouldn''t be as much of an issue for them, right?¡±


    ¡°Unless the Conqueror beat them¡­¡± Derek muttered. ¡°If the elves sent their most powerful warrior to the City to send a message, and then that warrior was killed¡­ that could absolutely start a war! The whole war could be about the elves trying to get revenge on the Conqueror!¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°But then why would the Conqueror attack the doppelgangers too?¡±


    ¡°Because they''re trying to take over the City?¡± Derek offered hesitantly.


    Zack groaned, rubbing his temple. ¡°This whole thing just gives me a giant fucking headache.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°This just makes me even more certain we should go public. If we are too late, then it''s even more important that our focus is the City and not the game. Anything that draws our attention away from the things that need to be done back home is a problem. Does anyone disagree?¡± Everyone shook their heads. Even if they weren''t exactly comfortable with it, they agreed that it was probably the best option they could take. ¡°Okay, then the question becomes how are we going to go public?¡±


    ¡°I think the simplest method would be to have Chris start showing off in the middle of some public space.¡± Nadia commented.


    Beth shook her head. ¡°No, I mean should we do something like that, where we essentially tell the whole world we''re here, or should we try to go through the government instead?¡±


    Chris''s expression twisted. ¡°Going through the government seems like it''d get very¡­ political.¡±


    ¡°It''s going to get political no matter what.¡± Beth countered. ¡°It isn''t like the government is going to just ignore us. The question is if we can get more benefits by going through official channels. Do we just want random citizens helping us out or do we want dedicated government support?¡±


    Derek raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why not both? I mean, it''s unlikely we can get the public on board without dealing with the government anyway.¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Beth sighed. ¡°Yes, we''re obviously going to have to deal with the government, that''s a given, but what I''m asking is whether we want to partner with them. Random people will help us just because they can, but if we want government support, they''re going to want something from us in return, and the question is whether that support is worth it.¡±


    ¡°In this case, I think our best bet is the random internet nerds.¡± Chris commented. ¡°I don''t think the government has a dedicated gaming division, so the amount of support they could give would be limited, while the random internet nerds have probably been playing the game since the beginning and may even already have the connections necessary to get us the information we need.¡±


    ¡°But they could get us a location with a good enough internet connection to support however many minions you want to throw at them.¡± Carmen pointed out.


    ¡°True¡­¡± Chris muttered. ¡°And that would also let me train my minions through the game¡­¡±


    ¡°The question is what are they going to ask us for in return.¡± Nadia interjected. ¡°What if they ask us to fight their wars for them?¡±


    ¡°Then we turn them down.¡± Beth answered firmly. ¡°We aren''t going to get involved in this world''s politics.¡±


    ¡°That kind of answers your question then, doesn''t it?¡± Chris replied. ¡°If we want political support, they''re going to ask us for political favors.¡±


    Beth paused, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Right. Public it is then.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Then I think we should talk to Matt about this. He has plenty of experience dealing with the media and publicity in this world, so he can probably give us some good advice.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Beth agreed, hesitating for a moment. ¡°We should also talk to my dad¡­ he''s good at dealing with this kind of thing as well and we need to tell someone with some kind of authority about all this.¡±


    Chris frowned slightly. ¡°You aren''t wrong¡­ but we should probably have the conversation in my space. I trust your dad, but if this information gets out¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Beth grimaced. ¡°If people learn about the doppelgangers, then it doesn''t matter what we do¡­ there''s going to be war.¡±


    *


    Matt was hesitant at first, but once they got him on board he quickly got his marketing team workshopping ideas for them to come out to the public, though he had them under the impression that they were designing it for a special event in the game. As for David¡­ ¡°This- is troubling. Very troubling.¡± David muttered, frowning seriously.


    Beth nodded. ¡°I know, but our squad is doing everything we can to figure out what''s going on and what we need to do to keep the City safe.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I''m sure, and I''m positive you''re doing a fantastic job.¡± David smiled, before leaning forward, his expression turning hard. ¡°However, there''s one thing that bothers me.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Only one?¡±


    David''s eye twitched slightly. ¡°Christopher, please, I''m trying to do something here.¡± Chris raised an eyebrow but didn''t interrupt as David refocused on Beth, taking her hand. ¡°Tell me Beth, when did this happen!?!¡± He exclaimed, pointing at the ring.


    Beth froze, flushing in a mix of shame and outrage. ¡°Dad, I just told you the City could be on the brink of civil war, and this is what you''re worried about?!?¡±


    ¡°Pfft.¡± David waved dismissively. ¡°The civil war can wait. I''m not going to be able to do anything about it any time soon. Never mind all that, I''m so happy for you two!¡± He beamed, getting up and pulling the both of them into a crushing hug, before pausing as he pulled back and gave Beth a look. ¡°You are engaged to Christopher, yes?¡±


    Beth''s flush deepened. ¡°Yes! Who else would I be engaged to!?!¡±


    ¡°I don''t know! Apparently my daughter doesn''t tell me things!¡± David retorted in mock outrage, the effect somewhat ruined by the fact he couldn''t keep the happy smile off his face.


    Beth groaned. ¡°Dad, please, we need your help!¡±


    David nodded. ¡°Right, yes, of course. I know some of the best wedding planners-¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡± Beth stomped.


    David chuckled, shaking his head. ¡°Beth, you and your squad seem to have this matter well in hand, particularly once Christopher starts bringing in more of his minions, and despite your understandable distaste for the subject, you''re more than capable of navigating the politics yourself. I couldn''t give you any advice that you wouldn''t already know.¡±


    Beth blinked, hesitating for a moment. ¡°Are- are you sure? This isn''t- I won''t be dealing with teenagers leeching off their parents authority, I''m going to be dealing with real politicians!¡±


    David rolled his eyes. ¡°You''ll be amazed by how similar they can be, but I think you''re missing my point. In the City, my only advantage is the connections and reputation I''ve developed over the years. In a completely novel environment, the only thing I''d be able to bring over would be a familiarity with the nature of politics, the same as you. I can''t tell you what to do, because I don''t know the players well enough to guess how they''d react, beyond basic human nature, which your own understanding covers just as well as my own. Admittedly, it''d probably be better to bring in an expert if we could, but unfortunately the City doesn''t have an expert at making contact with a new society on peaceful terms, which means it''s up to you to become that expert.¡± He smiled at her. ¡°I know you''ll do great.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°So you''re just going to leave it all to us?¡±


    ¡°Well, the stuff on Earth.¡± David replied, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes. ¡°As for the City¡­ I have some infiltrators to hunt.¡±


    *


    Matt took a deep breath as he stepped up to the podium, looking over the crowd of reporters and trying very hard to ignore the man standing behind him. A large part of him had been hoping that everything had been a delusion or some kind of joke by Gaia, which would have been concerning in its own right, but when he''d picked this man up in his private plane and he''d demonstrated his ability¡­ well, there wasn''t much room for doubt anymore. Matt shivered slightly at the cold darkness he''d felt after that woman had melted his brain. But he couldn''t deny he felt amazing afterwards¡­


    Matt coughed, refocusing on the reporters as he smiled. ¡°Welcome members of the press, and thank you for arriving on such short notice. I''m sure many of you are curious about the nature of this announcement and what it might mean for The Maze. To start, I would like to assure you all that The Maze is still perfectly functional and will remain open to all who wish to participate in the wonderful world we''ve created! However, there have been some recent revelations on the nature of that world.


    ¡°Earlier this week, I was alerted by Gaia that an achievement I''d thought impossible was awarded to a player. The achievement could only be earned if the player completely ignored the character creation process, showing an utter disregard for what their character would look like and what they would be capable of. I''d assumed that someone with that little interest in the game would never actually play it. So, when I was notified that the achievement had been earned by someone, I had to check them out, to either determine if they had somehow cheated or to see what could possibly have drawn someone so disinterested into the game. And what I found was this man, Christopher Vincent.¡± Matt gestured to Chris, who nodded and waved at the confused looking reporters.


    ¡°Now, you''re probably wondering what''s so significant about this achievement that I had to call a press conference to reveal the player who earned it. Well, the achievement does make him the most powerful player in the game, but the achievement isn''t why I brought him here today. No, the reason I brought him here today, is because this man, Christopher Vincent, is not from Earth.¡± Matt paused, looking out over the reporters with a serious expression. ¡°He''s from Azza. The real Azza.¡±


    ¡°You can''t be- shit!¡± One of the reporters began dismissively, cutting off as Chris transformed into his combat form.


    Chris stepped up to the podium as Matt stepped aside, returning to his human form as the reporters watched him nervously. ¡°As Matt said, I''m from Azza, from the actual City. My world is currently about two years behind the timeline of the game, in the period before the Conqueror rose to power and the elves invaded. I entered the game hoping to find answers for why the elves invaded and the war began, but¡­ it appears it isn''t a task I can undertake on my own, or at least not with the time I have to try and prevent the war from happening in my world. And so I''m calling on everyone who currently plays the game, asking, no begging you for any information you know about why the war began, in the hopes that we can prevent the same thing from happening in my world. Matt has graciously created a page on the official site where anyone can submit anything they know. I''m grateful for any help you can provide.¡± Chris finished, opening a portal as he turned and walking through, closing it behind him, leaving the reporters standing there in a stunned silence.


    Matt returned to the podium. ¡°I will be acting as the Azzans contact during their time on Earth, as they wish to remain as removed from our politics as possible. They''re simply here to find the information they need to save their people from a long, bloody war. I know I''ll be doing everything I can to help. I hope you will be too.¡±

 Space: 34 - Value

    Earth''s reaction to the Azzans was¡­ kind of lackluster, actually. Most people seemed convinced it was some sort of publicity stunt, something Matt faked to get people more interested in the game. Even the reporters who''d seen everything in person were questioning what they saw, wondering if Matt had hired some kind of master magician to pull it all off. And even if they did believe what they saw was real, they didn''t want to risk their careers by pushing a story no one would believe. So¡­ they played it off as a gag. Which was exactly what Beth wanted them to do.


    ¡°Are you sure about all this?¡± Chris asked skeptically. The two of them were scrolling through the various news articles while they cuddled in Chris''s space, courtesy of the phones Matt had provided them.


    Beth nodded. ¡°Absolutely. If we''d made it clear that we actually were here, then all anyone would focus on would be us, not the game. We''d end up wasting time trying to convince people to help us. But now everyone thinks Matt is setting up some kind of event in the game, so that''s what they''re focusing on!¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Why didn''t we just have Matt set up an event?¡±


    ¡°Because then it''d look like we were trying to hide something, which would have made the people who do figure out we exist suspicious.¡± Beth explained. ¡°But by actually telling them we exist, we can point and say that we''ve never hidden anything, and it isn''t our fault no one believed us. You displayed your abilities in front of a whole crowd of reporters. What more could they want? It isn''t like you have the time to go around the country and personally demonstrate your abilities for everyone. You have a City to save!¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Just trust me, alright? I''ll deal with the politics. You focus on getting stronger so that if things do go wrong, hopefully- hopefully you''ll be strong enough to do more than just harass the elves and the doppelgangers.¡±


    ¡°That I can do.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Speaking of, we should probably get going.¡±


    ¡°Right! It''s time for you to mutate!¡± Beth agreed, jumping to her feet.


    Chris opened a portal back to the City and the two made their way to the fourth floor, heading to Jo''s company headquarters. Once they arrived, they were led to a small room where Salvador, Jo, and Jacobs were waiting. ¡°Ah, there you are!¡± Jo smiled as they arrived.


    Chris paused. ¡°Are we late?¡±


    ¡°No, she''s simply impatient.¡± Salvador waved dismissively. ¡°You''re perfectly on time.¡±


    Jo shot Salvador a dirty look before refocusing on Chris. ¡°In any case, we should get started. The sooner you get your ability energy back, the sooner we can develop countermeasures to whoever this shooter may be.¡±


    Chris was ushered into an attached room, lined with lead and filled with as much ambient energy as possible. Jacobs gave him a box with a set of rarer materials they''d managed to get access to thanks to the higher focus of the government, which Chris quickly scanned before handing back. ¡°Now, before you start, we have an idea we''d like you to try.¡± Salvador began as Jacobs left to make sure all his equipment was in place. ¡°We want you to try and direct your mutation. Your other form should be sufficient for your physical capabilities, so instead we want you to focus on enhancing your mental capabilities.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I can do that. Is that all?¡±


    ¡°For now, yes.¡± Salvador confirmed. ¡°We have some things we''d like to discuss, but it can wait until after you start mutating.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡± He walked to the center of the room, focusing on enhancing his mental capabilities as he began the mutation process. A moment later, a portal opened and Chris waved them inside. ¡°Shall we then?¡±


    ¡°Aaand we''re back where we started.¡± Beth sighed as she walked in and fell onto the couch. ¡°I should have just stayed here.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I appreciated your company on the lift?¡± Chris offered.


    Beth hummed slightly. ¡°I suppose that''s worth it.¡± She muttered, giving him a small smile.


    Chris smiled back, making some chairs for Salvador and Jo as he sat down next to her. ¡°So, what did you want to talk about?¡± He asked the two, closing the portal behind them.


    Jo glanced at Salvador. ¡°Is there anyone else here?¡±


    ¡°No one.¡± Salvador replied. Chris had run the ethernet cable into his main space so the private space was back to being private.


    Chris raised an eyebrow as Jo suddenly looked¡­ nervous? ¡°Are we talking about something confidential?¡±


    ¡°In a sense¡­¡± Salvador nodded. ¡°If this discussion was overheard, it could be dangerous for all of us.¡±


    ¡°Is it about the shooter?¡± Beth asked curiously.


    Salvador shook his head. ¡°No, this has nothing to do with that.¡± He focused on Chris, staring him straight in the eye. ¡°It''s about your parents.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Oh, you found out one of them was a slime?¡±


    Salvador froze as Beth groaned, burying her face in her hands. ¡°You- what?!?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Not that then, huh?¡±


    ¡°No- I mean yes- I mean¡­ how did you know?¡± Salvador stammered, looking very confused as Beth''s head snapped up to stare at him incredulously.


    ¡°Oh, Jello told me.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°My essence, you know? Wait-¡±


    ¡°But no one can see your essence.¡± Salvador muttered almost to himself, frowning deeply. ¡°And even if you could-¡±


    ¡°Hold on, how do you know one of my parents was a slime?¡± Chris asked, leaning forward to stare at Salvador intently.


    Salvador blinked, hesitating for a moment before letting out a sigh. ¡°Because I''m the slime. Though we prefer to be called doppelgangers, since we aren''t very slimey after our first couple mutations.¡±


    Chris just stared at him, his brain sort of skipping for a moment as Beth leapt to her feet. ¡°You''re-!¡± She began, tripping over her words at the physical impossibility of saying both ¡®a doppelganger¡¯ and ¡®his parent¡¯ at the same time, incapable of deciding which one deserved more outrage.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Salvador grimaced, not needing Beth to finish to know what she was asking. ¡°Would you please allow me to explain?¡±


    Beth looked ready to tear into him, but Chris lightly grabbed her arm, pulling her back onto the couch next to him. He waved to Salvador. ¡°Please.¡± He agreed, the only thing betraying his mental state being a slight tightness in his voice. Beth contented herself with glaring at Salvador as she squeezed Chris''s hand with both of hers.


    ¡°Let me start by saying the doppelgangers have been a part of the City for centuries now, and we mean it no harm.¡± Salvador began. ¡°We simply wish to live our lives as best we can, just like anyone else, and the Maze provides an almost perfect environment for our young to develop in. We have just as much interest in maintaining it, and by extension the City, as you do.¡± He hesitated as the two of them continued to stare at him. ¡°There is, however, a third force in the City, one which is more¡­ apathetic towards the City and the Maze.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°The elves?¡±


    Salvador stared at Chris incredulously. ¡°How could you possibly know about the elves?!?¡±


    ¡°That is a secret.¡± Beth growled before Chris could answer.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Does it really matter if they know? It isn''t like they could do anything with it. The only reason we aren''t telling everyone is because then everyone would know they exist, and then boom, civil war.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°We can explain it later, if we find their explanation acceptable.¡± She turned to Salvador. ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Yes, the other force is the elves.¡± Salvador continued, shaking his head slightly as he got back on track. ¡°Our two peoples have been enemies since before the Demonic Advent, and hostilities between us have only increased since then. The Maze happens to span the borders of both our nations, so when the doppelgangers began infiltrating the City, the elves followed, if only to oppose us. Thankfully neither side has ever shown much interest in escalating that opposition into a true conflict, so the elves presence in the City has been largely benign. We spy on each other and occasionally an assassin will take out an opportune target, but for the majority of us, our focus is creating lives for ourselves. Most of us came here to escape the fighting on the surface, not to bring it down here.¡±


    ¡°You better start getting to a point soon.¡± Beth grumbled. ¡°I care more about the fact that you abandoned my fianc¨¦ than some historical conflict with the elves.¡±


    Jo flinched as Salvador grimaced. ¡°The reason I had to explain the conflict is because it is integral to why we had to leave Chris. Because Chris, you aren''t just the child of a doppelganger¡­ you''re also the child of an elf.¡±


    Jo smiled weakly. ¡°And I''m the elf.¡±


    Chris blinked at her, before letting out a groan and clutching his head. ¡°My brain hurts.¡±


    Beth stared at the two wide-eyed. ¡°But- but the two of you hate each other!¡±


    Salvador chuckled slightly. ¡°We have to put up that front to keep our allies from becoming suspicious. Though admittedly our relationship did begin rather¡­ antagonistically.¡±


    ¡°You stabbed me.¡± Jo grumbled.


    ¡°And you disintegrated my arm.¡± Salvador retorted.


    ¡°Because you stabbed me.¡± Jo repeated.


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Salvador shook his head. ¡°Anyway, due to our positions, the two of us were forced to interact more than we initially would have preferred, and over time, our relationship¡­ shifted, and one day we decided to run away together. We stole the identities of two poor souls who failed the Trial and started a life together. We knew there was always a chance we''d be pulled back into the conflict so we set up some contingencies, such as your mother taking on the identity of a Montero and the both of us joining the Scouts, but we never actually believed we''d have to make use of them. As I said, most of us down here are trying to escape the conflict, not perpetuate it. We assumed both sides would be more than content to simply let us disappear. It wouldn''t even be the first time it happened.


    ¡°Unfortunately, we underestimated how much¡­ significance your mother''s brother placed on her. Once he learned of her disappearance, he sent his personal guard to find her or at least confirm her death, and by the time we learned of it, she was already pregnant. We did everything we could to evade detection, but eventually it became clear that we would be found, and- we had to make sure they wouldn''t find you. So we faked our deaths, erased every scrap of connection that even might have led to you, and returned to our positions. There were some¡­ tensions in the process, but once the royal guards were satisfied, no one else was particularly interested in causing us any trouble. We fell back into our old roles and now¡­ here we are.¡± He spread his hands in an almost helpless gesture as he finished.


    ¡°But- hold on, if you two are his parents, then why isn''t there a record of your disappearance?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Our positions are too valuable for our people to just let go of them, so they simply replaced us.¡± Jo explained. ¡°Salvador''s ¡®ability¡¯ is just the doppelgangers¡¯ natural capability to sense energy and I only really use my ability for coreforging, so no one even noticed the switch.¡±


    Beth paused. ¡°Elves can shapeshift too?¡±


    ¡°No, but all the elves that live in the City have abilities that allow them too.¡± Jo smiled. ¡°We wouldn''t blend in very well if we couldn''t.¡±


    Beth flushed slightly. ¡°That''s- fair.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this now?¡± Chris frowned. ¡°I assume most of the danger passed when the¡­ wait, who is my uncle and why does he have royal guards?!?¡±


    Jo coughed awkwardly. ¡°My brother is the king of the elves.¡±


    Beth''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re a princess?!?¡±


    ¡°Technically, yes, but I''ve taken an oath to forfeit any claim I have to the throne! I still don''t know why Jer''tunal wouldn''t simply let me disappear!¡± Jo explained, her frustration clear in her tone. ¡°If he would have just left us alone, then-¡± She choked slightly as she turned to Chris with tears in her eyes. ¡°We never wanted to abandon you! We would have done anything to stay with you, but we couldn''t let Jer''tunal find out about you! If he was that persistent in finding me, he never would have let a potential heir to the throne exist, even if they were a human with no ability! And now- If he discovers you now, with what you can do¡­ I- I can''t imagine what lengths he''ll go to to get rid of you!¡±


    Chris scratched his cheek. ¡°Probably invade the City, if I had to guess¡­¡±


    ¡°You think-¡± Beth began, trailing off hesitantly.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I mean, I can''t be sure, but I see the dots and I can''t help but connect them. The real question is how would he find out?¡±


    ¡°He shouldn''t be able to.¡± Jo replied hesitantly. ¡°But he probably doesn''t have to. That''s- that''s the other thing we need to talk to you about.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Other thing?¡±


    Jo sighed. ¡°So far, the doppelgangers and the elves have been content to ignore the City, because in the larger scheme of things, the City is irrelevant. The only aspect of the City that holds any value to the surface is your technology, and so far everyone has been content to let you develop it independently, simply copying whatever they take a liking too. However, once the surface learns of you¡­ what you''re capable of is unheard of, even on the surface. Both sides will want to turn you into a weapon to use against the other. Even without knowing you''re a potential heir, Jer''tunal will want to take you purely to use against his enemies. And so will the doppelgangers. Either that, or they will see you as a threat they must extinguish before it grows out of their control.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°So we''re fucked then. Everyone knows what I can do now, thanks to my duel with Daniel.¡±


    Salvador nodded. ¡°Yes. The doppelgangers and the elves are going to come for you. Our only hope is if you can become strong enough to resist them before they arrive. You have the advantage in that if you want to hide, there''s little they can do to find you. If you have enough time to grow, you can become the very thing they fear! And then- then maybe you can end this conflict forever.¡±


    Chris grimaced as he listened to Salvador, knowing that his other self had probably gotten the same exact message and gone about doing exactly that. He led the City into the Maze, using every bit of time he had to grab as much power as he could, before disappearing as the elves arrived, biding his time until the doppelgangers struck, then feeding on both sides to slowly grow his power even more until he could finally face them. Even now, Chris couldn''t think of a good reason not to do the same exact thing. Sure, people would die, but it wasn''t his fault. He wasn''t the one invading. And letting either side use him as a weapon would just lead to more death. Sure, he might save humanity, but he didn''t want to see the doppelgangers or the elves destroyed either. The best option would be to keep both sides relatively even until he had the strength to dominate them, stopping the war entirely. Exactly as his other self was doing.


    Chris clicked his tongue. ¡°I should have just pretended to be dead when my head exploded.¡±


    Salvador let out a light chuckle. ¡°That would have solved things. Though it probably would have been better to not reveal your abilities in the first place.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Even without the duel, my abilities were documented through the Ability Management Department. And there was no way Jacobs would do anything less than dig out everything I was capable of.¡±


    Jo sighed. ¡°That man is too good at his job sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, let''s think.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Is there any other way to deal with this¡­ because I''ve seen where this path goes, and it isn''t pretty. Admittedly it might be the best option we have, but still, we should look for something better. What if I just disappear?¡±


    ¡°They''d still come to the City looking for you, but hold on.¡± Salvador stopped him. ¡°Can you both finally explain how you know so much? I can maybe see how you could have figured out I was slime related, but you shouldn''t have known anything about the doppelgangers and elves.¡±


    Chris glanced at Beth, who frowned, crossing her arms. ¡°They''ve claimed a lot, but they haven''t done anything to prove they''re your parents yet. Just because they''ve told us a crazy story doesn''t mean it''s a true crazy story.¡±


    Salvador''s expression twisted as he nodded in understanding. ¡°This is why doppelgangers can sense essence. Otherwise we wouldn''t even be able to trust ourselves.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Huh¡­ Good idea.¡± He opened a portal and Jello dropped through with a surprised blurp, quickly shifting into her human form. ¡°Who''s that?¡± Chris asked, pointing at Salvador.


    Jello blinked, turning towards Salvador, her eyes widening as she let out a squeal. ¡°PROGENITOR!!!¡± She exclaimed as she launched herself into a stunned Salvador''s chest.


    Chris glanced at Beth. ¡°How''s that for proof?¡±


    ¡°How the hell did you find one of my progeny?!?¡± Salvador asked incredulously.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Luck, I guess. She''s literally the first slime I ran into during my Trial.¡±


    Jo frowned at the slime in Salvador''s lap. ¡°That- is quite a coincidence.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°It was a very coincidental day. Same day I found Beth actually¡­ and I literally arrived just in time to keep her from dying.¡±


    ¡°It does seem odd now that I think about it.¡± Beth muttered.


    ¡°Odd things happen sometimes.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I mean, the fact that I even exist is odd.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Beth agreed.


    ¡°So, should we tell them now?¡± Chris asked.


    Beth sighed. ¡°I don''t know if we should, but I don''t see why we shouldn''t either.¡±


    ¡°Good enough.¡± Chris replied, turning back to his parents. ¡°My space connected with another world with a video game that''s a near perfect copy of our world, just two years in the future. It has a dude called the Conqueror who''s probably me who led the City to push deeper into the Maze, then disappeared as the elves invaded, only reappearing once the doppelgangers showed up, harassing both sides to make sure neither one wins. The whole City is split between the two factions.¡±


    Salvador blinked, then blinked again as he tried to process all that, Jo right there with him. ¡°You learned about the doppelgangers and elves¡­ in a video game.¡±


    ¡°A video game from a different world, yes.¡± Chris confirmed.


    ¡°Is it good?¡± Jo asked.


    Salvador scowled at her. ¡°Is that really important?!?¡±


    ¡°If someone made a video game about my life, I at least want it to be a good one!¡± Jo retorted, crossing her arms.


    ¡°It''s the most popular game they have.¡± Chris offered.


    ¡°That doesn''t mean anything.¡± Jo countered. ¡°Lot''s of popular things are crap. Like those stupid glasses with the tint? We live underground! Why would you ever need to wear something like that!?!¡±


    ¡°It''s a virtual reality game, so it feels just like real life?¡± Beth suggested next.


    Jo paused. ¡°Okay, that''s impressive, but that just means it''s advanced, not necessarily that it''s good. The question is if it''s fun. I mean, that''s the point of a game, isn''t it? No matter how many bells and whistles you add, if it isn''t fun, then it isn''t a good game.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I think it could be fun, but we''ve been kinda focused on figuring out how to stop the war, so we never really took the time to appreciate it.¡±


    ¡°It is kind of fun to fight without worrying about dying.¡± Beth commented, glancing at Chris. ¡°Though¡­ I don''t suppose that''s all that special for you.¡±


    ¡°Hey, dying is still an issue for me, it just isn''t a permanent issue.¡± Chris retorted.


    ¡°I''m going to need to see for myself.¡± Jo muttered.


    ¡°Jo, we have larger concerns.¡± Salvador rolled his eyes, refocusing on Chris. ¡°Did this game suggest any alternate solutions?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°No. It seems the game version of me is doing exactly what you said, hiding and building up power until he can end it all at once. Which I don''t necessarily disagree with, I''d just prefer to avoid war altogether, rather than settle for the best war we can get.¡±


    Salvador nodded. ¡°I can''t say I disagree, I just can''t see any way to actually do it.¡±


    ¡°What if- what if we ran?¡± Beth suggested.


    ¡°Where could we run to?¡± Salvador asked, shaking his head. ¡°The City is already the best hiding place on Azza.¡±


    ¡°Right, on Azza.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°But what if we weren''t on Azza?¡±


    Chris blinked as he got what she was suggesting. ¡°That- seems like it''d cause a war itself. I don''t think Earth would appreciate forty million people just deciding to come over.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°You''re right, it''d take some work to make it happen, a lot of negotiating and-¡± she shuddered. ¡°-politics. But right now, it''s the only possible solution that even might not end in war.¡±


    Chris considered it for a moment. ¡°There''s still the issue of the doppelgangers and elves already in the City.¡± He gestured to Jo and Salvador. ¡°People aren''t just going to be okay with what essentially amounts to enemy spies living among them, and given what we just learned, they aren''t going to want to stay behind either.¡±


    Beth grimaced. ¡°It will be difficult, yes, but I still-¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, I agree, we should go for it, I''m just pointing out things we''ll need to deal with.¡± Chris stopped her. He turned to Jo and Salvador. ¡°You two agree too, right?¡±


    ¡°Why would this Earth be any safer than Azza?¡± Salvador asked skeptically. ¡°Wouldn''t the nations there be just as eager to use Chris as the ones here?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Did we not mention that everyone on Earth is human and they don''t have abilities?¡± Salvador''s eyes widened. ¡°Yeah, that''s a pretty big point.¡±

 Space: 35 - Plans

    Four people sat in Chris''s space in an awkward silence. Once Chris and Beth had explained the true state of Earth, Jo and Salvador were fully on board with the plan to evacuate the City there. But once they''d settled that, with nothing left to distract them, they couldn''t keep pushing the whole ¡®we''re your parents¡¯ issue to the side. ¡°Why is everyone so quiet?¡± Jello asked, the one person not feeling awkward about all this. She was just happy to meet her progenitor.


    ¡°Because I''m not sure how to deal with the fact that my parents abandoned me for a good reason.¡± Chris sighed.


    Jo''s expression fell. ¡°We understand if you hate us-¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°That''s the thing, I don''t hate you. Do I wish you didn''t have to abandon me? Absolutely, but I get it, you know? You made the best of a bad situation. The problem is that I don''t know what that actually makes us. I mean, as much as it wasn''t your fault, the end result is that you weren''t there to actually be my parents, so it doesn''t make sense to treat you like you are. But on the other hand, you are my parents, so I can''t just ignore you either. I mean, I could, but since you clearly still care about me, it''d just be rude. I''m sure there''s some middle ground in all this that would actually make sense, but fuck if I know how to find it.¡±


    ¡°You could start by getting to know them.¡± Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You know, like how every other relationship develops.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Well, I can''t argue with that.¡±


    Salvador grimaced. ¡°Unfortunately, as much as we would like to be a more significant part of your life, however that may look, we still can''t risk either side learning of your origins, so any interactions we have would need to be¡­ limited. We won''t have many excuses to meet with you like this.¡±


    ¡°I could give you some minions so I can open portals for you whenever you like.¡± Chris offered. ¡°Earth has all these tiny bugs that are fantastic for hiding places.¡±


    Salvador smiled sadly. ¡°Unfortunately we''re both watched much too closely to be able to slip away like that. A consequence of our previous disappearance. No, we can only risk meetings like this when we have a legitimate excuse to meet with you, like now.¡±


    ¡°Well that''s disappointing.¡± Chris grumbled.


    ¡°Incredibly.¡± Jo growled. ¡°If your grandparents had taken you in like they were supposed to, we could have had this discussion ages ago! We could have warned you about the doppelgangers and elves and prevented this situation entirely!¡±


    Chris grunted in agreement, then frowned slightly. ¡°Though they aren''t actually my grandparents, are they? Since you aren''t actually a Montero.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­ in a way I was.¡± Jo coughed. ¡°You see, my ability to shapeshift isn''t as clean as a doppelganger¡¯s. My ability allows me to analyze objects and transform other objects into them through physical contact, such as transforming a block of stone into a computer.¡±


    ¡°Or my arm into air.¡± Salvador added helpfully.


    Jo rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, but my ability doesn''t just copy the form of an object, it copies the state of them. So when I transformed into Isabel Montero, I didn''t just copy her form, I copied everything, including her ability and¡­ her memories. Her mind. For all intents and purposes, while I held her form, I was Isabel Montero. Or at least, my version of her, since obviously I''m still in there too, but¡­ well, it''s a bit complicated, but you see my point.¡±


    ¡°That''s- I''m not sure if that counts.¡± Beth frowned.


    Jo raised an eyebrow. ¡°Let''s say instead I cloned her. Would you say it counts then? Because that''s essentially what happened.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°I- maybe? I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°I think it''s one of those things that depends on your perspective¡­ or interests.¡± Chris commented. ¡°I mean, the Monteros wouldn''t even claim me when they had no reason to doubt my parentage. But now they''d probably use any shred of connection they could to get a hold of me.¡±


    Salvador sighed. ¡°You aren''t wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°But I''m not sure any normal family would be happy to hear their daughter was replaced, even if it was by a perfect copy.¡±


    Jo sighed. ¡°I know what it sounds like, but from my perspective, I was her, just as much as I am myself.¡±


    Beth frowned for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°I don''t know, it just feels weird to me.¡±


    Chris waved dismissively. ¡°It doesn''t matter anyway. None of us are claiming any relationship to the Monteros at the moment.¡±


    ¡°No, you''re right, I''m just frustrated they didn''t take you in.¡± Jo grumbled. ¡°If they had, we would have been able to at least maintain a slight relationship with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that would have been nice.¡± Chris agreed.


    Salvador chuckled. ¡°You have a gift for understatement, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°That is an understatement.¡± Beth smirked.


    Salvador smiled before letting out a sigh as he stood, putting Jello down, the others standing up with him. ¡°Well, as much as I wish we could continue, I believe we''ve stretched this as far as we can. Chris, I- I honestly can''t express how good it is to see you alive and well. We''d almost given up hope that this day would come, but I am so, so glad it did.¡± He finished, pulling Chris into a tight embrace.


    Jo squeezed in to hug Chris herself. ¡°We''re so glad you''re alive.¡± She whispered hoarsely.


    Chris hesitated for a moment, before sighing and hugging them back. ¡°I''m glad you guys are alive too.¡± He really was.


    *


    David rubbed his temple. ¡°So you''re telling me that we have two nations getting ready to invade, and there''s nothing we can do about it? So now you want to evacuate to Earth?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°It seems like the best course of action we have. At least, based on the game, trying to fight would end¡­ poorly.¡±


    David grunted. ¡°Based on the fact they live on the surface, I already could have told you that. Are you sure they''re coming?¡±


    ¡°We obviously can''t be positive, but after my display during graduation, I can''t believe they''d just ignore us. They''d at least research me, and once they found my records with the Ability Management Department¡­ well, what would you do if you found out a tribe had someone like me in it?¡±


    David snorted. ¡°If I was them, I''d be working on collapsing the top four levels of the Maze so you couldn''t get out, not coming down here to try and capture you. Possibly even try to spatially lock this entire area, or better yet, scoop it out and throw it into hell. Even attempting to control you is a fool''s errand I would never be a part of. Particularly not through force.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Well¡­ that actually makes sense.¡±


    David sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I can also see some power hungry politician completely ignoring that advice and coming down here anyway, because the fact that you aren''t that powerful yet will convince them they can control you.¡±


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    ¡°And that also checks out.¡± Beth grumbled.


    David frowned. ¡°So the question becomes, how do we evacuate to Earth without starting a different war? After all, even if the people of Earth don''t have abilities, they still have guns.¡±


    ¡°And something called a nuke, which just kind of¡­ ends an area.¡± Chris added. ¡°Not something we want coming at us.¡±


    ¡°Also the fact that they have eight billion people over there.¡± Beth grimaced. ¡°Just the nation we''re in contact with has almost ten times the population we do.¡±


    ¡°Not a war we want to fight.¡± David agreed. ¡°So how do we convince them to let us come over peacefully?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°They like gold?¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°They like gold because it''s rare for them and hard to get. If we tried to flood the market with it, they''d probably hate us for making all their gold worthless.¡± She paused. ¡°But the fact that our abilities allow us to produce resources that are difficult to obtain for them would probably make them more inclined to accept us¡­ plus our healing abilities and teleportation network.¡±


    David shook his head. ¡°Offering benefits is a start, but what we need to do is figure out what the foundation of our proposal will be. Are we refugees looking for a new home? Are we settlers looking for land? Or are we temporary visitors?¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Temporary visitors?¡±


    David grinned. ¡°Remember what I said about doing everything I could to make sure you don''t get out? As much as I''m sure Earth is a fantastic place, just giving up on the City doesn''t sit well with me. Instead, I''d like to think of this as¡­ a strategic retreat, pulling back so we can gather our strength and return when we''re in a position to fight back. Or rather, when you are in a position to fight back. Your growth is inevitable. One day you will be strong enough to put both these nations in their place, and then¡­ we will return.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°But who knows how long that will take? I think if we approach this as something temporary and it ends up taking longer than we planned, people will start to resent us.¡±


    David cocked his head. ¡°That''s a good point. Plus, even when we return to the City, we aren''t going to want to lose access to Earth. So we''re going to want to negotiate for a permanent territory¡­ which means we need to pin down exactly what land we want.¡±


    ¡°Not the middle east.¡± Chris commented. ¡°That place is a mess.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°I think we should aim for the more inhospitable areas of the planet, land the people of Earth can''t use, but we can develop using our abilities.¡±


    ¡°If we had the time, I''d suggest we simply build underground.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°I''m not a big fan of the sky.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°You aren''t? Why not?¡±


    ¡°It''s too bright, there''s all this wind, and it drops things on you.¡± Chris listed off. ¡°Completely unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°But what about sunsets, stars, and clouds?¡± Beth countered.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°They''re pretty!¡± Beth insisted.


    ¡°Sure, but it takes you all of a minute to appreciate them, and then you''re back to dealing with brightness, wind, and water falling from the sky.¡± Chris grumbled.


    ¡°Is it really that bad?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°I mean, no, but I''d just rather not deal with it.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Underground seems better to me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can consider that a long term plan, but we need a place we can put our people right now, not in a couple decades.¡± David interjected, getting them back on track. ¡°So where on the surface can we go?¡±


    ¡°If we''re looking to get land from one of their nations, I''d suggest either Canada or Australia.¡± Beth replied. ¡°A large part of Canada''s land is what they call ¡®tundra¡¯ which is essentially a frozen desert, while a large portion of Australia is a hot desert. Both nations speak human, or as they call it over there ¡®English¡¯, and they''re both developed and relatively peaceful. The United States of America is also an option, with both desert and tundra within their territory, but they''re a bit more warlike, so I''d be worried about them seeing us as military assets, and I don''t think we want to involve ourselves in Earth''s wars unless we absolutely have to.¡±


    ¡°No we do not.¡± David agreed, considering their options. ¡°I think we should approach all three of these nations, if we can. If these United States are warlike, then we don''t want to risk offending them and have them come after us anyway. In fact, it would be a good idea to come to some sort of agreement with all of them, even the ones we don''t end up living with. The more allies we have over there, the better.¡± He paused for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Yes, this is a proposal I can take to the Mayor.¡±


    ¡°Now the question is how do we avoid everyone freaking out over the doppelgangers and the elves.¡± Chris commented.


    David blinked. ¡°Right, that''s why I haven''t already told him about this.¡±


    Beth grimaced. ¡°If the public even catches a hint that there may be other races hiding in the City, it''s going to be a disaster. No one is going to be able to trust anyone!¡±


    ¡°Worse, if those races find out the City is evacuating before we''re ready, they may speed up their invasion plans.¡± David frowned. ¡°If they''re really coming for Chris, there''s no way they''d just let him escape.¡±


    ¡°So we need to make sure as few people as possible know about this until everything is actually ready.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Once we get everyone to Earth, it won''t particularly matter if there are spies, because they won''t have any way to report to anyone, since the only way back to Azza is through me.¡±


    ¡°People still aren''t going to be comfortable with the idea, but they won''t be as scared of the idea.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°Particularly since they''re going to have to focus on settling Earth.¡±


    ¡°Another benefit in choosing someplace somewhat inhospitable.¡± David commented. ¡°Okay, I have some people I need to talk to, and you need to figure out the best way to get in contact with these other nations. This isn''t something that can be handled by a single squad anymore, and it''s going to take a lot of work.¡± He glanced at Chris. ¡°We''re also going to need to work on getting you stronger. The sooner you can face these nations, the better.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Right now I have two main limits on my strength. The first is the size of my space, and the second is the degree of mutation I''m capable of. To increase the strength of my space, I need to absorb energy, but I''ve noticed a somewhat¡­ worrying pattern. See, the strength of my space isn''t exactly based on its size, it''s based on the cubed root of the volume, but the rate of expansion seems to be linear. So in order for me to double the strength of my space, I need eight times more volume, which means eight times more energy, and if I want my space to be equivalent to the peak of omega-tier, I''m going to need it to be a million cubic meters in volume, and I have no idea how much energy that will take. Even worse, since my space''s strength isn''t adjusted for my physique, in order to match the surface nations, I''m going to need to go beyond omega-tier, which I''m not even sure is possible, and it''s going to require me to expand my space even more.¡±


    David frowned. ¡°That is concerning¡­ but it just means we''re going to need more time than we thought for you to grow. How about your mutation?¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°That''s also based on energy, since I need to find concentrated areas of ambient energy to fuel it, and since the doppelgangers also mutate, I''m going to be competing with them for it. And so far, the areas we have around here can only get me to high-tier ability, mid-tier physique.¡±


    David clicked his tongue in disappointment. ¡°Yet another hurdle.¡± He paused. ¡°Is the energy you gain added to your previous amount or does the area simply bring you up to its maximum level?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°I''m not sure¡­ I''ll talk to Jacobs about it. I might need to test it.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully it accumulates or your growth in that department will be based more on luck than I''d like.¡± David commented. ¡°Still¡­ even with those hurdles, I can''t imagine anything stopping you from becoming powerful. At most this will just delay things.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Though I am a bit worried about psychics¡­¡± After Beth''s panic over the idea that his memories had been altered when he first discovered Earth, Chris had started to think about it and he''d realized psychics were his only real weakness. He couldn''t be killed, and even trapping him would be difficult, but someone could absolutely fuck with his mind, and that made him¡­ nervous.


    David shook his head. ¡°A mind isn''t something anyone can alter on a whim. Let''s take your own ability as an example. You have one of the strongest dominator abilities I''ve ever seen, but even you can''t just snap your fingers and dominate someone! The mind naturally resists alterations like that and if someone has the time to try, then you have the time to fight back or escape. Trust me, I''ve dealt with more than a few psychics in the Maze, and the problem is rarely them, it''s the creatures around them. If you give them time to work, they can be terrifying, but there isn''t much they can do in the time it takes you to put your fist through their skull.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°That isn''t to say you shouldn''t do everything you can to avoid enemy psychics, you just don''t have to be terrified of them. If a psychic is trying to do something to you, you''re going to know they''re doing something to you, and you''ll have time to react.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that''s something.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Is there anything else then?¡±


    ¡°No, that should be all.¡± David sighed, getting up to leave. ¡°I just have to do politics now.¡±


    ¡°So do we.¡± Beth grumbled.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®we¡¯?¡± Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°I''m stuck in here, remember?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nuh-uh! You aren''t getting out of this, buster! You can talk through Dyrdek or your portals if you have to!¡± Beth retorted.


    Chris clicked his tongue in disappointment. ¡°Fine. But I''m not doing any more press conferences.¡±

 Space: 36 - People suck

    ¡°You people are killing me.¡± Matt groaned, burying his face in his hands.


    ¡°So you can''t help us get in contact with the governments of Canada, Australia, and the United States of America?¡± Chris asked through a portal.


    ¡°Oh, no, that''s easy. The problem is that I don''t want to be the de facto emissary to Azza!¡± Matt exclaimed. ¡°I''m a game developer! Fuck, I''m not even that! I spent a decade developing an AI to do that for me! I''m supposed to be done! All I need to do is make sure the bills get paid, and I can spend the rest of my life enjoying myself! Which does not include helping super-powered aliens move to Earth!¡±


    ¡°Technically we''re still human?¡± Chris offered.


    ¡°Oh, no, I got the report on you.¡± Matt growled. ¡°Mr. half doppelganger half elf!¡±


    ¡°Wait, someone figured that out?¡± Beth blinked.


    Matt frowned. ¡°You figured it out?¡±


    ¡°My parents showed up yesterday and explained everything.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Hence the push to evacuate to Earth.¡±


    ¡°Because of your parents?¡± Matt asked, looking confused.


    ¡°Because they made it clear that just knowing I exist will be enough to draw the doppelgangers and elves down to the City. I''m too valuable a weapon to be left alone.¡± Chris elaborated. ¡°And they already know I exist.¡±


    Matt stared at him for a moment. ¡°So we did that entire press conference for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Honestly, we didn''t even particularly need to explore the game. But then again, we wouldn''t have met you if we hadn''t¡­¡±


    Matt grimaced. ¡°As if that''s a good thing.¡±


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Look, none of us are exactly thrilled about what''s happening, but we''re talking about people''s lives here!¡±


    Matt sighed. ¡°Yes, I know. And yes, I''m going to help. But that doesn''t mean I''m happy about it!¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°So, where do we start?¡±


    Matt shook his head. ¡°I''ll give you some phone numbers that you can call to set up meetings and I''ll lend you my plane so you can get to them, but politics is not my thing. Beyond knowing a few people you should probably talk to, there''s not much more I can do to help.¡±


    ¡°That''s all we need.¡± Beth assured him. ¡°Once we have our foot in the door, we can handle things ourselves. The problem is we don''t even know where to start. Or at least, not without sounding like crazy people.¡±


    Matt paused. ¡°I may have to go with you for the first few meetings¡­¡± Matt spent a few minutes getting a list of contacts together for them and handing it over to Beth. They were about to leave when he suddenly snapped his fingers. ¡°Oh, Chris, there''s one thing that''s been bothering me about all this.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Only one?¡±


    Matt rolled his eyes. ¡°Okay, one thing that doesn''t make sense. See, no matter who I talk to, no one has seen any evidence of the Conqueror having minions or a space. They all agree that he wields multiple abilities, has multiple forms, and can grow stronger, but nothing else. One person insisted he absorbs the abilities from anyone he kills, which¡­ almost seems like the opposite of what you do.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Could he be hiding it for some reason?¡±


    ¡°Or maybe the game only got your ability mostly right?¡± Beth muttered. ¡°I always found it pretty suspicious that the game seemed to be able to predict everything. I mean, the general gist of things, sure, but it being a hundred percent accurate just feels wrong to me.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that could change how the doppelgangers and the elves react?¡± Chris wondered. ¡°Maybe they''d be more interested in your dad''s method of dealing with me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Beth agreed. ¡°But I don''t think we should bet on it.¡±


    ¡°True. Plus it''s probably a good idea to have a place to run to anyway, even if there isn''t anyone coming.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Right, then I need to make some phone calls.¡± Beth sighed, waving the list of contacts.


    *


    Beth was in the middle of setting up a meeting with some Australian official while Chris offered moral support, when Sabrina contacted him. *Chris, would you be able to join me for a moment? There are some people here who''d like to talk to you.*


    *Define join.* Chris sent back, making a sign to ask Beth if she minded if he left for a moment. *I''m stuck in my space at the moment, but I can talk through a portal.*


    *That should be fine.* Sabrina replied as Beth gave Chris a thumbs up.


    Chris moved to his room in the main section of the space, getting rid of his bed and making a couch in case people wanted to come in, before opening a portal to Sabrina. ¡°Alright, who-¡±


    ¡°You!¡± Sergeant Callista growled as she stomped into his space and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. ¡°What did you do to my husband!?!¡±


    ¡°Becky, calm down!¡± A teenage boy exclaimed as he came in behind her.


    Chris blinked. ¡°Your first name is Becky?¡±


    Sergeant Callista shook him. ¡°Why is my husband a teenager!?!¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to- wait¡­ you''re the guy that was missing a leg, right?¡± Chris asked as he remembered what happened. Man, trying to prevent a war really put a lot of things on the back burner, didn''t it? ¡°Didn''t have enough mass to be an adult so it healed you into a teenager?¡± Chris glanced at the still fuming Sergeant Callista. ¡°Your wife is Sergeant Callista?¡±


    Sergeant Callista narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s just a weird coincidence.¡± Chris shrugged. He glanced down at her hands still holding his shirt. ¡°Can you let me go now?¡±


    ¡°Can you fix my husband?¡± Sergeant Callista retorted.


    ¡°I don''t think so¡­¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Maybe if he got really fat? I wouldn''t guarantee it though.¡±


    ¡°Vincent¡­¡± Sergeant Callista growled.


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Look, I can''t make mass out of nothing, and he doesn''t have the mass to be an adult. I don''t know what else you want from me. The best I could do is take your leg so you can be a teenager too.¡±


    Sergeant Callista glared at him for a moment. ¡°Do it.¡±


    ¡°Becky, no!¡± Her husband exclaimed. ¡°What about your job?!?¡±


    ¡°We''ll figure it out! If you''re stuck as a teenager, then I''m going to be a teenager too! I''m not going to spend the next five years looking like some kind of pervert!¡± Sergeant Callista retorted.


    ¡°Sergeant Callista, I don''t think this is a decision you should rush into.¡± Sabrina interjected. ¡°I think you should take some time to discuss this with your husband before you do anything rash.¡±


    Sergeant Callista grimaced before dropping Chris. ¡°You''re right. Come on, Kyle.¡± She pulled her husband back through the portal to find some place to talk, turning back to raise a finger at Chris. ¡°Do not go anywhere!¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at Sabrina as he smoothed out his shirt. ¡°I would have appreciated more of a warning about that. I thought you just had more patients for me to heal.¡±


    Sabrina snorted. ¡°Would you have still come if I told you an angry drill sergeant was here because you turned her husband into a teenager?¡±


    ¡°I don''t see why not.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°It isn''t like it''s a problem that''s just going to go away if I ignore it, and the longer I wait, the more pissed she''d get. Best to take care of it as soon as possible.¡±


    Sabrina blinked. ¡°Oh¡­ in that case, the woman you formed a connection with and the woman you¡­ deaged? Would also like to talk to you, if you have time.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Does the deaged one have an angry husband?¡±


    ¡°No, she''s a widow, but she does have a son who seems a bit¡­ overprotective.¡± Sabrina replied.


    ¡°Outstanding.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°Alright, let me know when they''re ready, and I''ll be here.¡± He paused. ¡°Though I suppose I could technically get the one I''m connected to myself, huh?¡±


    Sabrina frowned. ¡°I- think it''d be best to avoid any overt demonstrations of what your connection allows you to do. For those who don''t know you, it could be very¡­ unnerving.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°If you say so. I''m going to go check on Beth, so just call me when they''re ready.¡± Sabrina nodded, returning to her office as Chris headed back to the private space to find Beth just getting off the phone. ¡°How''d it go?¡± He asked as he sat down next to her.


    ¡°We have a meeting set up for four days from now.¡± Beth replied.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°That''ll be our first one then, huh?¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°Yup. Our meeting with the Canadians isn''t for a week, and the Americans won''t see us for another two.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ at least I''ll be able to go to those ones in person.¡± Chris commented.


    ¡°True.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°What about you? What did you need to deal with?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Sabrina wanted me to talk to someone. Who turned out to be Sergeant Callista, who was angry that I turned her husband into a teenager. Also, apparently her first name is Becky.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°Wait, what?!? When did you- wait, I remember¡­ that guy was Sergeant Callista''s husband?!?¡± Beth asked incredulously.


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    ¡°Weird, huh?¡± Chris replied. ¡°They''re trying to decide whether she should turn into a teenager too. Can you imagine a teenage Sergeant Callista going around yelling at recruits? Or their faces when she takes someone down for not taking her seriously?¡± Chris chuckled at the thought, no doubt in his mind that even as a teenager, Sergeant Callista would be a force to be reckoned with.


    Beth paused. ¡°Okay, yeah, I''d need to see that. Though I think the recruits would freak out the first time they saw an imp.¡±


    ¡°It''s a good lesson though.¡± Chris commented. ¡°You can''t judge a book by its cover, especially when it comes to abilities. Better to learn that lesson now than in the Maze.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°It''s amazing how many people still look for obvious signs of power when abilities are a thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s because most of the time they''re right.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°In scout class, they taught us that if you see a creature that looks healthier than all the other creatures around it, it''s probably pretty strong. That''s just how life works. The strong can acquire resources easier and the weak struggle. Of course, it isn''t a hundred percent, and you can''t base all your decisions off that initial impression, which is why being a scout takes work, but for the average person, that initial impression is all they know to look for, and they''ve never encountered a scenario where they''d be forced to question it, so it sticks around.¡±


    ¡°How could they- oh, right¡­ not everyone grew up in an environment where everyone was always looking for an excuse to duel each other.¡± Beth sighed.


    ¡°Yeah, I''m pretty sure duels are only a thing for the top ten or so floors. I mean, there are still fights, but it''s more about a group of bullies ganging up on some poor, unpopular kid than an actual power contest.¡± Chris replied. ¡°In fact, if the bullied kid tried to fight back using their ability, they''d be the one in trouble. It''d be like threatening someone with a knife or a gun.¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°It''s so weird how different the floors of the City can be. Going to visit you on the forty-fourth is almost like- actually it''s exactly like visiting another world.¡± She snorted. ¡°Same language, similar culture, but there''s just something off about it all.¡±


    ¡°Eh, it''s all superficial though.¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°At the end of the day, people are people, whether they''re from the fourth floor or the forty-fourth floor, or from Earth, or even if they''re a goblin living in the Maze.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but because people are people, they get thrown off when other people are different from them.¡± Beth countered.


    ¡°Right.¡± Chris nodded, smirking slightly. ¡°Because people suck.¡±


    Beth blinked, then burst out in a fit of laughter. ¡°Oh, that''s good! People are all the same because they all suck!¡±


    Chris chuckled, then paused, cocking his head as a thought occurred to him. ¡°You know, I almost think the issue with people is that they try to deal with people as people.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Beth asked, frowning thoughtfully.


    ¡°Well, we always try to group people, you know? Like, there''s the human, the goblins, the imps, and so on, so when we deal with a goblin, we don''t take them as a goblin, we take them as the goblins, seeing them as a part of the group instead of an individual. And that isn''t necessarily wrong, but it''s like judging people based on obvious signs of power, because most of the time you''ll be right, but there''s always a chance you won''t be. Like, I bet you ninety-nine point four percent of the time, if you meet a goblin in the Maze, they''re going to want to eat you.¡±


    ¡°Point four?¡± Beth asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I like the number four. Anyway, as I was saying, they''re going to want to eat you. Maybe because they actually despise humans or maybe just because they''re hungry and you''re food, so you can reliably predict that if you don''t do something about the goblin that just spotted you, you''re going to have a bad day. However, who knows if you''ve somehow met the one goblin that''s sworn off eating anything intelligent and he''s just coming over to see if you''re okay? It isn''t likely, but it''s possible, and you won''t ever figure it out, because you''ve already put your fist through his chest, watching him die while his eyes scream ¡®why¡¯.¡±


    Chris yelped as Beth pinched his waist. ¡°Chris, do not make me feel bad about killing goblins! Dyrdek and Sidulpek already have me confused enough!¡±


    ¡°But that''s my point!¡± Chris protested, rubbing his side. ¡°Not that you shouldn''t kill goblins, but at least recognizing that they are, in fact, a person, and you probably should feel a little bad that circumstances put you in a position where you had to kill them. Because they belong to one people and you belong to another, so you can''t meet each other fresh. You have to bring along all the baggage between both your peoples, and see them through that lense, because otherwise you might die, and unfortunately for them, you value your own life more than you value theirs. And that''s the problem with people.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°So how do you fix it?¡±


    Chris shrugged helplessly. ¡°I don''t think you can. People are social creatures, and they like to form groups. It''s good they form groups, because that''s how we get technology and society and all that good stuff. But inevitably if you have a group, there are going to be other groups, and as the groups interact, you form a history, and that history will color your perspective of everyone that''s a part of that group. Plus there''s the innate psychology behind the in-group and the out-group, which creates hostility which wasn''t even there, because you want your group to be better than any other group.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Well, that''s depressing. Particularly as a soldier whose job is to go out and kill people so my group can be better than them. Especially since I''m not going to stop. Go humans. Ra ra ra.¡± She waved a fist in a lazy cheer.


    ¡°See?¡± Chris chuckled. ¡°People suck.¡±


    *


    Amazingly, Chris and Beth actually had nothing to do for the moment, so they spent the next half-hour unwinding by watching some TV, until Sabrina contacted Chris again. *The Sergeant and her husband have made their decision and the woman you rejuvenated and her son are here.*


    Chris sighed as he got up. ¡°Alright, I have to deal with people.¡±


    ¡°Boooo!¡± Beth protested. ¡°We''re in the middle of an episode!¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°We can''t make people wait because we''re watching a perfectly pause-able TV show.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, people suck.¡± Beth grumbled, then giggling as she jumped to her feet. ¡°Okay, let''s go!¡±


    ¡°Have I mentioned you''re adorable lately?¡± Chris asked, pulling her close and planting a kiss on her cheek.


    ¡°May~be, but I always like to hear it more.¡± Beth smiled, kissing him on the cheek in return. ¡°Why this time?¡±


    ¡°Because why would we have to ¡®go¡¯ anywhere?¡± Chris smirked, opening a portal to Sabrina''s office.


    Beth rolled her eyes as Sergeant Callista walked in. ¡°Take the leg off, private.¡±


    Chris nodded, figuring that''d be their decision, since otherwise why would they need to talk to him? ¡°You sure? I can''t reverse it after. Unless you actually want to try getting fat, but I wouldn''t recommend it.¡± He paused. ¡°Maybe if we got a teenager who was already fat to test first¡­ though since they haven''t been an adult before, it may not work the same.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure.¡± Sergeant Callista sighed, shaking her head, wishing she still had the ability to give him push-ups. Not that that had ever worked¡­ ¡°I''ve talked to my superiors and the both of us will be on desk duty until we''re physically mature enough to return to active duty.¡± She smirked slightly. ¡°Ironically, this may even be good for my career. I''ll have plenty of time to develop my skills while I''m growing up.¡±


    ¡°And going through puberty again doesn''t seem so bad when you''re doing it with your wife.¡± Kyle added.


    ¡°Phra-¡± Chris began, catching himself as he realized it hadn''t been Beth this time. ¡°Huh. Alright, who''s taking the leg then? Actually, we probably want to do this in pieces so we don''t overshoot¡­ you don''t want to end up at twelve or younger.¡± Everyone turned to look at him with various expressions of shock or exasperation. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Chris, cutting pieces off of people is painful.¡± Beth sighed, rubbing her temple.


    Chris frowned. ¡°We''re in a hospital. Dope her up so much she''d laugh while playing with her own intestines. It isn''t like we''re worried about her dying.¡±


    Sabrina turned to Sergeant Callista. ¡°He doesn''t actually have to be here for this, you know. We just need the space, not him.¡±


    ¡°He raises a good point though.¡± Sergeant Callista muttered. ¡°It would be bad if we overshot. Even bringing Kyle down to match wouldn''t help if I end up prepubescent.¡± The two of them shuddered at the idea.


    Sabrina grimaced. ¡°It will make this procedure more expensive, but if you''re sure-¡±


    ¡°Wait, I have an idea.¡± Chris interjected. ¡°I think I can just take it.¡±


    Sabrina frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, I can absorb material into my space, so I should be able to remove parts of her body relatively painlessly.¡± Chris explained, then paused as he thought of something else. ¡°Or it will feel like being ripped apart on an atomic level¡­ I''ll start small? Like a toe maybe?¡±


    ¡°Why did it have to be him?¡± Sergeant Callista groaned, rubbing both of her temples. ¡°Fine, give it a shot.¡± She grumbled taking off her boots and sitting down.


    Chris nodded, focusing on her pinky toe with his material sense, attempting to pull it into his space, and¡­ nothing happened. Not because nothing could happen, but because Sergeant Callista had the will of a freaking anvil and Chris couldn''t even get it to budge. ¡°Uh¡­ could you relax a bit?¡± Sergeant Callista grunted, slowly relaxing her will as Chris refocused, until finally he took the toe.


    Sergeant Callista blinked as she felt her toe disappear. ¡°That- kind of tickled.¡±


    ¡°That''s a lot of blood.¡± Kyle went a little pale as he watched the blood gush out of her foot.


    Chris turned to Sabrina. ¡°You should probably¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Sabrina exclaimed, placing her hand on Callista''s forehead and scrambling her brain. She shook her head as she stepped back. ¡°Has anyone ever told you how inconvenient it is that you can''t just make your healing happen?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°No, actually. Mostly they just say that dying hurts.¡± He glanced at Beth. ¡°Please don''t hate me.¡±


    Beth froze, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°Why would I hate you?¡±


    ¡°I- just realized I''ve never actually tried to heal someone before they died.¡± Chris explained, wincing slightly as Beth''s eyes widened.


    ¡°You what!?!¡± Beth exclaimed.


    ¡°I didn''t think about it!¡± Chris elaborated. ¡°It was always die, come back, die, come back! I never thought to try just- coming back.¡±


    ¡°You spent months trying to figure out better ways to kill people, and you never thought to ask yourself if you had to do it in the first place!?!¡± Beth growled, her hands turning into claws as she reached for his throat, Sabrina and Kyle taking a step back as the newly revived Sergeant Callista looked confused. ¡°That is- that is- that is-!¡± She suddenly deflated, her arms falling limply to her side. ¡°Actually not all that surprising.¡± She sighed. ¡°Why didn''t the rest of us think of that? Why didn''t Jacobs?!?¡±


    ¡°He was more focused on getting things to stay dead.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Plus, I don''t think he particularly cared about my healing. Not enough things to measure.¡±


    ¡°What''s going on?¡± Sergeant Callista asked.


    ¡°Chris might not need to kill people to heal them.¡± Beth replied. ¡°It never occurred to him to try and skip that part.¡±


    Sergeant Callista turned to give Chris a look, before shaking her head. ¡°Why am I not surprised? I guess I''ll be your test subject then?¡±


    ¡°I mean, that is what you''re here for.¡± Chris commented.


    ¡°Then get to it!¡± Sergeant Callista barked.


    Chris nodded, taking another half a minute to struggle with Sergeant Callista''s will to take her foot. ¡°Finally.¡± Chris grumbled as the foot disappeared, shooting Sergeant Callista a look only to have her look away with a slight flush. Being vulnerable wasn''t exactly in her nature. Chris shook his head, focusing on her bleeding foot. ¡°I''m not sure if I actually want this to work or not.¡± He muttered as he told his space to heal. He watched as Sergeant Callista''s body began to shift, growing younger as her foot reformed.


    ¡°That- felt weird.¡± Sergeant Callista commented as the healing finished.


    ¡°The squad is going to be so pissed.¡± Chris groaned.


    ¡°Carmen is literally going to kill you.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°And I''m going to let her.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris nodded in acceptance of his fate. ¡°Alright, let''s keep going. I''m not sure you''re even out of your twenties yet. But could you please stop fighting me? It''s getting to the point where it''d be easier to just cut it off.¡±


    ¡°I''ll- try.¡± Sergeant Callista grumbled. And she did, so this time it only took Chris slightly less than half a minute to get the foot. He glared at the stubborn woman as she healed, rubbing his head. This was going to be a massive headache. Literally.

 Space: 37 - Dont mention it

    ¡°That took way longer than it should have.¡± Chris grumbled as Sergeant Callista and her husband left, his head throbbing slightly.


    ¡°In her defense, I don''t think anyone would be comfortable with someone removing their body parts, no matter how painless it might be.¡± Beth commented.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Chris agreed, turning to Sabrina. ¡°So what now? You said someone else wanted to talk to me, right?¡±


    Sabrina nodded. ¡°Right, the woman you rejuvenated and her son. Let me go get them.¡±


    Chris fell onto the couch as Sabrina left. ¡°Hopefully they''re not going to want me to actually do anything, cause I''m wiped.¡±


    ¡°You know, that''s kind of weird.¡± Beth commented, sitting down next to him.


    Chris frowned. ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°Well, you''re technically the space, aren''t you? And this isn''t even your actual body, so why are you physically exhausted? Why are you experiencing physical pain?¡± Beth elaborated, poking him curiously.


    Chris blinked. ¡°That''s- a good question.¡± He paused for a moment before letting his physical form dissolve, just to see what would happen. It didn''t change much. He still felt tired and while his head didn''t hurt, he still felt an aching¡­ somewhere. He reformed on the couch, cocking his head. ¡°I think the sensations are in the space, and when I have a body, they get translated into something physical. Which probably explains why my healing doesn''t fix it.¡±


    ¡°Weird¡­¡± Beth muttered.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I mean, it kinda makes sense. I wasn''t doing anything physical, I was using my space, so my space is what''s worn out.¡±


    ¡°I guess, it''s just¡­ it''s a space. What''s actually being worn out?¡± Beth wondered. ¡°What''s powering it and how do you recover it? I mean, it''d be one thing if your space could just do things, or if it had to consume some resource for it, but the fact that it requires you to put in effort without seeming to consume any resource is just¡­ weird.¡±


    ¡°You''re starting to sound like Jacobs.¡± Chris chuckled. ¡°What''s got you thinking about all this?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°I don''t know. It''s just- with the game and your parents¡­ I don''t know, it just got me thinking about what you actually are, and the more I think about it, the less it makes sense. Sure, your space has some similarities to a doppelganger¡¯s abilities, but none of it explains how you became a space. I just- I don''t get it, and it bothers me.¡±


    Chris nodded slowly. ¡°I can understand that¡­ for me, it just seems pointless to question it. If I knew some way to actually get answers, I''d want to know, but even Jacobs has no idea what''s going on with my space, and in the end, does it really matter why I have my space? It''s not going to change the fact that I have it, so why waste time wondering about something you can''t answer, when you can focus on things you can answer.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± Beth muttered. ¡°It just kinda bothers me that your already utterly ridiculous background still doesn''t even come close to fully explaining how utterly ridiculous you are! I can''t help but feel like there''s another shoe waiting to drop that''s going to put us in even more danger.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Shit, you have a point.¡±


    ¡°Right!?!¡± Beth exclaimed. ¡°Ugh, I love you, but sometimes I wish you could have been just a bit more normal.¡± She paused. ¡°Then again, if you were any less ridiculous, I''d most likely be dead right now, so that''s probably dumb¡­¡±


    Chris grinned slightly. ¡°You know, when most people talk about me being more normal, they''re referring to my personality.¡±


    Beth waved dismissively. ¡°Pssh, your personality is fine. It''s everything else about you that''s a little much. If I could just get you without all the baggage¡­¡± She sighed wistfully.


    ¡°You know, that''s actually an option.¡± Chris commented. ¡°Once I get my space to the point where we can actually form a connection, there''s really no reason why we have to deal with the rest of the world. We could just spend the rest of¡­ forever, I guess, living in my space.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°What about food?¡±


    ¡°As long as you don''t want to leave, I can recycle the material in my space endlessly, or at least close to it.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I''ve been using the same fuel in the generator for months now.¡±


    Beth looked thoughtful for a moment, then she suddenly scowled at him. ¡°Why do you have to tempt me like this!?! You know we can''t just abandon the City!¡±


    Chris raised his hands defensively, chuckling slightly. ¡°Hey, you''re the one who said you wanted to get rid of all the baggage.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Maybe if things were different, but we started all this. We can''t make a mess and then just leave, particularly when we''re the only ones who can actually do something about it.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I know. I''m just saying, it is an option. Particularly for the future¡­¡±


    Beth hesitated. ¡°I''ll- keep it in mind.¡±


    Sabrina returned a moment later with the patient and her son, and Chris got up with a slight groan. ¡°Chris, this is Madison and her son Alexander.¡± Sabrina introduced them.


    ¡°Please, call me Maddie.¡± Madison smiled, reaching out to shake Chris''s hand. ¡°I just wanted to let you know how thankful-¡±


    ¡°Don''t mention it.¡± Chris stopped her. ¡°I mean literally, don''t. Expressing too much gratitude in here can be dangerous. Maybe step outside first? Unless you actually want to become my minion, I guess¡­¡±


    Maddie froze and Alexander glanced at her nervously. ¡°Mom, maybe we should-¡± He began to tug her back towards the portal.


    Maddie shot him an exasperated look as she shrugged off his hold on her. ¡°Alex, I told you. This man gave me my life back! If he wants any-¡±


    ¡°Eh!¡± Chris stopped her again. ¡°You''re also going to want to avoid the a-word.¡±


    Maddie flushed slightly. ¡°Ah, sorry¡­ what did you mean by ¡®minion¡¯?¡±


    ¡°I''m a dominator, and this space facilitates it. Usually I have to initiate it myself, but whenever anyone expresses¡­ a desire to serve, I guess? Something like that, at least. Anyway, whenever someone does that, the connection forms on its own, and once it does, it''s pretty much unbreakable unless you have a way to get stronger.¡± Chris explained. ¡°But there''s no real harm in being my minion, it''s just not something I think most people would enjoy, since I would be able to order you around and control you like a puppet. I don''t want to, but I could.¡±


    Maddie frowned. ¡°Would it help you if I became your minion?¡±


    ¡°Mom!¡± Alex protested.


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Not particularly, no. Unless you have a really useful ability¡­ but otherwise yeah, no.¡±


    Maddie grimaced. ¡°I can create simple items, but not in large enough quantities to actually be useful. Maybe four kilograms worth over an entire day.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°What do you mean by simple items?¡±


    ¡°A block of metal, a knife, maybe some simple armor?¡± Maddie elaborated. ¡°I need to be able to visualize what I''m making.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ and do you need materials to convert, or no?¡± Chris asked next.


    ¡°No, it''s a materialization ability.¡± Maddie replied.


    ¡°Those are pretty rare¡­¡± Beth commented thoughtfully.


    Maddie sighed. ¡°Yes, but as I said, I''m not powerful enough for it to actually be worth anything.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t, no¡­ but I am.¡± Chris grinned slightly. ¡°Let me explain how my space works for a moment. First, I can scan anything within it, storing the blueprint in a database so I can recreate it at any time. Unfortunately, I can only do that with material connected to my space, which means it can''t actually leave my space. Second, as long as they''re in my space, I can borrow the abilities of any of my minions.¡± Chris chuckled slightly as Maddie''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re starting to see where I''m going with this. But there''s still one more point. My space allows me to mutate, increasing my physique and my ability power.¡±


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    Everyone fell silent for a moment until Maddie spoke up. ¡°So my ability could be very useful for you.¡±


    ¡°Incredibly.¡± Chris agreed before shrugging dismissively. ¡°But honestly, I''m already ridiculously powerful, so as much as I would love to be able to create objects out of nothing, I don''t need to. I''d probably just use it to make food for the most part¡­ cooking is annoying.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°You don''t even cook. Carmen does.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I still have to wait for it.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°Plus, since Carmen is doing the cooking, we eat what Carmen wants. With this, I''d get to eat what I want. And not to disparage Carmen''s cooking or anything, she does a fantastic job, but I could make literally any meal I''ve scanned, which means we could eat food from the best restaurants in the City, every day, for free.¡±


    Beth''s eyes glazed over for a moment as she remembered the most delicious meals she''d ever had, licking her lips slightly. ¡°That does sound amazing.¡±


    Maddie coughed. ¡°If you''re using my ability, would I be able to¡­ partake?¡±


    ¡°I don''t see why not.¡± Chris smirked.


    Alex looked between the two of them incredulously. ¡°Mom, you can''t actually be considering this! You''d be his slave! He could do anything to you!¡±


    Sabrina snorted. ¡°As if. I''ve been his minion for over a week now and he hasn''t made me do a single damn thing. He hasn''t even talked to the woman who accidentally connected to him after he healed her cancer!¡±


    ¡°Chris doesn''t order his minions around unless he absolutely has to.¡± Beth explained. ¡°He even treats the Maze creatures like they''re his friends.¡±


    ¡°They are my friends.¡± Chris muttered.


    ¡°See?¡± Beth grinned. ¡°Plus, I''m pretty sure if he wanted to force Maddie into anything, he would have already made her his minion. It isn''t like you could stop him.¡±


    ¡°You wanna bet?¡± Alex growled, stepping forwards threateningly, when Maddie smacked him upside the head.


    ¡°Alexander! What do you think you''re doing!?!¡± Maddie snapped at him. ¡°This man has done nothing but help and now you''re going to threaten him!?! Leaving aside how laughable it is for you to do so as barely a mid-tier, how can you not see how ungrateful you''re being!?!¡±


    ¡°I- but he- Mom, they''re trying to convince you to be a slave! A slave!¡± Alex protested.


    ¡°Alex, the only person trying to convince me of anything here is you!¡± Maddie retorted. ¡°I know you''re worried for me, but I''m not an old woman who can barely form a coherent thought anymore! I''m a fully functional adult who is more than capable of making her own decisions and I don''t need my son to baby me!¡±


    Alex flinched. ¡°Mom, I just-¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Maddie sighed. ¡°You''ve had to take care of me all on your own, because I was incapable and your sorry excuse for a father left the moment things became inconvenient for him. You''re used to being responsible for me. But now that I''m healed, you don''t have to be, nor should you be! I''m your mother! If anything, I should be responsible for you! So stop treating me like I''m incapable!¡±


    ¡°I- I''m sorry.¡± Alex mumbled, deflating under his mother''s stern glare.


    Maddie nodded in satisfaction, turning back to Chris. ¡°Now then, how do I become your minion?¡±


    Chris glanced at the incredibly uncomfortable looking Alex. ¡°Are you sure? You can at least take some time to think about it. I won''t even be able to use your ability for about a week. Unless I used one of my other minions bodies¡­¡±


    Maddie smiled. ¡°I''m sure.¡±


    ¡°Okay, just to reiterate, this is permanent. Like ¡®not even death will save you¡¯ permanent. As in, if you die, it just means you''re stuck in my space, not actually dead. And as far as we can tell, I can''t die, so this would be an eternal position.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Not something you do just to spite your son. Not saying you are, just, you know, putting it out there.¡±


    Maddie blinked. ¡°You''re saying that if I become your minion, I''ll be immortal? And that''s supposed to be a bad thing?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it''s a very real possibility that I''ll turn into a monster in a couple hundred million years.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°And at that point you''re stuck with me for the next couple hundred million years.¡±


    Maddie shook her head. ¡°If you turn into a monster, I highly doubt you''ll be looking for me and in a couple hundred million years, it''s very possible I would enjoy serving a monster.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°I guess that''s one way to look at it¡­¡±


    ¡°Shall we get started then or do I need to start looking for the secret phrase that will make it happen automatically?¡± Maddie asked, crossing her arms.


    ¡°Eh, it''s your life.¡± Chris sighed, pushing the connection at her, it only taking a moment to click. ¡°Alright, you''re good. I''ll let you know if we need to borrow your ability.¡±


    Sabrina rolled her eyes. ¡°Come on, I''ll explain a few of the things I wish he''d told me after I connected. Such as-¡± She cut off, presumably talking to Maddie mentally as she led her back to her office.


    Alex watched them go with a twisted expression, before turning to Chris. ¡°Can I talk to you?¡± He glanced at Beth. ¡°Privately?¡±


    ¡°This is as private as it gets.¡± Chris replied, closing the portal. ¡°I tell Beth everything.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think you''ll want her to hear this.¡± Alex insisted.


    ¡°I''m absolutely positive I won''t care.¡± Chris retorted.


    ¡°It''s about who, or what, you are.¡± Alex growled.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Is that so? Then she probably already knows it.¡±


    Alex glared at him. ¡°Do you just exist to make problems for me?!?¡±


    ¡°Depends on what you see as a problem.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°Your existence is a problem!¡± Alex threw up his hands in frustration.


    ¡°But it''s also a solution.¡± Chris countered.


    Alex narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Fine, be that way.¡± He growled, turning to Beth. ¡°Did you know your boyfriend here isn''t even human?¡±


    ¡°In what way?¡± Beth raised an eyebrow, wondering what Alex knew but not wanting to give him the satisfaction of being surprised. ¡°Genetically, mentally, or culturally?¡±


    Alex blinked. ¡°What- his parents were a doppelganger and an elf! He has no relationship to humanity at all!¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡± Beth asked. ¡°He looks like a human, he thinks like a human, and he was raised like a human. That seems like a pretty significant relationship to humanity if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn''t even hesitate to watch humanity suffer so he could build up his own power!¡± Alex snarled, jabbing a finger at Chris.


    Beth glared at him. ¡°The only reason Chris would let anyone suffer is if the only way to stop their suffering was to make more people suffer. Or do you think you know him better than his own fianc¨¦?¡±


    Alex frowned slightly at the revelation that Beth was Chris''s fianc¨¦, but his expression quickly hardened as he continued. ¡°I know because I watched it happen! I''ve seen the future where he sits back and watches as the elves and the doppelgangers tear the City apart!¡±


    ¡°Then it must not have been a very accurate one, because that''s not going to happen.¡± Beth declared firmly.


    ¡°It''s already happening!¡± Alex retorted. ¡°The moment he showed off his ability at the military graduation, it began! The elves and the doppelgangers are coming, and they will tear the City apart to find him!¡±


    ¡°And what would you have us do?¡± Beth replied. ¡°It isn''t like we can stop them from coming.¡±


    ¡°You can if you get rid of him.¡± Alex countered. ¡°They''re coming because they want him, so give them him! If he really cared about humanity, all he''d have to do is hand himself over, and it''d be done! The City would be safe!¡±


    ¡°And millions of others would die as whoever got him used him as a weapon to destroy their enemies.¡± Beth shook her head. ¡°And do you really think the other side would just leave the City alone? They would have to threaten the City to keep Chris from attacking them! If both forces were ravaging the City in the future, then it''s pretty clear that neither side can keep the other out of it, or they would have from the start, which means no matter who has Chris, the City will still turn into a war zone, because whoever controls the City, controls Chris!¡±


    Alex froze. ¡°That- no- they would- they wouldn''t- they might fight over the City, but if they fought in it-¡±


    ¡°They wouldn''t have a choice.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°If they can''t keep the other side out of the City, then they need to be in the City to control it, holding however many humans they can get as hostages, whether in the name of saving them or threatening them, because otherwise their enemy would control them, which would mean they would control Chris.¡±


    ¡°But- no, but- no, it- if- if there''s nothing I can do to stop it, then what''s the point of me being here!?!¡± Alex clutched his head as if in pain, letting out an anguished cry as he rushed towards the walls of Chris''s space and slamming into them, crashing through and out of Chris''s space.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Chris cursed in a mix of pain and shock as Alex breaking through the wall of his space almost sent him unconscious. ¡°He didn''t- he''s on Earth!¡± Chris panted. They''d been in his private space, and that space was connected to Earth, not the City. He opened a portal to their room in Anthony''s house. ¡°We have to-¡± He cut off as he saw Alex just standing there, staring out the window of the room.


    Beth cautiously stepped through the portal. ¡°Alex? I know this looks weird, but this isn''t the surface. It''s-¡±


    ¡°Earth.¡± Alex cut her off. ¡°This- is Earth.¡± He turned to stare at him in numb shock. ¡°How- how is this possible?!?¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes suspiciously. ¡°How do you know about Earth?¡±


    ¡°Because-¡± Alex began, turning back to the window. ¡°-this is where I''m from.¡±

 Space: 38 - Making sense of things

    Alex was weirdly subdued as he followed Beth back into Chris''s space. ¡°So¡­ care to explain?¡± Chris asked as they all sat down. ¡°Cause I was under the impression that no one on Earth has an ability, so I''m not sure how you could actually be from there.¡±


    ¡°It''s- complicated.¡± Alex sighed.


    Chris nodded. ¡°I figured it would be.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, someone from Earth ending up in the City and gaining an ability can''t be a simple story.¡± Beth agreed.


    Alex grimaced slightly. ¡°Right. Well, I guess I''ll start from the beginning then. I grew up like anyone else on Earth. I mean, I was a loser, but- you know, a normal one. Almost painfully so. I wasn''t smart, I wasn''t attractive, I wasn''t athletic, or charismatic or¡­ anything. I sort of just drifted through my childhood completely unnoticed, and when I finally graduated, I realized I had no idea what to actually do with my life. I spent a few years bumming around, living with my parents and working minimum wage jobs, building up my savings as I tried to find something I could actually be good at, but it wasn''t going well, until¡­ The Maze came out. Playing video games was one of my few outlets, so I ended up being one of the first players in the game, going with an Intellect and Appeal focused build.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Intellect and Appeal?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°You really skipped the entire character creation process, didn''t you? Intellect determines how effective your skills are and how quickly you can learn them, while Appeal determines the force of your personality.¡±


    Chris grunted. ¡°Got it, so you were going for political power then?¡±


    Alex coughed awkwardly. ¡°Actually, I just wanted to see what it felt like to be smart and popular for a change, so¡­ I went to college. And it was great! I was breezing through courses I couldn''t even have named before, and I was going to parties every night! Even better, whatever I learned in the game I could use in real life too! I started doing some freelance IT and programming jobs online, anything that wouldn''t ask me for a degree, building up a reputation and a portfolio until I had enough steady clients that I felt comfortable getting my own place. But the more I played the game, the less interest I had in real life. I was just better in the game! Smart, funny, engaging, everything I''ve ever wanted to be! But in reality, even with all the skills I''d learned, it didn''t actually make me any smarter or more appealing. I started spending more and more time in the game, and once the capsules came out, I pretty much never left. All my work was online, so I just did it in the game. It became my new reality. I got a simple job with the Department of Water and Power to fund my life in the game, I made friends with the NPC''s, and I even dated a few. I can honestly say that for the first time, I was actually happy with my life.¡±


    Alex scowled as he continued. ¡°And then the war began. At first I ignored it, since it was all in the Maze, figuring it was just an event for the more combat focused players, and ultimately it wouldn''t affect the City. But then the doppelgangers showed up, and everyone went crazy! The whole City was in chaos! People were fighting in the streets, barricading whole sections to keep people out or in, and the only place you could find order was in the territory controlled by either the elves or the doppelgangers! The Department of Water and Power had to work overtime to fix all the damage the war was causing, all while desperately recruiting more workers because half of the ones we''d had were either caught up in the war themselves or dead! I ended up getting a few promotions in the process, becoming one of the heads of the electrical division, and then- then he showed up. The Conqueror.¡± He spat. ¡°He told us that he needed to hide using our tunnels, to stay out of the elves and the doppelgangers'' reach, and use them to sneak around the City so he could show up where the elves and the doppelgangers would least expect. He wanted to use the department to recruit and hide spies and saboteurs! And I- disagreed. I thought he should just turn himself in, so the doppelgangers and the elves would leave! But- the rest of the department was on his side. I ended up cursing them all out, telling them I was going to tell everyone what their plan was, and¡­ he killed me. They let him kill me!¡±


    Alex snorted. ¡°But I was a player, so I''d just revive, right? No, apparently that secret was too important for the game to just let me revive, so they banned me! I wouldn''t be able to log in until more than ten percent of the player population knew the secret as well! Even worse, according to the user agreement, if I revealed the secret in real life, I could face fines in the millions, or possibly even jail time! I- I felt like I''d lost everything. The game was my life! I spent hours just feeling numb, and at some point I ended up at a bar, and I just started drinking. I vaguely remember getting cut off and heading to a liquor store to buy more, but after that¡­ All I remember is pain. And then¡­ I woke up in the Maze. As Alex.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so this isn''t your original body?¡± Chris asked.


    Alex shook his head. ¡°No, I think- I think the original me died, and then somehow my soul was brought here and merged with Alex''s.¡±


    Chris raised a finger as he created a phone. ¡°What was your name?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ John?¡± Alex replied.


    ¡°John what?¡± Chris pressed, going to look his name up.


    ¡°John Smith.¡± Alex answered.


    Chris blinked at the results. He then added ¡®dead¡¯ after the name. It didn''t help. ¡°I think I need a middle name.¡±


    ¡°It was actually Alexander.¡± Alex smiled slightly. ¡°Kinda weird, now that I think about it.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, that''s what''s weird about all this.¡±


    Alex flushed awkwardly as Chris nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Alright, I found it. Looks like you died in a mugging on your way back home. So, no other you running around out there.¡±


    ¡°That''s- good, I suppose?¡± Alex muttered.


    ¡°It makes it a lot less awkward to tell your family you''re alive.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Well, it''ll probably still be awkward¡­ less confusing? No, still confusing too¡­ They''ll be more willing to accept that you''re their son? If you want them to, at least. You could just let them keep thinking you''re dead.¡±


    Alex blinked. ¡°I- I hadn''t thought about that¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, you might want to make a decision soon.¡± Chris commented. ¡°We''re moving the City to Earth, and once that happens, you kinda lose your excuse for not telling them earlier.¡±


    ¡°I- you- what!?!¡± Alex jumped up in shock. ¡°You''re moving the City to Earth?!?¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Yeah? How else would we keep everyone safe? We can''t stop the elves and the doppelgangers from coming, and even if I run away or give myself up, the City will still be a target, so the only real option is to move the City someplace they can''t reach, and our only real option for that is Earth.¡± Chris paused. ¡°Though I might be able to find more options if I separated out a few more sections of my space¡­¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°I''m not sure that''s a good idea. What if you opened a portal to hell?¡±


    ¡°I''d close it?¡± Chris offered.


    Beth shook her head. ¡°Sure, but we already know demons can open portals to other worlds, so what if they end up using the portal you open to find us?¡±


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°It could end up getting the City and Earth destroyed.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Yeah, let''s avoid that.¡±


    Alex glared at Chris for a moment. ¡°I don''t get it¡­ if you''re this powerful, why did the other you insist on putting maintenance workers in danger for his plans?!? Why didn''t he just evacuate the City to a different world!?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, we''re assuming the other me isn''t this powerful.¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°We figure he can gain the powers of others and grow his own power somehow, but he doesn''t have my space or my minions, or his actions don''t make a whole lot of sense. Unless he''s stupid. Or an asshole.¡±


    Alex scowled. ¡°He did kill me.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but I would have done that too.¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°Well, I would have made you a minion, but if I couldn''t do that, you''d be dead. Letting you go would compromise everything I was working for, and I can''t imagine I''d have the resources or manpower to imprison you, so death is really the only option.¡±


    ¡°You- what?!? You can''t just kill people because they don''t agree with you!¡± Alex protested.


    ¡°Of course not, but I will kill someone if letting them live means a bunch of other people will die.¡± Chris retorted.


    Alex opened his mouth to argue, then suddenly seemed to realize something as he deflated. ¡°Yeah¡­ I can see that.¡± He hesitated for a moment. ¡°That''s- that''s why I tried to kill you.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°You did?¡±


    Beth''s eyes widened as she shot to her feet. ¡°You were the shooter!¡± She pointed at him accusingly.


    Alex flinched, nodding hesitantly. ¡°I- I thought I could end the war before it even began. All I needed to do was kill one person, and then the rest of the City would be safe! I didn''t know what you looked like, since I already noticed that names and faces are a lot different over here¡­ I wasn''t even sure you''d exist, but I knew if you did, you''d show up for the marking ceremony. You''d need to show off how strong you are so you could lead everyone into the Maze.¡±


    ¡°Wait, the shooter had multiple abilities though.¡± Chris interjected, looking at Alex with his energy sense. He was clearly a mid-tier! Low end, at that. How- ¡°Oh, wait, I see it.¡± He nodded in satisfaction as he took a closer look. There were itty-bitty condensed points of energy all through Alex''s body that Chris could only see when he really focused. ¡°That''s an interesting way to hide your ability energy. Never would have noticed if I wasn''t looking for it. I assume your ability was altered somehow by whatever brought you here?¡±


    Alex gulped, glancing between the curious Chris and the angry Beth nervously. ¡°Y-yes. My- Alex''s ability was just to shoot bullets from his fingers. But when we merged, I gained the ability to steal the ability energy from anything I killed to either increase my own or copy their ability, which I can then strengthen just like my own. If I copy it, I also gain their form, and when I strengthen an ability, the associated form is strengthened as well, based on how physically strong the thing I killed was.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°So you need to grow each ability individually? That sounds like it could be a pain, but actually stronger than mine in the long run, since each ability would have its own reserve to work with.¡± He paused. ¡°Well, at least when it comes to having multiple abilities¡­ I''d still choose my space over your ability. Particularly since if I didn''t, we wouldn''t be having this conversation right now. Because I''d be dead. Also, if you become my minion, I get both, so¡­¡±


    ¡°Chris, stop focusing on his ability, and focus on the fact that he tried to kill you!¡± Beth growled.


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Okay¡­ but I would have done the same thing in his position, so I''m not sure I have much to say about it. If I could have prevented the war by killing myself, I probably would have. Though if I had the foreknowledge to know that, I probably could have just avoided exposing myself. Plus, I did just say I would have killed him to prevent him from exposing the resistance.¡±


    Beth scowled at him. ¡°Chris, there''s a difference between killing someone who knows what they''re doing will hurt someone, and killing someone who has no idea there''s anything wrong with what they''re doing!¡±


    ¡°True, but if I have the choice to kill one person to save millions of others, I''m probably going to take it. I mean, I''ll look for other solutions if I can, but this one is pretty cut and dry. If I die, no invasion. If I live, invasion.¡± Chris pointed out.


    ¡°But your death doesn''t even solve the real problem!¡± Beth retorted, throwing up her hands in frustration. ¡°If you survive, you can put an end to a war that has been going on for ages! If you die, the war goes on, leaving who knows how many more people to die, and even if the elves and the doppelgangers don''t invade now, they can invade whenever they want, and now you''ve gotten rid of the one chance we had to resist them! Killing you is just- just- selfish!¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Well, when you put it that way¡­ but I can still see how he would think killing me would be his best option, so I can''t exactly fault him for not thinking it fully through. I think he''s made it pretty clear he''s not all that bright.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Alex protested.


    ¡°What? One of the major points of your story was that you aren''t that smart, you couldn''t see that giving me up wouldn''t actually help anything, and you thought you could threaten to reveal the secrets of a person way stronger than you without any repercussions.¡± Chris listed off, pausing as he thought of something. ¡°Maybe you should kill a few imps and use their energy to strengthen your mind. Though we''d have to find some imps that deserve to die¡­ not that that''d be all that difficult.¡± Imps were better than goblins, but none of the creatures that lived in the Maze were exactly saints, which was part of the reason Chris didn''t particularly mind turning them into his minions.


    Alex crossed his arms uncomfortably. ¡°You don''t have to just say it like that.¡±


    ¡°I mean, given your recent track record, I think I kinda do¡­¡± Chris muttered.


    Beth struggled to stay angry while suppressing her amusement. ¡°Chris, this doesn''t change the fact that he tried to kill you.¡±


    ¡°I guess, but what are we going to do about it?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°He can break out of my space, I''m almost positive he''s too strong to be a minion, and I don''t think he deserves to die over it, so our options are pretty much leave him on Earth or take him back to the City.¡±


    Beth frowned, turning to examine Alex thoughtfully while he shifted uncomfortably, before nodding firmly as she made a decision. ¡°Okay, since doing anything officially would probably end up getting half the City destroyed as people freaked out over the elves and the doppelgangers, if you want to make up for your mistakes, you''re going to be helping Chris get stronger. He needs energy to grow his space, and you''re going to get it for him. All you have to do is kill creatures in the Maze and toss them into Chris''s space. And we''ll assign one of Chris''s minions to accompany you so they can take you in and out of the Maze. And also keep an eye on you, because I don''t trust you. That, or we leave you on Earth, because I don''t trust you not to cause problems in the City. Not that I think you would do it on purpose, but¡­ well, I think Chris has already been fairly clear about our faith in your intellectual capabilities.¡± She finished, giving him a slightly mocking smile.


    Alex hesitated, considering her proposal for a moment. ¡°Could- would I be able to strengthen my own abilities as well?¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes. ¡°Yes, but you only get one out of every ten, and you have to ask the minion accompanying you permission before you can absorb anything.¡±


    ¡°What about my work with the Defense Force?¡± Alex asked.


    Beth paused. ¡°Okay, how about this. You owe us twenty hours of hunting a week and how you partition that out is up to you. Outside of that time we''ll have a bug watching you, with a minion observing through it. A minion will still personally accompany you in the Maze.¡±


    Alex nodded slowly. ¡°For how long?¡±


    Beth frowned, turning to Chris. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Until we evacuate the City? Or until the elves and the doppelgangers invade. It''s going to be hard to hunt with them in the Maze.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Beth agreed, turning back to Alex. ¡°Does that work for you?¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°Yeah, I can agree to that.¡±


    ¡°Good. And I''m well aware that once you''re back in the City, there''s not much we''ll actually be able to do to control you.¡± Beth added seriously. ¡°So please, please don''t do anything stupid, okay? We''ll be fine, but the rest of the City might not be.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°I''ll- try my best.¡±


    Beth watched him warily for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Alright Chris, let him out.¡±


    ¡°Let me get you a bug.¡± Chris yawned as he got up. ¡°Then I''m going to sleep.¡±

 Space: 39 - Beginning negotiations

    ¡°Ah, Matt! It''s good to see you again! And you must be Miss Klein.¡± The Australian Ambassador, a woman named Gloria Strombeck, greeted Beth with a smile, glancing at Jello as she walked in with Beth and Matt. ¡°And who might this be?¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Beth, and this is Jello.¡± Beth replied. ¡°She''s here so Chris can join us.¡±


    Gloria frowned, straightening up. ¡°What-¡± She cut off with a hiss as a portal opened next to Beth, her eyes widening as she took a step back.


    ¡°Hi, I''m Chris.¡± Chris waved. Gloria stood there frozen for a moment as she just stared at the portal. ¡°Hello?¡± Chris prodded curiously.


    ¡°You- how are you-¡± Gloria stammered, shifting to the side to try and see what the trick was with the portal. ¡°How did you set something like this up in my office?!?¡±


    Matt shook his head. ¡°This isn''t a magic trick, Gloria. This is a real portal, created using Chris''s ability.¡±


    ¡°Technically not an ability.¡± Chris commented.


    ¡°This is an ability.¡± Beth added, grabbing her head and pulling it upwards, stretching her neck out.


    ¡°How about this!¡± Jello chirped happily as she joined in, returning to her slime form and bouncing around the room, dragging Chris''s portal after her.


    ¡°Matt, what''s going on here!?!¡± Gloria exclaimed, panicking slightly and wondering if she needed to call security.


    ¡°These are the representatives of the City from Azza.¡± Matt explained. ¡°They''re here to establish relations between their people and the people of Earth.¡±


    Gloria blinked. ¡°You expect me to believe these people are from your stupid game?!?¡±


    Matt sighed. ¡°They aren''t from the game, they''re from a world almost exactly like the game¡­ It''s weird, I know, but I swear it''s true.¡±


    Gloria narrowed her eyes suspiciously, taking a seat behind her desk. ¡°Let''s say I did believe you. What type of relationship are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°First, we would like to discuss the potential for trade between our peoples.¡± Beth began as the rest of them sat down as well. ¡°Due to our abilities, we''re capable of turning any material we have into any other material, but we have difficulty actually getting that material. Your world, on the other hand, has plenty of raw material, but from what we hear, there are certain materials that are much harder for you to find. So, if you can provide us with raw materials, we can provide you with significant amounts of any rare materials you have a hard time getting your hands on. Furthermore, we have several different technologies you may be interested in from advanced food processing and environment management to teleporters, while we have some interest in your computing and aeronautic technologies.¡±


    Gloria raised an eyebrow. If this wasn''t some elaborate prank¡­ ¡°I believe we could be interested in such an exchange¡­ though the specifics would have to be negotiated.¡±


    Beth smiled. ¡°Of course. As for our second proposal¡­ If you''ve followed the storyline of Matt''s game, you should be aware that the City is in a rather difficult position. As such, in order to ensure that we''re actually capable of fulfilling any trade agreements, we''re looking to purchase a significant parcel of land in order to establish a colony on Earth, where we can keep our people safe while we handle the issues we''re facing on Azza.¡±


    Gloria frowned. ¡°You want us to give you our land?¡±


    ¡°We want to buy your land.¡± Beth corrected. ¡°And of course, the nation who is willing to provide us with something so vital to our survival would be given priority in any trade agreements, along with various other benefits.¡±


    Gloria pursed her lips, considering Beth''s proposal for a moment. ¡°We would need to establish the various benefits you''re capable of offering before we could make any promises.¡± She then turned to Matt, narrowing her eyes. ¡°And if this turns out to be some sort of prank, I swear I''ll find a way to get so many tariffs on that stupid game of yours you''ll be losing money on each subscription!¡±


    Chris pulled out a large stack of documents, handing them to Jello, who placed them on Gloria''s desk. ¡°That''s a full list of all the materials we can easily create, the descriptions of the various technologies we have that you don''t, and the services our abilities allow us to provide.¡± He explained. ¡°You''re welcome to share it with whoever you like.¡± He then produced another piece of paper, handing it over. ¡°These are the abilities we can demonstrate right now, to confirm we''re capable of what we say we are.¡±


    Gloria''s eyes widened as she looked the list over. ¡°Can you make a copy of this statue?¡± She asked, pointing at a small statue on her desk.


    Chris nodded. ¡°Sure. Jello?¡±


    Jello grabbed the statue, handing it to Chris so he could scan it. Chris then called Maddie into his space for a moment, pushing her ability to Jello, before jumping into Jello''s mind and creating a copy of the statue, placing it on the desk along with the original. Gloria stared at the two statues on her desk for a moment, before looking up at Chris. ¡°Is there a reason you won''t come out of there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this isn''t my real body, it''s just a copy made of material connected to my space, so it can''t leave. My real body is currently mutating, so it''s mostly goop at the moment.¡± Chris explained. Gloria looked back at the statues, before sighing and rubbing her forehead. She was going to need some time to adjust to this new reality.


    *


    Chris pushed, breaking through the cocoon as his mutation finished. ¡°Ugh, final- oh, hey, I can talk.¡± He looked down. ¡°And it looks like I''m still mostly human. Did I change physically at all?¡± He created a mirror in his space and opened a portal to it, pausing as he took himself in. ¡°That- might be a problem.¡± He was still mostly human, except for two points: a ring of seven horns around his head and two long, pointed ears, which combined to make him look like some kind of monstrous elf¡­ in other words, he looked like a mix between an elf and a doppelganger. Now that he was thinking about it, his other mutated form also had horns and pointed ears¡­ were his parents'' original genetics resurfacing as he mutated?


    ¡°Hey, what are you waiting for?!?¡± Jacobs'' voice called through a speaker in the corner of the room. ¡°Get dressed and get out here so we can test that new form of yours!¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes, opening a portal to his room in the space and putting some clothes on. Then he opened a portal to Beth. ¡°We''re testing my new form. Want to come?¡±


    ¡°Duh!¡± Beth agreed, jumping up, pausing as she took in his new form. ¡°That- is an oddly suspicious looking form.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it?¡± Chris paused. ¡°Do you think I should hide it?¡±


    Beth frowned. *It¡¯s blatantly advertising his origins, but it isn''t like he can just pretend he didn''t mutate¡­*


    ¡°True.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°What if I just got rid of the ears?¡±


    Beth blinked. *What- did I say that out loud?*


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Chris cocked his head.


    Beth''s eyes widened. ¡°Chris¡­ I''m not talking.¡± *Did- Did this mutation make him psychic?!?*


    ¡°You think I''m psychic?¡± Chris raised an eyebrow.


    *Chris, look at my lips! You''re reading my mind!* Beth thought, not saying a word.


    Chris stared at her for a moment, before changing back to his human form. ¡°Okay, now think something.¡± He waited for a moment, before letting out a relieved sigh. ¡°I got nothing, we''re good.¡±


    ¡°Thank goodness.¡± Beth sighed in relief as well. ¡°I mean, I guess you being psychic isn''t the worst thing in the world, but- well, if anyone in this relationship needs to be psychic it''s me.¡±


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Chris snorted. ¡°If you want to know what I''m thinking, all you have to do is ask.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but if I was psychic, I wouldn''t have to ask.¡± Beth retorted.


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Now, the real question is if this is a good enough reason to lock this form away and never talk of it again. Or at least keep it as a secret weapon, so the vast majority of people will never see it.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°Definitely. No one with psychic abilities would advertise it unless they absolutely have to.¡± She paused. ¡°Should we tell the squad?¡±


    Chris frowned. They hadn''t filled the squad in on his origins yet, since it would just complicate things, but if they saw his new form, they knew enough from the game that they''d pretty easily make the connection. And even if he wasn''t planning on using the new form, he couldn''t deny that he might have to at some point, possibly in front of the squad, and if they got distracted by it, it could be dangerous. ¡°I think we''re going to have to. If I end up needing to use the form later, it could cause issues if they don''t already know.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°That''s what I was thinking. Zack is definitely going to freak out over it, you know that, right?¡±


    Chris waved dismissively. ¡°He only freaks out on the surface. I''m more worried about Carmen. She holds grudges. I swear she''s been doing something to my food ever since I told her about not actually having to kill someone to heal them. Particularly since she chose to start making everyone their own dish right after.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, she''s definitely doing something to your food.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°I just don''t think your origins are going to bother her since it doesn''t affect her.¡± She paused. ¡°She might care about you being psychic, though¡­ it''d make it harder to hide whatever she''s doing to your food.¡±


    ¡°True¡­ but the thing is, she''s being so obvious about it, I''m not sure if she''s actually doing anything, or just trying to get me to think she''s doing something.¡± Chris pointed out.


    ¡°I think that may have been how it started, but since you just kept eating the food, I think she has to have done something to it by now.¡± Beth retorted. ¡°There''s not much point in playing mind games with someone who doesn''t care that you''re playing mind games, and she has to get her revenge somehow.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°That last soup did taste a little funny¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, couldn''t you have analyzed it with your space?¡± Beth suddenly realized. ¡°And why are you eating her food in the first place! You haven''t even been using your real body, so you didn''t have to eat at all!¡±


    ¡°Analyzing something just lets me copy it, it doesn''t actually tell me what it is, particularly if it''s all mixed together.¡± Chris explained. ¡°And if she wants to get her revenge on a fake body, who am I to stop her?¡±


    Beth narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°You see, this is why I need to be psychic. So I can tell if you actually missed something, or if you''re just choosing to ignore it.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Honestly, it''s fifty-fifty. Though I''d say most of the time, if I didn''t notice, I probably would have ignored it anyway. Unless someone is actually trying to trick you, things that deserve your attention tend to stick out, you know?¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s fair¡­¡± Beth muttered.


    ¡°Anyway, we should probably get going before Jacobs¡¯ head explodes.¡± Chris commented.


    Beth sighed. ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Finally!¡± Jacobs exclaimed as they walked out. ¡°What took you so long?!?¡±


    ¡°We figured out my new form has some issues.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Mainly, it''s psychic.¡±


    Jacobs blinked. ¡°Is that so? Fascinating! Wait, is it an ability or is it tied to the form itself?¡±


    ¡°Well, seeing as I''m not psychic at the moment, I''d say it''s tied to the form.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because this means your mutation allows you to develop natural abilities!¡± Jacobs exclaimed excitedly. ¡°Think of the possibilities!¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Like what? Having multiple abilities?¡±


    Jacobs paused. ¡°Hm, good point¡­ well, shall we see what this new form of yours is capable of then?¡±


    ¡°I guess. I''m probably not going to be using it much, though.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I have no desire to listen to everyone''s thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Understandable. I''m not a fan of having my thoughts read either.¡± Jacobs nodded, waving for Chris and Beth to follow him to his personal testing room. ¡°First, let''s see what your ability power is at.¡± Chris borrowed Firbolt''s ability for a moment and sent a fire blast at the machine. ¡°Fourteen point four! Excellent! Now the new form.¡± Chris transformed into his new form, just keeping his ears normal, and threw a punch at the machine. ¡°Three point four. Not bad. Did this mutation really just give you horns?¡±


    ¡°Plus telepathy.¡± Chris added.


    ¡°Right!¡± Jacobs snapped his fingers. ¡°Let''s see what your range is. Just keep moving that way until you stop hearing my thoughts.¡± He sent Chris towards the other end of the room, starting to sing a little ¡®do do do¡¯ song in his mind.


    Chris walked a few steps away, pausing as Jacobs'' thoughts faded out. He moved back a bit, finding the edge of his range. ¡°Okay, I think this is it.¡±


    ¡°Just a few meters, huh?¡± Jacobs muttered. ¡°I suppose that makes sense, since it''s tied to your physique, not your ability energy.¡±


    Chris returned to his base form. ¡°Is that it then?¡±


    ¡°Unless you want to try mutating again to see if you can develop another natural ability, no, I think we''re done.¡± Jacobs sighed. ¡°I need to go over the data from this mutation and compare it to your previous mutation.¡±


    ¡°Alright, have fun.¡± Chris waved, turning to Beth. ¡°So, you wanted dinner?¡±


    Beth blinked, smirking slightly. ¡°Okay, maybe you being psychic is a good thing.¡±


    *


    The meeting with the Canadian Ambassador went about as well as the meeting with the Australian Ambassador, Beth pitching their offer and Chris performing a demonstration for them, then leaving a list of everything they had to offer. Then they had to get the Australians in contact with the City officials who actually had the knowledge and authority to set up the actual agreements, the Canadians joining in not much later, both nations seeming interested in the trade at least, though no one had breached the topic of the land deal yet. Someone would have to, though, because the City wouldn''t entertain any trade agreements until they had a position to actually trade from.


    Thankfully all Chris and Beth had to do was set up those meetings, not actually attend them because now that Chris was finished mutating, they had other duties to see to. Chris needed to start building up his power, while Jo and Salvador still needed to study his capabilities in order to develop countermeasures against the shooter, since even though Chris had already found the shooter, he could exactly tell everyone about him. Still, it gave him a good excuse to meet with his parents, so he couldn''t complain too much. Plus, since apparently people with multiple abilities were a thing now, it might be a good idea to develop countermeasures anyway.


    Jo and Salvador still needed to get creatures with the abilities they wanted to study, since apparently finding creatures in the Maze with specific abilities wasn''t all that easy, so for now Chris was focused on getting stronger, which meant heading into the Maze with the squad. Or at least, that was the plan until they talked to David. ¡°As much as I want you to get stronger as quickly as possible, I can''t condone a squad running around the Maze on its own without any direction. You still need a platoon and a mission.¡± David explained with a sigh. ¡°I''ve been working on putting together a special platoon for you, but there''s been some¡­ resistance. Apparently you made quite the impression on Platoon Four and they''ve been calling in favors to try and get you into their platoon instead.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°We probably should have seen that coming.¡±


    ¡°Why not just put us with them, then?¡± Chris asked. ¡°I mean, I get it''d be better to have a specialized platoon, but if we can''t get it, it''s better to have something, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Because if I put you with them, you''ll be accompanying them on their missions, not doing what you need to be doing to get stronger.¡± David replied. ¡°Platoons operate largely independently, and if the captain doesn''t want to take the mission, there isn''t much I can do. It''s Scout policy that captains can refuse any mission, to protect platoons from being sent on missions they can''t handle because their superiors have a poor understanding of what they''re actually capable of.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Is there anything we can do to help?¡±


    David shook his head. ¡°No, it''s just politics. I should have everything in place soon, it''s just going to cost me a few favors of my own.¡±


    ¡°So what should we do now?¡± Beth asked, frowning slightly. All these delays were starting to get frustrating. They couldn''t even get Alexander into the Maze yet, because all Chris''s minions were on the first level, and there wasn''t much point in having him hunt there.


    ¡°Why don''t you take some time to celebrate your engagement?¡± David offered. ¡°You haven''t even officially announced it yet! Have a party, invite your friends, celebrate! We won''t have many opportunities to celebrate in the coming months, so you should take them when you can.¡±


    Beth''s expression twisted. ¡°It just feels wrong to celebrate when the City is in danger. It''s like drinking tea while your house is burning down.¡±


    ¡°If your house is burning down and there''s nothing you can do about it, why not have some tea? You don''t have to make yourself miserable just because things are going poorly. If anything, it''s even more important to find joy where you can.¡± David retorted.


    Beth frowned, then glanced at Chris. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don''t mind celebrating our engagement.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°It does seem odd we''ve been engaged for two weeks now and we haven''t really taken the time to appreciate it.¡±


    Beth smiled, turning back to her dad. ¡°Okay, let''s have a party!¡±

 Space: 40 - Engagement party

    ¡°Mom, you invited Daniel?!?¡± Beth asked incredulously as she looked over the guest list for her and Chris''s engagement party.


    ¡°I had to!¡± Abigail replied. ¡°We invited Samuel and Javier, so we couldn''t not invite Belinda, and we can''t just tell her not to bring her own son! Besides, as much as you''ve become¡­ estranged over the past few years, he is one of your oldest friends.¡±


    Beth groaned. ¡°Mom, you were supposed to keep this small.¡±


    ¡°It is small!¡± Abigail retorted. ¡°Barely a hundred people!¡±


    ¡°I was thinking more like thirty.¡± Beth grumbled. ¡°I barely even know half these people!¡±


    ¡°Well they know you.¡± Abigail countered. ¡°And they would be very disappointed if they weren''t invited to your engagement party.¡±


    Beth eyed her suspiciously for a moment. ¡°Fine, but if this turns into some kind of political farce, you''re not getting anywhere near my wedding!¡±


    ¡°Does this mean I need to wear a suit?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Well-¡± Abigail began.


    ¡°No.¡± Beth cut her off with a glare. ¡°This is not a political event, so there''s no need to force everyone to dress up for it.¡±


    Abigail clicked her tongue. ¡°I''ll need to adjust the invitations.¡±


    ¡°Mooom.¡± Beth groaned.


    The two of them continued to argue over the details of the party, Abigail pushing for something more formal while Beth kept insisting on keeping things casual. Chris mostly stayed out of it, him and his minions focusing on helping set up. They were having the party at Beth''s parents house, so they had to convert their patio into a dance floor, set up tables and chairs for everyone, and put up all the decorations. They also found some time to tell the squad about Chris''s new form and his origins, which- didn''t get the reaction they expected.


    ¡°Called it.¡± Zack nodded in satisfaction.


    ¡°Damn it, I thought I had it with secret government experiment.¡± Nadia grumbled, handing Zack a twenty.


    ¡°I still don''t think this explains everything.¡± Carmen muttered.


    ¡°Sure, but it''s still not just a random coincidence, so pay up.¡± Zack retorted, holding out his hand.


    ¡°He could still be the reincarnation of some kind of ancient power.¡± Derek commented as he handed Zack a twenty as well. ¡°The two aren''t mutually exclusive.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you guys were betting on his origins?¡± Beth asked incredulously. ¡°Why didn''t you let me in on it!?!¡±


    Nadia rolled her eyes. ¡°Because you and Chris tell each other everything, which would have given you an unfair advantage.¡±


    ¡°We had already figured out one of my parents was a slime.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°What was the bet anyway?¡±


    ¡°What''s up with Chris.¡± Derek explained. ¡°It was pretty clear there was something going on with you, we just couldn''t tell what. Carmen bet it was just a coincidence, Nadia bet you were a secret government experiment, I bet you were the reincarnation of an ancient power, and Zack bet you were the spawn of some sort of secret lineage.¡±


    ¡°You know, technically he''s the spawn of two secret lineages, so I think I should get double.¡± Zack grinned.


    ¡°Don''t push it.¡± Carmen growled.


    ¡°I''m not sure the people of two nations larger than the City can be called ¡®secret¡¯.¡± Chris pointed out.


    Zack paused. ¡°They were secret to us?¡±


    ¡°Just take your money and shut up.¡± Derek snorted, glancing at Chris. ¡°How''d you find out about this anyway?¡±


    ¡°They figured it out in the game, and since we already knew about the slime thing and slimes are just baby doppelgangers, it wasn''t too hard to believe, and then my new form kind of cinched it.¡± Chris explained. They weren''t telling the squad about Jo and Salvador, not because they didn''t trust them, but because it seemed wrong to give away other people''s secrets like that, and they didn''t need to know.


    ¡°Can we see your new form?¡± Carmen asked curiously.


    ¡°Are you sure? It is psychic.¡± Chris reminded her.


    Carmen rolled her eyes. ¡°Chris, you''re the last person I''d be worried about reading my thoughts. I''m not sure you know what secrets are, let alone why you should be interested in them.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I have plenty of secrets.¡± Chris retorted.


    Carmen frowned. ¡°You do, but your secrets are ¡®if people learn about this someone could get hurt¡¯ not ¡®if people learn about this, I would be embarrassed¡¯. I suppose I meant you don''t know what embarrassment is.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah, that one''s a bit trickier for me.¡± Chris nodded in agreement. ¡°Though mostly I just don''t get why someone would do something they''d be embarrassed about¡­ maybe if you didn''t fully think things through, I guess? I don''t know, it just seems like every ¡®embarrassing¡¯ story I''ve heard is either a series of incredibly avoidable events or just someone doing what they enjoy and getting laughed at, which is honestly more cruel than embarrassing in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°And this is why I don''t care if you read my thoughts.¡± Carmen rolled her eyes. Derek nodded in agreement, though Zack and Nadia looked a bit more hesitant before they followed suit.


    ¡°Well, if you say so.¡± Chris shrugged, transforming for them. ¡°Not much to see though. Just the ears and the horns.¡±


    ¡°More than enough to make things obvious, though.¡± Nadia muttered as she studied him. ¡°At least for anyone who knows about the elves and the doppelgangers.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, which is why we''re going to do our best to avoid using this form.¡± Beth agreed as Chris returned to normal. ¡°We don''t need to paint the target on Chris''s back any bigger than it already is.¡±


    ¡°Or our own.¡± Zack grimaced. ¡°We already barely leave Chris''s space as it is because that fucking shooter!¡±


    Carmen sighed. ¡°And now even without the shooter we have to worry about getting kidnapped and used against Chris somehow.¡±


    ¡°I can''t wait until we all move to Earth.¡± Derek agreed.


    ¡°You guys do know you can hang out on Earth now right?¡± Beth pointed out. ¡°No one''s stopping you.¡±


    The three of them paused, sharing a few looks. ¡°To the bar?¡± Zack suggested.


    ¡°To the bar!¡± Derek grinned.


    ¡°Someplace with dancing.¡± Carmen insisted.


    ¡°You guys want to come with?¡± Derek asked, glancing at Chris, Beth, and Nadia.


    ¡°Maybe next time.¡± Beth shook her head. ¡°We still have a party to put together.¡±


    ¡°I''m good.¡± Nadia also turned them down.


    ¡°Suit yourselves.¡± Derek shrugged. ¡°Let''s go!¡± He announced, jumping to his feet to lead the others out, Chris opening a portal to Earth for them. Unfortunately, they''d all forgotten the drinking age in the US was twenty-one¡­ and they didn''t have ID''s.


    *


    ¡°Beth, congratulations!¡± Katerina exclaimed as she arrived, giving Beth a polite hug before turning to Chris. ¡°And Chris! I knew I sensed a connection between the two of you back then!¡±


    Chris frowned slightly, not remembering who this woman was. ¡°Back when?¡±


    Katerina''s smile stiffened slightly as Beth struggled not to laugh, before letting out a slight chuckle. ¡°Ah, you probably wouldn''t remember, would you? We had a brief interaction at the Debut Ball, but I imagine you had¡­ other things on your mind at the time.¡± She glanced at Beth with a cheeky smirk.


    It was Beth''s turn to give her a stiff smile as she moved on, mingling with the rest of the guests. ¡°Ugh, why did Mom have to invite her.¡± Beth grumbled.


    ¡°Probably the same reason she invited half the other people.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Because it would have been inconvenient politically to not invite her.¡± Even with Beth cutting down the guest list as much as possible, they only had about twenty people they actually wanted there, namely the squad, Penny, Thad, Mr. and Mrs. Richardson, Mr. and Mrs. Veach, Jo, Salvador, Beth''s parents, a few of David''s military buddies, and Beth''s cousins. Everyone else was just there because of politics.


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Beth sighed. ¡°I know, it just sucks that we can''t just have a party without politics getting involved.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we''re going to need these connections soon, so it''d probably be a bad time to offend everyone.¡± Chris commented.


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Stop using logic while I''m trying to vent!¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°I''m not sure I can?¡±


    ¡°Of course you can''t.¡± Beth grumbled, struggling to suppress a smile, then freezing as she saw the next guests walk in. ¡°The Monteros are here.¡± She groaned.


    Belinda searched the crowd of guests until she spotted them, immediately making her way towards them dragging a bitter looking Daniel along with her while an older man followed. ¡°Beth, Chris, congratulations.¡± She nodded at them curtly, before nudging Daniel.


    ¡°Yeah, congratulations.¡± Daniel mumbled, not even looking at them. Belinda nudged him harder, giving him a sharp look. ¡°I mean, congratulations! I''m so happy for you two!¡± Daniel looked up, giving them a difficult smile.


    Belinda nodded in satisfaction, turning back to them. ¡°Beth, you remember my father, Marco?¡±


    ¡°Of course, it''s good to see you again.¡± Beth gave him a polite smile. Marco was in charge of managing the Monteros military contracts, so he was almost a required presence whenever any of the Generals hosted an event. He was more focused on David, so she''d never interacted much with him, but it was inevitable that they''d become familiar with each other.


    ¡°It''s wonderful to see how much you''ve grown, and I''ve been hearing great things about this fianc¨¦ of yours!¡± Marco smiled back, turning to Chris. ¡°I hear you have quite the ability.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have an ability.¡± Chris corrected. ¡°It''s a mutation that doesn''t rely on ability energy to function, though it does use it to grow.¡± Chris smiled. ¡°I didn''t even discover it until I died in the Trial.¡±


    Marco blinked. ¡°No ability? That''s-¡± He cut off, eyes widening as Chris''s smile widened slightly. He coughed. ¡°How interesting! Well, it was good to meet you, but we should leave you to your other guests, hm?¡± He quickly pushed Belinda and Daniel along, getting weird looks from both them and Beth.


    Chris watched him go for a moment with a thoughtful expression. ¡°That- may have been a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Beth frowned at him. ¡°What- just happened?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I just met my grandfather.¡± Chris explained in a dismissive tone. ¡°I don''t think he realized it until I poked him a little¡­ probably should have just left him ignorant.¡±


    ¡°You- what- what?!?¡± Beth stammered, looking between him and Marco. ¡°That was-¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°The man who abandoned me after my parents death. Or something like that. Speaking of¡­¡± He waved as Jo arrived at the same time as the Richardsons, the Veaches, Penny, and Thad, who''d all come together.


    Beth glared at him. ¡°This conversation is not over.¡± She growled, turning to smile as Jo and Mrs. Richardson arrived simultaneously.


    ¡°Con-¡± Jo began.


    ¡°Chri-¡± Mrs. Richardson began as well, both of them cutting off as they noticed the other talking. ¡°Sorry, please go ahead.¡± Mrs. Richardson ceded. She would probably take more time with Chris, so it''d be rude to make Jo wait.


    ¡°No, no, please, you go.¡± Jo insisted, thinking the same, not wanting to give up a chance to interact with her son, even if only casually.


    ¡°How about this? Jo, this is Mrs. Richardson, the owner of the Richardson Orphanage. Mrs. Richardson, this is Jo, one of the City''s top ability researchers.¡± Beth interjected.


    ¡°It''s nice to meet you.¡± Mrs. Richardson smiled, shaking Jo''s hand. ¡°But please, call me Mary.¡± She glanced at Chris and Beth. ¡°The both of you should too. You''re adults now.¡±


    ¡°It''s a pleasure to meet you as well.¡± Jo smiled back. ¡°Can I assume you''re the one we have to thank for raising such an impressive young man?¡±


    Mary shook her head. ¡°As much as I would love to take credit, all I can say is that I showed him the right direction. Chris is the one who developed himself into the man he is today.¡± She shot him a proud smile, before turning back to Jo. ¡°How do you know Chris?¡±


    ¡°The City has made studying his capabilities a priority, and as one of the top ability researchers, I was the one they called.¡± Jo explained. ¡°I''ve been getting to know him over the past few weeks and I''ve been very impressed.¡± She shot Chris a proud smile of her own, before turning it to Beth. ¡°But I''m more familiar with Beth. My job requires me to maintain a close relationship with the Generals, so I''ve watched her become an impressive young woman in her own right.¡±


    ¡°I''m so happy you found each other!¡± Mary exclaimed, pulling Chris and Beth into a hug, Jo watching with a hint of envy, wishing she could do the same.


    The rest of Mrs. Richardsons¡¯ group finally made their way over, pushing Jo off to the side as they all gave Chris and Beth their congratulations. She watched them sadly for a moment, though she made sure to keep a polite smile on her face, until she couldn''t take it anymore and turned to go, only to pause as Penny approached her nervously. ¡°E-excuse me, but are you Jo Vuntula?¡±


    ¡°That''s me!¡± Jo replied, forcing a cheerful tone into her voice.


    Penny practically squealed. ¡°I''m your biggest fan! I''ve read all your papers! I''m doing a project based on your cyclic energy theory! I''m growing beans in areas with higher and lower concentrations of ambient energy, and then using my friend Thad''s ability to show that the beans grown in higher concentration areas increase his potential energy more than the ones in lower concentration areas! His ability lets him convert food into potential energy in just a few minutes, so he''s the perfect test subject!¡±


    Jo blinked. Her cyclic energy theory was based on the elves'' use of high energy plants to balance out the energy from ability cores to create potions with special effects. Since the energy from potions acted like potential energy, she''d theorized that the food people consumed wasn''t converted into potential energy itself, but instead that ambient energy was absorbed into plants and animals as they developed and when people ate, that energy was converted into potential energy. The theory hadn''t gained much traction in the City though, since high energy plants simply didn''t exist and there were too many factors involved in replenishing potential energy for any study to be conclusive. Unless, of course, a little scientist lucked into the perfect test subject. ¡°I would be very interested in the results of your study. Would you mind if I gave you my email, so you could send me the results?¡±


    Penny nodded vigorously, not trusting herself to respond. Jo Vuntula wanted to see the results of her experiment! She felt like she was about to faint from sheer joy! Jo handed her a business card after writing her personal email on the back and Penny had to resist the urge to squeal again as she rushed over to Thad. ¡°I just got Jo Vuntula''s personal email!¡±


    Thad blinked. ¡°Who?¡±


    Penny scowled at him. ¡°She''s the one who developed the theory we''re testing!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ cool?¡± Thad offered hesitantly.


    ¡°She''s the smartest person in the entire City!¡± Penny growled. Thad just looked at her blankly. ¡°Ugh, you suck.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I''m the whole reason you can even do that experiment!¡± Thad protested.


    ¡°So you should at least know the person who developed the theory!¡± Penny retorted.


    ¡°All I have to do is eat beans! Why do I need to know anything?!?¡± Thad countered.


    Penny huffed. ¡°I''m going to go find Derek.¡± She walked off, stopping to glare at Thad as he followed her.


    ¡°What? I want to see him too.¡± He shrugged.


    Meanwhile, Chris and Beth had to say goodbye to the Richardsons and the Veaches as more guests arrived to say congratulations. Thankfully the party was still relatively small, so it didn''t take much longer before they were finally free to join the party themselves, quickly making their way over to the corner where most of their friends and family were congregating while the political side continued to mingle. ¡°Mom is definitely not in charge of the guest list for our wedding.¡± Beth grumbled as they made their way over.


    ¡°What are we going to do for that?¡± Chris wondered. ¡°I''m torn between rushing to get it out of the way and waiting until after¡­ things are settled.¡±


    Beth frowned, then let out a sigh. ¡°I think we have to wait until after. If we do it before, we''re going to have to deal with something like this again, and there''s no way to rush that.¡±


    ¡°Hm, fair.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Though it''s getting harder to be patient.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ but we both know we don''t want to deal with that while we''re dealing with this. It''s better to let things¡­ settle.¡± Beth grimaced, frustrated at her own words.


    ¡°I know. Still though.¡± Chris sighed as they got to their friends.


    ¡°Hey, you''re finally done!¡± Derek greeted them. ¡°Man am I glad I don''t have to deal with politics.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Beth smirked. ¡°I''ve seen the looks you and my cousin Chelsea have been sharing, and if you think my family has it bad with politics, you don''t want to know what goes on with her Family.¡±


    Derek froze, glancing at the cute girl he''d been trading looks with for a while and gulping. ¡°Is there anyone here I wouldn''t end up in a political mess for dating?¡±


    ¡°You''re already sitting next to them.¡± Beth snickered.


    Derek looked between Carmen, Nadia, and Penny. ¡°Shit. Ow!¡± He yelped as Penny pinched him. ¡°What was that for!?!¡±


    ¡°Language.¡± She sniffed, looking away and crossing her arms.


    ¡°You know, some of these girls might be worth getting into politics.¡± Zack muttered as he looked around.


    Nadia rolled her eyes. ¡°Based on what? All you''ve done is look at them!¡±


    ¡°Hey, I said might!¡± Zack protested. ¡°Obviously if they''re massive bitches, I''m not going to be into them, but it''s just a fact that pretty girls get more leeway in the baggage department. The more attractive you are, the more people will put up with to keep you around. It''s like¡­ science or something.¡±


    ¡°Except beauty fades, and the baggage doesn''t.¡± Nadia retorted.


    ¡°I don''t know about you, but I''m friends with this guy named Chris who can keep people looking like they''re in their twenties forever.¡± Zack countered.


    ¡°Still, after a hundred years of looking at the same face, how special is it going to be?¡± Thad commented. ¡°People get used to everything, eventually, so if you''re relying on something ¡®special¡¯ to maintain your relationship, it isn''t going to last.¡±


    ¡°And you get bored with a meal before you''re even done eating it.¡± Carmen snorted.


    Zack clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn it, all I was trying to say is that they''re hot!¡±


    ¡°Well then find better qualities to admire.¡± Nadia huffed.


    ¡°Alright, enough arguing!¡± Carmen hopped to her feet. ¡°There''s music, there''s a dance floor, and my feet are getting itchy. Who wants to dance with me?¡±


    ¡°Chris and I will join you, but you''re going to need to get your own partner.¡± Beth replied, latching on to Chris''s arm.


    ¡°I''m down to dance.¡± Derek shrugged.


    ¡°Me too!¡± Penny quickly agreed, shooting a look at Thad.


    ¡°I guess I can dance.¡± Thad muttered.


    ¡°Great! I''ll dance with you then. Dancing with Derek would be weird.¡± Carmen smirked, giving Penny a quick wink as she grabbed Thad and pulled him onto the dance floor.


    Penny flushed slightly as she grabbed Derek''s arm. ¡°Come on, you''re dancing with me then.¡±


    Zack glanced at Nadia as the others left. ¡°So¡­ Do you want to dance?¡±


    ¡°Why don''t you go ask one of the ¡®hot¡¯ girls?¡± Nadia retorted.


    Zack groaned. ¡°Come on, I''m trying to be nice here! You don''t have to punish me for it!¡±


    Nadia froze. ¡°I- I''m sorry, you right, I just- sorry, yeah, let''s dance.¡± She agreed, the two of them awkwardly joining the others on the dance floor.


    The rest of the night passed like that, Chris, Beth, and their friends ignoring the political side while they enjoyed the party, dancing, eating, playing games, and generally having a good time. At least until Salvador arrived, looking panicked. ¡°Jo! Chris! We have to go!¡± He cried as he stumbled into the party.


    ¡°What- Salvador! Are you okay?!?¡± Jo exclaimed, rushing over to him, Chris not far behind her, along with Beth and the rest of the squad.


    ¡°We don''t have time!¡± Salvador growled, rushing up to Chris. ¡°Open a portal, get us out of here! Take everyone you can!¡±


    Chris frowned but did as he said, opening a portal. ¡°Everyone, go!¡± No one moved. ¡°Now!¡± The squad rushed through the portal, along with anyone who knew Chris, more than aware that if Chris was shouting, things were bad. Chris turned back to Salvador. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°They found out about Earth.¡± Salvador explained in a tense tone. ¡°I don''t know how, but they did. They''re mobilizing everyone in the City to get you! To hold you however they can until they come! And they''re sending cultivators!¡±

 Space: 41 - Fallout

    Chris blinked. ¡°Cultivators?¡±


    ¡°They''re-¡± Salvador began, cutting off as something exploded in the distance. ¡°Fuck, we have to go!¡±


    ¡°Right, come on people, into the portal!¡± Chris clapped.


    The crowd hesitated, but as the sounds of combat got closer, they quickly began to move, rushing into Chris''s space, the more military focused guests taking up the rear in case they needed to fight. As Chris closed the portal behind the last person, he saw a pointy eared man burst through a wall, followed by a hulking monstrosity, the two seeming to be more focused on fighting each other than trying to stop him from escaping. Chris swore he saw the elf flash a grin at him as the portal closed, and in his space sense, he saw the two combatants stop fighting almost immediately, the monstrosity even reaching down to help the elf stand up. Chris frowned for a moment, turning to focus on the crowd. Had they snuck a spy in with him?


    *Jello, check for spies.* Chris ordered.


    *I watched them on the way in. They''re all human, except for our progenitor and your mom.* Jello replied.


    ¡°Then why-¡± Chris muttered to himself, cutting off as he noticed people crowding around Salvador, looking for answers.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± David roared, silencing the crowd before turning to Salvador. ¡°Explain.¡±


    Salvador grimaced. ¡°The doppelgangers and the elves found out about Earth.¡±


    David froze. ¡°Shit! Then-¡±


    ¡°They''re after Chris.¡± Salvador nodded. ¡°And anyone with any connection to him. Whatever they can use to control him.¡±


    David scowled, then paused, narrowing his eyes at Salvador. ¡°How did you know about Earth? Or the doppelgangers and the elves?¡±


    ¡°I told him. And Jo.¡± Chris interjected.


    David gave him a weird look. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I had my reasons.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I''ll explain later, but for now, just believe me when I say we can trust him and let''s focus on what we''re going to do about the doppelgangers and the elves.¡±


    David hesitated for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Right, we need to get some place secure. One of the bases, or an inspection point.¡±


    Salvador shook his head. ¡°If you do that, you''ll be playing right into their hands. They''ve been planning out how to turn on humanity since they got here! Any defense you think you have is one they''re more than prepared to turn against you.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡± David asked.


    Salvador frowned as he considered their options. ¡°We need to evacuate the City. Get everyone to Earth as soon as possible. Everything we do should get us closer to that goal.¡±


    ¡°We still need a place to actually go.¡± Beth muttered. ¡°We should send teams to each of the nations we''re negotiating with, to put pressure on them.¡±


    ¡°We should do whatever we can to limit the enemy''s control over the City.¡± Belinda commented. ¡°Take out the teleportation system, shut down the lifts, hamper communications, anything to make things as difficult as possible for them.¡±


    ¡°We''re going to need supplies for that. Weapons. Soldiers.¡± David frowned, before shaking his head. ¡°Even if the enemy is prepared for us to hole ourselves up in our bases, I can''t abandon my soldiers during a crisis like this!¡±


    ¡°Neither can I.¡± Samuel agreed. ¡°If our current fortifications aren''t secure, then we''ll make new fortifications! If there''s one thing the Defense Force knows how to do, it''s how to fortify a region!¡±


    ¡°And the Scouts know how to wear an enemy down.¡± David grinned.


    ¡°And the Vanguard knows how to hit them where it hurts.¡± Belinda growled. ¡°We need to get to our people and get them doing what they do best.¡±


    ¡°I can get you to the Defense Force base.¡± Chris offered. ¡°You''ll have to make it to the other two from there.¡±


    The Generals nodded, huddling together as they quickly hashed out a plan of action. The first step would be unifying all their forces and packing up everything they could carry from the bases before going mobile, destroying anything they had to leave behind. Next they''d move on the teleportation station, taking it over if they could or destroying it if they couldn''t. If they couldn''t take the teleportation station, they''d use Chris to move down to the hundredth floor and start developing their resistance from the bottom up. The lower floors were more defensible since they''d been opened after the creation of the lifts, so unlike the upper floors, there were no, or at least very few, tunnels connecting them to each other. This also meant Chris needed to get a lot more minions since they''d need his portals to stay mobile and move as many people as they could to the lower floors.


    Once the plan was set, everyone split into three groups. The first group would go with the Generals to help defend the City, the second would go to Earth under Abigail''s lead and find them a place to live, and the third would stay with Chris to fight in the Maze, helping him gather energy and dominate creatures. The first group mostly consisted of David''s military buddies, the second group was mostly politicians, and the third was mostly the young adults. Chris gave the Generals some bugs before sending them to the Defense Force base, and sent the politicians to Matt, who for some reason didn''t seem to appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night to take care of a group of forty odd politicians.


    Chris then looked over the group that he''d be taking into the Maze with him. There was the squad, obviously, Daniel at Belinda''s insistence, Katerina and four other members of the upper class who weren''t military but were at least high mid-tier and decently trained, four of Beth''s cousins who were in a similar situation, Jo, and Salvador, while Penny, Thad, Mrs. Richardson, and Mrs. Veach were there but they weren''t expected to participate. ¡°Okay¡­ Beth?¡± He immediately turned to her for help, as he had no idea what to do with all this.


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay, here''s the deal. We currently only have access to the first level of the Maze, and we need to get to at least the fifth before it becomes worth it to start hunting. The question is how do we get there as fast as possible?¡±


    ¡°I can make a path for you.¡± Jo immediately offered. ¡°My ability lets me cut through stone, so I can just take us straight up. It should only take us a few days to make it to the fifth level.¡±


    Daniel frowned. ¡°But that would leave a straight path down the Maze.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°I think we have bigger concerns at the moment. Particularly since I doubt the Maze is going to hold up very well when armies of doppelgangers and elves start marching through it, probably making their own straight paths in the process. Unless anyone has a better option?¡±


    ¡°I was thinking we could try to sneak into the teleportation station.¡± Daniel muttered. ¡°We just need to get one of Chris''s minions through, and then we''re good, right?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°That''s true¡­ it''d depend on whether the doppelgangers or the elves have control of the teleportation station. There''s absolutely no way we''d be able to sneak past the doppelgangers.¡±


    Daniel''s expression twisted. ¡°Okay, could someone actually explain what these doppelgangers and elves are?!? I haven''t been able to follow a single damn conversation since this whole thing started!¡±


    ¡°The doppelgangers are the end result of a slime''s ability to mutate, naturally capable of shape-shifting and sensing energy, vitality, and essence, along with whatever abilities they may have, while elves are a surface race born at or near the physical peak with the natural ability to form a bond with any essence baring existence and gain power through it, giving them a variety of capabilities depending on their bond and their ability.¡± Jo explained. ¡°Both have powerful nations on the surface, nations which are locked in conflict with each other and wish to use Chris to defeat the other, and neither side would leave the teleportation station vulnerable to infiltration.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Daniel froze, suddenly understanding why everyone in the know acted like they were fighting a losing battle and their only option was to escape. ¡°I- I see.¡±


    ¡°Any other suggestions?¡± Beth asked, looking around. ¡°No one knows of any secret teleportation device a Family hid in a basement somewhere?¡±


    Katerina shook her head. ¡°Those never connect to the Maze. The Families may take liberties, but no one would risk the safety of the City like that.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°I was just joking¡­ the Families actually have secret teleportation networks?!?¡±


    ¡°You didn''t know?¡± One of Beth''s cousins asked, looking honestly surprised.


    Beth glared at them for a moment before turning away and dropping the issue entirely. ¡°Any other suggestions.¡± They all shared looks then shook their heads. ¡°Alright, then Jo will take us up the Maze and our squad will accompany her. In the meantime, we need to organize all of you into groups and work on your coordination.¡± She paused, considering how she wanted to handle this, when she noticed one of Chris''s minions peeking out of the barracks and a sly smile spread across her face. ¡°Dyrdek!¡± She called, causing the goblin to jump before scrambling over looking a bit embarrassed. ¡°Can I trust you to get these recruits in shape by the time we reach the fifth level?¡±


    Dyrdek blinked, turning to examine the skeptical looking blue bloods. ¡°I don''t know¡­ they look soft.¡± He narrowed his eyes. ¡°And arrogant.¡± One of the sayings Sergeant Callista was fond of repeating, and one Dyrdek had taken to heart, was ¡®arrogance kills¡¯, and Dyrdek could tell just by the way these ¡®recruits¡¯ were looking at him that they''d make some lucky creature a fine meal some day.


    Beth suppressed a laugh as she raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Are you saying you aren''t up for the challenge?¡±


    Dyrdek hesitated, seriously considering it for a moment, wondering how exactly he''d get the recruits in shape. A few days wasn''t enough to make them stronger or more skilled, so the only thing he could try to do would be to make them more careful. To the point where they might not accomplish anything, but at least they wouldn''t die. If he could give them some examples¡­ A few practical experiences¡­ He cocked his head. ¡°Could I use the other minions?¡±


    ¡°I think you should use whatever you can to get the job done.¡± Beth replied.


    Dyrdek grinned. ¡°Then I can at least make sure they don''t die to their own idiocy.¡±


    Katerina rolled her eyes. ¡°Really, Beth, this is hardly an amusing joke. I can agree that we could use some pointers, but what can we learn from a goblin?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you don''t think you can learn anything from a goblin is exactly why you need to learn from a goblin.¡± Beth retorted. ¡°We like to pretend the creatures in the Maze are dumb. Certainly dangerous, because they''re savage or brutal or maybe even clever, but certainly not because they''re smart! But when you start assuming they can''t know as much or more than you do, can''t understand you, can''t plan for you, that''s when they can trick you, and if they can trick you, they can kill you.¡±


    Katerina glanced at Daniel hesitantly, who shrugged and nodded in agreement. ¡°It''s one of the first lessons the Vanguard teaches you. People who think fighting Maze creatures will be simple die.¡±


    ¡°Why can''t you teach us then?¡± One of the others asked.


    Beth almost face palmed. ¡°Jackson, what do you actually think we''re planning on doing?¡±


    Jackson frowned. ¡°We''re- hunting Maze creatures?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°No, we''re getting Chris minions.¡±


    ¡°What''s the difference?¡± Jackson asked, looking honestly confused.


    ¡°The difference is that we aren''t fighting to kill, or even fighting to defeat, we''re fighting to convince the people of the Maze to join us.¡± Beth explained seriously. ¡°First, because it''s more efficient. Everyone Chris has to forcefully connect with drains him, while someone joining willingly takes nothing. Second, because you''re going to be working with these people, and if they hate you, then they''re going to make things as hard as possible for you, maybe even get you killed. And third, because they''re people! They aren''t prey to hunt, they''re intelligent beings with all the same wants and desires we have! If we can resolve things peacefully, then we should! And you thinking you''re somehow better than them is going to make things that much harder!¡±


    Jackson and the others shared uncomfortable looks. Did she really think they were on the same level as goblins?!? The savages that ate people!?! They were monsters! Daniel coughed. ¡°Beth, I- think that might be taking things a bit far. Maze creatures can certainly be intelligent and it''s dangerous to underestimate them, but to put them on the same level as people¡­¡± He trailed off shaking his head.


    ¡°And that attitude is why you''re learning from Dyrdek too.¡± Beth shook her head, turning to Dyrdek. ¡°Get them up to speed, we have a tunnel to make.¡±


    Dyrdek nodded, giving her a salute as Chris opened a portal to the Maze, the squad heading out with Jo. ¡°Are you sure that was a good idea?¡± Nadia asked as Jo placed a hand on the wall, a section of rock suddenly disappearing in a blast of air.


    Beth sighed. ¡°At first I was just trying to mess with them, but honestly, they need to learn to respect the creat- the people of the Maze. We''re going to be working with them closely, and that kind of¡­ friction will lead to deaths.¡±


    Nadia nodded slowly. ¡°I guess I can see that¡­¡±


    They all walked in silence for a moment, following Jo as she created a curving ramp upwards, until Zack broke the silence with a cough. ¡°So, are we going to talk about what the hell just happened or what? Like, how the fuck did the doppelgangers and the elves figure out about Earth?!?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, but seeing as it''s literally their job to spy on humanity, I''m not surprised.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°It was probably a bit optimistic to think we could keep Earth secret for very long, particularly not once we started bringing in people to help us negotiate.¡±


    Jo shook her head. ¡°Most of the spies in the City don''t actually care about doing their job. They''d be more likely to bury this information than report it if they came across it. For one of the loyal spies to get a hold of this¡­ you''re either really unlucky or there are more people loyal to the surface than I thought.¡±


    Zack frowned. ¡°Okay, that''s another thing! How do you and Salvador know so much about all this?!?¡±


    ¡°They''re my parents.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Jo''s the elf, Salvador is the doppelganger.¡±


    Everyone other than Beth froze, looking between Chris and Jo in shock, Jo flushing slightly as she pointedly ignored them to keep making the tunnel. ¡°Penny is going to freak.¡± Derek chuckled, shaking his head.


    ¡°I''m freaking!¡± Zack exclaimed.


    ¡°You''re always freaking.¡± Carmen rolled her eyes.


    ¡°Did you know about this?¡± Nadia asked, narrowing her eyes at Beth.


    ¡°You know Chris doesn''t keep secrets from me.¡± Beth smiled. ¡°We found out when Chris began his last mutation.¡±


    ¡°Why not tell us?¡± Nadia asked, scowling slightly.


    ¡°Because you didn''t need to know, and it wasn''t our secret to share.¡± Chris answered dismissively, turning to Jo. ¡°If most of the elves and doppelgangers in the City aren''t actually loyal to the surface, why are they even doing anything?¡±


    ¡°For a few reasons, but mostly because even if they aren''t loyal to the surface, they still have connections up there, friends and family, all of whom would be in danger if they openly opposed their orders.¡± Jo explained. ¡°They may not want the surface to get what it wants, but they definitely don''t want to be seen as the reason the surface didn''t get what it wants.¡±


    Chris snapped his fingers. ¡°That''s why the elf smiled at me! He wanted me to escape, he just didn''t want to be the reason I escaped!¡±


    Jo nodded. ¡°I imagine they did as much as they could to let you escape. They need to be able to say they did everything they could, but that doesn''t mean they actually want to succeed. Unfortunately, that still means they''re going to do their best to take over the City and eradicate any resistance. You using your portals to make a lucky escape is one thing, but if they seem too incompetent, the surface will catch on, and then they''ll be in trouble, and they aren''t about to make that sacrifice for humanity.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°I guess the question is, once we''re ready to evacuate to Earth, how do we deal with them? Should we invite them along?¡±


    Jo paused. ¡°I- don''t think so. I don''t think many of them would be interested in abandoning Azza, not while their friends and family are still here.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Chris muttered. That was the whole reason they were even fighting, of course they wouldn''t just leave. But if he could get their friends and family¡­ He shook his head. That was a problem for later. Right now, their job was to get him minions and energy, and that was all he should be focusing on.

 Space: 42 - Kobolds (1)

    The military''s assault on the teleportation station didn''t exactly go as planned. Once they''d managed to gather all their forces together, they''d been able to march on the teleportation station with no resistance, only to find it already destroyed, leaving them stumped, and it was the same with the lifts. Ultimately, they hadn''t quite understood the fact that there were two enemy forces in the City who were also fighting each other, and that their goal was Chris, not the City. Their plan seemed to be to get the City locked down so they could make it as hard as possible for Chris to spread his minions around, shutting down the teleportation station and the lifts, as well as collapsing many of the tunnels between floors and guarding any that remained, effectively trapping everyone on their respective floors. Thanks to the few minions he did have in the City, Chris could still get to the first, fourth, and fourteenth floors, but otherwise they were stuck. And then once they''d done that¡­ They started fighting each other for control over the floors. In a way that left the City mostly untouched.


    ¡°This makes no sense!¡± Belinda growled, pacing around Chris''s private space where the Generals were meeting, along with Salvador and Beth. ¡°Why lock the City down and then do nothing with it?!?¡±


    ¡°They did the same thing in the game.¡± Beth muttered. ¡°The moment the Conqueror disappeared, they started focusing more on fighting each other than anything else.¡±


    Salvador sighed. ¡°Okay, let me put it this way. If there was someone out there you wanted control over, and you couldn''t find them, what would you do?¡±


    ¡°Find what he values and hold it hostage.¡± Belinda replied. ¡°But they''ve done that! Where are the demands that Chris surrender! The threats against the people of the City if he doesn''t do exactly what they want!¡±


    Salvador shook his head. ¡°Hold on, you''re missing the point. Of course they want to control the City so they can threaten Chris with its safety. But you''re forgetting that there are two sides here. Let''s say that both the doppelgangers and the elves threaten to destroy a floor unless Chris surrenders to them. What does Chris do?¡±


    Belinda frowned. ¡°Surrender?¡±


    ¡°To which side? The elves or the doppelgangers?¡± Salvador pressed.


    Belinda paused. ¡°Ah. I see. If he surrenders to one side, then the other carries out their threat, and then¡­ they no longer have a floor to hold over Chris''s head, while the other side still does. Or they fail to follow through, proving their threat empty. It''s too much of a gamble.¡±


    Salvador nodded. ¡°Right. The only way to win is to control the entire City. They''d rather see Chris escape than risk him falling into the hands of the other side. And until they have control, they''re going to do their best to keep the City safe, because they don''t want to risk Chris turning against them on his own.¡±


    ¡°So is the City in danger or not?¡± Beth asked, looking confused.


    ¡°Is a hostage safe just because their kidnappers are fighting over who gets to threaten them?¡± David sighed, shaking his head. ¡°The fact that no one is currently cutting us doesn''t mean we aren''t still bound and gagged, and if we try to escape, they won''t hesitate to stop us.¡±


    ¡°And without the ability to move through the City, escape is almost impossible.¡± Samuel grumbled. ¡°We can evacuate maybe three floors¡­ that isn''t enough.¡±


    ¡°No it isn''t.¡± Belinda scowled. ¡°We need a way to get to the other floors.¡±


    ¡°In the game, they used the maintenance tunnels for the Department of Water and Power to get around.¡± Beth offered.


    Samuel raised an eyebrow. ¡°Those tunnels are great for hiding and sneaking around within a floor, but they specifically don''t cross floors. Unless¡­ Do you mean the pipes?¡± He paused, cocking his head. ¡°There are a few larger water pipes you could squeeze through if you can get someone to redirect the water¡­ it wouldn''t be a pleasant trip, but it could be doable.¡±


    ¡°We''ll look into it, but getting to the floors is just the first step.¡± David interjected. ¡°We need a way to evacuate every floor of the City simultaneously, as quickly as possible. This isn''t just a matter of getting portals there, we need them hidden and defended so we can protect people while they escape. And it needs to be something we can pull off without telling anyone, because the more people who know, the bigger the risk the elves and doppelgangers will find out and stop us.¡± He groaned, rubbing his temples.


    ¡°This isn''t going to be simple.¡± Belinda agreed.


    ¡°We should keep all our plans between us, only telling people what they need to know to carry out their orders.¡± Samuel commented. ¡°Maybe Javier as well?¡±


    David shook his head. ¡°He needs to focus on coordinating the City Police. People are panicking and they need to know that there are still people out there enforcing law and order. He''ll keep the City stable, we''ll figure out how to save it.¡±


    *


    ¡°How was the meeting?¡± Chris asked as Beth returned.


    Beth sighed ¡°The good news is that for right now, the City is mostly safe. The bad news is that it''s going to take a lot of planning and luck to get the City evacuated.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I figured. Just getting access to all the floors is going to be a bitch and a half, let alone getting everyone out of them.¡±


    ¡°How''s Dyrdek doing?¡± Beth asked, changing the subject, not even wanting to think about the position the City was in anymore. The Generals¡¯ planning session had just left her feeling hopeless as she saw all the obstacles standing between them and saving the City.


    ¡°He has them all playing games, minions versus humans.¡± Chris chuckled. ¡°The humans are losing. Badly.¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°It''s almost like you stuck them in your space for months with nothing to do but play games and watch TV. Is it working?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I haven''t been paying too much attention, but every time I look, Daniel just looks pissed, Katerina actually seems to be enjoying herself, and the rest are just kinda meh, looking more confused than anything. I think they thought they''d be running drills more.¡±


    ¡°He is having them run some drills though, right?¡± Beth asked. She hoped the goblin wasn''t just using this as an excuse to play games with new people.


    ¡°Yup. He''s also going over the various dangers they need to watch out for, and providing¡­ practical exercises to drive the lessons home.¡± Chris grinned. ¡°Did you know my minions can play with my material too? Cause the imps are loving it.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°Why- oh.¡± Her eyes widened. ¡°Oh, that''s horrifying.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it?¡± Chris agreed. ¡°And the only healing they''re getting is the old method.¡±


    Beth scowled. ¡°Chris, we want them to be careful, not traumatized.¡±


    Chris waved dismissively. ¡°They''ll be fine. He''s only making them go through a single tunnel a day, and then they get to play games and watch TV.¡±


    Beth didn''t quite look convinced, but at this point, she couldn''t exactly argue. She''d put Dyrdek in charge to prove he was capable, and if she questioned him, it''d undermine the lesson she was trying to get the others to learn. ¡°How much longer until we reach the fifth level?¡±


    ¡°A day, maybe two.¡± Chris replied.


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    Beth nodded. ¡°Good. Let''s hope they''re ready by then.¡±


    ¡°You know we don''t actually have to use them anymore, right?¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°We have access to the entire military now. We can take anyone.¡± When they''d originally come up with this plan, there was an assumption that the military would be busy defending the City, so they wouldn''t be able to let anyone go to help Chris gather minions, but that wasn''t exactly the case. They could at least afford to give them a Platoon or two.


    ¡°I know, and I talked it over with my dad, but there are two issues. First, the military is designed to fight the people in the Maze, not to talk to them. Their first instinct is always going to be to treat them as a threat. That''s what they''ve been trained for. Second, there are definitely spies hidden in our ranks, and we can''t afford to let them get to the people you care about.¡± Beth explained.


    ¡°Good point.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°If either side gets their hands on you, this whole thing is over. I''ll do whatever they ask. Honestly, as long as I can keep you safe, everyone else can go fuck themselves.¡±


    ¡°Chris, you can''t damn everyone just for me!¡± Beth protested, though she couldn''t keep the smile off her face.


    ¡°Oh, I absolutely could. Damn them right to hell, with a big bow on top.¡± Chris replied seriously. ¡°I have an appreciation for other people, but you''re the only one I actually care about. If it''s a choice between your safety or literally anything else, I''m choosing your safety. So stay safe, alright? Or don''t give me a choice. If you die, I''m back to just doing what''s right. Not that I''d be happy about it, but I''d be doing it.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°What, no swearing eternal vengeance on whoever dares harm me?¡±


    Chris wiggled his hand. ¡°Eh? I''m not a vengeance kind of guy. What''s the point in making someone suffer for something that''s already happened? I''ll do whatever I can to make sure you live, but once you die, it isn''t like vengeance will bring you back. Though, if someone is out to hurt you, then the right thing to do would probably be to punish them brutally so they''d never think of doing something like that again¡­ but it wouldn''t be about vengeance.¡±


    Beth glared at him for a moment, before letting out a huff. ¡°Let''s just get you to the point where you can form a connection with me. Then we won''t have to worry about any of this.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Good idea.¡±


    *


    It took them a total of four days to get from the first level to the fifth, or at least until they were sure they were on the fifth. The levels weren''t exactly labeled, but once they found evidence of tribal activity, they were certain they were in the right area, since tribes didn''t exist below the fifth level. ¡°Guess we have our first target.¡± Chris commented, examining the organized claw marks on the tunnel wall. ¡°Looks like a kobold tribe.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Zack cheered. ¡°No traps!¡±


    The rest of the squad rolled their eyes, though secretly they agreed. Kobolds were one of the most straightforward races in the Maze, preferring to settle everything through combat, and they despised traps, seeing them as something only a coward would use. ¡°That doesn''t mean we should get complacent.¡± Chris commented. ¡°Sometimes imps will disguise their territory with kobold markings to make people less alert.¡±


    Zack froze, then let out a groan. ¡°I hate the Maze.¡±


    ¡°Alright, scouting formation.¡± Nadia snapped, getting everyone back on track as they moved into position, Beth and her taking the front while Zack and Derek took the back, with Chris and Carmen in the middle, prepared for an attack from either side. She glanced at Jo, who was still sticking around. ¡°You should probably head back to the space.¡± Jo hesitated for a moment before nodding, ducking into a freshly opened portal.


    Chris sent out his rats to scout, looking for more tribal signs, trying to figure out which direction they needed to go to get to the tribe. ¡°This way.¡± He announced as he found the next sign, pointing down the tunnel as Beth took the lead. They continued to make their way closer to the tribe, finally confirming it was indeed a kobold tribe when one of Chris''s rats spotted a hunting party. ¡°Just three. Returning with a kill. Looks like it wasn''t easy.¡± Chris reported, making a map of the area in his space and opening a portal over it to show the squad.


    ¡°We should take them for intel.¡± Beth replied. ¡°Nadia?¡±


    Nadia considered it for a moment. ¡°Do you think Jello can get close enough to gauge their power levels?¡±


    ¡°Sure, if I give her Sidulpek''s ability. Give me a moment.¡± Chris nodded, sending a mental message to Jello and pushing Sidulpek''s ability to her, along with Tibolt''s for insurance, then opening a portal for her near the kobolds. She cloaked herself in shadow as she transformed into a long snake, creeping closer until she could sense their energy and reporting back. ¡°They''re all low mid-tier. She says one''s energy looks wavy, the other looks sharp, and the last seems¡­ thready? Similar to T''ka¡¯s, but slightly off.¡±


    Nadis blinked. That was more information than she''d been expecting. She hadn''t realized Jello''s energy sense was that precise. ¡°Okay¡­ I have no idea what wavey means, but sharp seems like damage and thready seems like control. Who''s carrying the kill?¡±


    ¡°Sharp.¡± Chris answered.


    ¡°Okay then¡­ Alright, here''s the plan.¡± Nadia began. Chris took the squad to the next split, where they set up an ambush. Derek would charge sharp with his shield while Beth took out thready and Jello dropped on wavey from behind, while the rest of the squad waited to support.


    ¡°Do you think we''re overly cautious?¡± Zack wondered as they stood over the three unconscious kobolds.


    ¡°Would you rather be dead?¡± Nadia asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I can make that happen.¡±


    Zack coughed. ¡°Forget I said anything.¡±


    ¡°We always do.¡± Derek grinned, patting him on the shoulder.


    ¡°Let''s get them inside.¡± Beth ordered, picking up stringy as Chris opened a portal.


    Derek let out an ¡®oof¡¯ as he grabbed sharp. ¡°These guys are dense.¡±


    Zack pointed at the little girl carrying a kobold one handed. While skipping. ¡°Maybe you''re just weak?¡±


    Derek scowled at him. ¡°I dare you to arm wrestle Jello.¡±


    They carried the kobolds into Chris''s space, getting them restrained as Chris called T''ka over to talk to them. Even though he understood the kobold language, he still couldn''t make the right clicking coughing sounds to actually speak it. T''ka froze the moment she caught sight of the captured kobolds. [Sister!] She hissed, taking a step towards thready in shock.


    Chris blinked, rapidly processing that exclamation, before letting out a weary sigh. ¡°This is starting to get old.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Guess who''s tribe we found.¡± Chris replied.


    Beth''s eyes widened. ¡°No way, seriously?!?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°My life officially has too many coincidences in it.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure we reached that mark when we met Alex.¡± Beth grumbled, shaking her head. ¡°At least this one seems benign.¡±


    T''ka knelt next to her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder. [Ri¡¯ka¡­] or something like that at least.


    Chris waved his hand and Ri''ka woke up with a gasp, struggling against her restraints for a moment before freezing as she noticed T''ka. [T-T''ka?!?]


    T''ka smiled. [It''s me.]


    [What- where have you been!?! Where are we?!? What''s going on!?!] Ri''ka demanded.


    [I was captured by humans and now- I serve this man.] T''ka explained, gesturing to Chris.


    ¡°Yo.¡± Chris waved.


    Ri''ka''s eyes widened. [You led them to us!?!]


    [No!] T''ka immediately denied. [I swear, I had nothing to do with this! Though¡­ I would have.] She admitted. [There are advantages to being Chris''s minion, and very few downsides. If the tribe agreed, we''d never have to fear the humans again!]


    ¡°Also, the Maze is about to get razed by the armies of the elves and the doppelgangers, so we''re their best chance at survival.¡± Chris added. T''ka nodded, repeating what Chris said for Ri''ka. ¡°I need a translation ability.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Or telepa- huh.¡± He paused, shifting into his elfish form, sending his thoughts towards Ri''ka. *Hey, can you hear me?*


    Ri''ka froze. [How-]


    *Telepathy. Neat huh?* Chris grinned. *Anyway- hold on.* Chris frowned, trying to project his intentions and the nature of his space to her, trying to skip putting it all into words. And¡­ she passed out. ¡°Ah, shit. Guess that was a little much.¡±


    [Ri¡¯ka!] T''ka exclaimed, turning to Chris. [What did you do!?!]


    ¡°I tried to skip an annoying conversation.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°I''m pretty sure she''s fine. It should just be like when I sent you the human language. And if it worked, she should know everything we''re trying to do here.¡± T''ka grimaced, remembering that less than pleasant experience. ¡°I guess we should move on to the other-¡± He cut off as Ri''ka gasped awake. ¡°Nevermind, I guess¡­¡± *So, what did you get?*


    Ri''ka stared at him in shock, the only thing coming from her mind a mix of fear and¡­ reverence? [You- You- what are you?!?]


    *A living space?* Chris offered.


    Ri''ka shivered. *More like a bound god.*


    Chris cocked his head. *That''s actually not a bad way to put it.*


    Ri''ka froze, her eyes widening. *How-*


    *Telepathy, remember? Talk, think, whatever you want, I hear it.* Chris shrugged. *Anyway, what do you think? Down with the connection? Getting the tribe on board? All that.*


    Ri''ka hesitated, Chris watching her process everything, finding her thought process rather interesting. It wasn''t happening in words, but instead more like a web of connections forming together and breaking apart over and over. From what he could tell, she seemed to have already accepted that Chris would be taking the tribe, and was working out how to make the process as painless as possible. *If he can defeat the chief¡­* A thought formed into words as she came towards the end of her consideration.


    *Do you think that would be difficult?* Chris sent skeptically.


    Ri''ka scowled at him. [Stop doing that!] She fell back into thought, going over her idea a few more times, conspicuously avoiding putting the thoughts into words, though one or two broke through every now and then. [Okay, yes, you need to defeat the chief. But you need to defeat her as a kobold. And she''s a high-tier.]


    Chris frowned. ¡°Well¡­ that does make things more difficult.¡±

 Space: 43 - Kobolds (2)

    Ka''lyctso, Chief of the Rough Scale Tribe, was bored. Not that this was exactly new. Ka''lyctso had been bored since she wrested the position of chief from her predecessor and found herself with nothing left to do. She couldn''t hunt, because the chief had to stay back to protect the tribe. She couldn''t take any territory, because despite her personal power, the rest of the tribe wasn''t strong or numerous enough to hold any more territory than they already had. Occasionally a group of goblins from the nearby tribe would attempt a raid, giving Ka''lyctso a brief moment of excitement, but after their last four attempts ended with the entire group melted into sludge, even those had stopped. She couldn''t even fuck, because none of the weakling males in the tribe were worth her time! Whatever strange quirk of fate had gifted her her strength had yet to repeat itself, leaving her alone in her superior position. Maybe if she abandoned her tribe to climb higher up the Maze, she could find a worthy partner, but she wasn''t so desperate that she would abandon the tribe that had birthed and raised her. And so, she remained bored.


    [Chief!] Ka''lyctso''s assistant Kit''ka rushed into her ¡®throne room¡¯, a hollowed out section in the wall of the cavern the tribe lived in. [Ri''ka and her group have returned, and they brought a stranger!]


    [So?] Ka''lyctso yawned. [Are they strong?]


    Kit''ka gulped. [I don''t know, but¡­ they''ve issued a challenge! They wish to battle for control of the tribe!]


    Ka''lyctso''s eyes widened, grinning as she jumped to her feet. [Well why didn''t you say so?!? Let''s go!] She swept out of the throne room, marching towards where the rest of her tribe was gathered around the stranger. [Who dares-!] She began, looking to rile up her opponent so they''d give her a good fight, only to blanch, her mouth going dry as she caught sight of the handsomest kobold she''d ever seen. The smooth, glossy scales, the taper of his snout, the wicked glint of his claws¡­ Ka''lyctso shuddered as his cool gaze turned on her.


    [You''re the chief?] Chris asked. Ka''lyctso nodded stiffly. [Good. I wish to take control of your tribe-]


    [Okay. You can have it.] Ka''lyctso agreed.


    Chris blinked. [Aren''t we supposed to fight first? So I can prove I''m stronger?]


    Ka''lyctso''s eyes dilated as she purred. [Yesss~ Prove your strength to me~] The rest of the tribe looked away awkwardly as Kit''ka let out a groan.


    Chris scratched his head, glancing at an embarrassed looking Ri''ka. *Do I just attack her now?* He asked through their connection.


    Ri''ka coughed. *I think you might get more than the tribe if you do.*


    *Then what should I do?* Chris asked.


    *I don''t know! I didn''t expect you to seduce the chief like this!* Ri''ka frowned. *She must be lonelier than I thought¡­*


    Chris''s expression twisted slightly as he glared at the dazzled kobold chief. [Okay, let''s start with this. I have a space that lets me form connections with others, putting them under my control and letting me borrow their abilities for various benefits including the ability to open portals to the space and anyone connected to the space, communicating telepathically, and limited immortality. I want to connect your entire tribe to my space, for various reasons, but largely because I want to connect everyone in the Maze to my space, and I believe there are more benefits than downsides. Particularly since the main downside is that you have to do what I say, and I have no intention of ordering you around any more than is absolutely necessary. What do you all think?]


    They all looked to Ka''lyctso, but she was still staring at Chris in a daze, so instead Kit''ka stepped forward. [Why do you want our tribe? What''s so special about us?]


    Chris shrugged. [Nothing. As I said, I want everyone. You''re just the first tribe I ran into.]


    Kit''ka frowned. [But why? To fight for you?]


    Chris cocked his head. Why did he want to turn everyone in the Maze into his minion? The original plan was so he could keep the Maze and by extension the City safe, but that¡­ wasn''t exactly an option anymore. Not with the elves and the doppelgangers running around. There was something to be said for having more minions so he could have access to more abilities, but honestly he didn''t need a ton of abilities. If anything, he should be focusing on getting better at using the abilities he did have, rather than trying to collect a bunch of new ones. He could use an army to help him fight, but honestly he didn''t need more minions, he needed stronger minions, and that meant strengthening his space. So what he should be doing was killing everyone in the tribe and absorbing their ability energy, except maybe one or two of the most powerful. That''d be the smart thing to do.


    However, that idea didn''t sit right with him. He thought back to his conversation with Beth about why people sucked, and it felt like if he went down that path, it wouldn''t just be the inevitable factors of life making him suck, he''d be choosing to suck, and he didn''t like that idea. The honest truth was that even if there wasn''t any need to make these people his minions, he wanted to do it to make their lives better. To give them a chance at being something more. Because if the problem with people was groups, then why not get rid of groups, and just have one group? His group.


    Chris smiled at Kit''ka. [There might be some fighting, yes, and I may have you do some things for me, though nothing you would already be interested in doing, but ultimately my goal is to create peace. Because once everyone is connected to me, then they''ll have no more reasons to fight each other.]


    [And what will you do if we refuse?] Kit''ka asked skeptically.


    Chris sighed. [I could try to force you, but that would take a lot of time and effort I''d really rather not waste on people who aren''t interested in helping me.] Chris paused, considering what he''d actually be willing to do if they said no. [I''ll just move on to the next tribe.] He finally shrugged. He didn''t need more minions after all. His primary focus at the moment should be hunting and growing his space. He was doing this to help them, and if they didn''t want his help, that was on them.


    Kit''ka hesitated, looking around. [Can- can you explain the benefits of joining you again?] Chris carefully went over the benefits of his space again, the kobolds sharing mixed looks as he did. They weren''t dumb and they could see that if what Chris was saying was true, it would benefit them immensely. But it seemed almost too good to actually be true. There had to be some sort of catch, right? He''d turn around and force them to fight until they died or something. But then they''d just end up stuck in his space¡­ which was supposedly very nice. Or at least it would be once he grew it more.


    [Well I''m doing it!] Ka''lyctso declared.


    Chris scowled at her. [Are you doing it because you think it''s a good idea, or because you''re attracted to me?]


    [Can''t it be both?] Ka''lyctso replied, shooting him a wink.


    [You do realize I''m not actually a kobold, right?] Chris added. He''d added enough details that he was pretty sure everyone understood he was just using a kobold form.


    [As long as you function like a kobold, does it really matter?] Ka''lyctso grinned.


    [I''m already with someone else.] Chris shook his head.


    Ka''lyctso paused at that, then shrugged. [Things change. Besides, even if I can''t be with you, you''re going to be approaching other kobolds, right? Some higher up? Some who are powerful? All of whom you''ll be connecting to? This is the best chance I''ve had to find a worthy partner in years! Plus I''ll be able to travel! Since the tribe will always be a portal away, there''s no reason I have to stay here all the time! It''s perfect!]


    Chris raised an eyebrow. That actually made sense¡­ [Fine, you can join. But I wouldn''t bet on things changing.] He opened a portal to his currently empty private space. [Just step inside and don''t resist.] Ka''lyctso stepped through, accepting the connection readily before stepping back out with a victorious grin. [Alright, who''s next?]


    *


    In the end, the rest of the tribe ended up becoming his minions as well, though some just seemed to do it because they didn''t want to be the only ones who didn''t. Chris gave them some basic instructions, mostly just asking them to get him more energy, before retreating into his space. ¡°So, we have a kobold tribe, but I think we need to change our strategy.¡± Chris announced as he walked into Beth''s room. The squad had split up to do their own thing while Chris dealt with the kobolds, since there was no way they were going to rush into the middle of a tribe of pissed off kobolds if things went wrong. Chris would just have to escape and they''d have come up with a different plan.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Beth raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, let me ask you this. What does having more minions actually do for me?¡± Chris replied.


    Beth frowned. ¡°It- makes you stronger?¡±


    ¡°Does it?¡± Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°I mean sure, I could throw a bunch at a problem and it would probably go away, but it''d also leave me with a bunch of pissed off people now stuck in my space for the rest of eternity. And depending on when it happens, it could get pretty cramped in there. Otherwise, it gives me a wider variety of abilities to pull on, but it doesn''t actually make me any stronger. To get stronger I need to mutate and grow my space.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ but it''s still useful to have more minions.¡± Beth pointed out. ¡°First of all, you know you can trust them. Second, you can use them to help you grow your space and find places to mutate. Third, sometimes you need to send a bunch of minions at a problem, even if the end result isn''t pretty.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I agree, and I''m not saying we should stop recruiting minions, I''m just thinking we shouldn''t make it our primary focus. I think our main priority should be growing my space, followed by mutating, and picking up minions should be more of a matter of convenience. I think we''re still in the mindset of trying to control the Maze, which isn''t really an option anymore. What we need to do is get stronger.¡±


    Beth hesitated for a moment. ¡°I think you''re right, but I think your minions are more important than you might think. The process of getting everyone out of the City-¡±


    ¡°Would go a lot smoother if we used humans, not random creatures from the Maze.¡± Chris cut her off. ¡°Which is more reason to make my space stronger.¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°The problem is I don''t know how many people are actually going to be interested in being connected to your space. For the people in the Maze, where death is practically a daily occurrence, a connection with you is a guarantee that even if they do die, it isn''t the end. But for the people in the City¡­ They''ll want access to your space, so they can stay young, but I don''t think enough of them see death as enough of an issue to risk a connection. I think a lot of them would be worried about something much worse than death. Without knowing you, the control you have over the people connected to you is¡­ terrifying. Plus, your space needs to get a lot bigger before it''s an attractive option for people to live in.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°I guess I could see that¡­ fine, I guess we can keep focusing on collecting minions.¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°No, I think you have a point. We shouldn''t be acting like collecting minions is the answer to our problems. We need to be hunting and growing your space too. It''s just that we need to do both, not one or the other.¡± She considered their options for a moment. ¡°Okay, I think today''s events have shown that the squad isn''t going to be the best for approaching tribes. We can help capture a few to start, but ultimately we can''t communicate and we''ll be attacked on sight. So, we should focus on hunting and marking down any tribes we find for others to contact. Daniel can help with that as well, but the others¡­ I honestly don''t know what to do with them.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think we can use Jo and Salvador to approach tribes.¡± Chris commented. ¡°They can shapeshift like I can, so they won''t be attacked on sight, and if anyone has experience blending into a foreign culture it''s them.¡±


    Beth snorted. ¡°True, but I was referring more to the rich kids. You know, the ones with power but no training in how to use it?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I actually have two ideas for that. First, if we''re going to be collecting more minions, we''re going to need an organizational structure. We can put them to work on that, coordinating with the tribes so things run smoothly. Second¡­ Well, it depends on whether they''re willing to become my minions or not. If they are, then I can just give them all my training. Hell, I can give them the whole squad''s training, except yours. They''ll still need to work to get their muscle memory and physique up to speed, but they''ll at least know what to do. After they get over the headache, of course.¡±


    ¡°That could work.¡± Beth muttered. ¡°Plus, we really should get the rest of the squad connected to you. Just being able to communicate without talking would be a good enough reason to do it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but the problem is we''d leave you out, which kinda defeats the point.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°You know, that kinda makes your point for you. The whole reason we haven''t connected the whole squad to me yet is because there''s no reason for it unless you expect to die, and none of us expect to die, despite the fact that we regularly work in the Maze.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if the people closest to you aren''t jumping on board, it''s probably a bad sign.¡± Beth agreed. ¡°But now we have to talk about what we''re going to do with you.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Me? I''m- with the squad, right?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°I don''t think we can afford to be as cautious as we''ve been. Honestly, I think the squad should split as well. Probably me, Carmen, and Nadia, then Derek, Zack, and Girolt. We''ll take another minion or two for utility, and access to your space, but keeping us all together is inefficient, especially when it comes to you. You have multiple abilities you can use at the equivalent of a superior-tier! You don''t need the help of a squad, at least not on this level. Maybe once we start getting into the upper levels, but right now? Sticking with us is a waste.¡±


    Chris grimaced. ¡°I see your point, but I can''t say I like the idea of walking around the Maze on my own.¡±


    ¡°I know, I''d much rather be with you too, but we can''t afford to do anything less than everything we can right now.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°Ugh, we should really be going now.¡±


    ¡°Let''s take care of the rich kids first.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Then yeah, we should probably get to work.¡±


    *


    To Beth''s complete lack of surprise, the rich kids weren''t exactly jumping up and down to connect to Chris, even if it would essentially let them skip boot camp. Katerina seemed excited by the idea of helping Chris organize his minions at least, and a few of the others at least seemed interested in helping. As for the rest¡­ ¡°I''ll train them.¡± Daniel declared, crossing his arms.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sure, go for it, but you realize we don''t have months to get them up to speed, right? If they want to be useful, we need them to be out hunting in a matter of days, maybe a week. Otherwise, we might as well just send them back to the City. I mean, do what you want, but I don''t think it''s going to be very productive.¡±


    Daniel deflated slightly, before scowling at him. ¡°That''s our business. We aren''t becoming your minions just to skip training!¡±


    ¡°Suit yourselves. It''s not like I''m going to force you or anything. I was just letting you know your options.¡± Chris shrugged, turning to leave. ¡°Think we should still connect the rest of the squad?¡± He asked Beth.


    ¡°It''s up to them.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°If there''s no one who needs their training, there isn''t much point.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°True.¡±


    They quickly got the squad together, and Chris offered to connect them. ¡°Sure, I''m down.¡± Derek agreed. ¡°It would be convenient to be able to get to my room on my own, without needing you or your minions to open portals for me.¡±


    ¡°Plus we could redesign our rooms ourselves.¡± Carmen added. ¡°The outlet in my room is just an inch too far away from my night stand, and it''s been bugging the shit out of me.¡±


    ¡°And it isn''t like we didn''t know it was going to happen someday.¡± Zack muttered. ¡°Why not today?¡±


    Nadia hesitated. ¡°I''m- not so sure I want to. Not that I think there''s anything wrong with it, it''s just- it''s a decision you can''t take back, and if I don''t have to, I''d rather not.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I get that. I was just thinking that since we''re pretty much living in the Maze right now, and especially since we''re going to be splitting up, you might want the extra security.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we''re doing what now?¡± Zack interjected. ¡°Why the hell would we split up?!?¡±


    ¡°Efficiency.¡± Beth replied. ¡°Let''s face it, the whole squad together is overkill for this section of the Maze. I think we should split into two melee, defender, ranged groups and then send Chris off on his own. We''ll take Girolt to make up the extra defender.¡±


    ¡°Or you could take Jello and I''ll just give her Girolt''s ability.¡± Chris offered. ¡°She''s not going to want to stay back anyway and a high-tier defender will be better than a mid-tier.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°That could w-¡± She suddenly froze, her eyes widening as she realized something. ¡°Wait, Chris, you can give your minions each other''s abilities too!¡±


    Chris frowned at her. ¡°Yeah? Why?¡±


    ¡°You can give your minions-¡± She gestured to the squad. ¡°-multiple abilities!¡±


    The rest of the squad''s eyes widened as she caught what she was saying. ¡°Okay, now I''m definitely on board.¡± Derek commented. ¡°Oh, dibs on Cabbage''s ability!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I think I''m going to use Cabbage''s ability myself.¡± Chris replied. ¡°And Dyrdek''s. Then something ranged¡­ or maybe I should just use my bow? Yeah, no, definitely the bow. Using two abilities is already going to be a significant drain on my potential energy.¡±


    ¡°Shit, good point¡­¡± Derek muttered. At his level, trying to support two heavy use abilities would just take him out of the fight that much faster. He needed something he''d only need to use a handful of times to get him out of a tight spot. ¡°Tibolt''s then?¡±


    ¡°I think Firbolt''s ability would pair well with my wind blades.¡± Zack offered. ¡°Give them a bit of an extra kick.¡±


    Carmen frowned. ¡°I could use Fribolt''s? I don''t know, I don''t think any of your minions'' abilities mesh all that well with mine.¡±


    ¡°I did just get a whole batch of kobolds.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Maybe there''s something good in there? Plus I should probably see about mixing around their abilities anyway.¡±


    ¡°Let Katerina deal with that.¡± Beth waved dismissively. ¡°That''s what she''s there for, isn''t it?¡± She glanced at Nadia. ¡°Do you still not want the connection?¡±


    Nadia hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Fine, I''ll take it. But I''m getting Fribolt''s ability!¡±

 Space: 44 - Complications

    Chris stalked through the tunnels of the Maze in his elfish form, bow at the ready as he approached a pack of four spined wolves. He narrowed his eyes, raised the bow, and loosed an arrow, the largest one yelping as it pierced into its side, collapsing as the arrow found its heart. The other wolves whirled on Chris, snarling angrily as they dashed towards him, Chris only having enough time to let loose one more arrow, which only managed to lodge itself in one''s shoulder, then they were on him. A rocky carapace quickly covered Chris as he backed away, slinging his bow on his back as his hands grew claws and began to glow a sickly green. A wolf lunged for his throat, fangs glowing red, but he stepped into it, the wolf slamming into his chest as his claws raked across its side. The next wolf barked and a burst of fire shot towards him, slamming against his carapace with little to no effect as he charged it, a wall of fire erupting between them courtesy of the final wolf, which Chris ignored, leaping through and sinking his claws through the wolf''s hide. The last wolf turned to run, only to slam into one of Chris''s barriers, stunning it until Chris arrived to give it a dose of venom as well.


    Chris let his carapace dissipate as he went around finishing off the wolves and tossing them into his space, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Barely mid-tier. I need to move higher.¡± They''d been hunting on the fifth level for a few days now, and while they were making progress, Chris couldn''t help but feel like they could be doing better. Mostly because Chris literally couldn''t struggle against the creatures on this level, unless he wanted to try and take an entire tribe on himself, which- well, he''d thought about it, but he hadn''t found a tribe that deserved to be exterminated yet. The biggest issue was that while a tribe might have a high-tier or two that could put up a challenge, the animals in the Maze didn''t stick around on the lower levels, instead moving as high as their power could support, so on the fifth level, they were all just barely mid-tier, which wasn''t a challenge for Chris at all. Even worse, a lot of them were mid-tier physique, which meant Chris barely got anything energy wise. No, he needed to be on the eighth level, at least. Hell, if he was going to insist on fighting animals instead of tribes, he''d probably need to get to the ninth or tenth. And if he really wanted to challenge himself, he''d head to the thirteenth. That might be a bit too risky though¡­ pushing yourself was good, but the City was counting on him to be strong, and risking losing all his ability energy just because he wanted a challenge would be incredibly selfish. No, he needed to make sure he was always in a position where he could at least escape, if not win.


    Still, the bigger issue was how the hell was he supposed to actually get up there? He could have Jo carve him another tunnel, but that would mean involving the squad, and as much as he thought he should be on a higher level, he couldn''t say the same for the others. They''d probably do fine on the sixth or seventh, and the eighth would be challenging, but still doable, but there was no way they would cut it on the ninth. With the exception of Beth, they were all upper mid-tiers, and while their training would help them fight higher than their tier, it wouldn''t help them if some creature with a strange ability ambushed them. Even low-tiers could be dangerous if they managed to ambush you, and if it was a high-tier, it wouldn''t just be a serious injury. And if it was a pack of high-tiers¡­ Chris shuddered.


    So, the question was whether he could get to a higher level without the squad. With Tibolt''s ability, he could teleport over fifty meters, but the ability was line of sight, so he couldn''t use it to get higher. If he could find a tunnel using his spatial sense, he could open a portal to it, but his spatial sense didn''t move through rock very well, so finding a tunnel in range was hard. Chris paused as something occurred to him. If his spatial sense could reach through walls¡­ could he move through walls? Not with his body of course, but as the space?


    Chris opened a portal, stepping inside, focusing on his spatial sense, and attempting to move it. It didn''t work. ¡°Well, shit.¡± Chris sighed, then paused again, opening a small portal and moving that. Which did work. Chris grinned as his portal flew towards the wall of the tunnel, only to hit the wall and stop. ¡°Fuck!¡± Chris cursed, glaring through the portal at the wall, before pausing a third time, remembering Jacobs demonstration with the stick. He turned the portal sideways and¡­ it slipped through the wall! It was moving a lot slower than it usually did, but it was definitely faster than trying to dig a tunnel upwards. Like, a lot faster¡­ like he was pretty sure he could get to the ninth level in just an hour or so faster. ¡°Couldn''t have figured this out a week ago?¡± Chris muttered to himself, shaking his head. It would have saved them so much time. But then again, they probably wouldn''t have found T''ka¡¯s tribe if they hadn''t¡­ not that that was terribly important, but it made T''ka happy. Chris sighed, dismissing the thought. Obsessing over the past was a waste of time.


    *Chris, I think you need to see this.* Derek''s voice suddenly echoed in his head with a heavy tone.


    Chris frowned, glancing at the portal that was currently making its way up, before shrugging. He was only losing a few minutes. He opened a portal to Derek and stepped out. ¡°What''s- oh¡­¡± Chris trailed off as the things Derek wanted him to see quickly became apparent. A pile of bodies with holes where someone had obviously reached in and ripped something out. Chris turned to Jello. ¡°Let me guess, no ability cores?¡± Jello nodded seriously. ¡°So¡­ either a tribe has spontaneously developed the ability to sense and make use of ability cores in some way, to the point of hunting without even caring about the meat, or, and much more likely, the elves and the doppelgangers have figured out what we''re doing and now they''re working on clearing the Maze of anything that will let me grow.¡± He paused, glancing at the bodies. ¡°We should probably go¡­ these bodies aren''t that old.¡±


    Chris quickly ushered Derek, Jello, and Zack through a portal, before opening one to Beth, Carmen, and Nadia. ¡°Chris?¡± Beth relaxed, having gone on guard when the portal opened. ¡°What''s going on?¡±


    ¡°It looks like the elves and the doppelgangers might be in the Maze, hunt- shit!¡± Chris cursed, rapidly creating ten barriers covering the entire tunnel as something slammed into them, piercing through four of them before finally stopping, sending Chris to his knees in pain! ¡°Get in the portal!¡± He shouted as another blow landed and his mind started to get hazy. Nadia and Carmen rushed through the portal as Beth grabbed Chris, yanking him through with her, the portal snapping shut behind them.


    ¡°What was that?!?¡± Beth exclaimed, staring at where the portal used to be, her heart pounding, not even wanting to think about what would have happened if Chris hadn''t shown up when he did.


    ¡°That-¡± Chris panted. ¡°-was a doppelganger. I caught them shifting with my spatial sense.¡± He groaned, slumping to the ground. ¡°Fuck that was too close. They were an omega-tier equivalent!¡± If the other half of the squad hadn''t found the bodies, if he''d been any slower¡­ Chris shuddered. He needed more energy. Now. He wouldn''t feel comfortable until he and Beth were connected.


    Carmen gulped. ¡°What are we going to do? If they''re hunting us in the Maze¡­¡±


    ¡°We need to go higher.¡± Beth declared. ¡°The higher levels are larger, so they won''t be able to pin us down as easily. It won''t be an easy journey, but if we''re careful-¡±


    ¡°I can get us higher.¡± Chris cut her off. ¡°Just figured out my portals can travel through rock, and it''ll only take an hour or so to get to the ninth level.¡±


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Beth blinked. ¡°That- okay, good, uh¡­ really? You couldn''t have figured that out a week ago?¡±


    Chris chuckled. ¡°That was my reaction too. But the real question is which level do we want to go to? The ninth? The tenth? Higher?¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, hold on.¡± Zack interjected. ¡°I think we should be looking at the seventh, maybe the eighth. Anything higher is a death sentence!¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°No, he''s right. Any level the City had even a semblance of control over is going to be child''s play for the surface races. The only way we can hide and hunt is in the chaos of the upper levels.¡±


    Zack frowned at her. ¡°Beth, I''m being serious here. If we go up there, we will die! Full stop!¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°I know. But survival isn''t an option anymore. If we try to hunt on the safe levels, the surface races will get us. If we try to hunt on the upper levels, the tribes will get us. If we do nothing, everything we know and love will get destroyed, and we might as well die anyway. The only difference we can make is how much we accomplish before we go, and our best chance to do as much as possible is on the upper levels.¡± She smiled. ¡°And the better we do, the better our new home for the rest of eternity will be.¡±


    Zack just stared at her for a moment, before hanging his head in defeated acceptance. ¡°Fuck.¡± The rest of the squad shared serious looks, giving each other firm nods as they mentally prepared themselves for what they were about to do.


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°You guys do realize I can hunt on my own, right? And I can borrow almost all your abilities, which I can use at a much higher ability power. I mean, I get that you want to help as much as possible, but there''s no need to get suicidal over it. Take a page from Dyrdek''s book, accept what you can and can''t do, and just chill. Just because you can''t fight anymore doesn''t mean you''re useless.¡±


    The squad froze. ¡°Wow, I just experienced some serious emotional whiplash.¡± Zack muttered, rubbing his head. ¡°I was legit ready to die for the cause.¡±


    ¡°Dude, same.¡± Derek shook his head.


    Beth coughed. ¡°Right, uh, let''s- Let''s figure out how to help Chris fight the creatures on the upper levels.¡±


    Nadia rolled her eyes. ¡°He''s going to have to actually try up there, so he''ll need tactics and strategy. Zack, do you think you could put together some electrical support? Carmen, we''re still going to need food. And Derek¡­ moral support?¡±


    Derek rolled his eyes, turning to Chris. ¡°Send me your mechanical knowledge. I''ll work on putting some tools together for you.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Sure. You can even use the space to make it, and then I''ll just use Maddie''s ability to make it.¡±


    Derek frowned. ¡°Who''s Maddie?¡±


    ¡°Alex''s mom.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Who''s Alex?¡± Derek asked, rolling his eyes.


    Chris paused. ¡°That- is a secret.¡± He glanced at Beth. ¡°Should- we have brought him in on this? I- kinda forgot he existed after¡­ you know, all the crap.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think we needed him, but¡­ well, if anyone can help you on the upper levels, it''s him.¡± Beth muttered.


    ¡°He is almost as powerful as I am.¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°Wait, what?!?¡± Zack exclaimed.


    ¡°Is he one of the surface races?¡± Nadia asked. ¡°A turncoat, like your parents?¡±


    ¡°No, he''s human.¡± Chris replied. ¡°It''s a bit complicated.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just a bit.¡± Beth snorted, shaking her head. ¡°Alright, Chris, you work on getting to the upper levels, I''ll talk to Alex. He owes us anyway.¡±


    ¡°I can do both, you know.¡± Chris commented, opening a portal in the Maze and sending it towards the upper levels, then opening a portal to the bug he''d planted on Alex.


    Alex jumped as the portal appeared next to him, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Chris. ¡°You!¡± He roared, stomping through the portal. ¡°What did you do!?!¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ exist? Honestly, this shit just seems to happen, like the world has it out for me. Though I have shown up just in time to save Beth twice now¡­¡±


    Beth grimaced. ¡°That- better not turn into a pattern.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Would you prefer I not show up?¡±


    ¡°I''d prefer not to have to be saved in the first place!¡± Beth threw up her hands in frustration. ¡°I''m a high-tier! I''m supposed to be the one saving people!¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Unfortunately, I don''t think being a high-tier is going to be enough to cut it anymore. Not with the surface races running around.¡± He paused. ¡°Then again, Earth, so maybe not.¡±


    Alex groaned. ¡°I hate talking to you people.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Is it because you have a hard time following the conversation?¡±


    Alex scowled at him. ¡°What do you want?¡± He growled.


    ¡°Oh, I''m going hunting on the¡­ twelfth level?¡± Chris glanced at Beth and Nadia questioningly.


    ¡°With your abilities, that should be fine, but I can''t say anything about him.¡± Nadia muttered, giving Alex a calculating look.


    Beth shook her head. ¡°I think you should go for the eleventh instead. With the chaos in the upper levels, the twelfth could be more like the thirteenth in areas, and you don''t want to end up fighting a pack of superior-tiers.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± He turned back to Alex. ¡°So yeah, we''re doing that. You in?¡±


    Alex frowned. ¡°Why are you going that high? Wouldn''t it be safer to hunt on the eighth or ninth until you get stronger?¡±


    ¡°It would, but there are currently omega-tier equivalent members of the surface races working on clearing those levels of anything with any amount of energy so I don''t get it, and I really have no interest in fighting them over it.¡± Chris explained. ¡°I mean, if I was capable I''d want to stop them from massacring all those people, but¡­ I''m not, so this is what we''re left with.¡±


    Alex hesitated, then sighed. ¡°Fine, I guess I need to get stronger too, and the stronger my opponents are, the better.¡±


    ¡°Hey, remember nine out of ten are mine.¡± Chris reminded him.


    Alex scowled. ¡°Are you really going to insist on that with everything going on?!?¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure that''s why I have to insist on it.¡± Chris replied. ¡°The stronger my space, the more resistant my portals will be to disruption, which could be the difference between life and death for thousands of people. On the other hand, you could be as strong as you want, and it won''t change the fact that there are a hundred floors of the City that need to be evacuated simultaneously.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°Fine. But I still get to choose the one I take.¡±


    ¡°With permission, yes.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°Okay, seriously, who is this guy?¡± Derek asked, looking between Chris and Beth.


    Chris glanced at Alex. ¡°It''s your secret, but they''re going to need to know what you can do so they can figure out our tactics and build you gear.¡±


    ¡°I- fine, whatever.¡± Alex agreed, looking uncomfortable.


    Chris nodded, turning back to the squad. ¡°Alright, Alex is from Earth. He played the game, learned about everything, then died, and reincarnated or transmigrated or whatever you want to call it over here, merging with- Alex. The other one¡­ it''s complicated. Anyway, he got the capability to absorb the energy of anything he killed and gain their ability and form, or strengthen one of the abilities and forms he already has. Also, he''s the shooter, so he owes me energy. We met because I healed his mom. She''s nice. Also my minion now.¡±


    The squad just stared at him for a moment. ¡°Chris¡­ your life is officially too weird.¡± Derek sighed, shaking his head.

 Space: 45 - The upper levels (1)

    Chris''s head peeked out of a portal, looking around. ¡°So¡­ does anyone have any idea what the eleventh level is supposed to look like? Cause I think I''m lost.¡±


    ¡°I- think you might just have to wander around and see what you find.¡± Beth replied, glancing through the portal. The tunnel was larger than the tunnels on the lower levels, and there was a lot more vegetation, but she didn''t know enough about the upper levels to tell exactly where they were. She just hoped they were beyond the tenth.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Chris sighed. He still wasn''t a hundred percent from the blow from the doppelganger, but he was good enough that he didn''t have a good reason not to go right now. ¡°Alright, come on Alex, let''s go.¡± He waved for him to follow as he stepped through the portal, closing it behind them. ¡°Do you have any good scouting abilities? I usually send rats to scout ahead, but I''m not sure how well they''d do on this level.¡±


    ¡°I have vision enhancement, but that isn''t much use in the Maze¡­¡± Alex muttered. ¡°I can go almost perfectly undetectable and search ahead myself?¡±


    Chris clicked his tongue. ¡°I have got to pick up something for that. I mean, I have Sidulpek''s shadow smoke stuff, but it''s only really stealthy in the dark, and the tunnels keep getting brighter as we go up. Though keeping it up would drain my potential energy¡­¡± In general, the amount of times someone could use their ability per day was equal to the square of their ability power, so at thirteen point four, Chris only had about a hundred and eighty charges a day, which translated to about a hundred and eighty minutes of persistent effects. Assuming he''d need two abilities to completely conceal himself, that''d mean he could only keep it up for about an hour and a half per day. Good enough for a fight, but not sustainable for prowling through the Maze. ¡°How long can you keep yours up?¡±


    ¡°I can cloak myself for about two hours, but I only have half an hour of invisibility.¡± Alex answered. ¡°Creatures with invisibility are hard to find.¡±


    Chris snorted. ¡°I think that''s kind of the point.¡± He paused. ¡°Wait, you need to find creatures with invisibility abilities to strengthen yours?¡±


    Alex nodded. ¡°The ability needs to be at least somewhat similar, and the closer it is, the better. Otherwise a lot of the energy gets wasted.¡±


    "Huh.¡± Chris cocked his head, then shook it. ¡°Anyway, I don''t think we should risk splitting up at the moment. Let''s get a better idea of what we''re dealing with first. Plus, my spatial sense should be good enough to keep us from being surprised. It''s close to ten meters now.¡±


    The two of them made their way down the tunnel, keeping an eye out for any signs of tribes or creatures in the area. Chris sent out a few rats to see how effective they''d be, but before they''d even made it out of the tunnel, one was attacked by a lizard. The increased vegetation and larger tunnels allowed the smaller creatures of the Maze to thrive here, meaning Chris''s rats couldn''t crawl around unnoticed anymore, so Chris sent them back to his space with a sigh.


    ¡°Wait, I''ve got something.¡± Chris announced a few minutes later, crouching down and pushing aside some vines to reveal a large footprint in a bed of moss. ¡°I think¡­ bear? Definitely not something you''d find below the ninth level in any case.¡± Larger creatures like bears were always equivalent to high-tiers simply due to their size. Add in physique and ability, and they could be truly terrifying opponents. ¡°Should be a good test of the general level of power around here.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°You want to fight a bear?¡±


    ¡°To see how strong it is, yes.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°They''re solitary and relatively straightforward opponents, so we shouldn''t have to worry about being surprised and if it''s too strong, it shouldn''t be that hard to escape.¡± He paused. ¡°Also, I don''t think we have much choice.¡± He added, standing up, shifting into his combat form, and growing a rocky carapace as a growl rumbled through the tunnel, the hulking form of a cave bear lumbering into view as it turned a corner and spotted them.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Alex cursed, transforming into a combat form of his own, his skin beginning to glow a steely gray.


    Chris threw up a double layered barrier as the bear swiped at them, wincing slightly as the swipe hit, and¡­ thudded off without even breaking the first layer. His tail lashed out, glowing green as it pierced into the bear''s hide, and the bear roared in pain, twisting and pulling Chris towards it as his tail got lodged inside! Before Chris could react, its jaws dug into his shoulder, stopped by his carapace but trapping him as the bear shook its head, throwing him around until the bear released and sent him flying into a wall! Meanwhile, Alex was darting around, sending a bunch of different attacks at the bear and putting more than a few holes in its hide, but nothing had gone deep enough to truly hurt it yet. The bear whirled on Alex, only for Chris to leap on its back, digging in his claws and pumping Dyrdek''s ability into it, latching on as the bear struggled to throw him off, bashing him against the walls and even rolling on the ground, his carapace keeping him mostly safe as the bear slowly weakened. Finally, after a good four minutes of struggling, the bear finally collapsed from a combination of blood loss and the venom.


    Chris groaned as he turned back to his human form and rolled off the bear. ¡°Did you happen to see what its ability was?¡± Alex shook his head, panting from the exertion of avoiding getting crushed by the bear''s attempts to dislodge Chris. Chris grunted. ¡°Probably not combat related then. It was at about fourteen ability power equivalent, so taking into account the fact that big ass creatures are fucking hard to kill¡­ probably fifteen to twenty on average for this area? That sounds doable. Though we may want to avoid any more bears.¡±


    Alex snorted, then pointed at the bear. ¡°Can I have that? For the form.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Yes. Then help me get it into my space. I wouldn''t mind a bear form myself.¡±


    *


    ¡°Aw, you''re so cute!¡± Beth cooed as Chris and Alex tried out their new bear forms, which, unfortunately, were not the large killing machines they were hoping for. Instead, they were bear cubs, as much like how Chris''s healing made people younger to account for missing limbs, the transformation had made them younger to account for the fact that humans were far from bear sized.


    Chris grimaced as he returned to human form, his space wrapping him in clothes as he did. ¡°Damn. But at least it looks like we can grow into them, if we want to spend a few years as bears.¡±


    ¡°But we don''t have a few years!¡± Alex complained.


    Chris raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Sure we do. There''s no way we''re going to be fighting the surface races any time soon. We''ll have plenty of time to become adult bears. I might even mutate the form a few times.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°But- the City?¡± Alex retorted hesitantly.


    Chris frowned. ¡°Didn''t we just go over this? Our personal power isn''t going to make any difference in evacuating the City. That''s all the space. And minions. Speaking of, how are Jo and Salvador doing on that?¡±


    ¡°We- actually need to talk to you about that.¡± Beth coughed. ¡°Now that the surface races are purging the Maze, we aren''t exactly sure what to do with your minions¡­ if we just leave them there, they''re definitely going to die, but where else are they supposed to go?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Well, we could hide them in my space for a bit¡­ That''s where they''re going to end up anyway if they die, so we might as well let them in before they become permanent residents. Otherwise¡­ the City? We''re going to need them there eventually, aren''t we?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°That- would be a hard sell. My dad would go for it, but the other Generals aren''t as trusting of your abilities, and letting people from the Maze run around the City would make them¡­ uncomfortable.¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Yeah, that makes sense.¡± He paused. ¡°We could probably hide them somewhere on Earth for a bit. They''ve got a lot of empty space over there.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°I don''t think we should risk pissing them off while we''re trying to negotiate for our survival.¡±


    Chris clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn. I have nowhere else to hide them, then.¡±


    Beth grimaced, not thinking of anything either, until it suddenly hit her. ¡°Wait, the inspection zones!¡± She exclaimed.


    Chris blinked. ¡°You think they''d let us use them?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°We don''t even have access to them right now. Without the teleporters, they''re completely cut off. We''ve been trying to figure out if we can save the garrisons stationed in them, or if we have to just abandon them, but now with your new capability¡­¡±


    ¡°I can save them, leaving us with four empty caverns to store a bunch of minions.¡± Chris nodded, catching on to her line of reasoning. ¡°As long as there aren''t any doppelgangers or elves hiding with them¡­ Let me get a minion set up here, then let''s go see the Generals.¡± Chris decided to catch a few of the creatures already living on the level and dominate them before putting them back, since that seemed easier than trying to carve out a niche for his current minions. With the combination of his spatial sense and the newly discovered ability for his portals to pass through things, all he had to do was scoop them into his space and concentrate for a moment before dumping them back out. It was so easy, he ended up dominating a whole tunnel in just a few minutes.


    Chris then stepped back into the space, opening a portal to the military camp, and¡­ waiting. He wasn''t allowed to appear in the City unless absolutely necessary, since if the surface races somehow managed to capture him, or more importantly Beth, then all their efforts would have been for nothing. So the military had set up a designated portal spot using one of his rats and had guards watching it at all times. He just had to open a small portal and wait for one of the Generals to arrive. As they did, he widened the portal slightly, just enough to show his and Beth''s faces, since Alex had wandered off at some point. ¡°Private Vincent, Private Klein.¡± Belinda nodded as she arrived. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°First, the surface races are in the Maze, purging it to keep me from gathering energy.¡± Chris reported. ¡°Secondly, I just figured out I can move my portals through walls, so we''re on what we hope is the eleventh level and out of their range for now. Third, we want to use said ability to move portals through walls to rescue the people trapped in the inspection zones, which I will then use to save my minions from aforementioned purging. I just need some help actually finding them because it''s not easy to tell where you are in the middle of a bunch of rock and stone.¡±


    Belinda blinked. ¡°The inspection zones were all created directly over the bases and the teleportation station. Go to the center of the bases, then straight up, and you should reach them easily.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Got it. Can I just send whoever I find here?¡±


    ¡°That should be fine.¡± Belinda agreed.


    Chris shrunk the portal, aiming it down and sending it flying towards the Vanguard base, since it was the closest, then flying straight up until he arrived in the inspection zone. Evacuating the inspection zone wasn''t all that difficult. All he did was open a portal back to the military camp, and the soldiers rushed out, after a few moments of disbelief. Then Chris closed the portal, dropped a minion, and moved to the next inspection point, after sending his minions in the Maze a warning about the surface races, and telling them to move to the inspection point. He repeated the process three more times, dropping minions off at each inspection point.


    ¡°So¡­ that''s done.¡± Chris commented, turning to Beth. ¡°Back to the eleventh?¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°We''ve been working on saving those people for a week now. And you just did it.¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°Should I not have?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°No, it''s just- every now and then you do something that makes it uncomfortably clear how powerful you are. It''s not a bad thing, it''s just¡­ it kinda makes me wonder what the rest of us are even doing here. You''re just going to get stronger and we''re- we''re going to get left further and further behind.¡±


    Chris grimaced. ¡°I keep saying you don''t need to be strong-¡±


    Beth held up a hand, stopping him. ¡°No, I know, I''m not saying we''re useless. It just- it kind of bums me out that we can''t fight beside you any more. I know fighting isn''t everything, but it''s what we were trained for! And now¡­ we just can''t. And then on Earth, we won''t even have anything to fight! I just- ugh, I have no idea what I''m going to do with my life anymore. I always thought I''d be career military, moving up the ranks, possibly even taking over as Scout General when my dad retires, but now the Scouts aren''t even going to be a thing anymore!¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you also want to be a doctor or something?¡± Chris offered.


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Chris, just think about that for a moment.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°What''s wrong with being a doctor? You can help people get bet- oh. Right. The space.¡± Chris coughed awkwardly. There wasn''t much point in being a doctor when he could just heal everyone.


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, the space.¡± She sighed. ¡°I don''t know, I''m sure I''ll figure something out, but right now it feels like my entire future just got ripped out from under me. I just- I wish I could get stronger too.¡±


    Chris nodded. He wouldn''t mind having Beth, or really the entire squad, along either. But how was he supposed to bring them? They couldn''t mutate without a core, and even if they could, they didn''t have a spot with enough ambient energy to support it, which was why he hadn''t already mutated Jello or any of his other slimes. Plus, it''d take a week, and at the end, they wouldn''t even be human anymore. It wasn''t like they could transform back and forth like him and Al- Chris''s line of thought cut off as an idea hit him. ¡°I- think there''s something we can do. But Alex is going to hate it.¡±

 Space: 46 - The upper levels (2)

    ¡°You want me to become your minion, so you can give your squad my ability?¡± Alex repeated Chris''s request in a numb tone as Beth stared at him intently.


    Chris nodded. ¡°And in order to do so, I''m going to need to drain some of your energy. But, if you let me do this, we''re good. You won''t owe me kills anymore, though if we''re hunting together, we''ll be sharing kills to keep everyone around the same relative power level. The only warning I''ll give is if you get too strong, you''ll be able to break the connection, and then we''ll have to do this again. Or I guess you could just decide you''re done helping us¡­ which is your right, I suppose.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°Can''t you do it without making me your minion?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°No, because in order to share an ability, I need to interact with your spirit, and I can''t do that unless I have a connection to it.¡±


    Alex considered the offer. It would be nice to have more than just him and Chris on the upper levels. Plus, it''d let him specialize more¡­ he could get good at using a few abilities instead of trying to do everything himself. His expression twisted. But he''d have to be Chris''s minion. If this was some sort of trap, all Chris would have to do was order him to never grow beyond a certain point, and he''d be his slave forever! He- wasn''t sure if he wanted to risk that, because he honestly had no idea if he should trust Chris or not. On the one hand, he seemed to be honestly trying to protect humanity, but on the other¡­ everything kept ending up worse! Alex couldn''t point to anything that he could say was Chris''s fault, but still! He couldn''t help but wonder if he was somehow pushing things so that people would have to depend on him and support him until he was powerful enough to turn on everyone, and if he was, the last thing Alex wanted was to be turned into one of his tools.


    Chris sighed as he saw the indecision warring on Alex''s face. ¡°Look, you don''t have to if you don''t want to. It isn''t going to make or break our ability to save the City. It''d just be nice to have more than the two of us working on this.¡± Ultimately the squad getting stronger was a luxury, not a necessity. Chris would love to have their help, but he didn''t need it.


    Beth grimaced. ¡°Can you at least tell us why you don''t want to?¡±


    ¡°I- it just bothers me that once I become his minion, there''s nothing I can do about it.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°If he wants to use me to hurt people, I''ll have to do it!¡±


    Beth scowled at him. ¡°Why would you think Chris would ever use you to hurt someone?!? He doesn''t even force Maze creatures to do things they don''t want to do!¡±


    Alex crossed his arms. ¡°So?!? He could just be pretending to be nice so that when the time comes, he can turn on everyone!¡±


    ¡°Turn on them how?!? What could he possibly do that he couldn''t do already?¡± Beth asked incredulously.


    ¡°He could¡­¡± Alex trailed off, struggling to think of something Chris might do. Turn everyone into his minions? But he could already take most people, and if he drained all their energy, he''d have more than enough to take care of the rest of them¡­ and with the military stuck on the first floor, there wasn''t much anyone could do to resist him. Plus, if he really wanted slaves, he could go to Earth and dominate the people there. The only thing being stronger would do was make it easier. ¡°I- guess nothing?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Beth nodded. ¡°So why would Chris need to use you to do anything? The only reason he even needs your ability is to help us! He can get stronger perfectly fine on his own!¡±


    Alex hesitated. ¡°I- I guess that''s true¡­¡±


    Beth glared at him. ¡°So?!?¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Beth, you can''t push him into it. I know you want this, but it''s his life. He gets to do what he wants with it.¡±


    Beth groaned. ¡°I know, but all his reasons are stupid!¡±


    ¡°Eh? I mean, yeah, I could already hurt people just fine on my own, but it''s also true it''d be easier if I controlled him. I don''t see why I would hurt people, but-¡± Chris paused. ¡°Actually, I did spend the majority of my life being looked down on for being abilityless¡­ a lot of people might hold a grudge over that. I don''t, but there are people who would. Some might even start to resent the City for essentially hanging a death sentence over their head with the Trial¡­ plus the whole thing with my grandparents. You know, now that I think about it, I have more than a few reasons to hate the City, or at least large chunks of it.¡±


    Beth blinked at him. ¡°But- You don''t, right?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly, no.¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°I mean, don''t get me wrong, I''m not happy about it, but it isn''t like hurting anyone is going to fix anything. I''m honestly not sure what to do about it¡­ pretty much have to just chalk it up as a loss and move on, doing my best not to interact with people like that again. They''re really just¡­ not worth my time.¡±


    Beth gave him a concerned look. She forgot Chris''s childhood wasn''t exactly pleasant sometimes. ¡°No, they''re not.¡± She agreed, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. ¡°And I still don''t think it''s a good enough reason to refuse the connection.¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Beth, any reason is good enough. All he really has to say is that he doesn''t want to, and that''s it. No connection. He hasn''t done anything that merits me forcing it on him.¡±


    ¡°He shot you!¡± Beth growled.


    ¡°He did, but he thought he had to to save the City, so¡­¡± Chris shrugged helplessly.


    ¡°Would you kill an innocent man to stop a bomb from going off?!?¡± Beth retorted.


    Chris paused. ¡°Yes? I wouldn''t be happy about it, but one person dying is better than a bunch of people dying, isn''t it? Unless whoever I''m killing could somehow end up saving more people than would die from the bomb if he lived¡­ which, I guess, is our situation. But again, we know Alex isn''t all that bright, so I can''t blame him for not thinking it through.¡±


    ¡°Could you guys please stop calling me stupid?¡± Alex complained.


    ¡°Could you stop being stupid?¡± Beth countered.


    ¡°I''m not!¡± Alex protested.


    ¡°Yes, you are!¡± Beth growled. ¡°Look, if you don''t accept the connection, your ability helps exactly one person. But if you do accept the connection, your ability could help every minion Chris ever has! And the stronger Chris''s minions are, the more stable the portals will be when we evacuate the City! Once his minions go, so do the portals!¡±


    ¡°And the stronger his minions, the easier it will be for him to hurt people with them!¡± Alex shot back.


    ¡°Why would he hurt anyone!?!¡± Beth hissed in frustration.


    ¡°I don''t know, but he could!¡± Alex threw up his hands.


    Beth groaned. ¡°We all could! Everyone, all the time, at any moment, could hurt people! But that doesn''t mean we can''t work together!¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t mean we should make it easier for them to hurt people!¡± Alex countered.


    ¡°Pretty sure this is where we weigh the potential benefits and the potential harm.¡± Chris interjected.


    Beth nodded. ¡°Okay, yeah, look at it that way. How much more harm can Chris do with your ability, than he could without your ability? Hint, the answer is none, because Chris is already more than capable of doing all the harm he wants! All your ability would do is make it faster.¡±


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    ¡°Well¡­ then the benefits are the same!¡± Alex retorted. ¡°All it''d do is make him stronger faster!¡±


    Beth smirked. ¡°Right. And we just so happen to be in a situation where Chris needs to get as strong as he can in as short a period as possible!¡±


    Alex froze. ¡°That- uh, shit.¡±


    ¡°And that''s the other thing!¡± Beth continued. ¡°Chris doesn''t even need to do anything to hurt the City! All he needs to do is leave, and the elves and the doppelgangers will do it for him!¡±


    Alex looked lost. ¡°But- if he wants to do it himself?¡±


    Beth shook her head. ¡°Then he wouldn''t use you or his minions, would he?¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Okay, come on, we''re giving him time to think. You''ve made your point. Any more is just bullying.¡±


    Beth blinked. ¡°Huh? But-¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Chris declared firmly. ¡°If this is going to happen, it''s going to be his decision, not one you forced him into because he doesn''t have the skills to argue back. Even if we don''t agree with his reasons, they''re his reasons. We don''t need his ability badly enough to push him into something he doesn''t want to do, and if you keep going, that''s what''s going to happen. So let''s go.¡±


    Alex watched the clearly unhappy Beth get escorted away by the man he honestly had no idea what to think of. Was this another manipulation? Or was Chris honestly respecting his autonomy? Alex groaned, clutching his head. Maybe he was stupid. Either way, he had a lot to think about.


    *


    While they left Alex to think, Beth retreated to her room to cool off for a bit and Chris went to find Katerina to see how she was doing organizing his minions, finding her talking to Jo and Salvador. ¡°Chris!¡± Jo greeted him, getting up to give him a hug, which Chris returned somewhat awkwardly. Jo pulled back, forcing a smile as she tried not to feel hurt by the fact that her son didn''t feel comfortable hugging her. She''d thought they''d gotten closer while they''d been traveling from the first level to the fifth, but¡­ maybe she was rushing things. ¡°How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, I guess¡­¡± Chris replied. ¡°I was just here to see how Katerina has been doing with the minions. Though I''d also like to see if you two have made any progress approaching any of the tribes we''ve found.¡± He paused. ¡°Probably need to get on that pretty soon¡­ given the circumstances.¡±


    Jo raised an eyebrow. ¡°What circumstances?¡±


    ¡°The surface races are currently purging the Maze.¡± Chris explained. ¡°I assume because they''re trying to keep me from gathering energy, so there''s decent odds the tribes we''ve found will disappear soon.¡±


    Jo''s eyes widened. ¡°That- isn''t good.¡±


    ¡°No, it''s not.¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°How are you going to get energy?¡± Salvador asked, frowning.


    ¡°Oh, we moved to the eleventh level. Turns out I can move through walls.¡± Chris explained. ¡°I just turn my portals sideways and they slip right through.¡±


    Salvador blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ that''s- convenient.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t it?¡± Chris agreed with a slight smile.


    Salvador glanced at Jo. ¡°You didn''t cheat on me with a demigod, did you?¡±


    ¡°Not unless they looked just like you.¡± Jo rolled her eyes, then paused. ¡°Which, since we''re both capable of shape-shifting, is a legitimate possibility¡­¡±


    Salvador sighed. ¡°This is why doppelgangers developed the ability to sense essence.¡±


    ¡°Are- are demigods actually a thing?¡± Katerina asked hesitantly.


    Salvador shrugged. ¡°I have no idea, but I''m running out of plausible explanations for what Chris can do. At this point, it might as well involve divine intervention, don''t you think?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°You all get hung up on the weirdest things. Can we get back to the matter at hand?¡±


    ¡°It seems like you already solved it, didn''t you?¡± Salvador commented. ¡°There''s not much we can do besides avoid the surface races. Even if we wanted to fight our own people, mine and Jo''s abilities aren''t exactly combat focused, so all we''d be doing is fighting with our physiques, and not very effectively. We''re administrators, not fighters, barring a few ill-advised assassination attempts.¡±


    ¡°True, but I''d still like to get all the people we can out of there.¡± Chris replied. ¡°One, because I need more minions anyway, and two, because they don''t deserve to die just because people they probably aren''t even aware of are fighting. Not that we can save anywhere near enough of them, but that doesn''t mean we should ignore the ones we can.¡±


    Salvador blinked. ¡°I see¡­ in that case, we were just discussing the possibility of sending some of your minions out to contact the nearby tribes. We can advise them, but without speaking the language, there isn''t much we can do ourselves. That, and putting together a team to capture members of any race you don''t have minions of yet.¡±


    ¡°And as I was saying, the imps and kobolds are more than willing to approach new tribes for you, but Sidulpek and Dyrdek have no interest in talking to the goblins.¡± Katerina added. ¡°Dyrdek thinks they''d sooner kill him than listen to him, and Sidulpek seems to hate them even more than most humans do. I almost think she''d be happy to see them wiped out.¡±


    ¡°From the little she''s told me, I don''t exactly blame her.¡± Chris muttered. Goblins had what he''d begun to think of as a bully culture. Emphasizing strength wasn''t exactly rare in the Maze, since being strong was literally how you survived, but goblins took it to an extreme. If you couldn''t resist, then anyone could do anything they liked to you, and since Sidulpek''s ability didn''t give her any way to fight back¡­ her time in the Maze had been rough. Honestly, Chris wasn''t even sure he wanted to take in an entire tribe of goblins. He''d gotten lucky with Dyrdek and Sidulpek, but having an entire swarm of those little assholes connected to him made him want to find a way to kill people connected to him permanently, just in case. ¡°Hold off on the goblins for now.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°I''ll need to think about how to deal with them myself.¡±


    ¡°We''ll get started on the others then.¡± Jo nodded, turning to Katerina. ¡°If you could send us a few of the more¡­ eloquent volunteers?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Katerina smiled. ¡°I already have a list, I just need to know where to send them.¡±


    ¡°I''ll leave you guys to it, then.¡± Chris went to leave, but Katerina stopped him.


    ¡°Wait! I actually need to talk to you. Kal- K''al- ugh, the kobold chief is refusing to listen to anyone but you unless we can defeat her in a duel.¡± She explained.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is she causing problems?¡±


    Katerina frowned. ¡°No? But she won''t stop running off on her own!¡±


    ¡°So? If she wants to do her own thing, let her.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°But- why would you put me in charge of your minions if you don''t want them to listen to me?!?¡± Katerina asked incredulously.


    ¡°Whoa, hey, I asked you to help organize my minions, I didn''t put you in charge of them.¡± Chris corrected her. ¡°I want there to be a structure in place so people can figure out what they can do to help, but it''s completely voluntary. If someone wants to go off and do their own thing, as long as they aren''t causing problems, who am I to stop them?¡±


    Katerina blinked. ¡°You are the strangest dominator I''ve ever met.¡± She sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Fine, I''ll leave the kobold chief alone.¡±


    Chris gave her a thumbs up. ¡°Sounds good. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°No, that''s it.¡± Katerina replied.


    ¡°Alright, let me know how contacting the tribes goes.¡± Chris waved as he left, considering whether he had anything else to deal with while Alex thought things over. The negotiations with the nations on Earth were out of his hands, Katerina was handling his minions, Jo and Salvador were taking care of getting him new ones, and the squad was dealing with any equipment he''d need¡­ the only real responsibility he had left at the moment was to hunt and grow his space, which he was currently waiting on Alex for.


    Chris paused for a moment, then opened a portal to Beth''s room, falling onto the couch next to her. ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Beth sighed, leaning into him.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Frustrated.¡± Beth grumbled. ¡°If Alex doesn''t agree-¡±


    ¡°It''ll be fine.¡± Chris assured her. ¡°As much as I want you to be there fighting with me, you know it isn''t necessary.¡±


    ¡°I know, but if the only reason I can''t is because some idiot can''t seem to understand you aren''t going to hurt anyone, I-¡± Beth growled, before cutting off with a groan. ¡°I get that it''s his choice, but- ugh, I hate how he acts like you''re some sort of villain when he''s the only one here who''s ever hurt someone!¡±


    ¡°Hey now, I''ve killed you, Derek, and Carmen at least half a dozen times each.¡± Chris retorted, chuckling slightly as Beth shot a glare at him. ¡°But seriously, think about this from his perspective. He gets sent to a world eerily similar to a game he was obsessed with, right after gaining the knowledge he''d need to stop what he considers the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the City, like a mission sent by the divine. He spends months preparing to take down the person he sees as the cause of all the evil that befalls the City, probably painting me as the worst person to ever live in order to psych himself up, because I don''t think he ever fought in the game, let alone real life, so he probably didn''t come out the gate ready to commit cold-blooded murder. And now he''s not only failed, but the thing he feared is happening even earlier than it did before, no one is prepared, and the only person who can do anything about it is the guy he just spent months thinking of as the cause of all this. Can you really blame him for not being ready to put himself under my control? I''m pretty sure the only reason he''s even talking to me is because of his mom. Also, we''ve only interacted with him like three times, and we keep calling him dumb.¡±


    ¡°He is dumb.¡± Beth grumbled, before letting out a sigh. ¡°But I see your point. Because I''m not dumb and I''m fully willing to alter my perspective when presented with a coherent and logical argument.¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Beth, he isn''t even here. You don''t need to keep kicking him.¡±


    ¡°Well sorry, but I just learned he spent months thinking of the man I love as some kind of monster, so I''m not feeling very charitable.¡± Beth retorted with a slight huff.


    Chris let out a light chuckle, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. ¡°I can''t say I''d be all that kind to someone who acted like you were a monster either, so fair. Though, in his defense, I do seem pretty monstrous, in a certain light.¡±


    ¡°But you aren''t a monster.¡± Beth growled. ¡°You''ll never be a monster!¡± A tear crept down her cheek as she latched tightly onto him. ¡°Never!¡± She hissed in a low whisper.


    Chris paused as he realized Alex wasn''t the only one experiencing some cognitive dissonance. Beth probably wasn''t a fan of someone spouting all her worst fears as if they were fact. ¡°No, I won''t.¡± He assured her, squeezing her tighter, and swearing by everything he was that he would do everything he could to keep that assurance from becoming a lie.

 Space: 47 - The upper levels (3)

    Chris spent the next hour or so enjoying some quality time with his fianc¨¦. The last week had been so hectic they hadn''t had time to just be with each other. They were either guarding Jo as she made the tunnel up from the first level, hunting, dealing with minions, or dealing with the Generals. Unfortunately, that was all the time they could spare, as Beth had another meeting with the Generals, and Chris had to get back to hunting with Alex. ¡°So, thought it through yet?¡± Chris asked, finding Alex sitting in the exact same spot they''d left him.


    Alex shook his head helplessly. ¡°I keep coming back to the idea that I''d be under your complete control. I know it won''t change anything, but¡­ it scares me.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°That''s fair. It''s a scary thought.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°But- I can''t not do something just because I''m scared. One person being strong may not make much of a difference, but a hundred? A thousand? More? Suddenly- suddenly the surface races don''t look like that much of a threat, you know? And all I have to do is just- stop being a little bitch over all this and do it!¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I''m not sure I''d phrase it that way¡­ I mean, your fear isn''t exactly irrational. Even if it won''t put the City in any worse a situation than it already is, you can still worry about yourself. No one wants to get turned into a slave, and if you accept the connection, then it''s a very real possibility. It isn''t something I''d actually do, but you have little reason to believe me when I say that, so it''s a perfectly reasonable thing to be afraid of. The City might not be any worse off, but your life could definitely suffer from this decision.¡±


    Alex blinked at him. ¡°Are you trying to convince me not to do this?!?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°No, I absolutely think you should accept the connection, I just don''t believe in allowing people to make decisions without knowing all the risks, if I can help it. Particularly not one as significant as this. Overall your decision might not impact much, but personally you would be putting yourself at significant risk, and you should be aware of that.¡±


    Alex just stared at him for a moment. ¡°Okay¡­ then what should I do?¡±


    ¡°Accept the connection.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Literally all I''m going to do is give your ability to my minions. I''m just saying it''s reasonable to be afraid of what I could do. Particularly since you have no reason to believe me when I say all I''m going to do is give your ability to my minions.¡±


    ¡°Stop doing that!¡± Alex groaned. ¡°Just tell me what you want and stop confusing me!¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Okay¡­ I want you to accept the connection. Good?¡±


    Alex hesitated, then sighed. ¡°No, I''m still scared.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well, we need to get back to hunting, so are we doing this or should we go?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Fucking, just- ugh, just get it over with.¡± Alex grumbled.


    ¡°Alright, don''t resist.¡± Chris replied, focusing on Alex, pushing the connection at him, then- Chris frowned. Alex had multiple abilities, so did he just need to drain each one down to an appropriate level, or was it a matter of the total amount of energy? He scratched his head for a moment, before shrugging. If he just drained whatever abilities had the most energy, eventually it''d click. It was just a matter of when. He carefully began to drain Alex''s energy, bringing his strongest abilities down to practically mid-tier before the connection finally clicked into place. ¡°You had a lot of energy.¡± Chris muttered, taking in the expansion of his space. The sides had practically doubled in length! He was almost positive he could connect to Beth now.


    Alex shifted awkwardly. ¡°I focused on creature collection and processing with the Defense Force, and since no one particularly cares about low tier ability cores, I could absorb pretty much everything. One low-tier core might not be that significant, but I could absorb dozens every week, so¡­ it added up.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Fair. Alright, let''s find something to refill your energy. Then we''ll get started on the squad.¡±


    *


    Alex wasn''t sure what to think of his life anymore. Honestly, nothing had felt right since he''d failed to kill Chris during the military graduation ceremony. That one moment had taken him from the savior of the City to¡­ he didn''t even know what he was now. He wasn''t even sure whether to be glad he failed or not! The City was under siege, but if Beth was right, then in the end they''d be better off with Chris around. Though he wasn''t sure about the City moving to Earth either¡­ it''d be great for the City, but how would the rest of humanity react to a nation of literal super heroes showing up? How would the City react to world politics? Alex didn''t even want to think about it. He also didn''t really want to think about the connection he now had with the very man he''d tried to kill a month ago, one that''d terrified him to his very core, and now, not even half an hour after he''d accepted it, he was free of it. Or at least he could be.


    ¡°I really am an idiot, aren''t I?¡± Alex sighed, standing over the corpse of the high-tier spider he''d just absorbed the energy from.


    ¡°Hey now, you couldn''t have known its ability allowed it to reflect damage.¡± Chris patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Plus, none of the attacks made it through my carapace.¡±


    Alex grimaced. ¡°I was talking about the fact that I was so worried about becoming your slave, and you almost immediately let me get strong enough that I can''t be your slave.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, yeah, but you couldn''t have known I''d do that beforehand either, so you shouldn''t beat yourself up over it.¡± Chris shrugged, scooping the spider''s corpse into his space. ¡°Come on, you still need more energy to get back to where you were, and the sooner you get there, the sooner we can start working on the squad.¡±


    ¡°That was already a good boost to my defense, so all I really need is an attack and I should be good to go.¡± Alex replied. ¡°Though I guess I should probably start thinking about where I''ll fit in your squad¡­¡±


    ¡°Good question.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°I don''t think we have time to fit you into our formations, not that we''ve really been using them, so you''d probably have to act as a skirmisher. Then again, we might have to remake our formations anyway, since the larger tunnels mean our previous formations won''t provide enough cover anymore¡­ but I''m not a tactician, so who knows? We''ll have to talk to Nadia about it.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure how well I''d do in a formation anyway.¡± Alex muttered. ¡°The Defense Force doesn''t exactly ¡®fight¡¯. We just herd creatures into designated kill zones and open fire.¡± He paused. ¡°Actually, I''ve always wondered, why don''t the Scouts and the Vanguard use guns?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we do, but only in emergencies.¡± Chris explained. ¡°The reason we generally avoid them is because guns are loud. The more you use them, the more attention you''ll draw to yourself, which means you''ll need to use them even more to defend yourself, which means if you''re using them, you''re going to need to be armed to the teeth. However, if you send a platoon armed to the teeth into the Maze, there''s a more than decent chance you could be facing a tribe armed to the teeth soon. No one wants that. Plus, at least for the Scouts, our job is more about management than eradication, so killing half the creatures in an area because we used guns is counter productive. And for the Vanguard, once you start getting into the upper end of high-tier, guns and abilities aren''t that much different, effect wise. I think they start to average out around ability power twenty? Depending on the ability, of course. So it''s really only useful if you start bringing in machine guns and high-powered rifles, and again, that risks the tribes getting machine guns and high-powered rifles. So in general, they just aren''t worth it.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ so why aren''t we using guns then?¡± Alex asked.


    Chris paused. ¡°Well, we still don''t want to get swarmed, though if we have enough firepower to deal with it, it would make things more efficient¡­ We also don''t particularly want to kill off the tribes, which we''d have to if they came charging over because they heard gunfire. We''d actually need guns, but I could get some from the Generals and then just make a bunch using Maddie''s ability¡­ I think the main issue is that if guns were effective, the surface races wouldn''t be an issue, so in order to face our actual enemy, we need to grow and train our abilities, not depend on weaponry. Oh, and we''re hiding. If we use guns, then it significantly increases the chances of the surface races finding us, which could lead to death or even capture. I don''t think they can run wild on the upper levels like they do lower down, but they can definitely get to us if we make it obvious we''re here.¡±


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    ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡± Alex agreed tentatively.


    The two continued on for a moment in silence, then Chris paused. *Do you feel up for a pack? Small one. Only four that I can see, just around that corner. Some kind of ape, I think.* He sent over the connection, pointing down the tunnel.


    Alex hesitated. They''d been avoiding packs since it was a bit risky with just the two of them and Alex weakened, but now that he''d strengthened his defensive ability¡­ *I think so?*


    Chris nodded. *Let''s do it then. Hopefully they have some useful abilities.*


    They both transformed, Alex creeping up to the corner as Chris prepared a portal, planning on ambushing the creatures from behind after Alex attacked. Alex''s skin took on a steel gray tint again, this time with a slight shimmer thanks to the energy from the spider, adding a slightly reflective quality to the defense, and then he charged around the corner! Chris immediately opened a portal, jumping out behind the startled apes as they turned towards Alex, slashing the nearest one with his claws. The ape let out a screech as a field of energy began to billow around it, whipping around and slamming a fist into his chest, sending him flying backwards! The other three apes began to glow as well, though in different colors. One glowed red, another glowed white, the thirds glowed a pale green, and the one fighting Chris glowed a golden brown.


    Alex''s eyes widened as he skidded to a stop and turned to run the other way. ¡°Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck!¡± He cursed as he heard the ape''s chasing after him.


    *Where are you going?!?* Chris yelled through their connection as he clashed with the golden brown ape again, avoiding its punch to drive a knee into its gut, to little effect. It felt like hitting a damn wall!


    *I''m not fighting god damn super saiyans!* Alex shot back.


    Chris growled, drawing on Firbolt''s ability, since Dyrdek''s venom didn''t seem to be doing anything to the ape, and sending a blast of fire at the ape, a scream tearing from its throat as its flesh began to sizzle. *At least keep the other three distracted while I deal with this one!*


    Alex didn''t have time to agree as the green ape tackled him, madly clawing at him faster than he could even react, which thanks to his new reflective defense, did more damage to it than it did to him, leaving it covered in bloody wounds. Alex blinked. *Uh¡­ can do.* He finally sent back, pushing the half dead ape off to the side and standing to face the red and white ones that were just catching up, eyeing him warily. *But if they start yelling and gathering energy, I''m out.*


    Chris had mostly tuned Alex out at the moment because somehow the ape was digging through his carapace! The ape had some kind of earth based aura ability that negated his toxin and halved the effectiveness of his fire, while doubling its effectiveness against his rocky carapace, and since it was in the upper reaches of high-tier, possibly even lower superior-tier, he was struggling. Chris and the ape danced around each other, the ape swiping at him to take chunks out of his carapace while he peppered it with fire blasts, both of them too agile for either to land a decisive hit. A barrier suddenly appeared behind Chris and he leapt off it, flying over the apes head as his tail lashed out and grabbed it by the neck, yanking it after him as he tumbled and slamming it into the ground, stunning it! A second later, Chris was on it, claws glowing red as he grabbed the ape by the throat, digging in and pulling, tearing out a large chunk in a spray of blood. Chris watched the ape bleed out, its flesh wiggling as it struggled to heal, then the aura died out and the ape with it.


    A portal scooped up the corpse and another opened next to Alex, Chris stepping out to find him curled up in a ball as the white and red apes beat on him. Though weirdly, they were the ones covered in wounds. Chris drew on Fribolt''s ability as well, one hand glowing red and the other white as he sent blasts of the opposing elements at the apes, tearing through their defenses. An icicle took the red ape through the heart while the white ape had a hole melted through its gut. Chris glanced over at the green ape that was just recovering from its wounds and finished it off with an icicle to the face. He turned human again, glaring down at a sheepish looking Alex. ¡°You realize you aren''t getting any of these, right?¡± Alex just nodded. ¡°And what the fuck is a super saiyan?¡±


    *


    After some deliberation, Beth got the earth aura, Zack got the wind aura, Fribolt got the ice aura, and Firbolt got the fire aura. The combination of Beth''s rubber ability and the earth auras durability turned her into a literal human wrecking ball, while Zack, Fribolt, and Firbolt could use the auras to empower their own abilities. There was some debate over whether it would be better to give the auras to the squad and then let the imps borrow them if they needed it, but ultimately they decided it could work the other way as well, and giving the auras to the ones with the appropriate elemental ability was more consistently beneficial. And so the hunting squad expanded.


    Beth practically skipped down the tunnel, the most blissfully happy smile on her face. *Hey~* She sent Chris through their connection.


    *Hey.* Chris sent back with an amused smile.


    *Heyyy~* Beth replied almost giddily. She let out a small yelp as a portal swept over her and she fell into Chris''s arms.


    *Hey.* Chris grinned as Beth erupted into an almost hysterical fit of giggles, cutting off as Zack made a gagging sound and flushing, while simultaneously shooting a glare his way. Chris chuckled slightly, setting her down. ¡°I''m glad you''re happy, but we should probably focus.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zack grumbled. ¡°Honestly, one little connection and it''s like she forgets all our training.¡±


    ¡°You''re just jealous.¡± Beth retorted, sticking her tongue out at him, but she quickly returned to her position.


    ¡°Damn right I''m jealous!¡± Zack exclaimed. ¡°Do you know how long it''s been since I''ve been on a date?!?¡±


    ¡°Since before the Trial. We know.¡± Chris rolled his eyes. It wasn''t the first time Zack had brought this up.


    ¡°Right, and the entire time I''ve had to watch the two of you act like the most perfect couple to ever exist!¡± Zack threw up his hands in frustration. ¡°I''m like a man dying of thirst outside a waterpark!¡±


    ¡°Aw~ you think we''re perfect?¡± Beth cooed, shooting him a smirk as he gagged again.


    ¡°Ugh, please give me something to kill soon so I can get this taste out of my mouth.¡± Zack pleaded with whatever divinity that would listen.


    Chris shook his head, only to pause and glance at the wall next to them. ¡°Huh¡­ you may just get your wish.¡± He muttered, opening a small portal and peeking into the cavern on the other side, finding two groups in the middle of a battle. ¡°Or not.¡± He added as he noticed two distinctly powerful individuals clashing in the center of the cavern, clearly superior-tier and the cause of the tremors he''d noticed through his spatial sense. ¡°Do you guys know anything about fox or serpent people?¡± They weren''t races that had been covered in his scout training.


    ¡°They''re subspecies of a race called the Kin, mid-tier physiques, sometimes even high-tier depending on the specific subspecies. Fox-kin and Snake-kin are on the weaker side physically, but are generally more intelligent.¡± Beth replied. ¡°I guess this confirms we''re at least on the tenth level. There are no Kin tribes lower than that.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever they are, there''s at least a hundred of them fighting it out in there, and at least two of them look like they''re superior-tier equivalents.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Not something we want to get involved in.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°Can you tell what they''re fighting over? Even if they''re different subspecies, Kin tribes wouldn''t fight over nothing.¡±


    Chris looked through the portal again, seeing if he could find anything valuable. ¡°I don''t- wait.¡± He narrowed his eyes as he noticed an area almost conspicuously empty of combatants. He raised the portal higher to get a better look, finally catching sight of what the tribes were fighting over. A crystalline metallic egg, glowing with prismatic energy. ¡°Huh¡­ Well, I have no idea what that is, but I definitely want it. Anyone else know?¡±


    The others took turns looking through the small portal. ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Zack asked in a stunned tone.


    ¡°I have no idea¡­¡± Beth muttered.


    Alex shook his head. ¡°It doesn''t look like anything from the game.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­ can anyone think of a good reason why I shouldn''t steal it?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°You''ll definitely piss off both these tribes if you do.¡± Beth commented.


    ¡°I''ll live.¡± Chris grinned.


    ¡°It might be dangerous, master.¡± Fribolt warned.


    Chris paused. ¡°True¡­ hold on.¡± He found Jo and Salvador in his space, opening a portal to them. ¡°Hey guys, do either of you have any idea what this thing is?¡± He asked, moving the little portal to them so they could see.


    They both took a look, frowning as they examined the egg. ¡°I''m afraid not¡­ strange. It looks powerful though.¡± Salvador replied.


    ¡°It isn''t something I''ve ever encountered either.¡± Jo narrowed her eyes at the egg. ¡°I don''t trust it though. Something that enticing is almost always an indication of some sort of trap. It may host a parasite, or it could be a lure for a predator.¡±


    Chris hummed slightly as he considered it. ¡°That''s possible, but I still want to get a better look. Through my spatial sense, if nothing else.¡± He sent the others back into his space before stepping inside as well, flying the portal over to the egg to get a better look at it, taking a circuitous route to avoid the battle. He circled the egg a few times, looking for anything suspicious like hidden predators or traps, but there was nothing. As for the egg itself, his spatial sense couldn''t penetrate it, so he got nothing. He stared at the thing through the little portal, frowning as he considered whether it was worth the risk to try and take it. On the one hand, it could be anything, but on the other, it could be anything. He glanced at Beth, but she just shrugged helplessly.


    Chris froze as back in the cavern, one of the superior-tiers was suddenly launched across the cavern, heading straight for the egg! He watched helplessly as they crashed into it, and¡­ knocked it directly into his portal. Chris blinked as the egg immediately dissolved, flowing into his space, flowing through it, into him, and¡­ into his database? A second later, a half meter tall crystalline metallic being who looked awfully similar to Chris appeared, looking confused. It glanced at Chris, then down at itself, then around at the space, before letting out a defeated sigh. ¡°Well shit.¡±

 Space: 48 - The upper levels (4)

    Chris frowned at his crystalline copy. ¡°What the hell are you?¡±


    ¡°I''m you.¡± The copy sighed, before pausing. ¡°Kinda. I don''t know, I''m still processing everything.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°You''re me?¡±


    The copy shrugged. ¡°I have all your memories and whatnot, so I''m at least partially you. I also have a few new instincts I''m trying to parse through¡­ I think we were supposed to merge? Infusing your body with whatever this crap is and enhancing your physique¡­ and I think it''d feed on your energy in exchange? In a symbiotic way, not like a parasite. Just siphoning off a portion whenever you use your ability, decreasing the power slightly. But since it''s strengthening your physique in the process, I think it evens out?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. That actually sounded pretty useful. ¡°So why did it turn into you instead?¡±


    ¡°How should I know?¡± The copy shook his head helplessly. ¡°I mean, it''s clearly a space thing, but beyond that, I got nothing. And since it isn''t my space anymore, that''s a you problem. I''m just a minion.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Any idea what you want to do with yourself?¡±


    ¡°Kinda want to see what happens if I use Alex''s ability.¡± The copy replied. ¡°Do I gain the ability and form? Or does this stuff just eat it? Kinda hoping for the form, honestly. I don''t particularly enjoy the idea of being a crystal man for the rest of my life. There are certain organic experiences I think I''d miss.¡±


    Chris nodded in understanding. ¡°I get it. We''ll definitely give it a try at some point.¡±


    ¡°Appreciate it.¡± The copy gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Also, I think I''ll start going by our middle name. You cool with that?¡±


    ¡°Why not just switch them? You''ll be Joseph Christopher, I''ll be Christopher Joseph.¡± Chris offered.


    The copy shrugged. ¡°Works for me. I guess I''ll have to get used to being a Joe-¡± He cut off glancing at Jo. ¡°-seph. Definitely Joseph.¡±


    ¡°Hm, good idea.¡± Chris muttered, eyeing Jo weirdly. Did she name him Joseph after herself? He shook his head, turning back to the newly minted Joseph. ¡°Well, welcome aboard, I guess. Want to help us hunt?¡±


    ¡°Can''t see what else I''d do.¡± Joseph sighed. ¡°It''ll at least keep me busy while I figure out how to deal with being a whole new person. Plus, you know, helping out the City.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°How the fuck are the two of you not freaking out about this?!?¡± Alex interjected incredulously. ¡°Some weird egg just cloned you! Out of nowhere! That can''t be something you''re just okay with!¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Chris and Joseph asked at the same time, cocking their heads in unison. They shared a look and Joseph gestured for Chris to continue. ¡°It''s weird, sure, but it isn''t like there''s anything we can do about it. I''m not going to kill him or anything, and he couldn''t kill me even if he wanted to. So we pretty much just have to accept that the other exists and move on.¡±


    ¡°You have a fianc¨¦!¡± Alex retorted, gesturing to Beth. ¡°How are you going to deal with that?!?¡±


    ¡°Obviously it''s Beth''s choice, but seeing as I''m clearly a copy and made out of some kind of crystalline metallic substance, not to mention the fact I''m half a meter tall, I''m fairly certain we split when I did.¡± Joseph replied. ¡°I mean, it sucks, but I''m not going to be an asshole about it.¡±


    Alex raised an eyebrow. ¡°So you can just stop loving someone, just like that?¡±


    Joseph gave him a weird look. ¡°No? But just because I love her, doesn''t mean I have to be with her. In fact, insisting on being with her wouldn''t be loving her, because part of loving someone is respecting their wants and needs, which I am incredibly ill suited to fulfill. Just because you want to be with someone doesn''t mean you should be with them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck, he is just a little crystal you.¡± Beth groaned, burying her face in her hands.


    ¡°That is how clones work.¡± Zack commented. ¡°Hey, if we find another one of these things, could we make him a little crystal Beth?¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure it''d just merge with Beth, since she doesn''t have a space to complicate the process.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Also, we have no idea how being crystal will change me.¡± Joseph added. ¡°A crystal me and a crystal Beth may not even be compatible.¡±


    ¡°Can we please stop making this about our relationship?¡± Beth asked in exasperation.


    Chris paused. ¡°We kinda have to though? You can share friends, you can share family, you can even share jobs and possessions, but you can''t really share a wife. Well, you can, but it sort of defeats the point? The point of a spouse is to be each other''s most important person. If you''re sharing, then you have two people focusing on one person while the one person has to split their focus between the two. It just doesn''t balance out.¡±


    Beth glared at him. ¡°Then how about we just stop talking about it?!? We all know nothing is going to happen between me and Joseph, so why harp on it!?!¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it does kinda feel like people are just rubbing salt in the wound.¡± Joseph sighed.


    Chris winced slightly, realizing how painful it''d feel to not only be losing Beth, but to have everyone reminding him he was losing Beth. ¡°Sorry¡­¡±


    Joseph shook his head. ¡°It''s fine. Let''s just get back to hunting, okay? And from now on, try to avoid strange glowing eggs.¡±


    ¡°I did tell you not to trust it.¡± Jo muttered.


    ¡°To be fair, it wasn''t dangerous, it was just¡­ inconvenient.¡± Salvador commented.


    *


    After the egg had ¡®mysteriously disappeared¡¯, the fox-kin and the snake-kin had called a truce to perform an extensive search of the cavern, which turned up nothing since Chris had closed the portal almost immediately after Joseph had appeared. Since there was nothing left to fight over, the two groups returned to their respective tribes, frustrated and suspicious, but not willing to spill more blood without tangible proof that the other side had taken the egg. After all, with all the abilities out there, it wasn''t that rare for a third party to snatch a prize while two others fought over it.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    After a moment of consideration, the group decided to follow the fox-kin back to their tribe. First, because the efforts to pull in tribes on the lower levels were not going well, primarily due to the fact that the surface races kept eradicating them. Chris wasn''t sure if they were focusing on the area they''d spotted him in, but the creatures on the fifth level were disappearing fast. Tibolt and Jinolt had managed to convince a single tribe of imps to join, and Ka''lyctso had somehow managed to stumble over another tribe of kobolds which she ¡®convinced¡¯ by challenging their chief, kicking her ass, and ordering them all to submit, proving the Ri''ka''s original strategy would have worked. They''d also managed to capture some fishmen and ratlings, but they hadn''t managed to convince them to approach their tribes before the surface races had gotten to them.


    Second, they needed minions that could operate on this level, as the single group of them wasn''t going to cut it long-term. They could, and would, continue to strengthen the minions Chris already had, but that was a slow process compared to pulling in a tribe all at once. So they followed the fox-kin back to their tribe, using Chris''s portals to move to avoid being seen, and began searching for a small group to capture, eventually discovering a group of four, two women and two men, walking through the tunnels as if they were walking through a garden, rather than a deadly labyrinth. The two women were even wearing dresses! Clearly not suitable for combat, though that didn''t mean their abilities weren''t dangerous. The two men were both armed and armored, though, scanning their surroundings as they walked behind the women.


    ¡°Do the Kin have nobles? Because those look like nobles.¡± Chris commented as he studied the women through a portal.


    ¡°We don''t know what the Kin have.¡± Beth muttered, shaking her head. ¡°It isn''t like we''ve been able to study them. All we do is fight them.¡±


    Chris hummed thoughtfully as he continued to study the women. The entire reason they were going to capture people was so they could approach the leadership without going through the entire tribe. If this was the leadership¡­ ¡°I''m going to try talking to them.¡± He announced. ¡°Be prepared to portal in if necessary, but if we can settle this with talking, why fight?¡±


    Beth hesitated for a moment before nodding. ¡°Okay, but be careful.¡±


    ¡°I will, don''t worry.¡± Chris agreed, transforming into his elfish form and covering himself in a rocky carapace before opening a portal and stepping out in front of the group, just close enough that the women were in range of his telepathy. *Hello.* He greeted them as they stiffened and their guards snarled, whipping out their weapons. *I come in peace. Mostly.*


    The guards were about to attack when one of the women raised a hand, stopping them as she narrowed her eyes at Chris. He was obviously using an ability to defend himself, which meant the portal didn''t come from him, and if he was approaching them this openly, whoever his allies were would be prepared for an attack. In that case, it would be wiser to gather information before provoking hostilities, particularly when they had already delved so deeply into their territory. *Mostly?*


    *Well, I''m here to convince your entire tribe to become my minions, with the intention to use them to help my people escape an enemy that is overwhelmingly more powerful than any of us, which could very well get them killed, though not necessarily dead, depending on your perspective on things. Plus, I''m not going to let you just kill me, now am I? But I don''t see any reason why we have to fight each other, as long as you don''t give me one.* Chris explained, cocking his head as he realized he wasn''t getting any thoughts from either of these women, their minds weirdly muted.


    The fox-kin woman blinked. *You believe you can dominate our entire clan?*


    Chris chuckled. *I believe I can dominate every creature in the Maze, given enough time. Maybe even the whole world, though I don''t see why I would.* If his space could keep growing, then the only limit he had was how much energy he could get, and as long as people kept being born, there''d always be more energy. The real issue would be fitting them all in his space if too many of them died, but that was a concern for later.


    *If that is the case, then it seems to me that the wisest course of action would be to do everything in my power to remove this threat to my people before it can consume them, not simply surrender to it.* She retorted.


    *Oh, yeah, absolutely.* Chris agreed. *But unfortunately, you can''t. I literally can''t die. Not permanently, at least.*


    *Death is not the only way to remove a threat.* The fox-kin growled, signaling her companion as a force slammed into Chris''s mind, stunning him! Then her own attack landed, slipping through Chris''s weakened defenses and invading his mind, imposing her will upon it. *Act like nothing is wrong and follow me.* She ordered, turning to lead him back to her clan. The clan psychics would go through his mind, discover all his secrets, and deal with him appropriately. It wouldn''t be the first time they''d dealt with a threat like this.


    Chris numbly followed the woman as the guards fell into step behind them, his body under her complete control. And then suddenly, a portal opened in front of her, Chris scowling out of it. ¡°That- was rude.¡± And then Beth punched her in the face. Chris''s mind immediately popped back into his body as the fox-kin lost control, transforming into his combat form, tail glowing with Dyrdek''s ability as he pierced it into the other woman and whirled on the guards, carapace blocking the dagger the guard tried to stab into him, empowered by some ability. The other guard leapt at Beth only to go flying as Joseph slammed into him, his tiny form belaying a fearsome strength. They''d done some testing while they were following the fox-kin, and they''d found his little half a meter tall form weighed almost forty kilograms and he was strong enough to lift twenty times that. The guard trying to fight Chris froze as his partner flew past and his dagger was stopped cold, gulping slightly as he stared into Chris''s lipless maw. Then green tinged claws wrapped around his neck, one slipping through a gap in his armor, and his vision began to blur, before going dark.


    They quickly gathered up their new prisoners, Joseph looking almost comical as he dragged the guard he''d subdued in, getting them restrained. ¡°So, the good news is that even if my body''s mind gets dominated, my space''s mind is fine.¡± Chris began with a sigh. ¡°The bad news is if this tribe has two psychics, there''s a very good chance they have more. Which means diplomacy is going to be¡­ risky. The better news is that this means we have access to psychic abilities, and given what just happened, I believe it''s going to make taking this tribe by force much easier.¡±


    ¡°I thought you preferred willing minions.¡± Zack commented.


    ¡°If I can get them.¡± Chris replied. ¡°But we''re already being hunted, and I''m willing to bet little miss dominator here is fairly important, so I''d rather not have a bunch of pissed off psychics coming after us too.¡±


    Zack paused. ¡°Yeah, that''s fair.¡±


    Chris looked around. ¡°Any other comments before I begin? Because I''m fairly certain I''m going to be utterly brain dead after I''m done with these four.¡±


    ¡°No more approaching groups blindly.¡± Beth growled, glaring at the dominator as she had been since the moment the portal had opened. ¡°It worked out this time, but we can''t afford to be surprised like this. What if it had been something you are vulnerable to? It''s just- it''s too risky.¡±


    Chris grimaced. ¡°Agreed. Particularly since important people are usually important for a reason. Like, you know, being psychics.¡±


    Beth shuddered. ¡°This was too close, Chris.¡± She turned to him, eyes slightly wet. ¡°Too. Close.¡±


    Chris wrapped an arm around her shoulders. ¡°I know.¡± They''d- he''d been getting complacent, getting used to always having the advantage, to being untouchable. Even with the apes, he''d never felt like he was in danger. At worst he would have gotten a minor wound. But this- when he''d felt himself losing control of his own mind¡­ his jaw clenched as a cold fury welled up inside him at the very idea of it. Chris had never appreciated someone taking what was his, and what could be more his than his own mind? What he''d told Zack was true, he was dealing with these psychics now so he could handle it before they became a bigger problem. But there was another, not insignificant part of him that was doing it for another reason. That was doing it because someone had touched what was his. And they would be punished¡­ if he could find a reasonable excuse to do so. He was pissed, but he wasn''t a monster.

 Space: 49 - The upper levels (5)

    The fox-kin dominator woke with gasp as Chris''s will crushed down on her, forcing the connection into place. ¡°Okay, now why did me being stunned make it easier for you to dominate me, but when you''re completely unconscious, I still have to give myself a fucking headache to dominate you.¡± Chris grumbled, rubbing his temple.


    The fox-kin whimpered as she struggled against the connection, doing everything she could to try and break it, but finding it just as unbreakable as everyone else. [This- this is impossible!] Nothing could dominate someone so completely!


    ¡°Freak out later, I still have three more of you to get through.¡± Chris ordered, the fox-kin immediately going silent, sitting calmly as she waited for Chris to finish, though internally she was screaming. The corner of Chris''s lips quirked upwards as he moved on to the second fox-kin. ¡°Now, you dominate her, then I''ll push the connection.¡± The fox-kin immediately slipped into her friend''s unconscious mind, taking over as ruthlessly as she would an enemy, horror filling her at the ease and completeness of Chris''s control. Chris pushed the connection on the now dominated fox-kin, frowning as he discovered it hadn''t made things any easier for him. The fox-kin still resisted him and his will still strained, leaving him aching as the connection finally clicked into place. ¡°Okay, this is starting to piss me off.¡± He grumbled, squeezing his forehead as a dull throb beat through his mind. Why wasn''t this getting any easier?!? He got both of the fox-kin to help him with the guards, but it didn''t seem to make a single bit of difference. ¡°Damn it, why isn''t this working?!?¡± Chris growled in a mix of frustration and pain, the pain in his head shifting from a dull throb to a sharp pounding. He turned to glare at the fox-kin dominator, who froze, gulping nervously under his scrutiny. ¡°How is my domination different from yours?¡±


    ¡°Dude, chill out!¡± Alex growled, grabbing Chris by the shoulder. ¡°Can''t you see how terrified she is?!? At least give her a moment to adjust!¡±


    Chris stared back at him with a bland expression. ¡°You realize she was going to drag me back to her tribe to do who knows what to me, right? Probably make me a slave or something.¡±


    ¡°You mean like you do to everyone you meet?¡± Alex retorted.


    Chris scowled. ¡°When have I turned anyone into a slave?!? I''m not even going to turn them into slaves! Recent experimentation aside, I don''t force people to do things they don''t want to do. On the one hand, it''s cruel, and on the other, it''s inefficient. People work better through self-interest. Once I''m done with their tribe, they and the rest of their people will be free to do whatever they like, just like the rest of my minions.¡±


    Alex frowned. ¡°Just because you don''t treat them like slaves doesn''t mean they aren''t.¡±


    Chris just blinked at him. ¡°Alex, my head is about to explode, so I really don''t want to deal with you being an idiot right now.¡±


    ¡°I''ve got it.¡± Joseph interjected, taking over. ¡°Just having the ability to force someone to do what you want against their will doesn''t make them your slave. If that was the case, then little miss dominator here would be enslaving all of us right now, because her ability has the potential to force us to do her will at any moment, and I think you would agree that''s not the case. The only difference between her and Chris is how easily they can enforce their will on others, which is a matter of strength, not ability, so do you think everyone with power is enslaving everyone around them? Obviously not. To be enslaved, you have to be actively forced to act against your will, which Chris expressly avoids doing. Admittedly there was some minor enslavement going on earlier, but right now they''re just imprisoned.¡±


    ¡°We may have to force them to tell us everything about their tribe too, but it''s just a temporary necessity, not something permanent.¡± Chris added wearily.


    ¡°But isn''t that a slippery slope?¡± Alex countered. ¡°If you keep finding excuses to force people to do things, how long until you''re forcing everyone to do whatever you want!?!¡±


    ¡°Never, because the slippery slope argument only works when you''re doing something that violates your principles, and this is perfectly in line with mine.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°I''m not ¡®slipping¡¯, I''m doing what I believe is right, and I''ll continue doing what I believe is right. So unless you have an argument for why I shouldn''t do whatever is necessary to prevent myself and the people I care about from being hunted down and controlled by a group of psychics who are clearly willing and able to do so, just- stop, okay?¡±


    Alex grimaced, but he didn''t have anything else to say to that, even though he still felt like there was something off about it. But then again, he''d doubted Chris before, and it''d never turned out well for him¡­ ¡°Fine. Just- be careful, I guess.¡±


    Chris rolled his eyes, turning back to the fox-kin. ¡°Alright, now¡­ Beth, Joseph, you want to take this?¡± He asked wearily. ¡°I feel like my brain is leaking out my ears right now.¡±


    Beth stepped forward, glaring at the dominator. ¡°What were you planning on doing with Chris?¡±


    The dominator gulped, glancing at Chris. [We- we were taking him back to our clan, to- to be examined by our psychics.]


    Beth''s expression darkened. ¡°By which you mean you were going to pull every bit of information you could out of him before twisting him into whatever tool you saw fit.¡± The dominator refused to meet her eyes, clutching her dress anxiously.


    ¡°How many psychics are there in your tribe, and what are their specialties?¡± Joseph interjected before Beth could take that line of questioning any further. It was already obvious what the fox-kin were going to do and focusing on it would just get Beth worked up.


    [There are four psychic lines in our clan. The dominator line, the projector line, the manipulator line, and the connector line. Each line has around a dozen members.] The dominator quickly answered, eager to move away from her plans for Chris. [The dominators can invade minds to control another''s body, the projectors attack the mind to cause confusion or create illusions, the manipulators-] She cut off a she realized she was getting into dangerous territory again.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Beth growled.


    The dominator gulped. [The- the manipulators influence thoughts, memories, and emotions to- to alter behavior¡­ and the connectors create telepathic connections between themselves and others.]


    ¡°How many people are in your tribe?¡± Joseph asked.


    [Around four thousand?] She offered hesitantly. [We''re not a very large clan.]


    The whole group froze. Four thousand was small?!? How big did tribes get up here!?! ¡°How large is the snake-kin tribe?¡± Joseph asked.


    The dominator frowned. [Which one? There are several snake-kin clans, some small like ours, others with tens or even hundreds of thousands of members. There must be millions of snake-kin all together, though only their king and the Emperor would know the exact figure.]


    ¡°The Emperor?¡± Joseph proded.


    [Of the Kin?] The dominator replied hesitantly. How did they not know this?


    ¡°Hold on, we saw a group of fox-kin fighting some snake-kin on our way here!¡± Zack interjected.


    The dominator eyed him weirdly. [Yes, clans will have small skirmishes over resources, but we all bow to the Emperor and fight together to defend our borders.]


    ¡°Defend your borders against who?¡± Beth asked, narrowing her eyes.


    [The Hive, the Devil Compact, and the Menagerie?] The dominator explained, still confused by the fact none of them knew about this. Who didn''t know about the four empires!?! They spanned the entire Maze! At least the parts of the Maze that were actually worth anything. No one wanted to head down into the dark where they''d have to deal with the underdwellers and their strange magics, only to gain a barren territory where little grew and barely any creatures roamed, only capable of sustaining a few hundred people, if that.


    Chris frowned. ¡°If I tried to talk to your emperor like I did with you, what are the odds he''d react the same way you did?¡±


    The dominator paused. [I- don''t see how he would react any other way.] Who would simply accept someone telling them they essentially want to dethrone them? To take all their subjects for themselves? The dominator shivered as she struggled uselessly against the connection once again. A person would have to be desperate or crazy to accept something like this!


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Chris let out a groaning sigh, wiping his hand down his face. He foresaw a lot of headaches in his future.


    *


    They continued to grill the fox-kin, getting all the information they could out of them as they tried to put together a plan of action. First of all, there was no way Chris was going to be dominating four thousand fox-kin, especially not since it turned out that the psychics didn''t even help the process. Just the idea of trying to dominate the four dozen or so psychics made him want to take up drinking. Zack suggested they just drop it and move to a different section of the Maze using Chris''s portal movement, which was definitely on the table, but it didn''t solve the real issue. Chris needed intelligent minions. He could definitely get enough unintelligent minions to create enough portals, but there was no way he''d be able to manage the thousands of portals they''d need to get everyone evacuated on his own, particularly not while fending off the surface races. The people on the lower levels would have been enough, but the surface races had taken that option away from him, so if he couldn''t figure out a way to convince the people on the upper levels to join him, evacuating the City would get a lot harder.


    Unfortunately, convincing the people on the upper levels ran into the same issue it did with humanity. The people here didn''t expect to die. Without the interference of humanity, the races in the Maze had thrived, taming large swaths of territory and developing into true nations instead of isolated tribes. They farmed, they traded, they built cities, they had infrastructure, and they developed, advancing both culturally and technologically. In the lower levels of the Maze, combat was a given. Even if you weren''t a hunter or a warrior, you could reasonably expect to have to fight for your life at some point. Here, as long as you were careful and didn''t do anything too risky, there was a very reasonable chance you could live your entire life without getting into a single fight. Of course, traveling between clans was still a risk, and you still needed guards and soldiers to keep the cities protected, but the ever-present threat of death that made the connection so alluring to the people on the lower levels just wasn''t there. Even worse, psychics were practically a mandatory existence, since they were what allowed the people of the upper levels to domesticate creatures for meat and other byproducts, their abilities helping to control and keep them docile, so no matter where they went, they would run into the same issues.


    ¡°So, if dominating them by force is out, and we can''t tempt them with benefits, then how are we going to get them to accept the connection?¡± Zack wondered aloud, scratching his head.


    Chris and Joseph shared a look. Before they''d split, Chris had considered how to force the connection on someone he couldn''t out will, but it was a method he''d swore to only use if absolutely necessary. ¡°I don''t think this counts.¡± Chris muttered, thankful his headache was down to a dull throb again so he could actually have thoughts.


    ¡°Neither do I.¡± Joseph agreed.


    ¡°What doesn''t count?¡± Alex asked, confused.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°There''s a way to get them all connected whether they like it or not, without turning my mind to mush, but it isn''t pretty and I don''t think this situation is worth employing it.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°Chris, we''re dealing with the fate of the City here. I don''t think we should be quibbling over methods.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Beth, it''s torture. As in, ¡®stick them in a vat of water and let them drown over and over until they accept the connection¡¯ torture. I mean, it''d work, but I don''t want to be that person and I''m not sure how reliable they''d even be after going through it.¡±


    Beth looked a bit sick, but she still retorted. ¡°If it''s between this and the City-¡±


    ¡°That''s the thing though, I don''t even think it''d help the City.¡± Chris stopped her. ¡°If we''re just looking for puppets, I can get all the animals you want, but the reason we''re looking for people to be my minions is because they have agency. If we use torture to get them, then they''re either going to lose that agency, or turn it against us. It''d be better to just use animals. Even forcing the connection isn''t all that great. I mean, look at these four! Utterly useless. You couldn''t trust them to do anything independently!¡±


    Beth groaned, rubbing her face. ¡°I know, you''re right, I just- urgh, this is so frustrating!¡±


    ¡°We might as well try to find volunteers among humanity at this rate.¡± Joseph muttered. ¡°They''d at least be motivated by the fact it''s necessary to save their lives.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°That- is a good point.¡± He turned to Alex. ¡°In the game, did these people exist?¡±


    Alex blinked. ¡°What, the Kin?¡± Chris nodded. Alex scratched his head. ¡°Yeah? I mean, I wouldn''t say they were common, but you''d see someone walking around with one as a pet every now and then.¡±


    ¡°What about the empires?¡± Chris sighed.


    Alex frowned. ¡°I- don''t remember hearing anything about an empire of Kin in the Maze¡­ the Conqueror may have fought them when he was trying to climb? I don''t know, the Kin I knew about were like goblins, just another mob for people to fight and tame.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°I highly doubt the elves and doppelgangers would leave entire civilizations around to threaten them while they deal with the City. Just the fact that they could be potential allies for humanity would probably be enough to get them wiped out.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°So if these empires want to survive, they''re going to need us. And the only way we''re taking them is if they''re my minions.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but how the hell are we going to convince them of that?¡± Joseph asked.


    Chris considered it for a moment. ¡°We''ll start by just spreading the word. Take a few people by force, like so.¡± He gestured to the fox-kin. ¡°Then send them out to tell everyone they can about what''s going to happen and what we can do about it. Then¡­ I doubt the surface races will be able to kill everyone in the Maze instantly, or even particularly quickly, so when they come, our point will basically be made for us.¡±


    ¡°It may even already be happening.¡± Beth commented.


    Chris looked around. ¡°Any dissentions? Contentions? Comments? Concerns?¡±


    Zack shrugged. ¡°Better than anything I could think of.¡±


    Alex shook his head helplessly. ¡°Same. I''m not exactly confident in it though. It just seems too¡­ passive.¡±


    ¡°That''s- kind of the point though?¡± Chris frowned. ¡°The active methods of gaining minions are all somewhat detrimental. You know, forcing them into it or torturing them.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Alex muttered.


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Alright, if no one else has anything.¡± He turned to the fox-kin. ¡°Good news is you''re going free. Yay.¡± Chris announced in a tone that made it clear he didn''t give two shits about their freedom. ¡°The bad news is this is going to hurt.¡± He chuckled as he sent everything he knew about the surface races, what they were going to do, what he could do, and how to speak human because fuck it, streaming into their minds, their eyes almost immediately rolling to the back of their heads as they passed out.


    Alex frowned at him. ¡°Was that really necessary?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Chris smiled. ¡°But it did make me feel better. Not as good as forcing them to help me dominate every member of their tribe, but eh, I''ll take what I can get.¡±


    ¡°Bitch is lucky I didn''t give her a thorough demonstration of the space''s healing abilities.¡± Beth growled.


    ¡°Well, you know what they say. The best revenge is living well.¡± Chris commented. ¡°Though¡­ the fact that they need to become my minions to survive does help too.¡±


    ¡°I still don''t see how what they did is all that much different than what you do.¡± Alex grumbled. ¡°They were just trying to protect their people, weren''t they?¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°You aren''t wrong, but one, I hadn''t actually demonstrated a threat yet, and preemptively attacking people just because they have the potential to be a threat is¡­ rude. I even explicitly stated I wasn''t there to fight! It''s like walking around with a pocket full of money and stabbing anyone who gets within reach. Sure, it''s possible they could steal your money, but that doesn''t mean they''re going to. And two, I care more about me than I do about them. Even if they were absolutely right to attack me, I''m still not going to like them for it, and I see no reason not to take a little petty revenge when reasonable.¡±


    ¡°You''re just- okay with being petty?¡± Alex asked skeptically.


    ¡°In certain situations.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Particularly when I''m aware that others in my situation would be a lot more¡­ vengeful.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if someone had tried to mind control me, you better bet I''d be doing a lot more than just giving them a headache.¡± Zack agreed. ¡°I''d probably break out Chris''s drowning trick, honestly. That sounds nasty.¡±


    ¡°And with how hard a time you gave us over Chris maybe turning you into a slave, I don''t think you have a leg to stand on here.¡± Beth added, giving him a look. ¡°If it''d been you they''d tried to dominate, I doubt you''d be arguing to treat them better.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Alright, enough of that. I still have a headache and we still have three empires and who knows how many clans to hit.¡± He sighed, rubbing his head. ¡°This isn''t going to be fun.¡±

 Space: 50 - The upper levels (6)

    Chris still needed some time to recover, and it''d been a long day, so they decided to call it after sending the fox-kin out. They''d spend the rest of the day getting some rest before heading out to hunt and find more people to dominate tomorrow. Chris turned to Beth as everyone left to do their own thing. ¡°So¡­ what do you want to do?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°This day has been insane. You were cloned and almost dominated within hours of each other!¡±


    Chris grunted in agreement. The day had been kind of insane. Speaking of¡­ ¡°Should we introduce Joseph to everyone? It''d be kind of weird for him to just approach everyone on his own.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate an introduction, yes.¡± Joseph nodded, not having left yet since he had no idea what to do with himself. He''d been wondering how to deal with Chris''s friends and family all day now, and he still didn''t have anything better than just walking up and saying hi before explaining what happened, which¡­ sounded annoying.


    ¡°It''s been a while since we got everyone together, anyway¡­¡± Beth muttered. ¡°Okay, yeah, let''s get everyone together and introduce Joseph.¡± She paused. ¡°We should probably invite Jo and Salvador as well.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Got it.¡± He started making couches and chairs for everyone as he looked for them in his space. It was pretty simple to find the squad, since they were connected to him, and Jo and Salvador both had high levels of energy, so he spotted them pretty quickly as well, but finding Penny, Thad, Mrs. Richardson, and Mrs. Veach was a bit more of a challenge because he actually had to look for them. If his space kept getting bigger, it was going to get hard to find people in there¡­


    ¡°Come on, man, I just left.¡± Zack grumbled as he arrived, falling into a chair.


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°To do what? Hang out with the squad? Which is what we''re doing?¡±


    Zack frowned at her. ¡°What part of ¡®I like to complain¡¯ do you not understand?¡±


    ¡°Core concept, mostly.¡± Chris commented. ¡°Why would you enjoy being miserable?¡±


    Zack shook his head. ¡°I''m not miserable. I enjoy pretending to be miserable.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°I don''t see the difference.¡±


    Zack sighed. ¡°Look, it''s just cathartic, okay?¡±


    ¡°What''s cathartic?¡± Carmen asked as she arrived.


    ¡°Complaining, apparently.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°Ah, of course.¡± Carmen snorted.


    Chris opened portals to Jo, Salvador, Thad, Penny, Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Veach as Nadia and Derek arrived. ¡°Hey guys, we''re having a little get together, if you''re free.¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± Mrs. Richardson agreed, stepping through, followed by Mrs. Veach.


    ¡°I dunno¡­ we''re in the middle of an episode here.¡± Thad muttered, before letting out an oof as Penny elbowed him, the two getting up and walking through the portal as well.


    ¡°Are you sure you want us to join?¡± Jo asked hesitantly, glancing at Mrs. Richardson.


    ¡°Sure, you''re family, aren''t you?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Oh, shit, I forgot Jello.¡± He opened another portal and Jello hopped through without even asking what was going on, happily joining him and Beth on their couch.


    ¡°Family?¡± Mrs. Richardson frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, they''re my parents.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°Wait, what?!?¡± Penny exclaimed, looking between him and Jo incredulously. ¡°How- how- how!?!¡±


    ¡°Well you see, when two people love each other very much¡­¡± Thad began, trailing off with a chuckle as Penny turned to glare at him.


    ¡°We''ll get to that, but come on, everyone settle in.¡± Chris waved for everyone to get seated. ¡°Okay, so, let''s start with Joseph.¡± He gestured to the little crystal man. ¡°Something weird happened with some kind of egg, and it turned into a clone of me. He has all my memories and everything, so you can treat him as you would me, since in almost every respect, he is me. Or was me, since he''s obviously a separate person now¡­ but at the moment the difference is minimal, so take it as you will.¡±


    The room fell silent for a moment as everyone processed that. ¡°So he''s like your twin?¡± Thad offered tentatively.


    ¡°I don''t think twins are clones of each other, Thad.¡± Penny rolled her eyes.


    ¡°No, no, I know, just¡­ it makes more sense to me if I think of it like they''re twins? Kinda having a hard time putting together the Chris but not Chris thing.¡± Thad sighed.


    ¡°You can think of us as twins if you like.¡± Joseph agreed. ¡°We are basically brothers.¡±


    Jello gasped in realization. ¡°I have a new brother!¡± She exclaimed excitedly, hopping over to give him a hug.


    ¡°It does help to insert him next to Chris as if he was always there¡­¡± Mrs. Richardson muttered, studying Joseph thoughtfully for a moment as he indulged the excited slime, a soft smile spreading across her face. Even in crystal, Chris''s mannerisms shone through.


    ¡°Hey, I''m not going to complain about having two best friends instead of just one.¡± Derek shrugged. ¡°Hell, maybe I''ll actually get to hang out with one now, since Beth won''t be stealing all his free time.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I have been neglecting you a bit, huh?¡±


    ¡°A bit, but with everything going on, I can''t exactly blame you.¡± Derek sighed. ¡°If I had a girlfriend, I for damn sure wouldn''t be spending the limited free time we get with you.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Still though.¡± Derek had been his best friend since middle school. He couldn''t just drop him because he got a girlfriend. That was rude. ¡°We''ll have to have a chill day at some point. Or at least a chill hour¡­ not sure I can spare a day.¡±


    ¡°You better include us in that.¡± Penny grumbled, crossing her arms and glaring at him. They''d been in his space for over a week now and they''d barely even seen him! All they could do was sit around and worry!


    Chris sighed. ¡°Yeah, I can do that.¡± He''d really been letting his relationships slip, hadn''t he?


    ¡°I''ll make sure of it.¡± Beth agreed.


    Penny nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Chris. ¡°Now, can you please explain why Jo Vuntula is your mom?!?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know how the elves and the doppelgangers infiltrated the City?¡± Chris began, everyone nodding along. ¡°Well, Jo''s an elf and Salvador is a doppelganger. They ended up getting together, going into hiding, and having me, but then some people on the elf side started hunting them because Jo is a princess or something, so they had to abandon me to keep me safe. Apparently my uncle would not be happy that I exist.¡±


    ¡°A massive understatement.¡± Salvador grumbled. ¡°That power hungry maniac-" He cut off as Jo elbowed him, shooting him a look.


    ¡°Jer''tunal''s methods may be a bit¡­ extreme, but ultimately he is just trying to keep the kingdom safe and stable!¡± Jo retorted defensively.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Salvador sighed. ¡°Jo, he''s a paranoid dictator. He exiled you because you were getting too popular!¡±


    ¡°He exiled me because people were using me as a symbol for rebellion!¡± Jo snapped back.


    ¡°Because he''s a paranoid dictator!¡± Salvador exclaimed.


    Chris coughed. ¡°So yeah, complicated family situation.¡±


    Penny was staring at Jo wide eyed. ¡°You''re a princess?!?¡±


    Thad glanced at Chris. ¡°Does that make you a prince?¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow, turning to Jo. ¡°Does it? Not that I think it would matter if I was¡­ I don''t think I''m really ¡®king¡¯ material.¡±


    Jo hesitated. ¡°You do have a claim to the throne, but you wouldn''t be a prince. You''d have to be the child of the king for that. You''d simply be a member of the royal family.¡±


    ¡°I don''t suppose him trying to claim the throne would help any of this, would it?¡± Beth asked.


    Jo shook her head. ¡°You would have to kill Jer''tunal to do so, and that would be a war itself.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s what I thought.¡± Beth sighed.


    Mrs. Richardson frowned. ¡°Why didn''t you adopt him afterwards?¡±


    Jo grimaced. ¡°It was too risky. Everyone knew we''d disappeared at the same time, and if one of us suddenly adopted a child whose parents had mysteriously disappeared around the time of our return¡­ it wouldn''t have been hard for them to connect the dots.¡±


    Mrs. Richardson nodded. ¡°I see¡­ and Chris wouldn''t have given you an excuse to visit either.¡±


    Jo smiled bitterly. ¡°No, he didn''t. I actually visited his high school last year for a job fair¡­ he didn''t attend.¡±


    ¡°I remember that!¡± Penny exclaimed. ¡°I begged him to go get me an autograph and he said it wasn''t worth spending hours waiting in line just for you to sign a piece of paper!¡±


    ¡°In my defense, Derek didn''t do it either.¡± Chris commented. ¡°And he was actually at the job fair.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I did get it, I''ve just been saving it for her birthday.¡± Derek coughed. ¡°Kinda seems pointless now though¡­¡±


    ¡°Because it''s back in the City, which is pretty much doomed, or because we essentially live with her now?¡± Thad asked.


    ¡°Take your pick.¡± Derek sighed. ¡°Shows me for trying to be clever.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Right, well, that''s my life. What have you guys been up to?¡±


    *


    They all spent the next hour or so catching up. Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Veach had been helping keep everyone fed and organized within the space, making sure everyone had a place to sleep with the help of Sidulpek and Jinolt. They''d even been to Earth a few times to get supplies, commenting on how helpful someone named Melody was. As for Penny and Thad, they hadn''t been doing much of anything. They didn''t have school work, they couldn''t fight, they didn''t have the skills to organize, and it wasn''t like Chris''s space needed to be cleaned, so they were pretty much stuck doing nothing. At least, until Jo and Salvador offered to teach them. They''d been busy helping his minions approach the tribes, but with the surface races making that almost impossible to do anymore, they were looking for something else to do. Jo had been impressed by Penny''s experiment, and now disappointed that she wouldn''t get to see the results, so she was more than happy to take her under her wing, while Salvador and Thad were drawn in by the two women''s excitement.


    ¡°Actually, now that I''m thinking about it, what do you guys know about the empires on the upper levels?¡± Chris asked after considering whether Jo and Salvador would be able to help with the clans.


    Jo frowned. ¡°Empires? In the Maze?¡±


    ¡°That''s what they call themselves, at least.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°There''s apparently four of them, and each one has a population comparable to the City.¡±


    Jo and Salvador shared a look. ¡°We- haven''t heard anything about that. Are you certain?¡± Salvador asked.


    ¡°Pretty sure¡­ I dominated a group of fox-kin and they at least believed they were telling the truth.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°How peculiar.¡± Jo muttered. ¡°How advanced are they?¡±


    ¡°They have steel, but no guns or anything.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°They may not see the need for guns this high up.¡± Salvador pointed out. ¡°Most people on the surface don''t bother with them, since even a mid-tier ability will do more damage when you factor in physique.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°It''s possible, but I don''t think so. They aren''t at a level where guns would be useless, so if they had access to them, I think they''d at least keep one for backup, like the Scouts do.¡±


    ¡°Also, I doubt we''d miss it if they''d already developed to that level.¡± Jo added. ¡°That level of industry would leave unmistakable evidence. I''m honestly surprised we missed the development of steel!¡±


    Salvador frowned. ¡°If they avoid the main routes to the lower levels, it isn''t impossible we''d have missed them. No one is particularly interested in exploring the Maze, and the young doppelgangers coming up would instinctively avoid intelligent creatures. And the main question those in power would ask is ¡®are they a threat¡¯ and at this level of technology, the answer is no. It''s very possible that those in charge are aware, they just don''t care.¡±


    ¡°Well shit.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°I was hoping you might know something we could use to get them on board. Right now, we''re pretty much hoping they''ll be more scared of the surface races than they¡¯ll be of me, which is more of a gamble than I''d like. I mean, sure, death is scary, but so is eternal slavery.¡±


    ¡°Arguably more so.¡± Salvador muttered. ¡°No one wants to die, but personally, I would fear suffering more, and eternity is a long time to suffer.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°And it isn''t like I can take the time to let them get to know me either. I basically have to trust that they''ll believe I won''t abuse the power I have on essentially nothing. Which again, doesn''t seem like a great plan, but it''s all we have.¡±


    ¡°Even knowing you, it isn''t something anyone is going to be excited to jump into.¡± Derek added. ¡°I mean, don''t get me wrong, the connection is useful, but the fact that you can order me around at any point does put a damper on things, even knowing you won''t.¡±


    ¡°You might be a bit more generous if you''d gotten a new ability.¡± Zack commented, activating his aura. ¡°ThisShitIsAwesome!¡±


    ¡°That- yeah, no, actually, that would make this whole thing a lot more worth it.¡± Derek agreed, turning to Chris. ¡°When are we getting new abilities?¡±


    ¡°When we find something suitable.¡± Chris rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Since when can you give people new abilities?!?¡± Penny asked incredulously.


    Chris paused. ¡°Yesterday? It''s Alex''s thing.¡±


    ¡°And Alex is?¡± Penny asked in an exasperated tone.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Huh¡­ I guess we have something else to go over.¡±


    *


    After explaining everything about Alex, the gathering wound down and they all went their separate ways, everyone more than ready for bed after the repeated revelations. Chris sent Beth to her room before opening a portal to his, stopping short as a pissed off looking Daniel jumped to his feet. ¡°Finally!¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Why are you in my room?¡±


    Daniel glared at him. ¡°Do you know how hard it is to find you?!?¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Not very? You could talk to literally any of my minions to get a hold of me, and they''re all over the place.¡±


    Daniel froze. ¡°You- you can?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it''s super easy.¡± Chris nodded.


    Daniel frowned for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°It doesn''t matter, we''re ready!¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Ready for what?¡±


    ¡°To hunt! Me and the others! I''ve been training them, and we''re ready to start!¡± Daniel explained.


    Chris just stared at him for a moment. ¡°I- completely forgot you were doing that. But you should probably know that the surface races are currently killing everything they find on the lower levels, and we''re currently hunting on the maybe eleventh. I mean, if you insist, I''m not going to stop you, but¡­ pretty sure you''d all just die. And since you refuse to accept the connection, that''s a bigger deal for you than most of the rest of us.¡±


    Daniel''s eyes widened. ¡°Since when?!?¡±


    ¡°Three days ago? Maybe four? I don''t know, I''ve been pretty busy so it''s all kind of running together.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°That- you- what the hell are we supposed to do then?!?¡± Daniel exclaimed. The only reason they were even here was so they could help hunt! So they could do something to help save the City!


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°You¡­ could help Katerina with the minions? Unless you want to accept the connection, there''s not much I can do for you.¡±


    Daniel threw up his hands. ¡°Even if we take your damn connection, it just means we''ll end up back in here when we die, even more useless than we already are!¡±


    ¡°Actually, I have a way to give you the abilities of creatures we kill.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Only works if you''re connected to me, but it''d give you a fighting chance on the upper levels.¡±


    Daniel glared at him. ¡°You''re doing this on purpose, aren''t you? Manipulating things so we have to become your minions!¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I honestly don''t give two shits whether you become my minion or not. I have more than enough minions I can use. But if you want to help, then becoming my minion is the way to do it. Or find something to do that doesn''t involve fighting. Maybe training? My minions don''t exactly know how to fight. Not professionally, at least. Either way, I don''t care. Now can you please get out of my room? I am very tired.¡±


    Daniel glared at him for a moment before letting out an incoherent grumble and stomping out of the room. Chris just shook his head and started getting ready for bed. It''d been a long day, and he could feel his pillow calling. He was just about comfortable, ready to drift off, when his eyes popped open and he let out a frustrated groan. Someone was hurting one of his minions, and they were begging to be saved. Which meant he had to deal with it.

 Space: 51 - The upper levels (7)

    Vera, the fox-kin dominator, screamed as four other psychics dug through her mind, tearing it apart to figure out what that creature had done to her, tears soaking her fur as she sobbed, struggling to understand how her friends, her family could do this to her! She''d come to them for help! To see if they could figure out some way to break the connection! And they''d tried, at first. But when they failed to even discover the connection, let alone break it, their methods had become more forceful. They''d given her up as lost and begun to see her as a specimen to be studied, no longer caring for her safety as they dug through her mind to figure out exactly what Chris had done to her.


    Suddenly, barriers bloomed around her, sweeping through the room, sending the psychics gathered around her flying, pinning them to the walls and floor. [You know, I tried to be nice to you people.] A weary voice echoed through the room as Chris stepped out of a portal, rubbing his temple from the headache he''d gotten pulling the fox-kin language out of Vera''s mind. [Honestly, I really did. Trying to dominate me was annoying, but I do get how you might think you had to. I''m a terrifying existence. I get it. But torturing your own people just because they have a connection to me? Really?] Chris shook his head, screams accompanied by cracking sounds echoing through the room as his superior-tier equivalent barriers upped the pressure. [I don''t really feel like being nice anymore.]


    Vera whimpered as the barriers disappeared and the broken bodies of her friends and family fell to the ground around her. She watched as Chris gathered up the bodies, tossing them into his space and absorbing the energy and material from them. Energy wise they were just mid-tiers, plus a single low end high-tier, so it didn''t make much of a difference for his space, but it seemed wasteful to just leave them. [They aren''t going to forgive you for this.] She gulped as Chris dragged her through the portal, closing it behind them before someone could come by and see it. He also sent some healing her way, though he wasn''t sure how much it would do for psychic damage.


    Chris paused. ¡°No, I suppose they won''t, will they?¡± He sighed. ¡°And to think, we might have avoided all this if you''d just let me talk. Pity.¡±


    [Wh-what?] Vera stammered.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I tried to keep things peaceful. Then you attacked me. All I wanted to do was talk things over, see if you''d be interested, and if not, I''d have happily left to find someone else who was. See, I don''t enjoy forcing people to be my minions. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and being connected to someone who hates it¡­ it''s like having a kernel stuck in my teeth. I get annoyed and frustrated because I can''t do anything about it except hope it fixes itself at some point. All of which is to say, I''m not very happy with you right now.¡±


    Vera shrunk in on herself. [I''m- sorry.]


    Chris snorted. ¡°Of course you are. And yet, here we are. Forcing me to consider whether I should just massacre this entire tribe or not.¡±


    Vera''s eyes widened. [You can''t!]


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Why not? You said it yourself, they won''t forgive me for this. I may not have started it, but I doubt sitting down and discussing things peacefully is going to be an option anymore. Plus, while taking care of psychics in a fight is fairly simple, I think both of us are aware of how risky sitting down and talking to them can be, particularly when they have a reason to hate you. Since I don''t want them poisoning the rest of the Kin against me either, my only real option is to put them in a position where they can''t tell the rest of the Kin about me. Which means I either have to kill them all or make them my minions, and since forcing four thousand people to be my minions isn''t exactly an option¡­ I''m really just left with the massacre.¡±


    [Please- please, there has to be another way!] Vera begged. [Most- most of them don''t even know about you! And there''s no way you can kill everyone before they escape! Word will get out anyway!]


    Chris frowned. ¡°That''s true¡­ ugh, I''m too tired for this shit.¡± He groaned, rubbing his face. ¡°Fuck it, how do you suggest I keep the entire Empire of the Kin from becoming my enemy?¡±


    Vera hesitated, frantically searching for some kind of answer. [You- you can''t?] She offered, flinching as Chris leveled a glare at her. [The Empire won''t give up its sovereignty to a stranger, no matter how powerful he may be! Your existence is a threat to them, to all of the Empires in the Maze! There- there never was, and there never will be a peaceful resolution to all this!]


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Fair¡­ but I''m still not seeing an argument for why I should spare your people. If anything, I should do everything I can to keep the Empire from finding out about me for as long as possible.¡±


    Vera shook her head. [The Empire will never accept you¡­ but the people are another matter entirely. If you start killing people, then all they will do is fear you. If- If you present yourself peacefully, as an alternative to the Empire¡­ I- I don''t know if anyone would join you, but there''d at least be a chance?]


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°How is anyone going to join me while the Empire is hunting me down and anyone who is connected to me gets tortured? I can accept that killing people won''t help, particularly since I wasn''t that excited about it anyway, but I already lost one hunting spot because of people coming after me, and I don''t want to lose another. Particularly since I''m sure this Empire has superior and omega-tier equivalents to throw at me, if it''s as expansive as you say.¡±


    [They- they do¡­] Vera agreed helplessly, feeling her idea fall apart. Getting people to join him willingly was a long-shot anyway, and if there was no reasonable way for him to do it without putting himself and others in danger, then it wasn''t worth it. She certainly wasn''t going to volunteer to get tortured over it again. But she also didn''t want to see her people die just so she could stay safe! [Couldn''t- couldn''t you just disappear?]


    ¡°Sure, but then how am I going to get stronger? How am I going to get minions? I''ve got my own crisis to deal with, you know.¡± Chris sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Which, I remind you, means most of these people will end up dead anyway. Unless they join me.¡±


    [Then you should at least give them a chance to do so!] Vera exclaimed in frustration.


    ¡°I agree, but how?¡± Chris asked, slightly exasperated. ¡°We tried sending you in to talk to them, and it got you tortured. If they won''t even spare you, then who can we send?¡± He paused. ¡°Actually, that reminds me, what happened to the other three?¡±


    Vera grimaced. [They''re- hiding. They didn''t think the others would be very accepting of our condition.]


    Chris nodded. ¡°Smart. Not all that effective for recruiting, but definitely safer.¡± He paused. ¡°Maybe if they did some kind of hidden resistance thing? Might solve the recruitment issue, but it doesn''t help with the Empire coming after us. Though at this point, it seems like that''s almost inevitable¡­¡± Even if he massacred the entire tribe, it wasn''t like the Empire was just going to ignore it. Anything capable of wiping out a tribe was going to get a significant response. What he needed to do was minimize the perceived threat, so the Empire wouldn''t dedicate too many resources to hunting him down. Which meant¡­ he needed to talk to Beth and Nadia. He didn''t trust himself to handle something like this on his own. Particularly since he''d probably be in the middle of a rampage right now if he hadn''t stopped to talk things through with the fox-kin¡­ His problem solving process tended to be a bit simplistic. Not to mention the fact that he''d probably barely get through a hundred people before he exhausted himself, which itself might be an overestimation. At least no one had checked on the psychics handling Vera yet, so he still had some time.


    Chris opened portals to both girls'' rooms and knocked on their doors, loudly. ¡°Chris?¡± Beth muttered blearily, rubbing her eyes as she opened the door. ¡°I just got to sleep.¡± She groaned.


    ¡°I was just about to get to sleep.¡± Nadia grumbled as she opened her door as well. ¡°This better be important.¡±


    ¡°Some fox-kin were torturing this one, so I killed them, and now I need to figure out how to make us seem less of a threat so the Empire doesn''t send omega-tiers after us right away.¡± Chris explained.


    Both women blinked at him. ¡°Why did you kill them?!?¡± Nadia exclaimed.


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    ¡°Because they were torturing my minion?¡± Chris replied as if it was self explanatory.


    Nadia groaned, burying her face in her hands. ¡°Chris- ugh, fine, whatever, fair. This Empire¡­ it''s one of the ones you were talking about with your parents?¡± Chris nodded. ¡°And they''re sending omega-tiers after us because?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t you?¡± Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Sending omega-tiers is an entirely appropriate response to the threat Chris represents. What we need to figure out is if we can keep them from realizing that.¡± She turned to Vera. ¡°How much did you tell them?¡±


    [Just- just that I had been dominated.] Vera replied. [After that, anything I believed would need to be vetted by the manipulators anyway, to confirm whether or not it was a product of mental manipulation. The only ones who would have been aware of his full capabilities would have been the ones in the room¡­ and they''re already taken care of.]


    Beth nodded. ¡°So all they know is that you were dominated by something, and then while they were vetting you, the team responsible was killed and you disappeared.¡± She paused, glancing at Chris. ¡°Along with the bodies?¡± He nodded in confirmation. ¡°Okay¡­ have they discovered it yet?¡± Chris shook his head. ¡°Alright, then we need to give them an explanation for how this happened. Which means¡­ we need you to escape. Make them think you somehow possessed her, then when the psychics began to get too close, you burst out, killed everyone, ate the bodies, and fled. It''ll give them a sense of mixed victory, because on one hand, they lost people, but on the other, they discovered an intruder before it could do any serious harm. Or more serious harm, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°If that''s the story we want to spin, then he can''t use any abilities while he''s escaping.¡± Nadia commented. ¡°And¡­ he''ll need to get caught trying to get to someone else, or it won''t make sense, which means, he won''t be able to sneak out. They''re going to pursue him, and they need to lose him in the tunnels, not in their tribe, or they''re going to keep looking for him, which will compromise the other three.¡± She glanced at Vera. ¡°They don''t know about the other three, right?¡±


    Vera shook her head. [I promised to keep them out of it unless it worked. The only ones who would have known are the ones who died, since I couldn''t hide those memories once they started digging deeper.] She grimaced at the memory. They hadn''t been gentle.


    Nadia sighed. ¡°Right, so if we want to keep them in the tribe, we need Chris to get chased out.¡± She turned to Chris. ¡°And you can''t die, because then you wouldn''t leave a body, which would leave us with the same problem. And you need to pick a form and stick with it.¡±


    Chris frowned, turning to Vera. ¡°Do you think I could escape the tribe within an hour?¡±


    Vera blinked. [I- think you would have to? If you give them enough time to gather, then your chance of escape is slim.]


    Chris nodded. ¡°Fair. Plus, if necessary, I can find a place to hide and recover for a bit, before being ¡®caught¡¯ again.¡±


    ¡°And your combat form would sell the idea of a monster parasite better than any of your other forms.¡± Beth agreed.


    ¡°Right, then, is there anything in particular I need to watch out for?¡± Chris asked, wincing slightly as he pulled the layout of the tribe from her mind. It wasn''t as bad as a language, but having any knowledge suddenly dumped into your head wasn''t pleasant.


    [Everything?] Vera replied helplessly. He was going to be chased through the clan, without being able to use his ability! The very idea was suicidal!


    Chris rolled his eyes. ¡°Is there anyone with a special ability I need to avoid? Like, is there someone that can kill anyone within four meters of them or something?¡±


    Vera blinked. [No? Though¡­ the captain of the guard has some kind of sensory ability that can''t be blocked, and his attacks do more damage than they should? But any attack will be bad for you and you aren''t trying to hide, so I''m not sure if that matters.]


    ¡°What does he look like?¡± Chris asked.


    [He has dark red fur, with streaks of black and white through it.] Vera replied.


    Chris nodded. ¡°Alright, I''ll keep an eye out. It might be bad if I need to hide while he''s around.¡± He looked towards the other two. ¡°Anything else before I get started?¡±


    Nadia paused, thinking it over. ¡°You can''t wear clothes.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Crap.¡±


    *


    Chris took a deep breath as he crept towards an unassuming door like he didn''t know there were four armed and armored fox-kin sitting around a table inside. He carefully lifted the latch, easing the door open, waiting for the inevitable shout of surprise. Except it didn''t come, because the fox-kin were hyper focused on some kind of domino game they were playing, not even looking up from the table. Chris was wondering if he should make a noise or something, when a fox-kin woman in a fancy dress turned the corner down the hall and screamed! The fox-kin in the room immediately bolted to their feet, finally seeing Chris and shouting as he ran in the opposite direction of the woman. The first stage of the plan was a success! Now all he had to do was escape without getting killed.


    Chris rushed into a stairwell, swinging over the rail and into a medium sized dining hall, landing on the head of an almost ridiculously fat fox-kin who Chris was almost certain was a psychic and giving their head a good squeeze with his talons as he launched off, grabbing a chandelier and swinging to the next, taking him across the room before anyone could react and diving into the kitchen, bowling through the kitchen staff as he made for the back door. He broke through the brittle stone of the door, landing in an alley, ready to make his escape through the dense backstreets where his agility would help him avoid any ranged abilities being shot his way, only to find the exit blocked by a large, dark red fox-kin with black and white stripes through his fur. *I hate my life sometimes.* Chris sighed internally as the captain of the guard blinked at him, obviously not expecting something like him to appear in the middle of his midnight stroll.


    The captain snarled, whipping out a metal club and swinging it at Chris. Not wanting to waste time dodging and counter attacking with him while the others caught up, Chris charged, getting under the swing so the haft hit his shoulder as his palm slammed into the captain''s chest, hoping to send him stumbling so he could rush past. Only the moment the haft hit Chris''s shoulder, a crushing force hit not him, but his space, sending him reeling like he''d just been whopped in the head, while the captain barely stumbled, simply taking a few steps back before bringing his club back up, ready to strike again.


    The two looked at each other for a moment, confused, Chris wondering how the hell this dude had hit his space, and the captain wonder how the fuck he wasn''t dead! His nickname on the force was the Death''s Touch, since it was like all he needed to do was touch a creature and it was dead! It wasn''t entirely accurate, of course, but in general, as long as he landed a blow, even a glancing one, the fight was over. [What are you?] The captain hissed, tightening his grip on the club.


    *I could ask you the same question.* Chris huffed internally, eyeing the club warrily. Up to this point, his space had been essentially inviolable. Sure, people could break the barriers and portals, but it hadn''t affected the space, and it was something he initiated. He didn''t like the idea of someone being able to attack the space like this. Not one bit.


    The two stood like that, locked in a stand-off as the captain threatened Chris with his club and Chris flashed his claws and tail, promising that the next exchange wouldn''t leave him unscathed. They both carefully maneuvered around each other until Chris was right by the kitchen door, and suddenly a fox-kin burst out, ready to ambush him, only for Chris to spin, grabbing them by the armor and heaving them at the captain, sending them both tumbling as Chris dashed past, slipping into the backstreets! The captain let out a curse, scrambling to his feet and chasing after him, hot on his tail! Chris''s superior agility let him pull ahead, but the captain knew the streets far better than Chris did with his second hand knowledge, constantly taking shortcuts to catch up and even get ahead every now and then, forcing Chris to switch routes.


    As more and more fox-kin joined the chase, Chris was forced to switch routes more and more often, his spatial sense giving him just enough warning to escape capture again and again, until he made it to the final hurdle: the gate. He''d been hoping to get through the streets fast enough to reach the gate before they even knew he was coming, but the captain had foiled that plan, so instead, he was faced with a fully locked down and protected gate, a full contingent of twenty fox-kin blocking the way, and a horde of who knew how many behind him, led by the asshole with the club. Chris seriously considered unleashing his abilities and just slaughtering his way through, but at that point, he might as well portal out and forget the whole thing. Then again, another part of him really wanted to kill that captain, if only because someone having the ability to affect his space bothered him. But doing that would ruin any chance of escape he had, since it''d allow everyone to catch up, and there was no way he could fight his way through all of them, even with his abilities.


    With a frustrated hiss, Chris broke from the back streets, charging towards the guards as they yelled, defensive abilities erecting a shimmering shield between him and them. Chris brandished the spear he''d taken off one of the more unfortunate fox-kin to encounter him that night, planting it in the ground in front of the shield and flipping over it, using his hands to thrust off the butt of the shaft and fly over the shield, with a little help from a hidden barrier. His tail whipped back and forth as he tumbled through the fox-kin, spearing through hands and yanking them around to get in each other''s way. One unlucky sod got it wrapped around their neck as they were pulled along behind Chris to protect his back as he rushed the gate, grabbing the bar keeping it shut and struggling to pull it off.


    [It''s useless, beast!] The captain roared as he arrived, leading a horde of fox-kin. [That bar takes four men to move- shit!] He cursed as Chris used some barriers to lift the bar, dropping it as he pushed the gate open, again with some timely barrier help, rushing into the tunnels of the Maze.


    Chris grinned as he sprinted away. He''d done it! He''d escaped! With no reason for anyone to contact the Empire! Now all he had to do was lose these guys and- Chris''s line of thought cut off as something blasted into his chest, sending him flying backwards! [Is this yours?] A mocking voice called out, Chris catching a small group of fox-kin entering his spatial sense.


    [Shut it, Volo!] The captain growled, rushing forward to bash Chris with his club before he could recover. The creature had proved too wily and resourceful, and he refused to give it a chance to turn things around again. Chris felt a crushing force slam into his space, and then everything went dark.

 Smoke: 1 - 12:34:56

    Greg lightly tapped his pencil against the ever blank page of his notebook, placed there in the vain hope that eventually his Calculus class would move beyond high school Algebra, as the professor launched into his second example problem of the class. He sighed, glancing at the clock on the wall, which currently read 12:34:24, before shooting a glare at the culprit responsible for the snail-like pace this class had been preceding at. The culprit, sitting in the middle of the front row of the class in his signature orange hoodie, raised his hand yet again to further berate the professor with his less than competent grasp of the subject, prompting a silent groan to pass through the class. Greg fiddled with his pencil, trying his hardest to resist the urge to chuck it at the dude''s head. He glanced back at the clock just in time to watch it tick to 12:34:59.


    *Fuck! Missed it again.* Greg groaned internally. Why was it so hard to catch the clock at 12:34:56?


    Eventually the professor managed to disentangle himself from Mr. I-think-I-know-it-all long enough to finish the problem just before the clock hit 12:50. "Alright class, that''s it for today. Remember homework is due on Monday and enjoy your weekend." He announced, ending the class.


    "Ugh, finally. You headed to lunch?" Casey asked from the desk beside Greg.


    "Yup. Time to get some garbage cafeteria food then head back to the dorm." Greg answered.


    "Lucky. I still have one more class and then a lab after lunch." Casey sighed as she packed up her bag.


    "Hey, that''s your own fault. Why would you pile everything on Friday? Wednesday is the best day to pile shit up." Greg responded as he led the way out of the class and to the cafeteria.


    "It''s not my fault! My stupid adviser wouldn''t get back to me until the last goddamn minute and all the good classes were full!" Casey complained.


    "Yeah, yeah. Come on, I want to get there before Victor." Greg urged her on, picking up the pace.


    "Why?" Casey asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "Cause when Victor gets there first he always gets a table by the doors, which means I have to walk clear across the room to refill my soda." Greg explained as if it was the most natural thing in the world.


    "You could just ask him to grab a table closer to the soda fountain." Casey commented, rolling her eyes.


    Greg paused. "But then he''d win."


    "It is honestly hard to tell you two are friends sometimes." Casey sighed.


    "Is it really a friendship without a little bit of hate?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "What? Yes! I refuse to accept the idea that friendship requires hate! Wait¡­ does that mean you hate me?" Casey asked, shooting him a suspicious glare.


    "Nah, but we''re more like¡­ acquaintances." Greg replied, suppressing a grin.


    "Oh, fuck you." Casey retorted, rolling her eyes and slapping Greg on the shoulder, causing him to burst out laughing.


    "See! There''s the hate. Integral part of any friendship." Greg grinned as they walked into the cafeteria.


    "Still not buying it." Casey replied, shaking her head.


    They arrived at the cafeteria and proceeded to gather up their meals from the meager selection offered. Honestly, Greg enjoyed the food here, but everyone shit on it so hard, he just went along with it. It was simple food, fried and greasy. What wasn''t there to like? Greg beat Casey into the dining room and groaned as he saw a man waving him down from across the room.


    "How''s it going, Victor." Greg sighed as he sat down, shooting a forlorn glance towards the distant soda fountain.


    "Eh, not bad. Done with classes for the day, which is nice, but no plans for the weekend, which is boring." Victor responded.


    "That''s not so bad. You can always read or watch tv. Plus it gives you time to catch up on homework and study." Greg offered.


    "What kind of person would do homework or study?" Victor asked, an expression of extreme disgust on his face.


    "I don''t know, someone who wants to get higher than a C?" Greg answered, rolling his eyes.


    "Awful. Thank god I don''t have to deal with that." Victor sighed in relief.


    "Even if you can ace the tests without it, homework is still 20% of your grade." Greg sighed. "Your GPA is going to screw you someday."


    "Eh, probably, but homework is a scam and I refuse to put myself through such torture." Victor countered with a shrug.


    "Hey Victor!" Casey exclaimed as she took the seat next to Greg.


    "Yo." Victor greeted her, lifting his cup towards her, before taking a sip.


    "So, lemme ask, do you hate Greg?"


    "Yeah? Why else would I always grab the table furthest from the soda fountain. I mean, look at him. Total piece of shit." Victor responded, grinning.


    "Right back at you buddy." Greg replied with a grin of his own.


    "I''m not your buddy, guy." Victor immediately shot back, causing them both to chuckle and Casey to groan. "So, do you have any plans for the weekend?" Victor asked Casey.


    "Mhmm. Me and Kaitlyn are going on our third date!" Casey replied excitedly.


    "Oh really? Guess that means you''ll have to put out. Or she will¡­ how does that work?" Victor asked in what appeared to be genuine confusion.


    "Well, neither of us is a slimy, jerk dude, so neither of us have to put out." Casey retorted.


    "Well then what''s the point!" Victor threw up his hands in mock exasperation.


    Casey just rolled her eyes and turned to Greg. "How about you? Do you have any plans?"


    "He doesn''t." Victor answered before Greg could.


    "How do you know?" Casey asked, narrowing her eyes at him.


    "Because I don''t have plans, and the only way Greg is going to leave the dorm room is if I drag him out." Victor explained.


    "I''d argue, but he''s not exactly wrong." Greg agreed.


    "Seriously?" Casey asked with an incredulous look.


    "What? I like to read, play games, and watch tv¡­ that''s pretty much it." Greg replied with a shrug.


    "You don''t like parties?" Casey asked.


    "Eh, I usually just end up sitting somewhere by myself, bored." Greg explained.


    "Shopping?" Casey offered.


    "No¡­ plus I''m poor." Greg sighed.


    Casey frowned thoughtfully. "Some kind of sport?"


    "Boring and sweaty, no thank you." Greg stuck his tongue out with a disgusted expression.


    Casey rolled her eyes. "How about concerts?"


    "Way too loud, way too crowded, you can barely see the guys playing, and the music sounds better when I play it on my phone." Greg finished, listing the reasons off on his fingers.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "I actually agree with him on that one." Victor chimed in.


    "Good lord, how are you ever going to find a girlfriend if you never leave your damn room?!?" Casey exclaimed in exasperation.


    "I''m not certain, but I''m pretty sure the only way I''m ever going to get a girlfriend is if she finds me." Greg answered with a shrug.


    Casey gave him a weird look. "How is that even possible?"


    "Through God, all things are possible." Greg declared in mock seriousness, prompting Victor to throw an ice cube at him. "Help, Lord! I''m being attacked by a heathen!"


    "Hey, I''m only a heathen if I believe in other gods. I''m an atheist, so not a heathen." Victor commented.


    "Ah, but atheists believe in themselves, therefore you are a heathen." Greg countered.


    Victor paused thoughtfully. "I don''t think that''s necessarily true, but I do in fact believe in myself, so point."


    "Damn straight." Greg nodded, grinning in satisfaction.


    They continued to chat and joke around until Casey had to leave for her next class. A little while later Greg and Victor went back to their dorm and settled in for a long boring weekend, which Greg thoroughly enjoyed. Eventually though, Monday rolled around and they had to get back to work. The day wore on until Greg was yet again sitting in calc one, listening to the asshole in the orange hoodie explain why he thought the professor was wrong for the millionth god damn time. He glanced at the clock and watched it tic from 12:34:45 to 12:34:46.


    *Alright, just a bit more¡­* Greg thought as the clock kept approaching 12:34:56. *fifty-three¡­ fifty-four¡­ fifty-five¡­* and then the world went dark.


    *


    Greg opened his eyes to a beautiful, though slightly dirty face inches from his own, studying him intently. "Gah!" Greg exclaimed, flinching back. "Who-"


    Panic washed over the woman''s face as she quickly shoved her hand over Greg''s mouth, silencing him. "Shhh!" She warned him, looking around nervously.


    Greg was stunned for a moment, looking around to see what everyone else would say about her weird actions, only to notice¡­ there was no one here. In fact, it didn''t look like there''d been anyone here for a while now. Dust covered the floor, along with pieces of broken desks and what looked like¡­ bone?!? Greg began to see blood stains as well, his eyes widening. *What the fuck is going on!?!* He thought to himself, beginning to panic slightly. Was this some sort of prank? A little overboard for someone just falling asleep in class, don''t you think?!?


    Suddenly, the woman dragged him from his desk, shoving him into a deep corner behind a cabinet before pressing herself in as well, trapping Greg against the wall as she peaked around the side. Greg tried to ignore the sensation of a woman pressing herself against his body as, with his mouth now uncovered, he opened it to ask what the fuck was going on, when he froze. From the hallway, there came a low, sinister scraping sound, as if something was dragging a heavy rake made of wood¡­ or maybe bone. Along with the scraping came a heavy panting, not from exhaustion, but anger. The moment the noises appeared, the woman pressed even deeper into the corner, as if she was almost trying to burrow into Greg''s skin, but by this point, he was too focused on listening to notice.


    After a few tense moments, the noises faded away as whatever was out there continued on its way, causing Greg to let out a sigh of relief. It was at this moment he noticed how tight the woman was pressing herself against him. A bit of color crept into his face as he made a slight cough. The woman immediately whirled on him again, pressing her finger against her lips with a warning glare, before going back to her observation. Greg resisted the urge to groan or sigh as he tried to focus on something other than the rather attractive woman pressed tightly against him.


    Greg was busy trying to divide four billion, two hundred and eight million, eight thousand, and five hundred and sixty-nine by forty-two, when the woman finally released him, motioning for him to follow her. Greg opened his mouth to ask a question, and she immediately pressed her finger against her lips again, before moving off. She moved like a ghost, barely making a sound as she crept through the room to a window. Meanwhile, as Greg tried to follow her, every step he took made a scuffing sound, and every now and then he''d step on something, making a light crackle. The noises weren''t loud, but in the dead silence around them, they felt deafening. The woman frowned at him, but all he could do was shrug helplessly.


    Once Greg arrived, she carefully eased open the window, making as little sound as possible, before slipping outside. Greg tried to follow what she''d done, but he ended up catching his foot on the window sill and tripping, tumbling out and hitting his head. Before he could even make a noise, the woman was on him, covering his mouth with her hand again. She waited a few moments to make sure he was good, before letting him up again, carefully making her way towards the edge of the campus. Greg paused for a moment, before following her. He still wasn''t sure exactly what was going on, but things had obviously changed, and this woman seemed to know what she was doing, so he figured he should probably stick with her.


    Carefully they picked their way across campus, going through buildings, avoiding hallways and large roads whenever possible. Anywhere someone would normally walk seemed to be taboo for the woman, as she climbed through windows and over walls to get wherever she was going, Greg following as well as he could. Occasionally Greg would catch a glimpse of some creature as they hid, waiting for it to pass by. Whatever these things were, they were definitely dangerous. They looked almost humanoid, but covered in hair or scales. Large, vicious claws and fangs were common, and you could occasionally see spiked tails or talon-like feet. Limbs extended weirdly, some long enough to drag along the ground as the creatures walked. Greg even saw a creature climbing a building where each limb was twice as long as the body, talons piercing into the walls as it traveled multiple stories in just a few moments.


    The more Greg saw, the more he wondered just what had happened. He''d just gone unconscious for a moment, and bam! Everything went to shit! He almost wondered if this was even his world, and he hadn''t somehow slipped into a creepy, alternate reality. Though¡­ that still wouldn''t bode well for him.


    After a few hours of carefully making their way across campus, maintaining a level of vigilance that left Greg with a pounding headache, they finally made it out and into a residential district. The woman led him towards one of the houses, slipping in through the back door. "Wait here." She ordered, before heading deeper into the house. Greg waited as she searched the house, looking in each and every crevice, before returning. "All clear. Who are you? What were you doing there?" The woman immediately asked the moment she made sure there was nothing living in the house.


    "I''m Greg? I was just in class and then¡­ Everything went dark. Then I woke up with you an inch from my face and¡­ well, you were there, you know." Greg explained. "Who are you? What''s going on around here? Why are there all these¡­ monsters walking around?!?"


    The woman raised an eyebrow. "You went unconscious?" She asked skeptically, looking him over. ¡°Then where are your mutations?¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°My what?¡±


    ¡°Your mutations. The physical alterations you''d have to have if you haven''t had any food or water in two years, as you claim.¡± The woman rolled her eyes as if Greg was the one who wasn''t making sense.


    ¡°I don''t- wait, two years?!?¡± Greg''s eyes widened. ¡°That''s- that''s-¡± He paused, looking around the dilapidated house. ¡°That''s actually pretty believable¡­ Shit, did I time travel or something?¡± He wondered, scratching his head.


    The woman frowned. ¡°You honestly expect me to believe you somehow skipped the last two years?¡±


    ¡°Why would I lie?¡± Greg shrugged helplessly.


    She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before reaching out towards him. ¡°Give me your hand.¡±


    Greg eyed her skeptically. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because if you''ve truly been unconscious for the last two years, then there''s something going on with you, and examining your hand is less invasive than your throat or chest.¡± The woman sighed, gesturing insistently.


    ¡°That''s- fair, I guess.¡± Greg muttered, giving her his left hand.


    The first thing she did was check his pulse, and¡­ she blinked. ¡°You- don''t have a pulse.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Please tell me you''re joking.¡± He groaned, taking his hand back and checking himself, only to find that she was right, he didn''t have a pulse! He checked his neck and chest next, and¡­ nothing! ¡°Am- am I dead?!?¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± The woman gestured for his hand again, which Greg numbly handed over, watching as her own finger sharpened into a boney spike, which she used to prick his finger, causing¡­ Nothing. Greg felt the prick, but when he examined his finger there wasn''t even a dot! ¡°Strange¡­¡± The woman muttered, her finger changing to look more like a scalpel as she cut into his finger! This time they could see a black¡­ smoke? Well up from the wound as it closed almost as fast as she cut it.


    ¡°Ow?¡± Greg complained hesitantly. The woman gave him an unamused look, before turning back to his hand and slicing a long, deep cut down his finger. ¡°Gah! Hey!¡± Greg protested, hissing in pain and trying to pull his hand back, but she held it tight, displaying an unnatural strength as she watched his finger heal before her eyes yet again. She went to cut him again, only for Greg to finally manage to wrench his hand away from her. ¡°Stop! Fuck, what is wrong with you?!?¡±


    The woman raised an eyebrow at him. "I was simply testing your ability. You have a rather impressive healing factor."


    "Uh¡­ thanks? Wait, hold on, how did you do that with your finger?!?" Greg asked, gesturing at her still sharp finger.


    The woman wiggled her finger, changing it from the blade, to a needle, to a tentacle, then back into a finger. "This is my superpower. I''m a shapeshifter."


    "Superpower?" Greg muttered incredulously, before pausing and taking a deep breath, refocusing. "Okay, hold on, forget all that. Just¡­ first, who are you?"


    "My name is Tessa. I''m a mid-level super associated with the Downtown Clan." Tessa answered, crossing her arms.


    "Downtown Clan? Wait, don''t answer that." Greg shook his head. There was so much he needed to know, but he needed to focus on the basics first. "What- what happened out there? Why is everything so¡­ broken?"


    Tessa fixed him with a hard stare, before uttering two simple words. "The Apocalypse."

 Smoke: 2 - Sharkman

    Greg''s eyes widened, then he frowned, raising an eyebrow at Tessa. "Okay, very dramatic. Props. But you do realize that still tells me pretty much nothing, right? I''m going to need some details."


    Tessa sighed. "It''s complicated. Essentially, two years ago, a significant portion of the population went insane, acting like animals or maniacs or both. All the electronics went out, fried, like they''d been hit by an EMP. A bunch of people got superpowers as well, including the crazy ones. Not long after the sane people managed to band together and set up a few safe zones, the ferals, which is what we call the others, began to mutate, turning into monsters. Even worse, so did the animals, including insects and vermin, growing larger and fiercer. The old cities are still relatively safe, but the wild is ruled by swarms of terrifying beasts." Tessa explained, her expression becoming more and more serious as she continued. "Besides all that, another portion of the population went unconscious, as if they were in comas. The ones who weren''t killed by the ferals also began to mutate, but differently, turning into rock and plant-like things that act like traps when you get near them."


    Greg frowned. "You mentioned something about not having food and water, implying that I should have mutated. How is that linked?"


    "During the initial chaos, some people had a hard time finding food, but strangely, despite the fact that they weren''t eating, they weren''t getting hungry either. At first, people thought it was a blessing. They no longer had to scramble for food, allowing them to focus on finding places to stay safe and hide from the ferals. But then¡­ they began to notice changes. Some people started to get hairier or they''d grow scales. A few developed tails, some horns, some claws¡­ you get the picture. Some saw it as an advantage, embracing the change, turning into creatures much like the ferals, just as strong, but smarter, which is why we believe ferals and the others mutate for the same reasons. However, the majority rejected the mutations, and food became a priority again. Still, it''s common to see people with a few scales or the beginnings of a horn around the safe zone, the remnants of their earlier struggle." Tessa looked him over again. ¡°It isn''t exactly a surprise that you went unconscious¡­ what''s weird is that you woke up, without a single mutation¡­ unless that smoke is a mutation?¡±


    Greg frowned, wondering what exactly was going on there himself. He glanced at Tessa. "You seem to have come out of it pretty well, at least.¡±


    "Well, I am a shapeshifter. Even if I don''t eat, I don''t need to worry about my body changing on me." Tessa retorted with a slight smirk. ¡°Plus, I''m a super. While everyone else was hiding, I could fight to get whatever I needed.¡±


    "Fuck, right¡­ Okay, then, what''s up with that? How do people have superpowers?" Greg asked, before looking down at his hand. "Shit, why do I have superpowers!?!"


    Tessa shrugged. "No one knows. They just appeared along with everything else. Some people think it''s a gift from God, some just random chance, and a whole host of other theories, but ultimately, it just is, and we''re stuck dealing with it.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Okay, yeah, fair. Tell me about this Downtown Clan thing then."


    "The Downtown Clan, the God''s Blessed Holy Land, and the Young Blood Paradise are the three major safety zones. There are a few other minor safety zones around, but they aren''t really comparable to the big three, mostly consisting of lawless, vicious supers who solely want to dominate the people around them. The Downtown Clan is, predictably, based in the downtown business district. We''re arguably the most prosperous safety zone in the city." Tessa explained.


    Greg nodded appreciatively. "Alright then, last question. Why did you come all the way over here? How did you end up in my classroom?"


    "So, as supers, we''re the ones responsible for heading out of the safety zones to collect resources. We find food, seeds, water, anything to supplement the zone''s resources. Me and my team came here to see if we could find any salvageable electrical components or technical books, but along the way, we ran into a pack of ferals. We had to run, and I got split off from the rest of the group. I ran into a random building and I ended up hiding in your classroom. I was slightly freaked out to see a random dude sleeping at a desk, went to check you out, and then, well, you know the rest." Tessa explained.


    "Ah yes, the ''let''s put my oh so vulnerable face right in front of the random weird thing in a world that''s apparently full of monsters'' approach. Brilliant." Greg mocked her slightly, feeling a bit more comfortable after they''d talked for a while.


    "Would you have preferred I stab you?" Tessa retorted, holding up her arm as it turned into a sharp blade.


    "No, but I am a big proponent of the ''poke the suspicious object with a long stick'' approach. Weird ball of fur? Poke it with a stick. Suspiciously rustling paper bag? Poke it with a stick. Random dude sleeping in the middle of a disaster zone? Poke him with a stick. Save your face from injury, two out of three times." Greg listed off, ignoring the deadly glint twinkling in Tessa''s eye.


    Tessa seemed to seriously consider stabbing him, before ultimately giving up the idea, turning her arm back to normal. She gave him a strange look. "You got used to having a healing factor way too quickly."


    "Nah, I just never particularly cared for my life in the first place." Greg shot back with a grin, before pausing. "Shit, that sounded way too depressing¡­ I just meant I''ve always had a rather cavalier attitude towards death. If I can avoid it, I will, but if it''s already coming, why not enjoy it?"


    Tessa raised an eyebrow. "Enjoy it?"


    "Well, it''s something you only get to experience once, right?" Greg explained, seemingly dedicated to digging this hole deeper. "Isn''t that something you kind of have to appreciate?"


    Tessa just frowned at him, before shaking her head. "You''re a strange person."


    *


    Tessa went about setting up some makeshift alarms around the house, before barricading them both in one of the bedrooms, after dragging in a second mattress. She threw some blankets and a pillow on it, telling Greg to get some sleep, before climbing into the other bed and curling up. Greg asked her about setting up a watch or something, and she quickly explained that if they did that, they''d either lose travel time or sleep, both of which would increase their chances of running into danger. Additionally, with the alarms she set up, they should have more than enough warning before anything happened.


    Unfortunately, Greg didn''t seem to be able to sleep anyway. He laid awake, staring at the ceiling as everything Tessa had told him ran through his head. A world full of mutated humans and animals, the few survivors relegated to tiny, defensible areas. A world where superpowers were almost common and people depended on them to survive. Honestly, Greg was stuck between worrying over how he was going to survive all this, whether his friends were okay, where his uncle was, and geeking out over how freaking awesome it all was! Superpowers! Mutants! Apocalypse! If this was a book or a video game, he''d be all over it!


    As much as everything was, you know, objectively awful, it was at least interesting. Much better than the boring, day in, day out grind Greg was living in before. He knew the reality of living in such a world would most likely be a horrible experience, but he couldn''t help but see the wonder in it all. *Man, there''s something seriously wrong with me.* Greg sighed internally, shaking his head.


    He tried yet again to close his eyes and focus on going to sleep, his hand absently stroking his stomach, when he noticed something wrong. He climbed to his feet, creeping over to a nearby mirror, and lifted up his shirt, staring at the reflected image with an expression of extreme distaste. *Where did that come from?!? Where did my chub go!?!* He wondered in shock as he studied his newfound six pack. He quickly pulled off his shirt, eyes widening even more as he took in the changes to his body. Abs, pecs, biceps, everything was hard and defined, as if he''d been working out for years!


    *Shit¡­ no wonder it was so easy to climb those walls!* He thought to himself, shaking his head. As they''d journeyed through campus, Tessa had taken them through some pretty intense obstacles, some of which required him to pull his entire body up and through a small window. He''d been clumsy for sure, but he''d still managed to do it, which surprised him. Now though¡­ not so much.


    Greg pulled his shirt back on. *Man, this is all so freaking weird! I go unconscious for a couple years before waking up with muscles and a healing factor? What am I, a main character?* Greg paused as that thought went through his mind. *Crap¡­ I''m dreaming, aren''t I? Fucking¡­* He frowned, pinching his arm. *Well¡­ that hurt. Maybe I''m not dreaming? Fuck it, who knows, who cares. Best to assume not until proven otherwise.* He sighed, shaking his head.


    He returned to his bed, yet again attempting to slip into the sweet release of sleep, but to no avail. Eventually he got bored and pulled out his phone, and then¡­ then he got really depressed. *Fuck! All my books were on there!* He groaned in frustration as he dropped the useless piece of technology on the bed, resisting the urge to chuck it out the window. He was fairly certain that''d wake Tessa, and probably a few other things, plus he was hoping maybe someone had figured out how to fix them back at the safe zone. Tessa had said they were looking to salvage electronics at the university.


    With the phone a no go, Greg tried to go to sleep, again, but he quickly got bored, again, picking up the phone absently, before slamming it back down in frustration. *Man, that was an annoying enough instinct when the phone actually worked, let alone now.* He complained, sitting up in the bed and rubbing his eyes. He wanted to sleep, he really did, but he just wasn''t tired. *This is what I get for sleeping for two years straight.* He chuckled to himself, shaking his head.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He fell back into the bed, beginning to get really frustrated. *What to do, what to do¡­* He pondered, his mind drifting towards the thing he usually did when bored in bed, but¡­ he glanced towards where Tessa was sleeping. *Not really an option right now. Unless¡­ maybe if I was really careful?* Greg considered, before shaking his head. *Damnit, no! That''s gross! Bad Greg!* He chastised himself, before sighing. *But I have to do something.*


    The next morning, Tessa awoke with a yawn, sitting up and stretching. She glanced over towards Greg''s bed, her yawn choking in her throat as her eyes widened, staring at him in shock. "Uh, Greg?"


    Greg jumped, startled, almost dropping the pile of clothes he was carrying. Noticing it was just her, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, you''re up. Ready to go?" He asked, throwing the pile of clothes into the corner.


    "What? No!" Tessa shook her head, before pausing. "I mean, yes, but¡­ what is that?!?" She asked incredulously.


    "This?" Greg asked, gesturing towards an elaborate structure fabricated from clothing, blankets, a lamp, a few curtain rods, a dresser, and whatever else Greg could find. "It''s a fort."


    *


    After Tessa had decided to graciously ignore the whole fort thing, she quickly packed up all her gear, disabling her alarms, and they headed out again. They picked their way across the city until about noon, when Tessa found them a place to stop, pulling out a few pieces of jerky, handing some to Greg. He almost rejected, as he didn''t really feel hungry, plus he wasn''t a huge fan of jerky, but then he remembered what Tessa had told him yesterday and he quickly grabbed the offered food. He may still look human, but something had definitely changed about him in the past few years, and he didn''t particularly want to risk changing any further.


    He chewed on the tough jerky, glancing up at the sky, before frowning. "Hey, why don''t we travel at night? Wouldn''t it be easier to hide then?"


    Tessa shook her head. "Lots of ferals have developed some sort of night vision, turning nocturnal. Sometimes they even have echolocation, or they can detect heat, making it even harder to hide from them. At least during the day we can find them as easily as they can find us. At night, we might not even know when a feral is tracking us."


    "Gotcha, dark is scary, good to know." Greg replied, a slight shiver going down his spine. One of the things he hated most was not knowing whether something was there or not. He quickly decided the day was the best time to travel.


    Once they finished their "meal" they set off again. Tessa didn''t lead them straight towards the downtown area, instead sticking to the more residential districts until they got closer. Apparently, they were relatively safer than the business districts. The ferals tended to group up in larger buildings, making it more likely that they''d encounter a swarm in those areas, while solitary ferals tended to live in smaller buildings like houses. They still risked running into something strong, but it was a lot easier to escape from a single enemy than a swarm of them.


    "Wait here." Tessa ordered him once again as she left to scout out the house she''d found for the night.


    Greg sighed, leaning against the wall as he waited. He really hoped he could get some sleep tonight, but judging by the fact that he still didn''t feel tired, that was beginning to look less and less likely. He wondered if he could find a book or something, just in case. Maybe a pack of cards? He could play solitaire or make a house! Plus, he could carry it around easily, and he couldn''t just finish it like a book. Plus, if he could get his own room tonight, he could¡­


    As Greg was lost in thought, he heard a creak from the room beside him and instantly went on guard. Tessa had gone to check out the upstairs first, as generally ferals nested on either the top or bottom floor, so the odds of it being her making the noise were slim. Greg was scrambling, looking for a place to hide, when a girl rounded the corner, both of them freezing as their eyes met. The girl had to be around thirteen or fourteen and she looked rough. Her clothes were tattered to shreds, barely covering her private parts. Her face was dirty, and there were signs of rough abrasions all over her body, as if something rough had repeatedly scraped her over and over. She was carrying a can of baked beans with a spoon-full halfway to her mouth when she''d frozen, staring at Greg in shock. They stood like that for a good few moments, neither one knowing how to react, when Tessa rushed back down the stairs. "We have to go!" She hissed, grabbing Greg''s arm to drag him out of the house.


    "No!" The girl yelled, dropping the can and leaping forward to latch onto Greg. "Please, save me! Savemesavemesaveme!" She begged, tears and snot running down her face. Suddenly, a ROAR came from the upper floor, and the girl screamed, falling to the ground, twitching in pain, what looked like the tattoo of a collar lighting up around her throat.


    Greg hesitated, not sure what to do, when Tessa yanked him again. "Let''s go!" She insisted, dragging him out the door.


    They ran a few steps, before Greg pulled to a stop. "Fuck!" He groaned in frustration, before turning and running back to the house.


    "What are you doing!?!" Tessa asked in horror.


    "I can''t just abandon a little girl who begged for my help!" Greg replied as he shot back into the house. A few seconds later he shot right back out, tumbling across the ground, sending up little puffs of smoke which lingered for a moment before rushing back to him. "Ugh, sharkman strong." He groaned as he climbed to his feet. From the house, a feral appeared, glaring at Greg with red eyes. Its skin was rough and gray, like a shark''s, and its arms were long enough to hang down by its knees, not including the long, sharp claws that hung off the end of them. It let out a low growl, pulling back its lips to reveal a long line of shark teeth.


    The moment Greg was back to his feet, the sharkman was on him again, swinging one of its long limbs up, slashing across his chest, taking off an arm, and sending him tumbling backwards in a spray of smoke once again! "GREG!!!" Tessa yelled, her arms transforming into blades as her legs gained what looked like a backwards knee, letting her push forward forcefully, flying at the sharkman with gritted teeth. Her blades scored across its chest, but they only left scratches the sharkman easily shrugged off.


    The sharkman brought its arm back down, backhanding Tessa and sending her tumbling into a nearby wall. She jumped back to her feet and shot towards it again, though this time more carefully, obviously slightly stunned from the blow. She wove through the sharkman''s furious strikes, focusing on stabbing as she attempted to break through its tough skin, but unable to put enough strength behind it to actually do anything as she struggled to dodge. Strangely, the sharkman seemed almost hesitant to hurt her, despite staring at her with hungry eyes, only swiping at her with the dull sides of its claws.


    Greg groaned as he climbed to his feet, pulling his arm out of a hole, before rushing back into the fight. *Wait, hole?* Greg thought to himself, distracted for a moment before the sharkman''s vicious claws struck him again, lopping off another arm. *Damnit!* Greg cursed, pulling his newly regenerated arm out of another hole, before pausing in confusion as he looked down. *Why did-*


    Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as he heard a scream! Looking up in horror, he watched as the sharkman beat Tessa to the ground, knocking her unconscious and pressing its hand against her neck. A weird glow appeared as slowly a tattoo, worryingly similar to the one around the girl''s neck began to etch itself against her skin. "No!" Greg yelled, rushing at the sharkman yet again! He didn''t know what the tattoo would do, but based on how it affected the girl, it wasn''t good.


    Greg drove his fist into the sharkman''s side, barely doing any damage, but interrupting whatever it was doing to Tessa, causing the tattoo to break and fade away. The sharkman roared in anger, slashing at Greg with a backhanded strike and sending him tumbling away before restarting the process. Greg let out a roar of his own, frustration clear in his expression as he climbed to his feet and charged again, landing another weak blow that did nothing but interrupt whatever the sharkman was trying to do. No matter what Greg did, he couldn''t hurt it, but the sharkman couldn''t do any lasting damage to him either, leaving them in a stalemate.


    Greg climbed to his feet after getting thrown away once again, watching in defeat as the sharkman began to slowly etch the tattoo into Tessa''s neck once more, feeling helpless. How long could they keep this up? Hours? Days? Was this going to be his life from now on, eternally keeping this bastard from turning Tessa into its slave? When would it get tired and just kill her to be done with it? Or would something else show up and do it? They weren''t exactly being quiet. He prepared to charge again, unwilling to give up, not when it was his fault she was in danger in the first place, when he caught sight of the hole he''d pulled his arm out of and a crazy idea entered Greg''s mind. *If that happened because of¡­* The thought flashed through his mind as a plan began to form. Taking a deep breath, he charged the sharkman once again. *Fuck I hope this works!* He ran up, laying a useless punch into the sharkman''s back yet again, interrupting the process and shattering the tattoo. The sharkman roared in rage and frustration, turning to glare at this annoying cockroach that just wouldn''t die! It raised his claw, slashing down viciously in an attempt to split the annoying bug in half, hoping maybe that would end things.


    It was the moment Greg had been waiting for. His eyes locked tight on the descending claw as he dodged to the side, holding out his arm. As easily as a knife through butter, the arm separated from his body with a hot, stinging sensation, flying away before poofing into smoke and flowing back towards Greg. Ignoring the pain, desperate to act before the smoke could reach him, Greg rushed forward, pressing his severed arm hard against the sharkman''s side! *Come on, work, work!* Greg pleaded desperately, willing the smoke into the sharkman. The sharkman snorted in disdain, reaching out to grab Greg with its other arm, when suddenly it froze. Horror painted the sharkman''s face as the smoke rushed into its body and a deep pain set in. It let out a cough of blood and its limbs went weak, and slowly, the sharkman began to fall, collapsing backwards. As it fell, Greg''s arm was pulled out of its chest with a wet sucking sound, revealing a gigantic, bloody hole. A few final gasps escaped its lips as blood poured out of its side, before the light left its eyes and it sank into the cold arms of death.


    "Fuuuuuck¡­" Greg groaned, collapsing to the ground himself, his head pounding. Unlike the ground, the sharkman did not want his arm to heal through him and it''d taken everything Greg had to make it happen anyway. He looked down at his blood soaked arm, before shaking his head in derision. "Killing with healing. Isn''t that some bullshit." He muttered, before a mad giggle burst out of him. His body shook as he gave himself over to the insane mirth, losing himself in a mix of relief, accomplishment, and a strange sadism.

 Smoke: 3 - Recovery

    After a few moments, Greg finally managed to pull himself back together and climbed to his feet, wiping the tears from his eyes and leaving streaks of blood in their place, accentuating a twisted grin he wasn''t quite able to get rid of. He grunted as he picked Tessa up, feeling a weird sense of strain, and carried her back into the house, only to find the little girl cowering against the wall, curled up into a little ball, shivering in fright. "Nonononono¡­" She muttered over and over again as she rocked back and forth, sobbing in fear and misery. As she heard Greg step into the house, she cried even louder. "No! I didn''t mean to, I didn''t mean to!" She protested, horror clear in her voice.


    "Oh¡­ should I just go then?" Greg interrupted her babbling in a bland voice, his grin subsiding into a cheeky smirk.


    The girls looked up in shock, seemingly unable to comprehend that the one who stepped through the door was Greg, instead of the sharkman. "You- you- you-" She began to stutter in a loop, seemingly unable to get off the word ''you''.


    "I killed a sharkman. Not bad for my second day in the Apocalypse, eh?" Greg commented through her stuttering, heading deeper into the house, placing Tessa on a relatively intact couch. "I did lose my shirt in the process though¡­" He complained. "But, that''s to be expected, right? Can''t count the number of people who''ve lost their shirts due to bad business with sharks." He made a joke, bursting out into another fit of giggles. He turned to the very confused and concerned looking little girl. "Get it? Cause sharks are cutthroat business men, and losing your shirt is a way to say you lost money!"


    "I- I don''t¡­" The girl backed away slightly, wondering whether she''d just traded one crazy man for another¡­ Well, at least this one looked human.


    Greg clicked his tongue, waving his hand at her. "Calm down, it''s just a bad joke." Greg explained. "I think I use humor as a defense mechanism, you know? If you can make a joke about it, it isn''t really all that bad." Greg paused. "Or, I''m just really amused by death and suffering¡­" He considered it for a moment, then shrugged dismissively, glancing at the girl again. "Anyway, you can watch her for a moment while I check out the rest of the house, right? You won''t go all crazy and stab her with a screwdriver or anything?"


    "No!" The girl protested immediately, shaking her head, denying that she would ever do any such thing.


    "Ah, good. Cause, you know, if you did, I''d probably have to kill you¡­ which would kinda make everything that just happened sort of pointless, wouldn''t it?" Greg muttered absently as he headed towards the stairs. "So be a good girl, huh?" He commented as he passed, patting her lightly on the head, causing her to freeze in horror. She watched as Greg calmly climbed the stairs, before rushing over to the couch to stand guard, looking like she''d die before she let anyone touch Tessa.


    Greg climbed the stairs, humming slightly as he did so. Compared to his attitude before the fight, he''d become much more carefree. Turns out, when something strong repeatedly tries to kill you and fails, you gain a bit of confidence. Well, at least Greg did. Whether it was from the rush of adrenaline or the sheer joy he found in not only surviving but defeating the first feral he''d encountered, saving not only the girl, but Tessa as well, Greg was feeling pretty good. Did he even have adrenaline? He didn''t have a heartbeat¡­ and apparently he was made of some kind of acidic smoke. Eh, it didn''t matter. Point was, he was feeling good! Of course, the only reason Tessa was in danger in the first place was because of him, so¡­ not entirely something to celebrate, but still! The high was almost enough to get him over what he saw upstairs¡­ almost.


    What he saw was an open door, and inside, a woman lying on a worn out mattress on the floor, completely naked. She didn''t even seem to be aware of her surroundings, simply lying there with her legs spread. The insides of her thighs were rubbed raw, as if someone had repeatedly rubbed sandpaper against them, over and over, the wounds scabbing over and swelling as they got infected, dripping pus as they burst. Her body was covered in scratches and abrasions, particularly her breasts, all in various stages of infection. There were even a few bites taken out, as if the sharkman couldn''t resist taking a nibble in the throws of passion. Even if they still had access to modern medical care, it didn''t look like she''d survive much longer. Greg blanched, feeling nauseous as he wondered whether he should try to help her or just put the poor woman out of her misery.


    He quickly checked the other two rooms, one of which was obviously where the sharkman slept with a king bed all scratched the hell, while the other seemed to be where the girl slept. Surprisingly, her room looked rather nice, almost completely untouched by the horror that had obviously taken over the rest of the house. He stumbled back down the stairs, glancing at the girl, involuntarily looking down at her legs, before breathing out a sigh of relief. It was clear the sharkman hadn''t touched her in that way.


    "Who- who''s the woman upstairs?" Greg asked the girl, grimacing as he pushed down his nausea.


    "I- I don''t know¡­" She answered, biting her lip nervously. "He- he¡­ every time they¡­ he''s gone through so many¡­ I- I stopped learning their names¡­" She finished in a hoarse whisper, looking at the ground.


    "Jesus." Greg muttered, running his hand through his hair, realizing too late it was the bloody one, grimacing as he pulled it away. "God da-" He began to curse, before remembering the situation upstairs. "Not important." He shook his head, cursing his inability to stay on topic. He hesitated by the stairs for a bit, thoughts going in circles as he tried to think of what to do about the woman, but he couldn''t make a decision. He just didn''t have enough information. He didn''t know if there was anyone at the safe zone who could help her, if they could even get her to the safe zone, how to treat her wounds in the meantime, if there was any medicine they could give her to help¡­ he just didn''t know.


    Finally, he decided the best method was to wait for Tessa to wake up. Or should he try to wake her up? He remembered something about not letting people with concussions sleep, but is being knocked out a concussion? What do they do with those MMA fighters when they''re knocked unconscious? For the first time, Greg cursed his complete disinterest in sports. Finally, he decided that he''d try to wake her up, but if he couldn''t, he''d just wait.


    He walked over to the couch, standing over her, pausing hesitantly as he considered how to actually go about doing this. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her a bit. Then a bit more, then more, until finally Tessa started to groan in discomfort, cracking open her eyes painfully. "Who-" Suddenly she shot up, eyes wide, panting as she remembered what she''d been doing before she went unconscious, holding her still bladed arms up, ready to attack. "Where did he go!?!"


    "Tessa, calm down! He''s dead! We won!" Greg waved his hands, pulling the girl behind him just in case.


    Tessa paused, confusion painting itself across her face. "W-what? We won?!? How!?!"


    Greg raised his still bloody arm. "He cut my arm off." Tessa looked at the arm, then at Greg, then back to the arm, clearly not getting the connection. "Er, basically, when my body regenerates, it replaces whatever is in the way¡­ so, when I pushed my severed arm against his chest, and the smoke returned¡­ big hole."


    Tessa still looked confused, staring at him as if everything he''d just said was in some sort of foreign language. "I need to lie down." She muttered, falling back onto the couch.


    "Wait!" Greg panicked slightly. "First, you might have a concussion, so¡­ I''m pretty sure we aren''t supposed to let you sleep. Secondly¡­ How am I supposed to deal with the woman upstairs?"


    Tessa sat up again with a groan of complaint, as if just doing so was some sort of herculean task. "I don''t have a¡­ a¡­ brain thingy."


    "Yeah¡­ I''m gonna go ahead and assume you''re wrong on that one, and you''re going to stay awake for a bit." Greg shook his head, not buying that the woman who couldn''t even remember the word concussion when he''d just said it didn''t have anything wrong with her.


    Tessa glared at him, waving an arm blade at him. "Stab you." She mumbled.


    "Go for it." Greg shrugged, before pausing. "Actually, don''t¡­ you might leave it in there too long, and then you''d lose part of your arm." He muttered awkwardly, before shaking his head. "Alright, sit up, turn your arms back into¡­ arms."


    Tessa let out a frustrated groan, but did as he said, leaning on the couch arm, looking miserable. She then looked at Greg with a questioning look. "Girl?"


    Greg frowned, turning to the girl, who was still standing by, looking nervous, not sure what to do. "What about her?" He asked, turning back to Tessa.


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    "No, not her! Upstairs girl! You said¡­ said there''s a deal?" Tessa elaborated.


    "Oh! Right, shit, her¡­ uh, you really need to see the situation¡­ Can you move?" Greg asked, before shaking his head. "No, of course you can''t¡­ Alright, come on." Greg leaned down and picked her up, taking her to the stairs.


    "What are you- put me down!" Tessa protested.


    "Are you- okay, fine!" Greg gave her a skeptical look before her finger sharpened and she waved it threateningly. He let her down carefully and she managed to take a few steps before she swayed, stumbling to the side. Greg caught her and picked her back up. "See? No walking for you."


    "Nooo¡­" Tessa protested weakly, giving in with a pitiful expression as Greg carried her up the stairs. The girl followed behind, too scared to stay downstairs by herself. She''d finally found people who could help her, and she wasn''t going to let them out of her sight.


    As they reached the top of the stairs, Tessa looked over, catching sight of the woman, who hadn''t moved since Greg left. He''d almost think she was dead already if he couldn''t see her chest rising and falling. Tessa''s eyes widened in horror as she quickly looked away, burying her face in Greg''s chest. She made a retching sound and Greg grimaced as he felt something warm and wet spread from that spot. "S-sorry." She muttered apologetically.


    "It''s fine." Greg sighed. "Is there anything we can do for her? Like, if we get her to the safe zone?"


    Tessa shook her head, refusing to look at the woman. "No¡­ she''s too far gone¡­ even if¡­ they''d only be able to make her comfortable before she died." Tessa muttered, strangely lucid.


    "Shit¡­ so what do we do?" Greg asked, grimacing.


    "Make it quick." Tessa muttered, a new level of miserable coloring her face. "That''s all we can do."


    Greg''s eyes widened. "You mean¡­"


    Tessa nodded, before trying to struggle out of his arms. "I''ll do it¡­ used to it." She muttered.


    "No, you won''t." Greg countered, keeping her in his arms and heading back downstairs. "You can barely stand, let alone do¡­ do that. I- I''ll handle it." Greg declared as he set her back down on the couch. "Watch her. Make sure she doesn''t fall asleep." He told the girl, before heading off to find something¡­ sharp.


    He searched through the kitchen first, finding a few knives, but they all seemed slightly too flimsy to make things quick. He wanted something that would take out her brain before she had the time to process anything. Or maybe¡­ were there some pills he could use that would just let her slip away? He began looking for a medicine cabinet or something, finding a few bottles, but they were all over the counter stuff, like advil. Nothing that he thought would kill anyone. He also found some cleaning supplies, but¡­ he wasn''t sure how painless that would be. He then checked a storage shed out back and managed to find a sturdy ax which¡­ well, if it didn''t chop, it''d crush.


    Now that he''d found his tool of execution, he had to actually go up there and¡­ hah. Almost unwillingly, Greg climbed the stairs and entered the room. He took position above the woman, raising the ax, before pausing. If he left her on the mattress, it might soften the blow¡­ it probably wasn''t likely, but Greg wanted to do everything possible to avoid needing to take a second swing. He put the ax down and carefully began to drag the woman off the bed. As he did, the woman''s head turned slightly, fixing her gaze on him. A slight frown creased her brows. "Who are you?" She croaked in a barely audible whisper.


    Greg froze, eyes widening as he stopped what he was doing. He hadn''t realized the woman could still talk. "Uh¡­ I''m Greg¡­ we, uh¡­ we killed the sharkman dude and found you, but¡­ I''m sorry, we- we can''t save you."


    "I- I understand." The woman closed her eyes, a few tears running down the side of her face. "Thank you."


    Greg grimaced, before finishing pulling her off the bed. He picked the ax up again, readying it, before pausing, putting it down again. "Before I do this¡­ what''s your name?" He asked.


    "Gabrielle." The woman croaked out.


    Greg nodded, sighing as he lifted the ax again. "I''m sorry, Gabrielle." He whispered, before bringing it down. He found some sheets and draped them over her body. He then headed back out to the shed and found a shovel, spending most of the night carefully digging a hole in the shed, trying not to make too much noise, thankful for the fact that he didn''t seem to need sleep anymore, the strain he''d felt after the fight with the sharkman slowly fading as he dug. Once he finished, he carefully brought her body down the stairs, bringing her out and placing her in the hole, burying her. He found a decent sized rock and placed it over where her head should be, carefully carving her name into it. He stood over it for a moment, before letting out a bitter sigh. "Man, fuck the Apocalypse."


    *


    By the time Greg returned to the house, both Tessa and the girl were red eyed, glaring at each other angrily. "Uh¡­ what''s up with you two?"


    Tessa whipped around to glare at him. "Because you told her not to let me sleep, she has insisted on keeping me awake despite the fact that I''ve told her several times I''m okay now!" She growled through clenched teeth.


    "Well, to be fair, you insisted you were okay despite the fact you could barely string a sentence together, so¡­ not exactly going to judge her for not believing you." Greg countered, causing Tessa to scoff and roll her eyes. "Though, you do seem to be a lot more coherent now¡­ can you walk?"


    Tessa climbed to her feet, pacing around the couch, before holding out her arms. "Good enough?!?"


    "Yeah, I suppose we can let you sleep now." Greg nodded. Tessa threw herself onto the couch with a sigh of relief, quickly falling asleep. Greg grinned slightly, amused by her antics, before turning to the girl. "You too¡­ uh, actually, what is your name? I never got it."


    "S-Sarah." She muttered nervously, looking down at the ground. She was like this every time he talked to her. She had the confidence to stare down Tessa, something even Greg would hesitate to do, but whatever her impression of him was seemed to make her absolutely terrified of him. Admittedly, her few impressions of him did seem to involve a lot of death, blood, and a slight period of unhinged Greg interaction¡­ eh, maybe she had a point.


    "Nice to meet you, Sarah, I''m Greg. Get some sleep, alright?" Greg grinned, patting her on the head. She nodded profusely, looking around, before curling up in a nearby recliner. Greg watched her, frowning for a moment before shaking his head. "Need to get you some new clothes." He muttered, leaving the room to the two girls as he explored the rest of the house, looking for anything useful they could use.


    The first thing he found was a few blankets, which he draped over the sleeping girls. As much as it wasn''t particularly cold, it still wasn''t particularly comfortable to sleep without one at the moment, especially in a house without heat. He also found a bucket full of games, including a few packs of cards, which he had to resist celebrating. He didn''t find any books though, at least none that were intact¡­ even without everything else the sharkman had done, that was enough for Greg to condemn him as a monster. Books were precious objects! It was like throwing away a diamond, simply barbaric. Once he finished searching the house, finding nothing else of note, not even a damn shirt, he sat down at the kitchen table, using the least broken chair, and started playing with the cards until the girls woke up.


    "Why is it that every time I wake up you''re doing something weird?" Tessa grumbled as she walked into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing her eyes.


    Greg looked down at his card castle with a frown. "How is this weird?"


    Tessa gestured at the cups and utensils he used to add more complexity. "Doesn''t that defeat the purpose of building a card castle? It''s cheating. Also, why are you not asleep?!?"


    "Well, no, cause you''re still using cards¡­ plus, the difficulty of making them sturdy enough to bear the weight of the cups and utensils was interesting." Greg retorted.


    "Greg, sleep." Tessa groaned.


    "Oh, right¡­ I don''t think I need to." Greg responded with a shrug. "Ever since I woke up, I just haven''t been getting tired. Weird, right?"


    Tessa frowned. "Like, at all?"


    "Not that I can tell, and believe me, I''ve been trying. I like sleep. One of the best things we get to experience in this world." Greg sighed, shaking his head morosely. ¡°I felt something after the fight, but it went away on its own, no sleep required.¡±


    "Okay¡­" Tessa replied, giving him a weird look. "So, what''s the plan here?" She asked, shaking her head, moving on from the weird conversation.


    Greg frowned. "What do you mean? We''re heading to the safe zone, right? What else would we do?"


    Tessa frowned. "Greg¡­ have you seen the condition that girl is in? I don''t know if she has the strength to make it through some of the areas we''ll need to cross¡­ "


    "I''ll take care of it." Greg stated definitively.


    "Greg-" Tessa began again, before he cut her off.


    "Tessa, I can''t abandon someone like that. I just¡­ I can''t." Greg sighed. "If you can, then fine, go, but-"


    "That''s not what I''m saying!" Tessa hissed, giving him a harsh glare. "If I was the type to abandon people, you wouldn''t even have made it here and I''d never have fought that sharkman." She spat angrily. She took a deep breath, calming down before continuing. "If we try to drag her through areas she can''t maneuver in, we''ll just get her killed, and probably us as well. However, if I can make it back to the safe zone, I can reunite with my team, and together, we have the skills to sneak all of us into the safe zone."


    "Oh¡­ okay, yeah, that works." Greg nodded along. "You know, you could have just said that. Literally only my second- er, third day here. No need to consult me on plans."


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "It''s called being polite."


    "If you insist¡­ seems kinda dumb to me." Greg replied, giving her a weird look.


    "You!" Tessa glared at him, before turning her fingers into small claws and scratching him.


    "Ow! Hey! Quit it!" Greg protested, backing away. "What about being polite?!?"


    "You don''t deserve it!" Tessa snarled with a final slash, before stomping back into the other room.

 Smoke: 4 - Mark

    Once Sarah had woken up, they headed out again. The first thing they did was scavenge through the nearby houses, looking for some clothes and shoes for her, as her current attire was far from adequate. The clothes they found were a little old and musty, and the shoes were a little tight, but at least everything was now covered and protected. Greg also managed to replace his shirt, though what he really wanted was a shower. Being covered in blood and vomit was not a pleasant experience.


    As they traveled, Greg quickly realized what Tessa had meant about Sarah not having enough strength to make it to the safe zone. Any wall higher than waist height was a challenge for her, requiring both Greg and Tessa''s help to get her over them, particularly if it required getting through a window. Out in the residential districts it was fine, as they had the time to handle it, but in the denser areas, Tessa had made it clear that there were times you needed to get over an obstacle as quickly as possible, and any delay could leave you and everyone else in danger.


    Thankfully, Tessa knew a safe house by the edge of the business district they could get to. It was apparently an old bomb shelter they''d found and refurbished. It wasn''t much, but it had some beds, they''d stashed some food, and most importantly, it had thick walls. They made it there just before dark, settling in for another night. Greg still didn''t seem to be able to sleep, but someone had left a few books around, so he was able to entertain himself without doing anything too crazy.


    "You do realize those are here for kindling, right?" Tessa commented, entering the small sitting area with a yawn.


    "Yes, well, at least you started from the back." Greg replied, continuing to read. "I hate it when I don''t know something that the book references. It''s why I have to reread the entire series every time a new book comes out." He grumbled, before setting the book down, looking up at Tessa. "Are you sure you''ll be okay making the trip alone?"


    "It wouldn''t be the first time." Tessa shrugged. "Honestly, I''ll probably be safer than if I was going with you. There''s a lot of things I can do to hide that you just can''t."


    "Yeah, yeah, rub it in Miss Shifty McShaperpants." Greg rolled his eyes. "But seriously, be careful, alright?"


    "Don''t worry, I will. I know how much you''d miss me if I died." Tessa replied cheekily, sticking her tongue out at him.


    "Oh, well, I suppose, but I was more thinking of the fact that me and Sarah would be absolutely fucked if you don''t make it." Greg responded blandly.


    Tessa glared at him for a moment. "It''s like you''re almost begging to be stabbed." She muttered, shaking her head.


    "No one''s stopping you." Greg retorted with a grin, picking the book back up and going back to his reading. "Enjoy your trip. Bring me back a souvenir, eh?"


    Tessa shook her head, a mix of amusement and annoyance warring on her face as she packed up her things and prepared to head out. Right before she left, her expression hardened as she turned back to Greg. "I should only be a few days, a week max. If it gets to two-"


    "It won''t get to two." Greg retorted, giving her a serious look. "I''ll see you in a few days."


    Tessa paused, before letting out a sigh, a slight grin tugging at her lips. "I''ll see you in a few days¡­" She replied, before heading out, ready to rush to the safe zone.


    A few hours later, Greg set the book down with a sigh. "Okay, now I''m pissed they started with the back¡­ worse than a damn cliffhanger!" He grumbled, before pausing and looking around with a frown. "Huh¡­ where''s Sarah?" He wondered, climbing to his feet and looking around. She shouldn''t have been still asleep by this point.


    Greg headed to the sleeping area, knocking on the door. "Sarah? You okay in there?"


    "I- I''m fine." Sarah answered through the door, sounding nervous.


    "Okay¡­ well, I''ll be out here if you need me then." Greg replied, shrugging and heading back. He stared at the pile of books with a frown. He''d already read through the most intact one, and that was already bad enough, so he decided not to start another one. With a heavy sigh, he pulled out a pack of cards and started playing.


    "Wh- what are you doing?" Sarah asked. It''d been a while now and she knew she had to eat. She peeked into the room nervously, only to see Greg leaning over the table, moving a card every now and then, sometimes removing one. It didn''t look like any card game she knew.


    "Playing chess." Greg answered simply as he looked over his mock board. The numbered cards were pawns, jacks were rooks, queens were knights, kings were bishops, an ace was queen, and the joker was king. The only issue was the board but he sort of solved that by laying eight cards face down along the top and side, using them as a coordinate system. He glanced over at Sarah. "Want to play?"


    Sarah stepped back nervously. "P-play what?!?" She asked, a tinge of fear in her voice.


    "Uh, chess?" Greg gave her a weird look, raising an eyebrow, before pausing and cocking his head. "Though, I suppose we could play a more traditional card game, like rummy or poker¡­ though it''s kinda hard to play poker with just two people. Hell, we could play fucking ''go fish'' for all I care, as long as we do something!"


    Sarah gave him an incredulous look. "Y-you just want to play cards? Nothing else?" She asked, as if she couldn''t believe it.


    "Yes? Do you have something else we could do?" Greg asked, frowning.


    "No! No¡­ we- we can play cards." Sarah shook her head violently, as if she wanted to deny there existed anything besides cards.


    Greg continued giving her a weird look for a moment, before shaking his head and gesturing to the chair across from him. "Alright then, have a seat. What do you want to play?"


    "I-I don''t¡­ y-you said r-roomy?" Sarah offered tentatively as she took a seat, still watching him warily.


    "Rummy." Greg corrected her. "That''s a good one. It has a few variants we can play with too. Let me explain the rules." Greg began to explain how to play Rummy to her as he shuffled the deck and dealt the cards. She made a few mistakes as they went, mostly strategic issues, but she slowly got better and better.


    "So, I place the two here, the king here, put down three jacks and¡­ I-I''m done? I won?" Sarah looked up at Greg questioningly, not sure if she''d made any mistakes.


    Greg grinned. "Yup, that''s a win. Well¡­ technically you just won a hand. There''s a whole point scoring system and we''d play a few hands to see who would get the most points, but we don''t have a pen and paper, so we can''t really keep track of points¡­ eh, better to just take each hand as its own little game." Sarah smiled, bouncing a bit in excitement over her first win as she gathered up the cards to deal a new hand. As they''d played, she''d slowly relaxed, losing a lot of her caution as she returned to the innocent little girl she was supposed to be.


    They played a few more hands, and as Sarah got more confident in her skills, they could actually talk while they played. "You''ve never heard of BTS?!?" Sarah exclaimed, dropping her cards in shock.


    "Why is that so surprising?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow. "Were they big?"


    "They were huge! I can''t believe you''ve never heard of them!" Sarah replied. "I used to listen to their music every day before¡­ before¡­" Her expression fell as she got lost in the memories of everything that had happened.


    "Hey, hey, hey, none of that." Greg snapped his fingers at her, shaking her out of her funk. "Come on, what was your favorite song? Why did you like it?"


    "I-I don''t¡­ It was all so good¡­ I just- it made me feel good, and the way they danced¡­" Sarah mumbled, flushing slightly in embarrassment as she didn''t really have a clear answer.


    "They danced?!?" Greg responded incredulously. "What, were they a boy band or something?"


    "Y-yeah?" Sarah answered, looking confused.


    "Oh good lord¡­ freaking tweens." Greg groaned. "Alright, whatever, we''ve all been young. You do anything else for fun?" He shook his head as he moved the conversation along.


    Suddenly, there was a thud and creak as the door slowly opened, and a group of four guys pushed their way in, quickly closing the door behind them. The lead guy turned, jumping in shock as he caught sight of them. "Jesus! Fuck, you almost gave me a damn heart attack!" He cursed, shaking his head as he approached. "Didn''t realize there''d be anyone else here. Name''s Mark. Nice to meet ya." Mark grinned, sticking his hand out.


    "Greg." Greg replied with a grin of his own, standing up and stepping forward to take Mark''s hand. "Yeah, we''re just staying here while we wait for the rest of the team to make the push through to the safe zone."


    "Ah, I see." Mark nodded, before pausing, giving Greg a strange look. "You''re from Downtown? That''s strange¡­ I''ve never seen you around before¡­" He muttered, looking between Greg and Sarah, who was hiding behind Greg, watching the men warily, reverting back to her usual self.


    "Well, yeah, you wouldn''t have. Uh, you know Tessa?" Mark nodded. "Tessa got separated from her team and found us." Greg explained. "We''re waiting for her to meet up with them to take us in."


    "Tessa? Really?" Mark raised an eyebrow at him. "I can see her taking care of the girl, but you? I think she''s more likely to cut you than save you. Real, uh, feminist, if you get my drift."


    Greg frowned, before shrugging. "Can''t say I''ve noticed. Though she has cut me a few times¡­" He muttered absently.


    "I was wondering where all that blood came from." Mark chuckled.


    "Huh? Oh, no, this came from a feral. I have a pretty good healing factor, so¡­ no wounds." Greg replied.


    "Healing factor?" Mark raised his eyebrows in appreciation. "That''s a pretty convenient ability nowadays. All I can do is make people dizzy."


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    "Dizzy?" Greg asked, smirking slightly.


    "Yeah, I send out this wave that messes with the inner ear or something. Makes everyone tumble around like a drunk at two in the morning, but not very damaging." Mark sighed, before reaching over to pat one of the other guys on the shoulder. "Freddy here is our damage dealer. He''s a speedy little fuck. Runs in and slash, slash, slash till they''re done. Benny over there can sense metal. Not very useful for combat, but without him we wouldn''t be able to scavenge half of what we do. And Jimmy sees sound¡­ don''t ask me how it works, but he''s saved our asses more than once." Mark finished, pointing out the other two.


    Greg nodded appreciatively. "Not bad. Control, dps, scouting, and utility. Not a bad line up. All you really need is a tank to bring it all together."


    Freddy grinned. "That''s what I''ve been saying, but he seems to think a tank would only slow us down."


    "I''ve said it before, I''ll say it again, we''ve come this far by being fast and agile! We don''t need some big, hulking slab of meat that can barely even get over a damn wall to slow us down!" Mark retorted with a grumble. The rest of the group laughed, the argument apparently some sort of inside joke between them all.


    With the introductions out of the way, the men spread out, setting up their things in the back, settling in for the night. Throughout it all, Sarah refused to leave Greg''s side and the men kept glancing towards them weirdly. Greg felt slightly awkward, wondering whether they were misunderstanding something, but he couldn''t get Sarah to separate from him, so he just accepted it with a sigh. He didn''t particularly care what these guys thought anyways.


    Once they were done settling in, they grouped up around the table and ate, while Greg and Sarah moved to the floor to continue playing. Occasionally the guys would glance towards them as they talked, but Greg didn''t make much of it. He was glancing at them as well, so he figured it was just curiosity. That is, until Mark came over to talk to him.


    "Hey, Greg, can we chat for a bit?" Mark asked, shooting a grin at Sarah. "Won''t take a minute."


    Greg was confused, but shrugged it off, climbing to his feet and following him a few steps away. "What''s up?"


    Mark glanced over towards Sarah before leaning in close and whispering. "I''m not exactly sure how to put this¡­ you see, me and the boys have been out here for a while now and¡­ well, you know how a body gets pent up, right? It''s only natural, you know? And well, we were thinking maybe if you could help us, we could help you, eh? You scratch my back, I scratch yours, you feel me?"


    Greg frowned. "I''m not sure what you mean¡­ you want to fight or something? I mean, I heal, but-"


    "Nonono, the girl, man! The-" Mark paused, glancing over at Sarah again, before leaning in even closer. "Just for a bit, you know? Just some stress relief, to get that monkey off our backs, eh?"


    "I don''t¡­ wait, you want to- dude, she''s like thirteen!" Greg hissed incredulously, glaring at Mark. The only reason he wasn''t currently cursing him out was to keep from putting Sarah on the spot. With the situation she came from, he didn''t think she needed to know what these guys were thinking.


    Mark sighed, making a gesture behind his back towards Freddy. "I really wish you would have been reasonable about this."


    Before Greg could even react, Freddy had dashed from the table and grabbed his arms, pulling them behind his back and pinning him against the wall. "Greg! No!" Sarah screamed, panicking and trying to run, before falling to the ground, unable to keep her balance as she groaned in distress.


    Mark held his hand out towards her, using his ability as he, Benny, and Jimmy approached her, lust filled looks painting their faces as they did. "Don''t worry little girl, we''re not gonna hurt you. It''s just a little bit of fun, right? By the time we''re done, you might even have enjoyed yourself!" Mark chuckled as he undid his pants, going to his knees and pulling her close, fumbling with her pants as she struggled.


    "You son of a bitch, leave her alone!" Greg yelled in frustration, struggling against Freddy''s hold. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mark getting her pants down and reaching between her legs, Sarah shrieking in response. Greg roared in frustration, struggling harder but unable to shake Freddy off. Why!?! Why was he so fucking weak!?! Why was he forced to watch while the strong bullied the people around him!?! If only he was stronger! If only he was-


    Suddenly, something changed. Greg''s vision went red as a deep, violent roar escaped from his lips. He threw Freddy off of him, sending him tumbling into the table before rushing at Mark, grabbing him, pulling him off Sarah. As Greg''s hands gripped the man, his large, sharp claws cut deep into his chest, and he screamed in pain, coughing up blood. Greg barely noticed as he threw the man away, swinging at a terrified looking Benny, his hand unable to clench into a fist as his claws simply pierced into his face. Greg was already moving on to Jimmy, stalking towards him menacingly as he scooted backwards on his ass, pants still around his ankles. Greg snorted at him derisively, lifting his leg and stomping down hard, crushing his pelvis.


    Finally, Greg took the time to study his handiwork. Both Mark and Benny were dead, Mark with his chest torn to pieces, lying in a pool of blood, while Benny''s head had been obliterated. Jimmy was still alive, but it didn''t look like he wanted to be. He''d already passed out from the pain, and from the amount of blood seeping out from below him, he''d probably be dead soon anyways. Freddy had done the best, only breaking a few bones as he''d crashed into the table. He was currently panicking as he struggled to drag himself towards the back.


    Sarah was currently sitting up, not even bothering to pull her pants up as she stared at Greg in shock. "G-G-Greg?!?" She asked in a panicked whisper, backing away slightly.


    "Rah- eh? Rah¡­ rah! Rahrahrahrah!" Greg tried to speak, but his jaw didn''t seem to want to cooperate with him. He looked down at his hands, his eyes widening in shock as he saw the viscous implements of pain they''d become. *What did- how did- nononono, I have to be human! I can''t turn feral, I- eh?* Greg paused as he noticed his hands were back to normal. "Well¡­ that was weird."


    Sarah let out another shriek, covering her eyes. Greg panicked, looking around for the danger, but not seeing anything. "What? What is it?!?" He asked, getting more and more jumpy as he couldn''t find the danger.


    "You''re not wearing pants!" Sarah cried, pointing at him, keeping her eyes covered.


    "Eh?" Greg looked down, noticing his pants had indeed been ripped to shreds, falling off his body, along with his shirt, leaving him completely naked. "Well¡­ that''s inconvenient." He sighed, looking around for some replacement, when his eyes landed on Freddy. "Hold that thought." He growled, pacing towards the still panicking man. He tried to remember the frame of mind he was in when he changed before, but it was easier than he thought. The moment he wanted to change into whatever creature he had become before, he did, his vision going red again as he stalked menacingly towards Freddy.


    "No, please, I didn''t mean- we just want- gah!" Freddy''s begging cut off with a scream as Gregs claws pierced through his chest.


    Greg returned to his human form, humming slightly as he pulled the pants off Freddy before they got soaked in blood, putting them on before returning to Sarah. "Alright, I have pants! You can open your eyes now." Greg assured her in a cheery tone. Sarah peeked through her fingers, catching sight of the mangled corpses surrounding Greg, before covering them with a nauseated groan, retching slightly. Greg frowned as he noticed her reaction. "What? I have pants on now."


    "N-no, it¡¯s- c-can you cover¡­ that!" Sarah waved at the bloody mess vaguely, not even opening her eyes as she did so.


    Greg looked down at where she was gesturing, before raising his eyebrows in understanding. "Ah, yes, corpses." He nodded. "Yeah, sure, I can clean them up." First, Greg took his pants off again, so he wouldn''t get them all covered in blood. Then he found a large blanket and piled all the bodies on it, before transforming again to carry it all out of the bunker. He had to shift back and forth to get through the door, which was a bit of a pain, but eventually he got the bundle out and tossed it in a nearby dumpster. Once he returned, he put his pants back on, and let Sarah know everything was taken care of.


    Sarah opened her eyes again, fixating on the four large blood stains coloring the floor. "W-what about those?" She asked nervously, pointing.


    "The blood stains? I''m not really sure¡­ It''d be great if we had a hose or something. We could also use a bunch of towels or something, but¡­ well, I''m not sure how well that''d work, and it really just seems like a waste of towels." Greg commented with a shrug.


    "W-we can''t just leave it there!" Sarah protested.


    Greg sighed. "Yeah, you''re probably right¡­ hold on." He went outside again, searching a few of the nearby houses before he found a linen closet with a huge pile of towels and rags. He also managed to find some garbage bags and bleach in the process. Once he returned, he threw Sarah a towel and a garbage bag, gesturing towards one of the pools. "Start with that one. Once it won''t pick up any more blood, throw it away and grab a new one." He told her, before heading to a different blood pool.


    Sarah froze for a moment, looking at the blood nervously, then she took a deep breath, which she immediately regretted, and began to mop it up with the towel. After about an hour and a liberal use of bleach, the bunker was mostly back to normal. Greg took another stroll outside to throw the garbage bags of towels in the same dumpster as before, returning with a satisfied sigh. "There, all done!" He grabbed a bottle of water and eased into a chair, cracking it open before pausing as he noticed Sarah giving him a weird look. "What? Did we miss something?"


    "No, but¡­ how can you be so¡­ calm?!? Four men are dead because of us, and you act like- like you just did dishes or something!" Sarah exclaimed.


    Greg shrugged. "Why should I feel bad about killing someone who needs to be killed? People who would rape a little girl don''t deserve to live, and they definitely don''t deserve any regret over their passing."


    "B-but¡­" Sarah paused, hesitating as a distressed expression came over her. "What¡­ What if it wasn''t their fault?"


    Greg frowned. "I''m not sure what you''re getting at."


    "I-I have this¡­ ability. It- it makes me¡­ really, really attractive¡­ to men. They- they can''t resist it. I-I''ve had to escape from safe zones because of it¡­" Sarah explained in a sad mumble, a pained expression on her face.


    "Okay¡­ but, so? Just cause you''re really attractive doesn''t mean it''s okay to rape you." Greg retorted, giving her a weird look.


    "You don''t understand!" Sarah exclaimed in frustration. "I- I don''t know why it doesn''t affect you, but for every other guy¡­ I-It''s like they can''t control themselves!" She fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "They- they''re all dead because of me¡­"


    Greg frowned, before shaking his head. "Nah, I don''t buy it. If that shark dude had the self-control not to touch you, I''m damn sure these guys should have been able to resist their urges. They didn''t seem like they were out of their minds to me. They knew what they wanted and they made calculated decisions to get it. They deserve what they got."


    Sarah shook her head again. "That was different. The- the shark¡­ dude, he- he kept me as¡­ as a¡­ he- he would look at me as he¡­ he just didn''t want to ruin me." She finished with a shudder, her eyes going dead.


    Greg grimaced. "I am not okay with that¡­ but still, that sort of proves my point, doesn''t it? Obviously he was affected, but he resisted the urge. Not for any good reasons, but still. Obviously it''s possible to control yourself. I think you''ve just run into a lot of perverts."


    "But- Urgh!" Sarah groaned in frustration. "You just don''t get it cause you''re not affected!"


    "You sure about that?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow at her, grinning slightly.


    Sarah froze, looking at him with wide eyes. "W-what do you mean?"


    Greg coughed awkwardly. "Well¡­ I wouldn''t normally admit to this, but¡­ since you did mention it''s part of an ability you have¡­ I may have a slight, er¡­ overwhelming attraction towards you. Honestly, I''m kinda relieved it''s an ability thing. I was beginning to worry about myself."


    "But- but¡­ you haven''t- you never- I- I don''t understand! E-Every other guy has been- you- you haven''t done anything!" Sarah stammered, shocked by what he''d said.


    "Well, duh? I do have self control, you know." Greg rolled his eyes. "Plus, you''re like thirteen. Maybe if you were older, I might have¡­ well, no, I probably wouldn''t have. I tend not to ask girls out until I''m sure I like them¡­ which is probably why I''ve never asked a girl out¡­ Huh¡­ thoughts for later."


    Sarah brought her knees to her chest, getting lost in thought as she considered what he''d said. If he was right, what did that say about all the guys who''d gone after her before? Were they really perverts or were they just not as strong as Greg? Did lacking self-control make you a bad person? Did it mean you deserved to die? She just didn''t know.

 Smoke: 5 - A night out

    Later that night, after Sarah had gone to bed, Greg was pacing around the room, still wide awake, as usual, a little, slightly, absolutely bored. He sat down at the table to play solitaire, but gave up after a few moves, banging his head on the table in frustration. There just wasn''t any challenge in it! Without someone to play against, he just couldn''t do it. He glanced at the remains of the books lying in the corner, before tossing that idea out. He''d be entertained for a bit, but the frustration of not knowing how the story goes would be even worse than the boredom.


    *What to do, what to do.* Greg thought to himself, getting up to pace again. He sighed, wishing he had some cool ability he could spend his time training instead of this stupid ability that just worked. He healed automatically and all he had to do to transform was think about it! He could probably learn how to fight or something, but Sarah definitely wasn''t going to teach him, and it wasn''t like he had a sparring partner at the moment. What, was he just going to run outside and try to pick a fight with a feral?


    Greg paused. That¡­ actually wasn''t a terrible idea. He mulled the thought over, slowly starting to nod as the idea grew on him. It wasn''t like he was doing anything to protect Sarah by staying in the bunker. As long as he was around when people might show up, he''d be good, right? No one would be out after sunset due to the risk of getting ambushed by the nocturnal ferals, so as long as he left after it was dark, and returned before the sun rose, he''d be fine, right? Once the idea set in, Greg couldn''t get rid of it. He quickly checked on Sarah, making sure she was asleep, before carefully slipping out, leaving his pants by the door as he transformed into his feral form and loped off into the night.


    Now that he had the time to study it, Greg began to notice some familiar features in his feral form. His skin was rough, like a shark''s, and his arms hung down to his knees. He didn''t have a mirror to be completely sure, but this new form seemed to be awfully close to the appearance of the sharkman. *That''s weird¡­ Why would I look like him?* Greg thought to himself. He thought about it and thought about it, but the only connection he could see was the fact that he used his arm regenerating to kill him. *Maybe¡­ maybe somehow I like, absorbed his DNA by doing that? Does that mean I can transform into dirt too?*


    Not a second later, he became a pile of dirt, lying in the middle of the street, before quickly turning back into his human form, breathing heavily. "Oh, god that was weird." He shivered. He''d been dirt, but he could still think. He was aware of each part of himself, completely conscious of the fact that pieces of his body were no longer connected to each other. He tried to scream, but couldn''t. He lacked vocal cords. For that interminable second, all he''d been was thoughts and dirt.


    After a few deep breaths, Greg pulled himself back together. *Okay, moving on.* He shook his head, transforming back into the sharkman as he made his way towards a nearby apartment building. He jumped as high as he could, clearing a good story and a half before piercing his claws into the wall and climbing the rest of the way up. He pulled himself up onto the roof, and started looking around. He hadn''t really noticed before, but in this form, he seemed to be able to pick up on heat along with the normal visual spectrum, which was where that red tint came from. It seemed like it was really sensitive too, because even from up here he could see lingering traces of heat down on the street. *That''s not going to be a problem if I have to transform during the day, is it?* Greg wondered hesitantly, before pausing as the heat vision clicked off. *Huh¡­* He switched it back on again, then off, then back on, then his normal vision clicked off, and quickly back on again because just heat vision was a bit disorienting. *Well that''s neat.* Greg chuckled to himself, before shaking his head and refocusing on the task at hand.


    He surveyed the streets below using his heat vision, picking out the traces of someone, or something, passing by, their steps leaving some lingering warmth on the cold, hard ground like a neat little dot trail for him to follow. No wonder people didn''t like to travel at night if this was the kind of thing they''d have to deal with. He wasn''t even looking that hard! How were you supposed to avoid something that could spot your tracks from four stories up?!? Greg sighed, shaking his head before choosing a relatively fresh looking trail and leaping off the roof towards it, landing in a burst of smoke, quickly healing as he began to follow it. Up close the footsteps were clear as day, allowing Greg to make out the rough, padded footprint as the tracks became brighter, glowing with more and more heat as he closed the distance between him and whatever was making them. It only took a few minutes for Greg to lay eyes on the creature, a smaller feral, covered in fur, with thin sharp claws tipping each finger, a tail swaying lazily behind it as it walked. Honestly, the moment Greg laid eyes on it, he thought he was seeing a dedicated furry, rather than a feral. The creature looked just like a cat girl.


    Shaking his head, Greg began to sneak up on it, before pausing. *Wait, I''m here to fight, not to ambush.* He chided himself as he boldly strode forward, letting out a mighty roar as he approached the cat girl.


    The cat girl''s fur stood on end as she whirled around, hissing and brandishing her claws. However, the moment she caught sight of the hulking brute approaching her, her eyes went wide and she let out a whimper, skittering backwards. "W-what do you wish from me, mighty one?" She mewled in a surprisingly soft voice.


    Greg paused, stunned. "Rah rah rah? Rah. Rah rah." Greg transformed back into his human form. "You can talk?" He asked incredulously. "Can all ferals talk? No, wait, that can''t be true¡­ sharky definitely couldn''t talk. Though¡­ maybe he could have if he hadn''t mutated in such a way?"


    The cat girl cocked her head curiously, approaching Greg hesitantly, sniffing at him. "You- you are one of the unformed? No¡­ you do not carry their scent. Strange¡­ you seem to carry no scent!" She paced around him, studying him intently, making Greg feel rather awkward, particularly since he was currently buck naked. "Why do you have two forms and no scent, strange one?" She asked curiously.


    "I- I don''t¡­ hold on, how are you even able to talk!?!" Greg shook his head, reiterating his question.


    "How are you able to talk?" The cat girl retorted with a cheeky grin.


    Greg paused. "Well, vocal cords, but I see your point¡­ fine, how did you learn to talk?"


    The cat girl shrugged. "When my mind awoke, so did my voice. The words simply came to me as I needed them."


    "Interesting¡­ Can others like you talk as well?" Greg asked.


    "Some can, some cannot. Most can at least understand. Whether they care or not is a different question." The cat girl explained, still pacing around Greg and studying him. "May you answer my queries now, strange one?"


    "Well¡­ not easily¡­ I have no idea about the scent thing. Didn''t even care to notice I don''t smell, you know? As for the two forms¡­ well, you see, I have this ability that lets me heal from essentially anything, and- Ow!" Greg yelped as the cat girl scratched him, watching in fascination as the smoke burst out, before shooting back, and the wound disappeared. "Don''t do that!" Greg growled, giving her a harsh glare.


    The cat girl shrunk back as she remembered his previous form, which combined with his healing ability would make him a terrifying opponent. "I-I apologize, great one! I-I was simply curious!"


    Greg gave her a look before sighing and shaking his head. "Anyways, as I was saying, when I heal like that, say after losing a limb, anything in the way gets¡­ dissolved, though sometimes it takes some effort. I used it to kill a sharkm- er, someone who looked like I did previously, and now it seems I can turn into him." Greg finished, realizing it was actually easier to explain than he''d thought it''d be. "Anyway, tell me about these¡­ unformed you were talking about."


    "The unformed are those who do not accept the change, retaining their weak and helpless bodies, but using strange magics to threaten us." The cat girl replied with a frown. "They travel the world, causing death and chaos for no reason as they fight against the natural order! Only the mightiest of us can face them during the day, while the rest must hide, hoping they do not discover our homes. Only at night are we free to do as we please."


    Greg frowned. "Well¡­ that''s a different perspective¡­ kinda makes me feel like a dick for coming out here to try and start a fight."


    "Y-you wish to fight?!?" The cat girl exclaimed in horror, jumping back and cowering against a wall.


    Greg shook his head. "Not anymore. At least, not with you¡­ actually, do you know any strong ones around who are just complete and utter assholes? Like they push others around, keep women captive, shit like that?" He couldn''t imagine the ferals were out here, living some idyllic life if it weren''t for humans. They had to have their assholes, just like humans did, like the sharkman. No matter how you sliced it, he abused women in horrible ways. No matter what, that deserves some retribution. If the cat girl knew others like that, Greg had no issue delivering said retribution.


    *


    "I''m guessing that''s them." Greg muttered. He was crouching at the edge of a roof as he watched two ferals who seemed to have taken their templates from hyenas tormenting a lizardman. One of the two seemed to have some sort of ice ability, coating the ground in it as they watched the poor dude slip and fall, scrambling around in a panic as the other feral shot needles at him, causing him to yelp in pain. The two hyena men laughed uproariously as the lizardman tripped and fell all over the place, like it was the funniest thing they''d ever seen.


    "Yes¡­ it is fortunate this one is male. When they capture a female, their games become much, much worse." The car girl growled as she glared daggers at the two, gritting her teeth as she watched them laugh over the other''s helplessness. She then turned to look at Greg with concern. "You believe you can face them? They have access to strange magics, like the unformed."


    Greg shrugged. "Eh, who knows? At least I won''t die, right? And it''ll give that poor sap a chance to get away." Then, without further ado, he leapt off the building, turning into the sharkman mid leap and landing in a poof of smoke, before striding forward, releasing his savage roar.


    The two bullies were startled, whirling on Greg and releasing roars of their own. "Who are you!?! Why do you disturb our games?" The feral with the ice ability snarled threateningly, baring his teeth.


    "Rah rah rah!" Greg tried to talk, forgetting he couldn''t quite manage it in this form. He growled, tapping his jaw, shrugging apologetically. He then put up his hands, making an obvious ''let''s fight'' motion.


    The other two stood there awkwardly, confused. This creature approached them violently, then waited for them to fight? Why did he not just attack them? Were they supposed to attack him? The two shared a weird look, before turning back. "We- can we discuss this? You are obviously mighty, but we are not weak ourselves. Instead of a brutal fight that will leave all of us injured, maybe we can come to some sort of understanding?"


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Greg groaned as he changed back into human form. "You guys are assholes. I don''t appreciate how you treat those weaker than you. Also, I heal, so I lose nothing by fighting you, so let''s go!" He explained, before shifting back, rushing at them.


    "Wait, wait!" The two backed off in fright, holding their hands up. "This is unnecessary! We can change! There''s no need to resort to violence!"


    Greg paused, staring at the cowering ferals in disbelief. *What the fuck! Am I really that scary?* He asked himself, frowning as he looked at his hands. He sighed and transformed back into his human form. "The fuck guys? Don''t you enjoy torturing people for fun and fighting? Why are you suddenly turning into giant wimps?"


    "Torture?" The needle feral cocked his head in confusion. "We never torture anyone! All we do is play games! They''re harmless!" He protested, shaking his head vigorously.


    "Harmless? Really? Does he look like he''s having fun!?!" Greg exclaimed, gesturing at the guy who was still attempting to scramble off the ice.


    "W-we were just using him for a bit of entertainment! He isn''t getting really hurt and we get to laugh for a few hours. There''s no real harm in it!" The ice feral explained.


    "Oh? And what if you''d found a girl instead?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "A female?" The ice feral asked in confusion.


    "We would mate with her, yes?" The needle feral answered hesitantly.


    "Yes, that is just what you do when you find a female, yes?" The ice feral nodded along.


    "No! Fucking hell, you guys¡­ you can''t just do things to people! You have to ask permission before you mate with a girl! You can''t just play with someone else for your own amusement!" Greg shouted at them in frustration.


    The two looked at each other in complete confusion, before looking back at Greg. "Why not?"


    "Because¡­ okay look, how would you feel if I, say, tied you up by your ankles, dangling you over the edge of a building, upside down, watching you struggle, huh? Would you enjoy that? Would you think it was fun even if I let you go afterwards?" Greg asked them. The two shook their heads. "So why would you think it was okay when you do it to someone else!"


    The needle feral scratched his head, before answering tentatively. "They are not us?"


    Greg frowned at him, transforming into his sharkman form and whapping him on the head, before turning back. "Try again."


    The needle feral rubbed his aching head with a groan, while the ice feral looked deep in thought. Eventually he shook his head. "I do not know why it would be okay to do it to someone else."


    "Exactly! It isn''t okay, you see?" Greg explained. "If you wouldn''t want someone to do something to you, you shouldn''t go around doing it to other people! That''s why you don''t make some poor dude struggle on ice while shooting needles at him! That''s why you don''t force girls to mate with you!"


    They were both nodding along until the last part, where they frowned. "But¡­ I would want a female to mate with me¡­ why would it be wrong to mate with her?" The needle feral asked, confused.


    Greg shook his head, sighing. "It isn''t about the mating, it''s about what the girl wants. If she doesn''t want to mate with you, you can''t force her. Would you like it if someone forced you to do something you didn''t want to do? You have to ask permission first."


    "Permission?" The ice feral muttered, as if the word was foreign to him.


    "Yes. You ask them if they want to mate with you, and you only get to do so if they say yes." Greg explained. "In fact, this goes for pretty much anything. If you want to do something to someone else, you have to ask them if they want you to do it first. Make sense?" The two nodded slowly as they mulled his words over. They were like toddlers, completely ignorant of the idea that other people had feelings as well. Everything Greg had said was like a revelation to them, a whole new world of thought. "Good. Now, get rid of this ice and apologize to him." Greg ordered, pointing at the struggling feral.


    The ice feral nodded, waving his hand, causing the ice to melt away. "We apologize for acting against your will." He stated with a slight bow, but the feral who''d been struggling didn''t seem to be one of the intelligent ones, so he just hissed and scampered away.


    Greg nodded. "Alright, good. Just keep that up, and I won''t have issues with you anymore, alright?"


    "What is going on? Mighty one, why are you not fighting them?" The cat girl asked, approaching hesitantly from behind, her eyes shooting daggers at the other two.


    "Brother, it''s the slippery one!" The needle feral exclaimed, looking at the cat girl with hungry eyes.


    The ice feral frowned at him, smacking him upside the head. "Idiot! What did you just learn?"


    The needle feral paused, frowning before his expression brightened, and he approached the cat girl with a smile. "Slippery one, would you like to mate with me?" He asked with an ingratiating smile.


    The cat girl backed away, looking at him incredulously. "No!"


    The needle feral sighed, clicking his tongue. "Drat." He turned, looking at the ice feral. "Brother, it is your turn."


    The ice feral nodded, swaggering towards the cat girl, as if trying to exhibit all his charm. "Would you like to mate with me?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.


    "No!!!" The cat girl yelled again, even more vehemently. She turned to Greg. "Mighty one, what did you do to them?"


    Greg scratched his head, thinking about it, before shrugging. "I just taught them the basic principles of common decency."


    *


    Once he finished with the bully brothers, Greg followed the cat girl to the next asshole on her list. "Okay, now, what''s the deal with this next guy?" Greg asked as they traveled. "He isn''t just another brute with no concept of empathy, is he?"


    The cat girl shook her head. "No. The other two are- er, were mean, but they never truly harmed anyone. They simply made whoever they caught suffer until they were satisfied. Cruel, but not merciless. This one¡­ he- he never lets you go. Once you''re in his grasp, you either find a way to escape, or you die."


    "So, there''s no chance of me going in for a fight and ending up in a conversation on morals again, right?" Greg asked skeptically.


    "I- I do not believe so? I did not expect such a thing to occur with the other two though, so¡­ I can''t be certain." The cat girl explained, seeming slightly embarrassed.


    "Fair enough." Greg sighed. They quickly made their way towards a one story, but sprawling house, including a decent sized yard, taking up a large area. "Damn! Who lived here before everything went down? This place is nice!" Greg commented in appreciation as he looked it over.


    "Do you wish to have it for yourself?" The cat girl asked curiously. "Once you defeat the one inside, it could be yours."


    "That''s¡­ actually kind of tempting." Greg muttered. "Eh, we''ll see." He shrugged, striding towards the door. He transformed, kicking it in and releasing his roar. From within the house, another, equally threatening roar came, thumping footsteps echoing through the halls as something large dashed through the halls. The cat girl quickly hid in some nearby bushes as from the depths of the house emerged a feral almost as large as Greg. Hard scales covered it and a long, powerful tail swung behind, a viscous spike on the tip. One hand bore savage claws, while the other was a large pincer. Its face had grown a pair of mandibles, while its mouth was full of serrated teeth. It looked like some sort of savage mix between a crocodile and a scorpion. "Rah rah rah¡­" Greg muttered in horror as the feral tackled him, its pincer gripping at his neck as its claws dug into his stomach, its tail lashing out to pierce into him at every opening!


    Greg roared in pain, snapping at the feral''s approaching mandibles, biting one off as his claws swung to dig savage furrows into its back. The feral roared back, glaring at Greg as its tail struck like lightning, causing Greg pain, but little else as his claws continued to dig into its back, shredding through its scales. The feral recognized it was in a losing position, and with a final, desperate roar, it put all its strength into its pincer, cutting through Greg''s neck and sending his head flying! The feral roared in celebration as Greg''s head tumbled through the air, until his body suddenly dissolved into smoke, billowing towards him and reforming in midair! Greg flipped right side up and landed gracefully, shooting the stunned feral an evil grin as he rushed back in, claws swinging, each swipe leaving savage red lines across the the ferals body, blood flowing from the wounds as the feral desperately tried to fight back, but nothing it did could keep Greg down. Finally, with one last strike, Greg plunged his claws deep into the feral''s chest, and the light in its eyes died.


    Greg stared at the now dead feral with a thoughtful expression, before swiping a claw across his arm, cutting it off, and placing the stump against its head, allowing it to regenerate through it, which was a lot easier now that it was dead. "Why did you do that?" The cat girl asked as she emerged from the foliage, giving Greg a strange look. She was glad she hadn''t tried to fight or escape this brutal creature¡­


    Greg shifted into his human form, grinning at her. "I thought it''d be nice to have another combat form." Greg shifted into the feral''s form. "See? Oh! Ha! I can talk in this one too!" He exclaimed giddily in a deep, growly voice, before coughing slightly and continuing to explain. "Honestly, if it weren''t for my healing factor, it would have had me dead to rights. Its tail and claws could easily pierce through my skin, while my claws had to work to break through its scales¡­ plus the fact that that pincer literally took my head off¡­ I dunno, it just seems like a better form."


    The cat girl nodded. "I can see that, but¡­ didn''t his claws already dissolve in your stomach? Shouldn''t that have been all you needed?" She asked, pointing at the feral''s hand. It''d had its claws buried in him practically the entire time, and the moment it''d died, his wounds had healed over them.


    Greg looked down in surprise, blinking slightly. "Well¡­ if you''re going to bring logic into this¡­" Greg muttered, coughing slightly in embarrassment. "Uh, let''s explore the house, huh?" He quickly stomped off into the building, changing the subject, leaving the cat girl snickering slightly as she followed him with an amused expression. This mighty one was such an interesting individual.


    As Greg walked, he took note of the abilities of this new form. Unlike the sharkman, the scorpocroc didn''t have heat vision. Instead, it seemed to have enhanced hearing, allowing him to almost see through walls based on the noises within, the little variations in how the noise propagated giving him vague outlines. As he walked, he instinctively clicked his mandibles a few times, sending pulses of sound that outlined the area around him, like a sonar. It was lucky for the cat girl he''d won, because the scorpocroc had definitely known she was there. He wasn''t even looking at her, and he could tell exactly where she was just by her heartbeat and breathing. *Fucking hell, night ferals are insane! How do you even hide from abilities like this?!?* Greg thought to himself, shaking his head incredulously. He''d thought Tessa might have just been being a bit paranoid about not traveling at night, but if anything she should have been even more paranoid! Get off the streets before they have any time to cool down and lock yourself in the deepest part of the building, or these shits won''t even have to work to find you!


    It didn''t take long for them to find the remains of the scorpocroc''s handiwork. Corpses with their hands and feet snipped off, signs of slow torture on the rest of their body, both human and feral. There were signs of cauterizing on most of the wounds, making Greg wonder if the scorpocroc had some sort of heating ability that''d never come up in their fight. After the first room, the cat girl took to waiting outside while Greg checked the rooms, looking sick. Eventually they made it to one of the deeper rooms and found the scorpocroc''s latest victim, a male feral who the scorpocroc seemed to be busy skinning before they arrived. In the time it took for them to fight and go through the house, the feral had already died.


    With blank expressions, after they''d confirmed there were no other survivors, the two of them exited the house. They stood in silence for a moment, before Greg turned to the cat girl. "Is there anyone else out there who does stuff like that?" The cat girl nodded numbly, still trying to process the horror of what she''d seen. She''d known awful stuff had happened in this house, but she had never imagined it was that bad. "Take me to them." Greg growled with a hard expression, clenching his hands- er, claw and pincer. "I have work to do."

 Smoke: 6 - Fear

    As Greg finished dealing with his fourth feral of the night, his tail digging deep into its chest, he looked up at the sky, noticing the sun beginning to rise. He let out a weary groan, snipping the tip of his tail off as he collected this latest feral''s form. It''d been a long night and the strain from all the fighting was starting to get to him. He''d pretty much just let this last one keep hitting him until it was too tired to fight back, so he didn''t have to waste too much energy actually fighting it. "I have to go." He told the cat girl, looking back in the direction of the bunker, shifting into the form of a cheetahman, the third feral he''d dealt with and a pain in the ass as he''d had to chase the fucker down for an entire goddamn half an hour to tire it out. If it weren''t for the fact that his sharkman form could track it by the heat of its footprints, he would have lost it, and that would have really pissed him off, particularly since that feral seemed to target particularly young humans and ferals.


    "What? Why?" The cat girl asked in confusion. "You are powerful enough to not fear the unformed, and you even have their form! There are so many others who prey on the weak to deal with!"


    Greg shook his head. "I have responsibilities during the day. Don''t worry, I''ll return tonight and we''ll deal with more then. I''ll find you where we first met, okay? Do you remember where that is?" The cat girl nodded. "Good. Take care. Stay safe while I''m gone." He bid her farewell, before dashing off.


    The cat girl watched him go, crossing her arms with a slight pout. "I''d be safest with you." She grumbled to herself, before slinking off to find a safe place to hide for the day.


    Greg returned to the bunker a little after the sun had fully risen, slipping through the door as quietly as possible and pulling his pants back on, before taking a seat and waiting for Sarah to wake up. He fell into thought as he considered his actions over the previous night, frowning as he realized how much he actually depended on his healing factor. If it weren''t for the fact that he wouldn''t, couldn''t go down, all the ferals he''d killed should have won. They actually did things like dodge and defend, while he just stood there, swiping randomly until they died¡­ he needed to develop some actual combat skills. Well, technically he didn''t need to, but¡­ it''d be a good idea, right? He also had to figure out what was up with the strain. It didn''t make him tired or anything, it just made doing things more and more difficult, until he spent some time not doing things, or at least not doing anything too difficult.


    The other thing he had to consider was what to do with the rest of the ferals¡­ it had become obvious as he''d seen more and more that a lot of them were just people, trying to survive in this messed up world just like the rest of humanity. If that was the case¡­ Why should they fight? Greg didn''t care what people looked like. Cat person, lizard person, fish person, whatever, as long as you weren''t an asshole, he''d be cool with you. So he started thinking that maybe, just maybe, everyone could just¡­ talk, you know? The humans didn''t need to kill ferals, they just wanted food and supplies. Ferals didn''t need to kill humans, they just wanted to be safe. Admittedly, there were definitely a few assholes in both groups that would probably make things more difficult¡­ plus the ferals weren''t really organized enough. They barely trusted each other at this point, let alone the humans who''d been killing them the entire time.


    Greg sighed wearily as he considered the monumental task that solving this issue would be. Just getting the ferals organized would take an act of God! They all had different levels of intelligence, from the more bestial, to the hyena brothers more at the ten or eleven year old level, to the cat girl, who didn''t seem to be any different from a normal human. How could you get someone who only knew how to hiss and growl at you to realize that the things that have been attacking them this entire time aren''t actually that bad and you should be friends? He''d have a hard enough time convincing the cat girl, let alone them! Years of fear and violence were hard to just smooth over, even for regular people.


    Greg mulled everything over, before coming to a conclusion. He needed to start small. The first thing he had to do was create an area where ferals felt safe, even during the day. Somewhere they could live without worrying about being attacked by humans or those crazy assholes like the scorpocroc. Thankfully the ferals didn''t really need food, which made things easier, but¡­ they did need protection, both externally and internally. He needed to find ferals who were both strong and intelligent to police the others and protect them. The hyena brothers were a start, but they could only protect, not police. They didn''t have the intelligence to handle internal conflict, and they''d probably just end up making the situation worse.


    Unfortunately, the combination of strength and intelligence seemed to be rare among the ferals, not that it was exactly common among the humans¡­ they tended to either develop mentally, like the cat girl, or physically, like the hyena brothers or the sharkman. Maybe if he could find a group of those humans that had supposedly embraced the mutation Tessa had mentioned¡­ but then again, they might be crazy too. They had decided to just up and abandon their human forms. Not the best indication of a stable mind.


    Greg was still trying to work through the problem, when Sarah emerged from the back with a yawn, frowning as she saw him lost in thought. "Are you okay?" She asked, sounding a bit concerned. Every time she''d left Greg alone before, she''d come back to find him doing something weird to entertain himself. To see him just sitting there staring off into space was¡­ disconcerting.


    "Hm? Yeah, I''m fine." Greg replied, shaking himself out of the endlessly repeating loop of thoughts he''d fallen into. He really just needed more information before he could actually do anything. "How''d you sleep?"


    "Fine¡­" Sarah answered tentatively, giving him a weird look. "How about you? What did you do?"


    Greg shrugged. "Nothing. Just hung around."


    Sarah blinked at him. "Nothing. Really."


    "Yeah?" Greg replied, not sure why she was being so weird about this.


    Sarah looked around, as if trying to find evidence of some misconduct. "Okay, no, seriously, what did you do?" She asked sternly, squinting her eyes at him.


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    "Nothing! Really!" Greg protested. "Why does it matter anyways?"


    Sarah narrowed her eyes at him. Something just felt off. A Greg who was content just sitting around doing nothing? That just didn''t make sense! There was something going on here, she just couldn''t figure out what. Her first reaction was to think it had something to do with her ability, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Greg didn''t need to hide it if he wanted to do something to her. If he had any thoughts, she was completely at his mercy. But what else could it be? It wasn''t like the bunker was some sprawling series of tunnels he could hide his misdeeds in. It was only a few rooms, just the living room and two small bedrooms in the back. That was it!


    She eyed the cabinets warily, wondering if he''d booby trapped them or something as a prank. "Could you get me a can of tuna?" She asked Greg, glancing at him suspiciously.


    Greg frowned at her, looking at the cabinet literally across the room from him, then at her, standing practically right next to it. "Why?" He asked slowly, confused. It wasn''t like the cabinets were high up or anything. She was more than tall enough to get her own can of food.


    "No reason. I just thought it''d be nice if you did it for me." She replied innocently, batting her eyes slightly. "You don''t mind doing things for me, do you?"


    Greg stared at her with a wary, distrustful gaze. "Is- is this flirting? Are you trying to flirt with me?!?"


    Sarah immediately flushed in embarrassment. "N-no! Gross! I just want to know what you did to the cabinets!"


    Greg paused, stunned for a moment. "I didn''t do anything to the cabinets!"


    "Then why won''t you get me a can of tuna!" Sarah yelled back.


    "Because you''re literally standing right next to the damn thing! You don''t even need to walk!" Greg explained.


    "Why should that matter!?!" Sarah huffed, crossing her arms. "You just want me to open the cabinet so everything will fall on me, don''t you!"


    "Oh for the love of- fine!" Greg threw up his hands in exasperation, before striding over to the cabinet, opening the door, grabbing a can of tuna, and shoving it into Sarah''s hand. "There! Happy?!?"


    Sarah looked between him and the cabinet, slightly stunned, before looking down at the can of tuna, a new suspicion forming in her mind. "Could you open it?"


    Greg glared at her, raising a finger. "I warn you, I am not afraid to smack a little girl upside the head. There is absolutely nothing wrong with anything in this kitchen, you understand me?" Sarah opened her mouth to protest. "No! No more! You just sit there and eat your damn tuna!" Greg shut her down, before stomping back to his chair.


    Sarah glared at him for a moment, before giving up and carefully opening the can of tuna, which of course, had nothing wrong with it. She then began to eat it with another suspicious expression, but again, found nothing wrong. It went on like this for the next hour or so. Every time Sarah went to do something, she''d glance suspiciously at Greg, before carefully going through with it, as if she expected something to pop out at her at every turn. Finally, she let out a groan of frustration, stomping up in front of Greg. "I give up! What did you do?!?"


    "I didn''t do anything!" Greg protested in exasperation. "Zip, zilch, nada, nothing!"


    "You don''t do nothing!" Sarah retorted. "You play chess with cards, or make card houses, or- or something! You don''t just spend an entire night doing nothing!"


    Greg paused, before shrugging. "Fine. I went outside to fight ferals. Happy?"


    Sarah''s eyes widened. "W-what?"


    "I took my pants off, walked out the door, transformed into a sharkman, and went off to find ferals to fight. It was fun. I got my head snipped off by a scorpocroc before I shoved my claws into its chest." Greg explained slowly for her.


    "B-but that- but you- is- is that okay?" Sarah asked tentatively.


    "Why wouldn''t it be?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow. "I''m just going out and doing what ferals do. If anything, I''m making things safer out there."


    "B-but what- what if someone came to the bunker?!?" Sarah asked nervously. "What if- what if they tried to-"


    Greg shook his head. "No one travels after dark. It''s too dangerous. As long as I leave after it gets dark, and return before the sun rises, it''s fine."


    Sarah''s eyes widened. "Y-you''re going to do it again?!?"


    "Yeah? As I said, it''s perfectly safe, so why wouldn''t I? Better than being cooped up in here doing something weird, right?" Greg replied with a shrug.


    "But- but-" Sarah stuttered, trying to find a reason he shouldn''t go.


    Greg stood up, patting her on the head. "Listen, you''ll be fine. Just don''t worry about it, alright? Come on, let''s play cards."


    The rest of the day passed normally, the two of them simply chatting and playing cards. Greg thought Sarah had accepted that he was going out, until it began to get later and later, and she still wasn''t going to bed. He frowned, checking the time through the peephole, noticing it was starting to get dark, but Sarah didn''t show any indication she was going to sleep any time soon.


    "Uh, Sarah? Shouldn''t you be getting to bed soon?" Greg asked.


    Sarah shook her head. "Nope. I''m good." She answered shortly, before a yawn betrayed her.


    Greg frowned at her, before shaking his head. "Sarah, forcing yourself to stay up late isn''t going to keep me from going out."


    Sarah slapped her cards down on the table. "Why not!?! You leave cause you''re bored right? If you aren''t bored, you don''t have to leave! I can stay up! Let''s just- just keep playing cards!"


    Greg shook his head. "Sarah, you''re going to sleep, either now, or later. You have to. Go on, just go to bed, I promise you''ll be safe, alright? I''ll never be that far away, so I''ll always know if there''s anyone around, alright?"


    "No!" She exclaimed, reaching out to grab Greg''s arm. "Just- please, I- I''ll do anything! Just don''t- don''t leave me alone¡­" She ended in a whisper, eyes begging desperately for him to stay.


    Greg looked at her with a conflicted expression, before letting out a groan of frustration and shaking his head. "No, I just¡­ I have to go out now. Sarah, there''s¡­ there''s ferals out there, like the sharkman. They take people and do cruel and evil things to them, leaving them broken, dying, just like Gabrielle¡­ I can''t¡­ I can''t just ignore that. I have to go out and stop them. Every one I kill is one that isn''t out there hurting people anymore. You understand, right?"


    As he talked, Sarah had slowly let go of his arm, curling up into herself, eyes going dead. She nodded as he finished. "I understand." She whispered. "I''ll go to bed now." She stood to her feet, shuffling into the back room.


    Greg watched her go with a pained expression, but he didn''t know what else to say. He had to go out. He just wished he could do it without hurting Sarah. Greg sat in thought for a bit, wondering just how he could make this better, but he just couldn''t think of anything. Eventually, he had to give up, sighing as he took off his pants and slipped out the door, changing into the cheetahman form and dashing off. Sarah watched him go through the peephole with a heavy heart, hoping he was right, hoping he''d be fine, hoping¡­ hoping he could help others like he''d helped her.

 Smoke: 7 - The weak and the strong

    Over the next few days, Greg continued to venture out at night, accompanying the cat girl to find the true monsters among the ferals and eliminating them, before returning to the bunker in the morning to spend the day with Sarah. Greg almost felt like he was living two lives with the severe contrast between the two time periods. The night was full of blood and death as he killed these ferals and found the signs of their atrocities, while the day was full of idle chit chat and card games. It all began to feel really surreal the more he thought about it.


    The other issue was¡­ Greg was beginning to get used to pain. Like, really used to pain. He still wasn''t all that good a fighter, so every night he''d be slashed and stabbed more times than he could count, and if the feral had an ability, he''d even get burned or something. He''d been hurt so much he barely even felt it anymore.


    "Are you okay?" Sarah asked as she stepped out of the back room one morning to find Greg laying on the floor spread eagle, staring up at the ceiling with a dead expression.


    "Inevitably." Greg grumbled. "I''ve determined that pain is an illusion, and once you''ve experienced enough of it, it doesn''t even distract you anymore¡­ I shoved a toothpick in my eye, and I felt bored."


    "Y-you what?!? Why!?!" Sarah exclaimed in horror, backing away slightly.


    Greg cocked his head slightly, considering the question. "Well, I''ve been fighting a lot, so I''ve experienced a lot of pain, kind of numbing me to it. Kinda felt like testing it. Plus, there''s still that period of time between when I get back and you wake up and¡­ I don''t think I handle being bored very well¡­ something about several years of having entertainment literally right at my fingertips must have ruined me."


    "I-Isn''t it a little much to resort to self-harm just cause you''re bored?" Sarah asked skeptically.


    "Probably." Greg replied with a shrug.


    Sarah stared at him blankly for a moment, before shaking her head. "You''re so weird."


    "You aren''t weird enough!" Greg retorted, pointing a finger at her, as if accusing her of some crime.


    "Nyeh!" Sarah stuck her tongue out at him as she opened a cabinet, looking at the available food. "What do you want to eat?"


    "Whatever." Greg waved absently, before sitting up and turning to her. "Hey, I have a question."


    Sarah paused, looking at him nervously. "Yeah?"


    "You, uh, do you go to the bathroom?" Greg asked awkwardly, looking slightly embarrassed.


    "I-I- what?!? Why would you- are- is this some kind of fetish thing!?!" Sarah stammered, completely baffled, worried he was beginning to give in to her ability.


    "Huh? No! No, it''s just¡­ well¡­ ever since I woke up, I¡­ haven''t had to go to the bathroom. Like, at all. I haven''t even had to pee! It''s just¡­ is that normal, or should I be worried." Greg elaborated.


    Sarah raised her eyebrows at him. "You don''t need to use the bathroom? Like at all?"


    "Ah, crap, it is weird." Greg groaned. "Shit¡­ well, it isn''t like it''s going to kill me¡­ though it may cause me lots and lots of pain, which¡­ eh?"


    "Maybe you just don''t need to? Like how you don''t need to sleep?" Sarah offered. "If-if your body can just dissolve a toothpick, it can probably do the same for your food¡­"


    Greg paused, considering the idea. "That''s probably true¡­ I don''t have a heartbeat either, so clearly my body isn''t functioning normally¡­ huh¡­ damnit, why does my ability seem to remove all my favorite bodily functions?" Greg grumbled with a sigh.


    Sarah gave him an incredulous look. "You don''t have a- You enjoy going to the bathroom?!?"


    "Well, I guess I wouldn''t say I enjoyed it¡­ but, you know, it gives you time to think, or read, or whatever, no distractions. Very zen, you know?" Greg explained.


    Sarah shook her head in disbelief. "You- you''re just- you are so weird!"


    *


    The two of them were playing cards a bit later, when they heard the door begin to open. Greg got to his feet, a wary expression on his face. "Go hide in the back." He ordered Sarah, as he approached the door, ready to deal with whoever came in. Sarah nodded, rushing into the back room to hide. The door creaked open, but strangely, Greg didn''t see anyone come in. "That''s we- oof!" Greg let out a groan of pain as he was hit in the balls, curling over in pain.


    "Sup fucker." Victor greeted him with a chuckle, throwing his arm over his shoulder as he appeared out of nowhere.


    "Victor?!? What- how did- you asshole!" Greg exclaimed, elbowing him hard in the side, causing him to laugh even harder. "What the fuck are you doing here?"


    "Didn''t you call for an escort to the safe zone?" Victor replied with a grin as he walked to the door and whistled a short pattern. Not much later, Tessa came through the door, followed by four other people, which surprisingly included Casey, and the orange hoodie dude from his Calc class, who Tessa was arguing with.


    "I told you it''d be safe! It''s a damn safehouse!" Tessa was grumbling.


    "Did you see what happened to Mark''s team?!?" Orange hoodie retorted. "How could we know it had nothing to do with the situation in here?"


    "Greg!" Casey exclaimed, launching herself at him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I can''t believe you''re okay!"


    "Yeah, hey Casey." Greg patted her back absently as he looked at orange hoodie. "You said something about Mark''s team?"


    Orange hoodie frowned. "Yeah, did they stop here? We found them ripped to shreds and shoved into a dumpster nearby¡­ Do you know anything about that?"


    "How could he know?" Tessa scoffed, rolling her eyes. "He''s been hiding in here the whole time!"


    "You don''t know that! Maybe he heard the noise and peaked out!" Orange hoodie retorted, before turning back to Greg. "So? Did you see anything?"


    "I suppose you could say that, seeing as I''m the one who killed them." Greg nodded.


    The entire team paused, looking at him in shock. Casey even let go of him, taking a step back as she gave him a cautious look. "Greg, this isn''t the time for jokes." Tessa scolded him, shaking her head.


    "No, he''s serious." Victor commented, giving Greg an evaluating look. "I assume they deserved it?"


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    Greg nodded. "Tried to rape a little girl. No bueno."


    "Ah, good. Well done." Victor nodded in satisfaction.


    "What? No! Did you see the condition their bodies were in?!?" Orange hoodie exclaimed. "They were ripped apart by some kind of feral! This guy could not have done it. Seriously, stop kidding around and tell us what really happened."


    "No, I did it. Turns out, in addition to being nigh unkillable, or maybe just plain unkillable cause I really have not found the limit on this thing and believe me, I''ve had the opportunity to really explore¡­ What was I saying? Right! Turns out I can also transform into things my ability has¡­ dissolved, like the sharkman." Greg explained. "I''d show you, but¡­ I''d have to take my pants off."


    Orange hoodie paused, processing that information for a moment, before shaking his head. "Okay, even so, you''re asking me to believe that Mark and his entire team tried to rape a little girl? I''m not buying it. They were good guys! They were always out here, working hard for the safe zone, even though their powers were weak! People like that don''t just decide to rape someone! Where even is this little girl, huh?"


    Greg gave him a weird look. "You just do not do well when things aren''t the way you expected them to be, huh?"


    "Dude, nailed it!" Victor commented with a clap. "I''ve been looking for a way to explain that for months now."


    Casey groaned. "God, I forgot how annoying it is when you two get together."


    Tessa, who''d been watching this entire exchange with a slight frown, shook her head and interrupted. "Greg, where is Sarah? She''s not¡­ she''s okay, right?"


    "Oh, yeah, she''s hiding in the back." Greg explained, pointing his thumb over his shoulder, before glancing at the three other guys, particularly orange hoodie and Carlos. "One issue though¡­ see, she does have this ability which makes her¡­ well, slightly kind of irresistibly attractive to the opposite sex. So, control yourselves, or I''ll kill you."


    "I''ll help." Victor chimed in with a grin. The girls didn''t say anything, but they couldn''t help but give the other two guys strange looks.


    "Alright, Sarah! You can come out now." Greg shouted back. Sarah peeked around the corner nervously, before hesitantly stepping out. Quickly walking over to hide behind Greg''s back.


    "Fuck me." The guy Greg didn''t know groaned, turning around and facing the wall, leaning against it with both arms. Orange hoodie just stared at her with a slightly dazed expression, before the girl Greg didn''t know elbowed him in the side, causing him to flush in embarrassment.


    "Man, that''s an insidious ability." Victor clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "If you hadn''t told me, I might have had to kill myself as a vile pedophile."


    "Right? Imagine how I felt before she told me. I can''t even kill myself! How terrible would it be to be an immortal degenerate?" Greg replied in agreement.


    Victor patted him on the shoulder. "You have suffered, friend."


    Greg grinned, shaking his head. "Not your friend, buddy."


    Victor let out a short laugh, before retorting. "Not your buddy, guy!" And they both burst into laughter.


    "For the love of- How are you two able to joke around like we''re still in college, while these two seem to be struggling just to keep their pants up?" Casey asked, rolling her eyes and gesturing at the other two.


    "It''s quite simple really." Victor shrugged. He pointed at Greg and himself. "The strong." He then pointed towards the other two. "The weak. Of course, we already knew Carlos was weak to women." He commented, waving at the guy who seemed to be actively praying as he leaned against the wall. "Jakey-poo over here though¡­" Victor shook his head and clicked his tongue. "I''m disappointed man."


    "Shut up, Victor!" Jake growled, clearly getting himself under control. "It was a momentary lapse!"


    Victor opened his mouth to continue, when the girl Greg didn''t know interrupted him. "Lay off, Victor. You know Jake wouldn''t actually do anything. He''s embarrassed enough."


    "Fine, fine, if you insist." Victor raised his hands in acquiescence.


    With all that nonsense out of the way, everyone began to settle in for the night, planning on heading out in the morning. They decided to split up, the girls hanging out in the back and the guys hanging out in the living room. As much as everyone seemed to be able to resist her influence by this point, it didn''t seem like a good idea to force everyone to actually do so for an extended period of time.


    Once they were alone, Greg gave Carlos a serious look. "Are you going to be okay man? I''m not going to need to¡­ you know, right?"


    Carlos shook his head. "No, no, I''m not worried about doing anything¡­ it''s the thoughts man, the thoughts! Girl gets into my imagination, she''ll never get out. I don''t want that, nope, nope, no sir!"


    "Don''t worry Greg, Carlos will be fine. He''s like a puppy. Full of emotion, but innocent at heart. He doesn''t have a mean bone in his body." Victor explained.


    Greg shot him a look that said he didn''t quite buy it. "Jake said similar things about Mark''s group too, and I know what I had to do there."


    Victor shook his head. "Jake isn''t the best judge of character. He thinks doing good things means you''re a good person, like the majority of charities weren''t tax shelters."


    "Oh, he''s one of those people. Gotcha." Greg nodded along.


    "Guys, I''m sitting right here!" Jake exclaimed in exasperation. "And how is that wrong? Good people do good things!"


    "Yes, but not everyone who does good things is a good person." Victor explained. "It''s like everyone who works gets paid, but not everyone who gets paid works. The result does not determine the reason. Lots of people do good things solely for personal gain."


    "Of course, the majority of people do what they do for at least some personal gain. Just the way life works. Even doctors who sincerely want to help people want to be paid for what they do. It''s a rare person who is willing to give their all without asking for anything in return." Greg agreed with a nod.


    Jake frowned. "But what about people who give money to the homeless? Or volunteer at charities?"


    "Oh, people will do little things for others, don''t get me wrong. I''m talking about dedicating their life to helping others, like Mother Theresa or something." Greg explained.


    Jake shook his head. "So what, everyone is just out for their own gain? No one''s just doing things out of the goodness of their own heart?"


    "Uh, duh? I mean, you pretty much have to work for personal gain. Even if you want to be charitable, you need to have something to be charitable with. Someone who can barely feed themselves doesn''t have the time to go help build a house for free. You can only give from your excess. That''s just how it works." Greg replied.


    Jake continued to think about it, getting lost in thought while Victor turned to Greg. "So, what have you been up to? Tessa told us she found you on campus, but not much else."


    "Well, that''s pretty much it honestly. I''ve apparently been asleep since the Apocalypse happened. I went from sitting in class to waking up to this girl in my face and everything going all terrifying." Greg answered.


    "Seriously?" Victor checked Greg over. "Huh¡­ you''d never know."


    "How about you? What have you been up to?" Greg asked.


    "Oh, you know, surviving. I got out of the initial chaos pretty cleanly due to my ability. I can go unnoticeable, so I can stand right next to someone, playing the violin, badly and they''d never know. It does lose some effect at longer distances, but there aren''t a lot of ferals who can attack at long range, so it doesn''t particularly matter.¡± Victor explained. "Anyway, eventually I met up with these guys as they were escaping campus. They''d grouped up because Casey and Jake were in class together when shit went down, and Jake found Carlos and Brittany because they were friends, while Tessa was Brittany''s roommate."


    "Brittany is the other girl?" Greg asked, interrupting.


    "Yeah. Anyways, as fate would have it, we''d all managed to become supers. Casey got pyrokinesis, Jake got telekinesis, Carlos can make force fields, Brittany can make illusions, and I assume you already know Tessa''s ability. Our abilities let us survive as we moved from place to place, finding food where we could, until eventually we settled down in the Downtown Clan, forming a team and venturing into the danger zone for supplies." Victor finished blandly.


    "Neat." Greg nodded in appreciation.


    "You are both terrible at telling stories." Carlos commented, shaking his head.

 Smoke: 8 - Tiny balls

    Once everyone had gone to sleep, Greg slipped out of the bunker to meet the cat girl again. He dashed a few streets over to find her waiting for him, sitting on an abandoned car, swinging her legs and humming a bit. With all of Greg''s work the past few nights, this area had become much safer. Any bullies he''d found had gotten the same lecture as the hyena brothers, and all the real sickos had been dealt with. The cat girl didn''t feel the need to hide or sneak around anymore.


    "Mighty one!" She exclaimed as she saw Greg approaching, jumping off the car and careening into his arms.


    Greg let out a light oof as she did so, more out of habit than anything else. "How do you always know it''s me?" Greg asked curiously. He often appeared in a different form, yet the cat girl always seemed to know when it was him.


    "Your lack of scent, duh." The cat girl explained.


    "Ah¡­ neat." Greg nodded, remembering she''d mentioned that the first time they''d met, he''d brushed past it as he was too stunned by the fact she was actually intelligent at the time. He frowned as he considered what his lack of scent meant. He brought his wrist up to his nose and smelled it¡­ nothing. Greg sighed, shaking his head again. He used to love smelling his wrist before all this¡­ what an inconvenient ability. "Anyway, make sure we hit the worst of the worst tonight." He continued. "This is going to be my last night here, so let''s make it count." Greg had always known his time in this area was limited, which was why he hadn''t started his feral unification project yet. He didn''t want to start something he couldn''t finish.


    The cat girl looked stunned. "You''re leaving?!? Why!?!"


    "I always was?" Greg answered, confused. "I was only here to wait for a team to get through to the downtown area."


    "But- but what about everything you''ve done? What about everything that still needs to be done!?! You- you can''t just abandon us!" The cat girl pleaded, hanging off his arm, looking up at him desperately.


    Greg sighed. "I''m sorry, I really am. I''ve done everything I can, but¡­ this isn''t where I belong."


    "But- but why?!? I- I don''t understand, why- how could you-" The cat girl stammered, tears brimming in her eyes.


    Greg was shocked. "Hey, hey, what- why is this such a big deal? I''ve killed most of the really bad guys around and we have the others behaving better. It isn''t like as soon as I''m gone, everything is going to suddenly get bad again. Hell, if you get a few of the stronger ones on board, I bet you can make this place even safer than I could."


    The cat girl shook her head. "That isn''t the point! I don''t care about safety, I just- I- I don''t want to be alone again¡­" She cried, holding tighter to his arm.


    Greg''s eyes widened. He hadn''t realized how attached the cat girl had become to him. Thinking back, they''d spent every night together for almost a week. Greg had been more focused on the violence at the time, so he hadn''t even realized how much she''d been there, listening to him, watching him, a quiet companion that supported him in everything he did. From their conversations, Greg knew that the cat girl had only been ''awake'' for a few months, a year max. For her, a week was a significant period of her life. "Hey¡­ what if¡­" Greg paused, wondering if what he was about to offer was actually feasible. "What if I brought you with me?"


    The cat girl looked up at him, shocked. "You''d do that?"


    "I mean¡­ Well, the people I travel with are unformed, but¡­ you can talk, they can talk, I don''t see much of an issue with it." Greg shrugged.


    The cat girl''s eyes widened. "You- you travel with those violent creatures?!?" She asked in horror.


    "Well¡­ okay, that''s all a big misunderstanding. See, they think you''re the violent ones. They see all the assholes out there and think you''re all like that. So, when you guys meet, you both think the other is going to be violent, so you get violent first and then¡­ Well, it''s a mess." Greg sighed. "Plus, they remember when this all started and apparently you all were the ones who went crazy, causing all the chaos, and they really haven''t forgotten that¡­ they''re still pretty scared of you."


    The cat girl''s jaw dropped. "They''re scared of us?!?"


    Greg nodded. "Yeah? I mean, think about the types of ferals- er, that''s what they call you, the types of ferals that are actually out during the day when they are. They aren''t meeting the harmless, just trying to survive types like you. They''re meeting the big scary mofos who like to fight."


    "Then would they even want to travel with me?" The cat girl asked nervously.


    "Well, I mean, I wouldn''t suggest approaching them out of nowhere, but as long as I introduce you it should be fine?" Greg supposed.


    *


    The next morning, after another violent night, Greg had the cat girl hide near the bunker while he slipped inside to wait for everyone else to wake up. A few hours later, Jake had them all gathered around the table, explaining their various roles for the journey. "Alright, so, our biggest concern is protecting Sarah. Carlos, that''s going to be your job." Carlos groaned, making a cross sign across his chest. "Don''t worry about the rest of us and just maintain a barrier around her whenever there''s trouble. The rest of us will be responsible for running interference, distracting any ferals we can''t hide from to let Sarah and Carlos get through, alright? We don''t want any protracted battles, so just get them away and escape. Victor, you''ll be in charge of scouting as usual. Any questions?"


    Greg raised his hand. "Can I bring a friend?"


    Jake blinked at him, frowning. "I''ll take that as a no."


    Greg turned to Victor. "Why does he never take me seriously?"


    "How did you manage to make a friend?" Victor raised an eyebrow. "There''s no people out here."


    "That depends on your definition of people." Greg replied.


    "Oh, shit, he made friends with a feral." Casey groaned.


    "Feral is such a derogatory term¡­ maybe we could change it to mutated people?" Greg offered.


    "We don''t call them feral because they mutated, we call them feral cause they''re crazy!" Casey retorted.


    "Oh¡­ then I wouldn''t call this one feral. Though¡­ she probably, definitely, was¡­ she got better though." Greg responded.


    "Of course it''s a girl." Tessa muttered. "How did you even meet this person? Haven''t you been staying in the bunker?"


    "He''s been going out every night to fight while I sleep." Sarah explained.


    "You''ve been leaving Sarah alone!?!" Tessa exclaimed, giving Greg a harsh glare.


    "Only after dark! I always came back when it got light out, so there was no chance I''d miss anyone!" Greg explained.


    "Hold on, did you say to fight?" Casey asked incredulously, turning to Greg. "You''ve been fighting?!?"


    "Well, there''s these ferals who like to prey on other ferals, real assholes who torture others for their own enjoyment¡­ kinda felt like they needed to die and well¡­ I wasn''t really doing anything else, you know?" Greg shrugged.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Casey stared at him blankly for a moment, before shaking her head. "Can''t get him out of his room to throw a damn frisbee, but the moment electronics die he starts looking for monsters to fight!"


    "I do not handle boredom well." Greg sighed.


    "We''ve noticed." Tessa grumbled as Sarah nodded along.


    "Right, so¡­ can I bring a friend?" Greg asked again, turning to a stunned looking Jake. "I promise, she''s really nice and it isn''t like she''s going to slow us down."


    "I don''t¡­ we should at least meet her first." Jake sighed, shaking his head.


    "Fair enough. Let me grab her." Greg nodded along, going to head out the door.


    "Uh, Greg, what are you doing?" Tessa asked as he paused by the door, going to take his pants off.


    "Tak- uh¡­" He pulled his pants back up, flushing. "Force of habit." He explained, before quickly rushing out the door. A few minutes later he returned, followed by the cat girl. "Alright guys, this is my friend." The cat girl hid behind him, nervously peeking over his shoulder at the crowd of beings she''d been hiding from for as long as she could remember.


    Everyone was stunned for a moment, before Casey smiled and waved. "Hi, I''m Casey. What''s your name?"


    "Name?" The cat girl asked in confusion.


    "You know, what do people call you?" Casey elaborated.


    "S-some call me the slippery one or the sneaky one¡­" The cat girl answered.


    "Well that won''t do." Casey shook her head. "You need a real name."


    "I think of her as the cat girl, but¡­ that doesn''t really help." Greg shrugged.


    "Then why did you say it?" Casey rolled her eyes at him.


    "I like the sound of my own voice." Greg shrugged.


    "I don''t mind being called cat girl." The cat girl offered.


    "Don''t listen to him!" Casey snapped. "Come on, let''s think of a real name."


    "We could call her CAThryn." Victor commented with a grin.


    "Oh, how about CLAWdia?" Carlos added with a snicker.


    "JenniFUR?" Greg added one of his own.


    "Guys!" Casey stomped, giving them all a glare.


    "I don''t mind Jennifer." The cat girl interjected.


    "Oh, hey, wait, I was just joking." Greg replied, turning to her. "We can find you a better name."


    "But I like it¡­" The cat girl responded.


    Greg paused, before turning back to Casey and shrugging. "She likes it."


    "I hate you." Casey growled.


    *


    Once they''d named Jennifer, the rest of the group introduced themselves. Seeing how nervous Jennifer was made it pretty damn obvious this wasn''t some crazy beast who''d attack them at the first opportunity, so they quickly got over any reservations they had about bringing her along. Without letting any more time get wasted, they packed up and headed deeper into the city.


    Victor immediately went ahead. Due to the strange nature of his ability, he could literally shout in someone''s ear and they wouldn''t hear him, but if they were further away, they could hear him just fine. Using this, Victor would let out a series of whistles whenever he found something that wouldn''t alert the creatures around him, but would let the group know to hide or change direction. Additionally, whenever they would need to hide, Brittany would use illusions to cover them or distract the approaching ferals. It all worked so smoothly, Greg wondered why Jake had been so adamant about what to do when they ran into trouble.


    "Jake always thinks something is going to go wrong. It''s actually one of his strengths as a planner, and his weakness in literally everything else." Victor explained when Greg asked after they found a place to spend the night. "Despite the fact that we make this trip multiple times every month and we know the territories, he makes us act like we''re going in blind every time, and honestly? It was annoying at first, but it saved our asses more than once. Things change out here, and when you get complacent, you get dead."


    Before everyone went to bed, Tessa approached Greg, grabbing him by the shoulders and looking him sternly in the eyes. "Greg, I want to make this clear. While we sleep, you do not leave for any reason, you understand? If there''s danger, wake us up. If you hear a strange noise, wake one of us up. If you think you see a shiny rock, ignore it. Do you understand?"


    Greg paused. "What if I see a monkey riding a unicycle?"


    "I will stab you." Tessa growled.


    "I will laugh." Greg retorted, grinning. "Though¡­ I will need something to entertain me through the night."


    "Here you go, buddy." Victor said as he tossed Greg a bundle of tiny metal balls that looked like they were stuck together somehow.


    "Not your- ooh, magnets!" Greg exclaimed excitedly, pulling at the bundle to make a string of the little balls pull out. Tessa just shook her head and walked off to find a place to rest, while Greg was lost in playing with the balls, a soft clicking emanating from him constantly.


    With something to pass the time, the first half of the night passed uneventfully as Greg continued to play with the magnetic balls, but eventually, as usual, the entertainment provided by the balls ran out. Greg frowned at a half finished structure in frustration. *Damnit! I need more balls!* He groaned internally, unable to finish his design. He glanced towards where Victor was sleeping, wondering if he had any more, before shaking his head. He wasn''t going to wake Victor up on the off chance he''d hidden some magnetic balls.


    Then he remembered the time he''d turned into dirt, and an idea occurred to him. What if he could turn only part of himself into the little magnetic balls, like his foot or something? That''d be more than enough, wouldn''t it? Greg looked around surreptitiously, as if he was doing something bad, before raising a finger and staring at it, wanting it to turn into a claw, and it did. Greg quickly checked the rest of himself and resisted the urge to burst out laughing as he saw he was still him, with just a single, solitary claw.


    He grabbed a single magnetic ball, using the claw to cut open a slight wound on his stomach, shoving the ball inside before the wound closed. Turning his finger back to normal, he brought his foot up, laying it across his knee, before trying to turn it into the magnetic balls. With glee, he watched a massive ball of them drop into his hand. He put his foot down, reaching for the structure he''d previously made, when he paused, lifting his leg back up in shock. He still had a foot! He again turned it into a bunch of the magnetic balls, before more smoke flowed out of his leg to turn into another foot. Then¡­ he did it again, and again, until finally, after he made the balls, no more smoke came out, leaving him with just half a foot.


    Greg stared at the massive pile of magnetic balls in his lap, pondering the nature of his ability. At this point, it was obvious he wasn''t just dealing with healing and transformation. The key was the smoke. It could turn into anything it had dissolved. At some point, it must have dissolved him, and then¡­ he became the smoke. Even now, with the magnetic balls that weren''t even a part of him anymore, he felt a connection. *What¡­ What am I?* Greg asked himself with a frown. *Am I smoke? Am I Greg? Both? Neither? Can I just turn into smoke lik- Gah!*


    Greg panicked slightly as his body dissolved into a cloud of smoke, the pile of balls and his pants falling through him, before he paused. *Huh¡­* Unlike when he turned into dirt, being smoke didn''t seem to be all that bad. He could still see, all around him in fact, better than he could before. He also felt vaguely¡­ weightless. He tried moving and he just floated away, like a cloud, flowing through the room, through the walls, and- *Crap, I''m not supposed to go outside.* Greg remembered, going back through the wall. Being smoke was almost like being a ghost.


    Greg shook his head, or at least, he tried to, not really doing anything as he didn''t currently have a head, and headed back to his seat. He was about to change back into himself, ready to scramble for his pants before anyone noticed he was naked, when another idea occurred to him. Why not just dissolve the pants and make himself new ones out of smoke? That way, he wouldn''t have to worry about them ripping when he transformed! Greg sent a cloud of smoke over to cover the pants, turning it into dirt to dissolve them, before turning it back into smoke. Greg then transformed back into himself, complete with pants, before glancing at the pile of balls with a glint in his eye.


    *


    Tessa woke up with a yawn, stretching as she sat up, before glancing over to where Greg was and releasing an aggravated groan. "How!?!"


    Greg looked up from building the Castle of the Magnetic Lord. "Oh, hey, you''re up. Whaddya think?" He asked with a grin, spreading his arms to showcase the magnificent structure.


    "Where did you even get all those?!?" Tessa asked in exasperation.


    "Guys, no yelling in the morning." Carlos complained in a low mumble, rolling over and covering his ears.


    "No yelling period!" Jake hissed. "We''re in the middle of feral territory!"


    "I was in the middle of a dream." Victor added with a grumble.


    "You lucky bastard." Greg cursed. "I miss dreams."


    "Next person who talks, burns." Casey growled threateningly from where she had curled herself up.


    "Seriously, where did you get all these?" Tessa asked in a low whisper as she approached the structure, frowning in confusion.


    "Smoke." Greg answered simply, waving his hand and turning them all to smoke. A wave of clicking began as the balls from Victor, suddenly without support, fell all over the place, bouncing, clacking together, and otherwise making way too much noise. Greg winced, looking around to see the entire room glaring at him. "Sor- Gah!" Greg began to apologize right before a fire ball smacked him in the face.

 Smoke: 9 - Safezone

    With everyone awake, they all packed up and headed out again, using the same system as last time. As Victor had said, they were used to this journey, and with no surprises, they soon arrived at the Downtown Clan safe zone. The first thing Greg saw was a massive stone wall rising before them, the area in front of it completely cleared, while groups of people patrolled up above, equipped with guns and even spotlights.


    "How in the world did you guys do this in just two years?!?" Greg asked in wonder as he took everything in. Just building a wall like this would be a massive undertaking, especially without large construction vehicles. How could they have time to do that, plus whatever they''d built inside?


    "Abilities, dude. They''re fucking bullshit." Carlos replied, patting him on the shoulder.


    Greg looked them all over with a skeptical look. "I haven''t seen anything from you guys that would suggest this is possible."


    "That''s because we''re all low to mid level supers." Victor explained. "Once you get to the high level supers, you start to see some real bullshit. The main force behind all this was Jack, or if you''d like, the Earth Bender. His ability lets him just straight up control rocks, shaping them as he''d like, like from Avatar. He built those walls in like a week. Dude''s crazy."


    Greg was stunned. All this was the work of one guy?!? No wonder the ferals hadn''t over run everything yet. With guys like that around, even the most physically powerful feral wouldn''t stand a chance! Even if this dude couldn''t kill him, Greg didn''t think he could fight him. He''d just crush him under a mountain of stone and leave him there. Of course, he could always turn into smoke and escape¡­ still, not much else he could do.


    The group approached the wall, heading towards a small, solid steel door as the men on the wall watched them. Jake walked up to the door, pounding hard on it, before a small panel was pulled aside. "Who''s there?" A grouchy voice came from the other side.


    Jake rolled his eyes. "It''s us Bob. We have two- er, three, new residents with us."


    "Don''t know ''us''. What''s your identification?" Bob pressed, a hint of amusement creeping into his tone.


    "Bob, come on, you know who we are." Jake groaned.


    "I''m gonna need a squad name." Bob insisted.


    Jake let out a heavy sigh. "It''s- it''s Unicorn Squad."


    "Oh, it''s the Unicorns! Guys, the Unicorns are back!" Bob exclaimed, the sounds of chuckling emanating from behind the door as it opened. "Come on in Unicorns, let''s see what you brought us."


    "I fucking hate all of you." Jake grumbled, stomping through the door.


    The rest of them went to file inside, Sarah trying to slip behind Greg''s back to hide, before being booted to the side by Jennifer, who shot her a dirty look as she pressed herself against Greg''s back. Sarah''s eyes widened in shock, before narrowing as she prepared to knock the cat girl back, when Tessa grabbed her, rolling her eyes as she dragged her behind her own back.


    "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what the hell is this Unicorn?!?" Bob exclaimed as Greg stepped through the door with Jennifer, placing his hand on his gun. "Is that a fucking feral?!?"


    "Actually, she''s an unferal feral." Greg corrected him.


    Bob frowned. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"


    "Well, she was a feral, but at some point she mutated enough to regain her sentience, becoming unferal, though still not remembering much of her past life. But you know, she can talk and learn and shit. Right Jen?" Greg explained before turning to Jennifer, who froze, not knowing what to do. "Say something Jen."


    "What should I say?" Jennifer asked nervously.


    "What you just said." Greg replied, satisfied.


    "What you just said." Jennifer repeated.


    "No, that- you weren''t supposed to say that." Greg frowned.


    "What was I supposed to say then?" Jennifer asked, confused.


    "You already said it!" Greg exclaimed.


    "You already said it." Jennifer repeated.


    "No! You don''t have to say anything!" Greg groaned in frustration.


    "Then why did you tell me to say something?!?" Jennifer huffed, crossing her arms.


    "Because- Okay, look, all you were supposed to do was talk, and when you asked the question, you talked, so that''s all you were supposed to say, okay?" Greg explained, a bit of frustration creeping into his voice.


    "Oh¡­ why didn''t you just say that in the first place?" Jennifer asked.


    "I did!" Greg exclaimed in frustration, throwing his hands up.


    Bob snorted, relaxing. "Fuck it, she''s funny. She can come in."


    The rest of them filed into a small room with several barriers set up, allowing defenders to easily find cover. A few guards sat at a table off to the side, playing cards, glancing over at the new arrivals every now and then, especially once Sarah came in. As usual, men had trouble keeping their eyes off of her. Greg was beginning to wonder if they should cover her in a burqa or something, see if that helped.


    "Bob. Bob!" Jake snapped his fingers, drawing Bob''s gaze away from Sarah. "The paperwork?"


    "Huh? O-oh, right, uh¡­" He went to a nearby desk, rummaging through it. "Here we go, new arrivals." He muttered, pulling out a folder and taking a few pieces of paper out of it. "We- uh, we''ll start with you." He pointed at Sarah. "Name?"


    "S-Sarah." Sarah answered, half hiding behind Tessa.


    "Er- full name." Bob repeated.


    "S-Sarah Rebecca Hooper." Sarah repeated.


    Bob nodded, writing it down. "Age?"


    "F-Fourteen."


    "Sex, hair color, eye color¡­" Bob muttered, not even bothering with an answer as he just looked at her before writing the answers down. For her height and weight, he had her stand against a few markings on the wall, then on a scale, before the final question. "Any superpowers?" He asked.


    "I- I-" Sarah stammered.


    "She has an ability that makes her irresistibly attractive to the opposite sex." Greg explained for her.


    "No shit, really?" Bob raised an eyebrow in wonder. "No wonder I''ve been sportin'' half a chub this entire time! Didn''t think I was no pedophile." He turned to Sarah, looking her over, for a bit too long before he caught himself and flushed, before turning to Greg. "Alright, your turn then. Name?"


    "Gregory Obadiah Halver." Greg replied.


    "Age?"


    "Eight- wait¡­ shit, no, I''d be twenty now, huh?" Greg answered.


    Bob quickly went through the rest of the details, before getting to the last question. "Any superpowers?"


    "Uh¡­ yes." Greg replied, pausing as he thought through how to explain it.


    Bob waited for a moment before pressing him. "Well?" He asked impatiently.


    "I''m thinking!" Greg responded in frustration. "Basically- Okay, so, I have this bonkers level healing factor, I don''t sleep, I don''t seem to have any sort of bodily functions, I can transform into a bunch of crap, and it''s all because of this smoke." Greg explained, taking a cloud of it out of his body, turning it into some dirt, then back into smoke. He then turned one arm into a clawed, feral arm and chopped the other off, watching it poof into smoke and return, before turning the other arm back to normal. "See?"


    "Right¡­ I''m just gonna put down Healing Factor/Shapeshifting." Bob replied blandly.


    Greg sighed. "I suppose that works."


    Bod finished his form, before turning to Jennifer. "Alright, you. Name?"


    "Jennifer." She answered.


    "Full name." Bob sighed.


    "That is all the name they gave me." Jennifer explained.


    Bob frowned. "I''m going to at least need some sort of last name."


    Victor opened his mouth to give a reply, before Casey glared at him. "Don''t you dare." She growled.


    Greg shook his head. "Just give her my last name. Halver."


    Bob shrugged. "Works for me. Age?"


    They all turned to Jennifer, genuinely curious. Jennifer looked back, confused. "I-I do not know¡­ can we say I am twenty, like Greg again?"


    "Fuck it, close enough." Bob grunted. "Sex¡­ hair col-" Bob paused in his usual rhythm, frowning as he looked up at Jennifer.


    "What?" Jennifer asked, shrinking back slightly.


    "I- do I go with the head hair color or the body hair color?" Bob asked, scratching his head in confusion.


    "Both?" Greg offered.


    Bob paused, before shrugging again. "Fuck it." He agreed, breezing through the rest. Jennifer didn''t have an ability, which almost struck Greg as weird seeing as literally everyone he had met up to this point seemed to, before he remembered that was because he was outside the safe zone. Of course everyone out there would have an ability. Except the ferals who had to live out there, anyone without an ability would be in a safe zone to stay, well, safe.


    "Alright, that''s my job done." Bob finished, gathering up the forms, and filing them away. "Give it a day or so for your information to be put in the system, then you can head to the big building in the center to look for jobs and whatnot."


    "Thank you." Greg nodded.


    Bob glanced at Sarah, before leaning in to whisper to Greg. "Keep that little one out of trouble, you hear? Power like that is more of a curse than a blessing. I''d hate to see her suffer."


    Greg gave Bob a weird look, before shooting him a light smile. "I will, don''t worry."


    *


    After they finished with Bob, the group stepped into the safe zone and Greg''s eyes immediately widened. Fields of wheat, corn, and other crops surrounded a group of skyscrapers in the center. He could see people working the fields everywhere he looked. It was almost like he''d entered a different world, from the city to the country in a single step. If he couldn''t see the buildings over the walls in the distance, he''d think he''d teleported.


    Victor nudged him slightly, knocking him out of his daze. "Huh? Oh, right, sorry." Greg moved, getting out of the way so the others could get in as well. He took another look around, studying the safe zone. The buildings were all in the center, closely grouped together, all at least ten stories or higher, with a massive, twenty story tower in the middle. The fields themselves weren''t all that large, but strangely, each one seemed to be in a different stage of growth. He could see wheat that had obviously just been planted right next to a field that was ready to be reaped. "What''s up with the crops? Why are they all at different stages?" Greg turned to Victor, asking curiously.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Well, you know how we don''t need to eat and if we don''t, we mutate? Well, plants have a similar thing going. As long as you put them in the ground, they grow like crazy. You can go from seed to full crop in about two weeks. You don''t even need to water them! So the moment you harvest, you replant. That''s why they''re all at different stages." Victor explained.


    Greg nodded along. "Gotcha. Neat." He replied, looking around a bit more. He noticed that off to the side, there was a group of women waiting, seeming almost expectant as they watched the group enter the safe zone, posing themselves alluringly, obviously trying to catch their attention. "What''s up with them?"


    Victor chuckled. "Those are the super groupies. Women who are looking to attach themselves to a super in exchange for food, clothes, a nicer place to stay, all that crap. Think of it as if the supers are celebrities, and you''ll get it. Even us B and C listers are valuable around here."


    Greg frowned, glancing over at the group of women, before sighing and shaking his head. The group made its way to the building area, winding their way through until they reached a certain, rather nice building, climbing a few sets of stairs before they arrived at an apartment. Jake stepped forward to open the door, leading them all inside. Inside was a nice, open living room with a few couches arranged around a coffee table.


    Greg found a seat on an empty couch, which immediately became crowded as both Jennifer and Sarah tried to sit next to him, pushing at each other, and Victor plopped into his lap for good measure. "Dude!" Greg exclaimed, pushing his snickering friend to the floor.


    "Oh, how cruel, how utterly machiavellian! How could you reject me, your best friend, so heartlessly!" Victor moaned in mock sorrow as he laid on the ground, his act ruined by the fact he couldn''t stop laughing as he did so.


    Greg scoffed and plopped his feet on Victor''s stomach. "There, happy?"


    "Very." Victor wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he caressed Greg''s bare feet.


    "Okay, I know you''re joking, but that is just wrong." Carlos muttered, shaking his head.


    "Right, knock it off you two." Jake rolled his eyes at them. "We have business to discuss. First, the salvage." He gestured to the backpacks they''d gotten from Mark and his team "I''ve gone over it, and we should get about two hundred for all of it. There are nine of us, so I say we each take twenty and leave the other twenty for team expenses. Any objections?" Jake asked.


    "Uh, not an objection, but¡­ what is this money worth anyways?" Greg asked, raising his hand.


    "One coin is equal to one can of food." Tessa explained. "It extrapolates from there."


    "So¡­ I''d essentially be getting twenty meals from this?" Greg muttered, nodding slightly. Based on what he''d observed from the rest, everyone seemed to only need to eat once a day to keep from mutating, so essentially, one coin was one more day of food.


    Without any other objections, Jake nodded. "Good. We''ll go and exchange the salvage after this and split the money. Now then, the next thing we need to discuss is Greg''s place in our Squad, whether he even has or wants one, and if so, what it would be."


    "Whadya say, Greg? Wanna be a Unicorn?" Victor asked with a snicker, tickling Greg''s feet.


    "Knock it off!" Greg grumbled, kicking him, before turning to the rest. "But, uh, yeah, sure, I guess? I mean, if you want me to. I was kind of considering working on figuring out what''s up with the ferals around here, see if I can get them organized and behaving or something, but¡­ I don''t think that''d really conflict with working with you guys."


    Everyone, even Victor, looked up at him, stunned. "You want to organize the ferals?!? Really?" Casey asked incredulously.


    "Well¡­ yeah? I mean, they''re starting to gain intelligence again, so they can be reasoned with. There''s a few assholes out there for sure, but I think the majority just want to survive. If we can get them organized, we can all sit down and talk, and maybe we can make everything safer." Greg explained.


    "Wait, wait, hold on." Jake interjected. "You''re telling us that all the ferals are getting more intelligent? It isn''t just her?"


    "Well, yeah? At least half the ferals I''ve met can talk. They''re not necessarily very bright, but they can be reasoned with." Greg replied.


    "So you''re what, just going to walk out the gate and try and find a friendly feral to talk to?" Casey asked.


    "Essentially. I mean, that''s how I met Jennifer. Just walked outside and found a random feral. Though¡­ I was looking to fight at the time¡­ still, it worked out." Greg responded with a shrug. "Besides, what''s the worst that could happen? I can''t die, remember? Worst case scenario, they try to fight me and I escape."


    "What if you meet a feral with a high level superpower that counters your healing factor, huh?" Casey retorted. "Then you''re dead!"


    Greg frowned. "What kind of ability would counter my healing factor?"


    "A laser beam that disintegrates you immediately?" Victor offered.


    "A super effective acid?" Carlos added.


    "They don''t even need to kill you. An ability that would simply send you far, far away would be bad enough." Tessa interjected.


    "Like portals." Brittany nodded.


    "Or someone strong enough to just chuck him into outer space." Carlos replied.


    "Maybe they could have some sort of psychic ability that just shuts your brain down or controls you." Casey commented.


    "Okay, okay! I get it! My healing factor doesn''t make me as invincible as I thought! Jeez." Greg grumbled, raising his hands in surrender. "Still, I think it''s worth it. Just because it could be dangerous doesn''t mean it''s okay to ignore a bad situation. Ferals and humans can coexist, I know it, so I''m going to do what I can to make it happen."


    "Well, can''t really argue with that." Victor shrugged.


    "Stupid noble causes." Casey cursed under her breath.


    "Right¡­ Anyways, that''s all well and good, but severely off topic." Jake interjected. "If you were to join our team, what role would you fill?"


    "Uh¡­ tank?" Greg offered. "I get big and strong and I can take a fuckton of damage. Seems like a good role for me."


    "Plus he doesn''t really know how to fight, so just being a damage soak is all he''s good for." Tessa nodded.


    "Hey! That''s¡­" Greg began to protest, before Tessa glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Okay, it''s accurate, but still, rude." He finished with a grumble.


    Jennifer frowned. "But I have seen Greg defeat many strong and powerful opponents¡­ I do not think he is unable to fight."


    "No, she''s right." Greg sighed. "I only beat those guys cause when we trade hit for hit, I win. Plus, as I have been reminded, there are ferals with actual superpowers around here, not just little tricks¡­"


    "Guys, we''re getting off topic again." Jake groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "What else can you offer, besides being a tank? We don''t like to fight anyways."


    Greg paused to think. "Well¡­ my feral forms all come with various forms of enhanced senses¡­ like, the scorpocroc has enhanced hearing, the sharkman can see heat, the cheetahman has enhanced smell¡­ stuff like that. Great for tracking or scouting. Also, if you ever need to get through something, like a wall or a vault, my smoke seems to be able to dissolve pretty much anything when it transforms. Also, I can blend in with the ferals if that ever becomes necessary."


    "Well, I''m convinced." Carlos commented.


    "Carlos!" Jake turned to him with a glare.


    "What? He''s better at holding the front line than I am, he''s better at dealing damage than you, Casey, or Tessa, he can get through stuff better than Tessa as well, and he can scout! Plus, he doesn''t sleep, so we don''t need to set up watches whenever he''s around! That alone makes him worth having on the team in my opinion." Carlos explained.


    "Honestly, he does seem like a useful guy to have around." Brittany nodded, agreeing with Carlos.


    "Me and Casey are obviously for him joining." Victor commented while Casey nodded.


    Jake sighed, turning to Tessa. "What about you? What do you think?"


    Tessa shrugged. "Does it matter? More than half the squad already wants him to join. Just accept it."


    Jake frowned at that, before turning to Greg. "Right, then Greg, welcome to- ugh, welcome to Unicorn Squad."


    *


    After the meeting, Jake and Carlos took the bags and went to exchange it all for salvage. Meanwhile, the rest began to discuss another serious topic: where would Greg, Sarah, and Jennifer be staying? "Well, Greg can stay at my place. I have an extra room." Victor offered.


    "I can take Sarah and Jennifer." Tessa added simply.


    "I will stay with Greg." Jennifer stated firmly, in a tone that suggested she would accept anything else.


    "If she''s staying with Greg, so am I!" Sarah exclaimed, glaring at the cat girl.


    "You guys do realize I''m barely even going to be there, right?" Greg raised an eyebrow at the two. "I mean, I''m going to head out into the city at night, and I''ll probably be hanging out with whoever is around during the day. All I really need is a place to put my stuff. Not that I have stuff at the moment, but, you know, in the future."


    "Plus, I only have the one extra room." Victor pointed out.


    "Right. You two should live with Tessa." Greg nodded.


    "But-" Jennifer began.


    "No buts! Until you start to earn your own way, you''re dependent on others. That means, you take what you can get, and what you got is Tessa, alright? Don''t worry, she''s a good person. You''ll be safe with her." Greg assured her.


    Jennifer shot Tessa a wary look, before sighing and nodding her head in acceptance. Sarah knew Tessa, so she didn''t have any issues living with her, so the living arrangements were settled. Greg would live with Victor, while Sarah and Jennifer would live with Tessa. They continued to chat while they waited for Jake and Carlos to return with the money, before everyone got up and headed their separate ways.


    "Wait." Tessa suddenly stopped Greg as he was about to follow Victor to his place. "Come with us."


    Greg frowned at her. "Why?"


    She looked him up and down. "You need clothes."


    Greg looked down at himself, realizing he was just wearing a tattered pair of jeans. "That¡­ is a good point."


    Victor decided to return to his place, giving Greg the address, before Tessa led him, Sarah, and Jennifer off to get clothes. The bottom floor of one of the towers had been turned into some sort of bazaar, full of stalls offering various items and services to the passing shoppers. Tessa led the to the area selling clothes, sending Jennifer and Sarah off to the women''s area to get theirs, giving Jennifer strict instructions to not let anyone harass Sarah, which caused the catgirl to roll her eyes, before quickly nodding in agreement when Tessa fixed her with one of her sharp glares. Tessa then dragged Greg to the men''s section to help him pick out his clothes.


    "What do you think of this one?" Tessa asked, lifting up a shirt for him to see.


    "It''s a little small, isn''t it?" Greg asked, giving the shirt a look.


    "Can''t you just make it fit once you turn it to smoke, like your pants?" Tessa asked, confused.


    Greg frowned. "My pants fit before I dissolved them though."


    "Yes, but they fit better after." Tessa rolled her eyes.


    Greg paused. "Do they? How can you tell?"


    "They don''t slip down your waist as often." Tessa explained. "It''s rather obvious."


    Greg frowned again. "How often are you looking at my pants?"


    "Enough. Now seriously, what do you think of this shirt?" Tessa pressed, brushing his question aside.


    Greg shook his head. "It''s fine. I''m not really particular about fashion."


    "Mhmm." Tessa gave him a look, before holding the shirt up against him. "This will look good on you. We''ll get it." She decided. She proceeded to pick out a few more shirts, two pairs of pants, one pair of socks and underwear each, an additional pair of dress socks, a nice belt, a tie, a suit jacket, and a whopping four pairs of shoes.


    "Hold on, why in the world would I ever need more than one pair of shoes, even if I couldn''t dissolve them?" Greg asked incredulously as she placed them on the pile he was carrying.


    Tessa gave him a look. "These are for the city, these are casual wear, these are for dates, and these are for formal events." She explained, pointing out each pair.


    Greg frowned. "We have formal events? Wait, I need different shoes just for dates?!? Why!?!"


    "Proper dress for a date is business casual. You want to make a good impression, yes?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I guess? But wouldn''t it be better to be myself? Wouldn''t all this kinda be like lying about who I really am?" Greg asked tentatively.


    Tessa shook her head. "Not at all. This clothing represents your personality better. Responsible, without being arrogant. Wearing casual clothes to a date just comes off as lazy and dismissive, as if the girl isn''t important to you."


    Greg frowned. "But¡­ isn''t it just practical? Why would you have clothes that you almost never wear?"


    "So you can wear them for someone special." Tessa explained shortly.


    Greg''s frown evolved into a grimace. "So¡­ the way I tell a girl she''s special to me¡­ is with clothes."


    "Exactly." Tessa nodded.


    "And if I don''t, I''m telling her she''s not special." Greg added.


    "Mhmm." Tessa agreed.


    Greg paused. "That''s dumb."


    "Excuse me?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Well, look, you see, the mere fact that a guy has taken the time to ask you out means you''re special, right? He is choosing to not do something else in order to do stuff with you. Why would he do that if you weren''t special?" Greg asked.


    ""Sex."" They both answered at the same time.


    "Yeah, I realized that the moment I asked¡­ but still, the clothes thing doesn''t make any sense! What if a guy knows that the clothes matter, so even if you aren''t special, he dresses up?" Greg continued.


    "That is a risk, but if the guy puts in absolutely zero effort, how is that a good sign?" Tessa replied.


    "I suppose that''s fair¡­ but if he''s just wearing his normal clothes, is that zero effort? What if that''s just all the clothes he has?" Greg responded.


    "If you want a girl to feel more comfortable taking a chance on you, you''ll need the clothes." Tessa explained. "Otherwise, prepare to put in a lot more effort to prove you''re worth it."


    Greg frowned, before sighing and shaking his head. "I guess¡­ still feels wrong though."


    Tessa rolled her eyes, dragging him along to the counter to buy the clothes. "Just accept it. It''s the way the world works."


    "That''ll be thirteen coins." The stall owner said after looking through all the clothes. Greg fumbled with his pouch, but before he could get it out, Tessa had already counted out the right amount of coins and handed them over. "Thank you, have a nice day!"


    Greg was slightly stunned for a bit. "Why did you pay?" He asked, turning to Tessa.


    "Do you have a problem with that?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I- kinda? They''re my clothes¡­ I should pay for them, right?" Greg replied.


    "Hm. Well, I already did." Tessa shrugged, before walking off.


    "You- wait!" Greg fumbled with the pile of clothes, rushing after her. "I can pay you back!" He declared as he caught up with her.


    "I won''t accept." Tessa responded simply.


    "You won''t- but why?!?" Greg asked, confused.


    "Why should I? I already spent the money. I don''t need your money. There''s no reason to accept it." Tessa shrugged.


    "But you didn''t need to spend it in the first place!" Greg exclaimed.


    "Why should that matter?" Tessa replied, grinning slightly.


    "Because- gah! Fuck it! It''s your own damn money!" Greg grumbled in frustration.

 Smoke: 10 - Meredith

    Greg and Tessa were heading over to the women''s section, after Greg had dissolved the purchased outfits and clothed himself properly, when they heard yelling. They shared a look, before rushing over. They wove through the stands, pushing through a crowd to find Jennifer hissing and growling threateningly while Sarah huddled behind her, shivering in fear. A few men stood around them glaring at the two with a mix of anger and desire, one of them clutching his arm as blood dripped through his fingers.


    "What''s going on here!" Greg yelled as he pushed through, moving to stand between the men and the girls.


    "This mutated bitch attacked me!" The wounded man yelled back. "I was just making some friendly conversation with the young lady over there, when she came out of nowhere, clawing my arm and acting like some kind of animal!" He explained, before turning to Jennifer. "Low class pieces of shit like you shouldn''t even be allowed in the safe zone! You''re no better than feral trash!"


    Greg fixed his glare on the man, stepping forward as he transformed into his scorpocroc form, his pincer reaching out to grab the now terrified man by the neck, lifting him into the air. "Are you sure she attacked you for no reason? Or were you getting handsy with the young lady, and that ''low class piece of shit'' came to defend her?" The man struggled, his legs kicking the air as he choked. Greg leaned in close, his mandibles clicking menacingly in the man''s face. "Learn to keep your hands to yourself, or prepare to lose them, got it?" The man nodded desperately, Greg snorting in disgust as he dropped him, watching him gasp for air. "That goes for the rest of you too." He added, glaring at the other men around, causing them to gulp nervously, before running off. Greg then turned back to Jennifer and Sarah, turning back to normal. "You two alright?"


    Sarah immediately rushed forward, latching onto him and sobbing, burying her face in his chest. "That man-" Jennifer began with a growl.


    "Forget it, I don''t need the details." Greg waved her off. He was already pissed, and it wouldn''t look good if he killed someone on his first day here. "You did the right thing. Good job." He assured her, patting her on the head, causing her to purr happily. He then turned to Tessa. "We should probably get out of here, huh?"


    Tessa shook her head. "No, we''ll be fine. We''re supers, remember? Even if you''d killed that man, no one would say anything."


    Greg frowned. "Really? That seems¡­ wrong."


    Tessa sighed, shaking her head. "It''s the way things are."


    *


    Greg and Tessa helped protect Sarah as she picked out the rest of her clothes, Jennifer eyeing anyone who got closer than a dozen feet distrustfully, and growling if they got closer than six. Tessa asked Jennifer if she wanted to get some clothes for herself, but she just gave her a weird look. Why would she need the unformed''s fake fur when she had fur of her own? Once Sarah finished picking out her clothes, Tessa distracted Greg by sending him to put back the clothes Sarah had decided against while she paid, ignoring the exasperated man as she took them to a nearby diner. About halfway through the meal, Greg attempted to sneak off and pay so at least he could contribute something, but when he talked to the waiter, he found that Tessa had paid before they even ate. Greg frowned at her as they left. "You are aggressively charitable."


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "You literally have twenty coins to your name. I''m not going to let you waste them for some stupid pride."


    "No, no, no, I have twenty coins now. I''ll be going out into the city every night, remember? I can collect salvage every day! I''ll have more than enough to pay for what I need." Greg pointed out.


    Tessa raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you really going to waste your time looking for salvage rather than dealing with the ferals? Don''t you have a mission you''re trying to accomplish? Are you going out there for money or to help the ferals?"


    Greg paused. "Well, to help the ferals, but-"


    "Then you aren''t going to have time to look for salvage. Even if you happen to run into something, how much time would you waste lugging it back to the safe zone? Maybe if you''re lucky enough to find something nearby it would be reasonable, but I assure you that the area has already been thoroughly searched, so I wouldn''t bet on it. So unless you want to give up on the ferals, those twenty coins are all you''re going to get until our next mission, which could be weeks from now." Tessa explained in a firm tone of voice.


    Greg frowned, before letting out a sigh. "Fine, fine, you win. Still, I''m going to need to spend my money at some point. Otherwise, what''s the point of having it?"


    Tessa grunted noncommittally, letting the conversation die, the four of them walking in silence until they had to go their separate ways, Tessa leading Sarah and Jennifer back to her place to get set up, while Greg headed to Victor''s. It took Greg a bit longer than he''d like to admit to actually find the apartment, but eventually he knocked on what he thought was the right door, letting out a sigh of relief as Victor answered it with a shit-eating grin. ¡°All done with your date?"


    Greg rolled his eyes. "It was not a date. We just got clothes and lunch."


    "Uh huh, sure. That''s why Tessa was giving me the ''come and I''ll kill you'' eyes. So you could buy clothes." Victor scoffed.


    Greg frowned. "She did that?"


    "Worst I''ve ever gotten, too. I could practically feel her blades piercing into my skin." Victor shuddered.


    Greg frowned, wondering why she''d do that, before remembering this was Victor he was dealing with, and there was a more than decent chance he was just playing up something minor to mess with him. "I bet she just didn''t want you to come. You are an abrasive bastard."


    "Whoa, hey, I am a treat to be around! I think she just wanted some alone time with you, if you know what I mean." Victor commented suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.


    "Yes, because you always get alone time when you drag two other people with you." Greg scoffed, rolling his eyes again.


    "A child and a feral. They don''t count." Victor retorted.


    Greg shook his head. "You''ve got a pretty active imagination there."


    "You''re pretty oblivious there." Victor countered.


    Greg just snorted before changing the subject. "Whatever. So, where''s my room?"


    "It''s that one." Victor waved towards one of the doors, before falling onto a nearby couch.


    Greg walked over and opened the door, looking into the bedroom, before closing it and joining Victor on the couch. "And he never opened it again." He sighed to himself. "Man, I miss sleep!"


    Victor chuckled. "You remember that time you fell asleep in Physics? The teacher was literally glaring at you!"


    "I''m still pissed you didn''t wake me up after I started snoring." Greg grumbled bitterly.


    "Are you kidding? How could I possibly interrupt what had to be a magnificent nap." Victor retorted in mock shock.


    Greg paused. "That was a pretty good nap¡­ which I''ll never have again¡­ damn it." He finished with a depressed sigh. "Anyway, what''s there to do for fun around here?"


    "Well, there''s the bar. You can drink and play pool or darts there. Hmmm¡­ there''s a fighting ring, but only for non-supers, so you can only watch. There''s a dance hall with some live music. There''s the Lounge, which is essentially a strip club slash brothel, but it does have some decent food. Other than that, there are some community groups that get together to do various activities, like soccer or baseball, but those are fairly irregular." Victor listed the various options slowly.


    Greg cocked his head thoughtfully. "I suppose I''d be down to play pool?"


    "Sure, let''s do it." Victor agreed, the two of them hopping to their feet and heading to the bar, though Greg wasn''t entirely sure ''bar'' was the right word to describe the place. It looked more like a game hall, with lines of pool tables, walls full of dart boards, and even a few other games, like ax throwing and corn hole, and much like the bazaar, it''d been expanded to take up the entire first floor of the building. Though, despite all that, there was a massive bar along one wall, with a multitude of bartenders and servers to meet everyone''s needs, and a few sitting areas for people to hang out.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Victor approached the bar and waved down a bartender, taking out a coin and slapping it down. "Two hours of pool." The bartender nodded, taking the coin and pulling out a tray of balls from below the counter. Victor thanked him, taking the tray and heading towards one of the pool tables, before beginning to set up the game. Greg grabbed two pool cues from a nearby pillar, and handed one to Victor, letting him break.


    Greg looked around at the various other people playing the offered games. "So, this is what people do all day?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Victor shrugged. "Yup. Well, this and sex. You can''t forget about sex."


    Greg gave him a weird look. "Sex? I mean, I believe people are having it, but¡­ it doesn''t last that long, does it?"


    Victor chuckled. "Dude, when you''re as bored as we are, you make it last."


    "Huh¡­ I''ll have to take your word for it." Greg muttered a bit awkwardly.


    Victor snorted. "You don''t have to. Walk up to literally any girl here, show a little bit of your ability, and you won''t be going home alone. Hell, you might even be able to get two or three if you play your cards right." He added with a wink.


    Greg blinked. "Are you serious?"


    Victor nodded. "Completely. Remember what I said earlier, about supers being celebrities? I wasn''t joking. Women will practically beg to sleep with you once they know what you''re capable of."


    Greg looked around the room, a weird glint in his eye, then suddenly grimaced and shook his head. "I don''t think I could do it."


    Victor rolled his eyes. "Dude, you don''t have to do anything. You literally can''t mess this up."


    Greg shook his head again. "That''s not- I mean I don''t think I could handle it. I- well, you know I have¡­ temperance issues. I''m either all in or I''m all out, with little to no inbetween, and going all in on sex¡­ I don''t want to degenerate into some sort of man whore, you know? It''s either that, or I''d go head over heels for the first woman I went for and turn into a fucking simp!"


    Victor let out a sharp laugh. "So you''d either be Carlos or Jake? Not good options, my friend."


    "I''m not your friend, buddy." Greg chuckled, before pausing. "Jake is a simp?"


    "Oh, big time. Which¡­ gotta be honest, may be a problem for you in the near future." Victor commented.


    Greg frowned. "Why?"


    "Well, the girl he''s simping for is Tessa." Victor explained.


    Greg rolled his eyes. "Dude, seriously, there''s nothing between me and Tessa! I mean, we''re friendly, but that''s it! All she does is yell at me most of the time. Not something that really gives off an ''interested'' vibe."


    "Well¡­ it is Tessa. She''s shown more interest in you than anyone else I''ve seen. I mean, she mostly just ignores the guys around here, even if they are being idiots." Victor commented.


    Greg frowned. "That''s fair, I guess, but it isn''t exactly positive interest. I think she sees me as an annoying little brother or something. Maybe cause she had to look after me when she first found me? Just because she''s invested in me doesn''t mean it''s romantic."


    "Eh, maybe." Victor shrugged. "Still, watch out for Jake. Even if it is benign, he''s not going to take Tessa being close to another guy very well."


    Greg raised an eyebrow at him. "Like how? I mean, what would that even look like? Will he fight me? Try and kill me? Cause¡­ I have some bad news for him."


    Victor laughed. "Ha! No, no, nothing like that. He''ll just be pissy, talk shit about you behind your back, stuff like that. It''ll be annoying, create some friction within the group, drama, all that crap. I mean, if you like her, it won''t matter, but if not, I don''t think it''s worth it." Greg grunted noncommittally, pointedly focusing on the game, and causing Victor to give him a look, raising an eyebrow and grinning weirdly. "Wait, wait, wait, hold on. Do you like her?"


    Greg sighed. "I mean¡­ no? But¡­ Well, I''m not against liking her, you know? She''s cute, and we get along pretty well, even when she''s angry at me, which¡­ honestly sort of makes her cuter? I don''t know if I like like her yet, but she''s at least interesting, which is more than I can say for any other girl I''ve had my eye on. Usually they''re just pretty."


    Victor frowned. "Wait, hold on, you''ve actually liked girls before? Why have I not heard of this? I could have been your wingman!"


    "Dude, I like every girl. I''m an animal." Greg replied with an exasperated sigh. "I mean, I see a pretty girl, and I want her. Not in a good way either, I just want sex, pure and simple. Hell, half the reason I handle Sarah so well is because I''m used to it. The only weird part was that she was so young. I''ve learned to just ignore it at this point. I might glance a few times, but that''s it."


    "Huh¡­ I never would have guessed." Victor shook his head in disbelief.


    Greg sighed. "Yeah, I''m a shallow pig. I see da booba, I like da booba, I want da booba. Like a damn-"


    "Hey, there~" A voice came from behind them, startling Greg. He quickly turned, flushing, his eyes widening as they were pulled into an absolutely ridiculous amount of cleavage! The woman''s assets were impressive enough to draw attention in a sweater, let alone the low cut top she was wearing. It took Greg a good five seconds to pull his eyes up to the woman''s face, gulping as she smirked playfully at him. "You wouldn''t happen to be Gregory Hal-ver, would you?"


    "Uh, yes, um, but it''s, uh, it''s pronounced Hall-ver." Greg stammered as he struggled to keep himself from looking down again. He felt like a damn deer in headlights!


    The woman giggled. "I''m Meredith~ the leader of Phoenix Squad. Someone told me there was a new super in town, so I figured I''d come and check~ you out." Meredith commented suggestively, winking seductively.


    "Oh, Meredith, I''m sorry, Greg has already joined Unicorn Squad. I''m afraid even your bulbous tits won''t be able to lure him away." Victor mocked in a teasing tone.


    Meredith''s gaze went cold as she turned to Victor. "Victor." She spat in a tone of sheer disgust. "Shouldn''t you be lurking around the women''s room?"


    Victor clutched his chest in mock offense. "Meredith, I''m hurt you''d think so low of me! You know yours is the only bathroom I''d ever deign to lurk in!"


    Meredith snorted, before turning back to Greg, putting on a sweet smile. She leaned in closer, placing a hand on his arm. "Nothing''s official yet. If you''d like, we go somewhere private~, do some activities~, and if you satisfy me, we could see about a more permanent~ relationship."


    Greg flushed, coughing awkwardly as he stepped back. "That- I appreciate the offer, but, uh, I- I am actually with Unicorn Squad already¡­"


    Meredith''s brow creased slightly. "Gregory, I''m not sure if you''re fully aware of the situation here. Unicorn Squad is a mid-tier team, on the low end at that. My Phoenix Squad is high-tier, which means we have access to better tasks, better equipment, better perks, better everything. If it weren''t for the fact that you have a dual healing factor/shapeshifting ability, I wouldn''t even be making this offer, and even then, I''m only giving you a chance. Are you really going to give up an opportunity like that just because the Unicorns found you first?"


    "Well¡­ I mean, it isn''t really about them finding me first. Victor and I were roommates before all this and Casey is one of my best friends. It''d be kinda shitty if I just ditched them for some extra benefits, wouldn''t it?" Greg replied with a grimace, scratching the back of his head.


    "Oh, I''m sure they''d understand. After all, these aren''t just some minor benefits~" Meredith cooed, posing in a way that emphasized her¡­ assets.


    "Nope. We''d be pissed. You''d be dead to us." Victor immediately interjected with a grin, causing Meredith to glare daggers at him.


    "Yeah, sorry, I just¡­ have to go with my friends." Greg shrugged.


    Meredith humphed, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him. "We''ll see." She muttered vaguely, looking Greg up and down. "I''ll be seeing you around~" She commented with one last enticing gaze, before sauntering off.


    Greg''s eyes rolled, groaning as he turned to lean on the pool table. "Fucking hell, that woman is inhuman!"


    Victor snorted. "In more ways than you could count. Manipulative, conniving, psychotic bitch. Don''t fall for her ploys, man, the woman is heartless. She just uses people, before throwing them away like yesterday''s garbage. Oh, and don''t even dream of touching her. All that flirty crap is an act. She''ll string you along, put ideas in your head, but she''ll never actually deliver."


    Greg raised an eyebrow at him. "I take it you''ve had experience?"


    Victor coughed awkwardly. "There may have been a short period of time where she was trying to pull me over¡­ I am the best scout in town. I just¡­ may have accidentally wandered into her apartment early one time and just happened to catch her right after a shower¡­ She wasn''t all that interested in me after that. Honestly though, if I was trying to do it on purpose, she never would have noticed me."


    Greg chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, no wonder she hates you."

 Smoke: 11 - Tentacle man

    Greg and Victor spent the next few hours playing pool and catching up. Greg told Victor about the ferals he''d been dealing with, complaining about how the inconsistent intelligence level made it difficult to tell whether they were assholes or just idiots, while Victor told him about the early days of the safe zone, back when things were actually a struggle. ¡°It''s really gone downhill, man.¡± Victor sighed. ¡°Nowadays, everything is so political. If you aren''t a top squad, you''re stuck running around doing shit work, which means you have no chance to ever be a top squad. Things are just too stable.¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°You''re really complaining about things being safe?¡±


    Victor rolled his eyes. ¡°I''m complaining about things being boring. Everything has gotten too¡­ settled, and no one wants to actually do anything because they''re too afraid of things getting worse again. I mean, I get it, don''t get me wrong. It''s just boring.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Speaking of, it''s probably about time for me to head out¡­ who knows, maybe I''ll start a war while I''m out there.¡±


    Victor chuckled. ¡°One can only hope.¡±


    Greg snorted, rolling his eyes and waving goodbye as he headed out, making his way to the edge of the buildings before transforming into a cloud of smoke and flying out into the city. He got a good mile or so in before he stopped, landing on a random roof, partially because he didn''t want to start too close to the safe zone, and partially because he''d been enjoying flying and hadn''t noticed how far he''d gotten until he was already there. He shifted into the sharkman form, activating his heat vision as he leapt off the roof and landed in a cloud of smoke, belatedly realizing he could have just flown down in the first place, before dismissing it. Landing on roofs just felt right, and jumping off them was actually kind of fun. He looked around a bit before finding a trail and following it to a small, ratlike feral that was creeping through an alley. His form shifted into the scorpocroc and his tail flashed out, wrapping around the feral''s waist. "Can you talk?" Greg asked, lifting the now terrified rat man up.


    "Y-yes, mighty one! H-how may I serve you?!?" The rat man stammered, immediately going servile, knowing the only way he was going to survive this was by appeasing this terrifying person.


    "Good. I need to find an asshole." Greg stated, as if this was a normal thing to say.


    The rat man''s eyes widened, hands flying to cover his own ass. "I-I-I know of a few female''s th-that may be appealing to you, mighty one!" The rat man stammered in a panic.


    Greg frowned. "Not those assholes! The ones who like to kill, maim, and torture others! The jerks, the bastards, the monsters! Do you know anyone like that?"


    The rat man looked stunned for a moment, then nodded hesitantly. ¡°I- I think I know someone who fits that description perfectly.¡±


    *


    "So, what''s this guy''s deal then? How is he an asshole?" Greg asked the rat man as he observed the lair he''d been brought to. It was a smallish apartment building, only a few stories tall, with barred windows and doors.


    "He captures females, forcing them to serve him, imprisoning them in his lair! He forces them to perform sick deeds to please him!" The rat man explained with an expression of rage and bitterness.


    Greg nodded along. "Right, ri- wait, that''s it? He doesn''t beat them or torture them at all?"


    "N-no? But are not his deeds bad enough?" The rat man asked.


    "Well, yeah, they''re bad, but that''s at the ''I need to talk some common sense into you'' level, not the ''you deserve to die'' level." Greg explained with a frown, before sighing and walking to the door. "Damn it! I really wanted to kill something." He grumbled bitterly, before pausing. "Shit, do I have a problem?" He frowned, considering it carefully, before sighing and continuing to make his way towards the building. Problem or not, it wasn''t like he was killing anyone who didn''t deserve it.


    Greg knocked hard on the front door and a few moments later, a large mass of tentacles burst out with a roar. "Who are you!?! Why do you call upon this mighty one!?!" He exclaimed, tentacles wriggling menacingly.


    Greg grimaced in disgust. "Gross. Uh, I hear you''ve captured a bunch of females, forcing them to be your¡­ let''s say servants." Greg winced at the image that entered his mind when he thought about what this tentacle man would force females to do. "That isn''t acceptable."


    "Who are you to tell me how I should act?!?" The tentacle man roared.


    "Uh, well, this is more of a basic decency thing, you know? You can''t force people to do things they don''t want to do. It''s immoral." Greg explained.


    The tentacle man frowned. "I do not follow."


    "I know." Greg sighed. "Look, how would you feel if someone forced you to do something you didn''t want to do?"


    "I would not let them!" The tentacle man growled.


    "Okay, yes, but what if someone did?" Greg asked again, rolling his eyes.


    "I¡­ would be unhappy?" The tentacle man offered hesitantly.


    "Yes! So, how do you think those females feel when you force them to do things against their will?" Greg continued.


    "Unhappy?" The tentacle man replied.


    Greg nodded, smiling. "Right, and you don''t want that, do you?"


    The tentacle man shrugged. "I do not care how they feel."


    "So- er, what?" Greg fumbled, frowning as he processed the unexpected answer.


    "They are weak. I am strong. Anything I do to them is acceptable because they cannot stop me." The tentacle man explained with a grotesque grin.


    Greg raised his eyebrows. "Oh."


    *


    Greg sighed in satisfaction as he pulled his arm out of the tentacled man''s chest. "Much better." He sighed in satisfaction, before pausing and frowning again. "Okay, I seriously need to keep an eye on that." He muttered as he sent a cloud of smoke to cover the feral''s head, turning it to dirt and back. "Not sure when I''ll ever actually use that form¡­"


    The rat man approached hesitantly from where he''d been hiding. "Y-y-you actually killed him!" He exclaimed in wonder. He then let out a joyous squeak, rushing into the now dead feral''s lair, opening the various rooms as he searched for something desperately. Not much later, he let out another delighted, but strangely sad, squeak as he rushed into a room.


    Greg followed curiously, noticing each room had at least one female inside, all in various states of fear, confusion, hopefulness, or even just sitting there dazed, not even aware of the world around them. Once he reached the room the rat man had entered, he peeked in to see him hugging a bird woman as she clutched back at him, both sobbing pitifully. "Huh¡­ interesting." Greg muttered appreciatively, before backing away to check the other rooms, giving them some privacy.


    Greg checked out the next room, freezing in shock at what he saw. Inside the room was yet another woman, but she didn''t seem to be a feral. She didn''t have fur, scales, feathers, or anything, just normal human skin. There weren''t any claws, fangs, or tails either. Overall, she looked just like a normal woman, except for a few distinct differences: her ears were pointed, she was only about six inches tall, and she had wings! The tentacle man had her trapped in what looked like a bird cage, the tiny woman swinging sadly on the little bird stand inside. ¡°Uh¡­ hello?¡± Greg called out tentatively, wondering if someone that small could even be intelligent, or if she was more like a human shaped bird.


    The tiny woman jumped, turning to stare at Greg, her eyes wide as she took him in. ¡°Who- who are you?¡± She asked with a cautious curiosity, confirming that she was in fact intelligent.


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    "Uh¡­ my name is Greg?" Greg replied hesitantly. "I''m sorry, you''re just¡­ really small. Uh, let me get you out of there." He coughed awkwardly, changing into his human form and opening the cage for her. Her wings buzzed as she shot out of the cage, flitting around the room in excitement, before landing on his shoulder.


    "Thank you, Greg!" She exclaimed, planting a tiny kiss on his cheek. "What are you doing here?"


    "I just defeated that tentacle dude." Greg explained awkwardly, trying not to look at her too much. Just like every other feral he''d met so far, this one didn''t seem to have any concept of clothing. Normally not an issue, but since this one looked so much like a human¡­


    "You did?!? Wow, you must be really strong! Is that why you can transform like that? Can you transform to be like me?" The small woman asked excitedly.


    Greg frowned. "Er, probably? I''d just need a hair or something I think¡­"


    "Oooh, do it! Doitdoitdoit!" She pressed him, plucking a hair and waving it at him.


    Greg took the hair, frowning for a bit, before shrugging and complying, dissolving the hair and transforming into the form of the tiny woman. "There, happy?" He, or technically she at this point, asked.


    She paced around him, examining him closely. "Why are you a girl now?" She asked, sounding a little disappointed.


    "Uh¡­ cause I''m using your form? I can''t mix and match, I just straight copy the form of the person I got it from." Greg explained with a shrug, then paused as he wondered if that was actually true. He hadn''t exactly tried yet¡­ and he could do partial transformations¡­ huh, he''d need to test that out. Though probably not now¡­ there was only one reason he could think of for why the tiny woman would be disappointed he was a girl, and he didn''t think it''d be smart to give her any indication it was possible. For either of them.


    "Wow, so you can be anybody?" She asked in wonder, interrupting Greg''s train of thought.


    "I guess so¡­ I never really thought of it that way." Greg muttered thoughtfully, before shaking his head and turning back to normal. "Well, uh, you''re free now, so¡­ enjoy, I guess?"


    "Okay!" The small woman exclaimed, immediately flying up and landing on his shoulder, humming happily.


    "Uh¡­ aren''t you going to leave?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Why would I?" The tiny woman asked, cocking her head curiously.


    "Because you''re free? You can go wherever you want?" Greg explained slowly.


    "I know!" The tiny woman chirped cheerfully, remaining firmly seated on his shoulder.


    "Okay then." Greg muttered, shaking his head. He exited the room, pausing as he found a line of ferals waiting for him expectantly. "Whoa¡­ uh, hey there?" Greg had never saved a group like this before, so he didn''t really know how to react. On the outskirts, even if someone happened to be alive, they were rarely in a condition to remain that way for long. The monsters out there tended to focus their ministrations on a single victim until they got everything they could out of them, before moving on to the next. The only way he''d find someone that would survive would be if they had only recently been caught, and they generally just ran off before he could talk to them.


    The rat man stepped forward nervously, looking Greg up and down. "Unformed, where did the mighty one go?"


    "What are you- oh, right." Greg remembered, shifting back into his scorpocroc form. "What''s up?"


    "M-mighty one!" The rat man stepped back in shock.


    The rat man''s bird girl friend stepped forward. "Mighty one, we wish to know what you will do with us now that you have defeated our previous captor." She asked, shivering nervously.


    Greg frowned. "Nothing?"


    The bird girl looked stunned. "N-nothing? Nothing at all? Do you not wish to keep even a few of us to wait upon your pleasure?"


    Greg''s frown deepened. "Wait upon my-" He quickly shook his head. "No, I don''t want anything from you guys. You''re free to do whatever you want."


    The bird girl and the rest looked stunned, not even seeming to comprehend what Greg was saying. A powerful male just¡­ ignoring females? For what reason? Were they not attractive enough? Some of them even felt a bit disappointed. Why would he not want them? Without the fear of being abused, the idea of attaching themselves to a strong individual for safety was attractive to many of them. Without Greg''s protection, they''d be on their own again, left at the mercy of those like the tentacle man, or even worse.


    "No!" One of the women ran forward, latching onto Greg''s leg. "I-I''ll do anything! Please, don''t abandon me!" She cried. A few others rushed forward, crowding around him with similar pleas.


    "Wait- don''t- gah!" Greg turned to smoke, escaping the crowd. "Okay, could you guys, just¡­ chill for a second? Just- Why don''t you want to be free?"


    "We- we are not capable." The bird girl explained, hanging her head. Behind her, the rat man looked ashamed as well, cursing his own weakness. "Without strength such as yours, we would be left vulnerable. Anyone with strength could capture us, doing the same to us as this one had, or even worse."


    "Okay¡­ but why would you think being under me would be any better?" Greg asked, confused. These women knew next to nothing about him besides the fact that he''d defeated the other guy. Why would they be so desperate for his protection?


    "Have you not already been better to us than our previous captor?" The bird girl asked. "You have not forcefully taken any of us as of yet, you have not hit us or cut us for your own amusement, and you have even let us roam, not restricting our movement. What more could we ask for?"


    "Uh¡­ hold on, let me think." Greg muttered. "Well, the obvious is someone who actually cares about you, but¡­ well, that might be a pipedream at the moment. Maybe someone who''s actually around consistently? I have other things I need- well, that I want to do, so I really just don''t have the time to hang around and protect you all. Maybe eventually I''ll have somewhere safe for you to go, but I doubt that''s going to happen any time soon¡­ and it definitely isn''t going to happen if I''m stuck here protecting you.¡±


    "Please, mighty one, we beg of you, just¡­ please, we will do anything!" The bird girl begged. "We- we don''t need much! If- if you just come by a few times a night, we- we would be much safer!" All the other women began to echo her feelings, crawling closer to him, letting out cries for his mercy.


    Greg sighed in frustration, not knowing what to do. He knew he had more important things to do. He had to kill the ferals who were truly bad, like the sharkman or the tentacle man, and he had to find strong ferals who could form the foundation of a true, feral society, so these women wouldn''t even need his protection. On the other hand, if he didn''t protect them, they may not even be alive by the time that happened. He supposed he could do as the bird girl suggested, simply passing by every now and then to make sure they were safe, but¡­ how much would that really help them? Another feral could find them at any time. Even an hour would be enough to do terrible, awful things to these girls. If he did promise them, how could he accept such a thing? Greg sighed. He couldn''t just abandon the girls, but he couldn''t protect them in any way that would really count without giving up his other plans.


    "M-mighty one?" The bird girl hesitantly approached him, noticing his distress.


    "Hold on." Greg growled, beginning to pace. "If I''m going to protect you, I need a way to know when you''re in danger¡­ we don''t have phones, so that''s out¡­ maybe¡­ Could I give you something made of smoke? Maybe¡­ maybe if you broke it, I''d notice?" Greg pondered thoughtfully. He was able to sense his smoke when it was outside his body, as if there was a connection between them, but¡­ to the level of knowing if it was broken or not¡­ Greg frowned, producing a small piece of glass out of smoke, staring at it for a second before handing it to the bird girl. "Break this." The bird girl frowned, before snapping the piece of glass. Greg eyebrows raised as he actually felt the glass break through his connection with it, a slow grin spreading across his face. He quickly reformed the glass into a solid piece again, handing it to the bird girl. "Whenever you need me, simply break this, and I''ll come."


    The bird girl''s eyes widened. "Y-you will? Really?"


    Greg sighed. "Yeah. I can''t just abandon people. I can''t stay with you, but¡­ this way you can at least let me know when you''re in trouble, and I''ll be able to come as fast as I can. It''s not much, but¡­ hopefully it''ll be enough."


    Tears began to pool in her eyes as she jumped forward, wrapping her arms around him as she cried. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" As she did so, the other women also piled around him, latching onto him in any way they could as they professed their gratitude.


    "Y-you''re welcome. Y-you really don''t need to- hey! Whoa! Gah! Don''t touch that!" Greg stammered awkwardly before wriggling as the women began to grasp closer to certain sensitive parts of his anatomy.


    The bird girl looked up at him with watery eyes, pressing her body against him. "Please, let us express our gratitude."


    Greg panicked, turning into smoke, letting the pile collapse in on itself as he escaped. "Okay so just break that glass when you need me bye!" He yelled quickly over his shoulder as he reformed, rushing out of the building. He quickly made his way a few blocks over before stopping, letting out a nervous breath. "Thank god I''m not a furry." He shuddered. He was more than certain that having a harem of women willing to indulge his sexual desires would not be good for him. If he''d let things keep going¡­ he might not even have made it back to the safe zone.


    "What''s a furry?" The tiny woman asked, landing on his shoulder.


    "It''s a-" Greg began to answer, before pausing, looking at her in surprise. "Uh¡­ why aren''t you staying back with the others?"


    "Don''t wanna." The tiny woman replied with a shrug.


    Greg blinked at her a few times. "Well¡­ can''t really argue with that." He muttered. "So¡­ what do you want to do?"


    "Follow you!" She chirped cheerfully.


    Greg frowned. "For how long?"


    "I dunno." The tiny woman shrugged.


    Greg''s frown deepened. "I see¡­" He gave her an evaluating look before letting out a sigh and shaking his head. "Just stay safe, alright?"


    "Aye-aye, sir!" The tiny woman saluted, before taking a seat on his shoulder, swinging her legs and humming happily.


    Greg began walking again, before turning to the woman. "Do you know any really bad guys around here?"

 Smoke: 12 - Combat basics

    Greg returned to the safe zone as the sun rose, feeling slightly frustrated. The tiny woman hadn''t been the best guide, as her idea of a really bad guy ranged from prolific serial killers to someone she thought was particularly ugly, and Greg simply could not teach her the difference. He spent a lot of the night running around only to find one more feral who was particularly evil before he had to return. Worse, she ended up following him back to the safe zone, so Greg had to help her sneak over the wall and past the guards, which was way harder than it should have been for a tiny, six inch person. Security was tight around here.


    "Wow, is this where you live?" The tiny woman asked in wonder, flying into the apartment and looking around as they arrived.


    "Kind of? It''s my friend Victor''s place, and he''s letting me stay here, but since I don''t need sleep or anything, it''s more like a place I stop in every now and then." Greg explained.


    The tiny woman blinked. "You don''t sleep?¡± Greg nodded. ¡°Wow, what''s that like?!?"


    "Rather boring if I don''t stay active." Greg sighed.


    "I wish I didn''t sleep. I''d have so much more time for activities!" She chirped, ignoring Greg''s response. She then began to flit around the apartment, oohing and aahing at every new thing she found, pestering Greg with questions.


    Greg was rubbing his temples as a small headache began to build from the tiny woman''s incessant questions, when he heard a knock at the door. "Tessa?" Greg asked as he opened the door to see her standing there.


    "Good morning. Since you''re joining the team, you should start training your combat skills." Tessa began immediately stepping into the apartment. She suddenly paused as a tiny, winged woman flew directly into her face, studying her intently. She tilted her head, giving Greg a look. "Who. Is this?" Tessa asked in a tone that made Greg feel like something dangerous was inching closer to him.


    "Uh, well, I think of her as ''tiny woman''¡­" Greg replied, scratching his head.


    "Of course you do." Tessa frowned. "Where, may I ask, did this ''tiny woman'' come from?"


    "Well, I killed an asshole last night who was keeping a bunch of women captive and she was one of them." Greg explained.


    "And why is she naked?" Tessa asked in a sharp tone.


    Greg paused. "I don''t have tiny clothes?"


    Tessa let out an exasperated sigh. "Greg, you have smoke."


    Greg frowned, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Right!" He smacked himself in the head, sending a small cloud of smoke at the tiny woman, which changed into a small copy of one of his outfits.


    Tessa then leveled a stern gaze at him. "Now, where are the rest of these women?"


    "Still there¡­ I gave them a thing so that they could warn me if they were in danger, though. Just in case." Greg explained.


    "And I assume they were immensely grateful for that?" Tessa continued, still maintaining that intense stare of hers.


    "They were, but¡­ I didn''t really stick around long enough for them to express it." Greg coughed awkwardly, feeling slightly guilty for some reason.


    "I''m sure. Tell me Greg, are you collecting these women?" Tessa asked in a casual tone that belied the intense scrutiny in her gaze.


    "No? I mean, it isn''t like I''m seeking them out or anything. I just go out to fight, and sometimes women are there¡­ really, I swear, it isn''t my fault!¡± Greg replied, confused but knowing he had to deny this accusation.


    "It just seems funny to me. Every time I leave you alone, it seems you return with another woman, usually having ''saved'' her, making her immensely grateful to you." Tessa commented, eyes boring into his skull. "It''s a bit of an interesting coincidence, isn''t it? If it is a coincidence at all."


    "I don''t- I can''t decide who needs to be saved!" Greg exclaimed in a mix of panic and frustration. "If they were guys, I''d save them just as well! I just happen to keep running into girls¡­"


    "Mhmm, I see." Tessa nodded, maintaining her gaze for a few more moments. "Well, then good. Let''s begin your training." She finally relented, turning and walking out the door.


    Greg let out a sigh of relief before following, shaking his head. "She''s scary." The tiny woman commented in a low tone as she landed on his shoulder, and Greg just nodded.


    *


    Tessa led Greg to the central building, then down into a large, underground complex underneath the building. Greg looked around curiously. "What''s all this?"


    "Training rooms. Supers are too strong, so they either train down here or in an empty field." Tessa explained.


    Greg frowned for a moment, thinking Victor or even Tessa wouldn''t have a problem training in a normal building, but then he remembered Casey and he decided that yes, supers should train away from the flammable areas. Tessa led him towards one of the empty rooms, closing the door behind them and locking it.


    "Now, we''ll start with hand to hand combat, focusing on training your fundamentals before we figure out how to incorporate the extra features of your other forms." Tessa explained. "We''ll begin with the basics of how to punch."


    Tessa spent the morning drilling Greg on the fundamentals of combat, teaching him the correct way to punch and kick, how to hold a defensive stance, how to move without breaking that stance, and so on. Thankfully, Greg was a quick learner, so it didn''t take him long to get the basics down before they moved on to the next move.


    After a few hours, Tessa nodded. "Alright, continue to practice each move, one hundred times each day."


    Greg frowned. "A hundred times? Isn''t that a little¡­ excessive?"


    Tessa raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you not have the time?"


    Greg paused. "Fair point."


    "Exactly." Tessa nodded. "Now, come on. Let''s go get lunch."


    "Ooh, what''s lunch!?!" The tiny woman asked excitedly, perking up and flying over from the corner she''d been napping in while Greg and Tessa trained.


    "It''s a meal. You know, food." Greg explained.


    The tiny woman cocked her head. "What''s food?"


    "It''s something you eat- wait, you don''t eat¡­ huh. So, essentially, people- er, the unformed, need to¡­ put things in their mouths? And chew them, before swallowing¡­ Though I suppose you don''t always need to chew¡­ anyways, the food goes down your throat and into your stomach where it''s digested, giving you nutrients and energy so you can do stuff. Though, since the world changed, all it really does is keep people from mutating." Greg tried to explain as well as he could, not really sure how to explain the concept of food to someone who doesn''t eat.


    The tiny woman paused, trying to process what Greg was saying. "Can I do it?" She asked hesitantly after a while.


    Greg shrugged. "Probably?"


    "Yay! Let''s go eat!" The tiny woman exclaimed.


    The three of them headed to the same restaurant they''d been to the previous day, which Greg learned was the only restaurant, besides the strip club. They were just getting seated when Greg paused. "Wait, should we have gotten Sarah and Jennifer?"


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    Tessa shook her head. "Those two are staying at home today. They need some time to rest and relax without worrying about attracting any attention."


    "Gotcha." Greg nodded, pausing for a moment then sighing. "What are we going to do about those two?"


    Tessa shook her head. "Jennifer isn''t an issue. People who have mutated as much as she has are rare, but they''re out there. People will look down on her, but that''s pretty much it. Sarah though¡­ I don''t even know where to begin. Anywhere she goes, she''s going to have problems."


    "Yeah, but it isn''t like we can just lock her up. We''re going to need to figure something out." Greg pointed out.


    Tessa frowned. "We can escort her around, try to avoid crowds, things like that, but¡­ what if she catches the eye of someone powerful? Do you have the confidence to save her from someone like the Earth Bender? I don''t."


    Greg grimaced, before sighing bitterly. "Damn it! You''re right. Ugh, being weak sucks. Well, not weak¡­ not sure that applies to me anymore. But still, it doesn''t seem fair, you know? It isn''t like it''s Sarah''s fault her power makes guys horny.¡±


    Tessa sighed. "No, it isn''t, but that''s life. Sometimes people get screwed, through no fault of their own, and we just have to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°No, I get that, it just pisses me off.¡± Greg grumbled. The server came by not much later and they ordered their food, then Greg spoke up again. "So, tell me, what exactly do we do as a squad? Like, I get that we go out into the city and collect salvage, but¡­ is that it? I was talking to someone last night, and they seemed to imply there was more to it than that."


    Tessa narrowed her eyes. "Who did you talk to?" She asked in a sharp tone.


    Greg coughed, flushing as he avoided Tessa''s gaze. "Is- is that really important?"


    "Meredith!" Tessa growled, sticking her finger in Greg''s face. "You stay away from her! She''s a two-faced bitch who only cares about herself!"


    Greg shook his head. "Victor already filled me in on her deal, don''t worry. I''m not interested in any of her offers. Well, maybe a bit, but just because I''m interested in something doesn''t mean I should go for it, you know? Plus, my interest has nothing to do with logic¡­ so yeah, not a good idea." Tessa scoffed, taking her hand back and crossing her arms, looking away. "Er- anyway, I was just curious about the tasks and benefits she mentioned."


    Tessa glanced back at him, before sighing and shaking her head. "Every squad gets¡­ subsidized, by the safe zone, based on their rank. There are twenty squads-" Tessa paused, glancing at Greg. "Ahem, nineteen squads in the safe zone, and the top squad gets two hundred coins every week, while the next gets a hundred and ninety, and so on, decreasing by ten as you go down. Our squad is only ranked thirteenth, which means we get eighty coins each week, split between six, now seven, people. Meredith''s squad is ranked second, sometimes even first, which means they get at least one hundred and ninety coins every week, split between five people. Just based on that alone, you can see the disparity. Additionally, the top five squads all receive their own floor in the main building to use as their living quarters and base, free of charge. They also have access to various¡­ services, also free of charge.


    "Finally, the safe zone issues various tasks they need completed, with generous rewards attached, and the top squads get first dibs on any task, the lower ranked squads only getting a chance once the higher ranked squads pass on it. Most tasks are snatched up by another squad before they even get to us, and even if we do get one, it''s usually either a low reward or high risk task, often both. Therefore, we have to depend on going out to search for salvage to make money." Tessa finished explaining.


    Greg nodded along, before pausing, frowning. "Wait, doesn''t that mean I make over ten coins a week now?"


    Tessa frowned. "Yes?"


    "Then why are you paying for everything!" Greg threw up his hands in exasperation. "You made me think I''d need to live off that twenty coins until we went out next! Hell, I''ll have savings!"


    Tessa blinked at him. "Every month, squad ranks are adjusted based on the amount of coins they''ve made, including salvage sold, and tasks completed, encouraging squads to stay active. Tasks don''t usually make it past the tenth rank, so as long as you can help us bring in more salvage, we can raise our rank." She continued, ignoring his question.


    Greg sighed, rubbing his temple. "Stubborn little- okay, so we just have to bring in more salvage, right? Canned food, metals, electronics, all that good stuff. That shouldn''t be too hard, right? I mean, the hardest part is locating the salvage. I can search during the night, locating any stashes, then we can all head out and pick it up, easy peasy. Hell, I can probably get some ferals to help search as well. It''d be a good way to start getting them organized."


    Tessa snorted, rolling her eyes. "Right, good luck convincing Jake to go anywhere downtown. He won''t let us search anywhere with a building more than three stories tall. Hell, he won''t even let us fight! The moment we run into anything out there, he immediately tells us to run and scatter! Half our trips end with us coming home empty handed, because we ended up meeting a feral and had to ditch everything. I spend more of my time out there alone than I do with the squad. The only reason we can maintain our rank is because when we do get something, we get a lot, because our squad is larger than normal. Most squads only have three to five members."


    Greg frowned. "You guys don''t fight at all?" He asked incredulously.


    Tessa shook her head. "Jake says it''s too dangerous. We''ll make too much noise, attract more ferals, get bogged down, trapped, and then we''ll all fucking die. At least, that''s what Jake thinks, despite the fact that the higher ranked squads literally get tasked to hunt down dangerous ferals and don''t seem to have any issue with it."


    "So he''s just completely risk averse, huh?" Greg commented, raising an eyebrow.


    "To the extreme. If he sees even a chance of failure, he quits. If it weren''t for the fact that he''s a super, and we''re essentially forced to leave, I don''t think he''d ever set foot outside the safe zone." Tessa grumbled, before sighing. "It''s not all bad though. We do stay safe, safer than any other squad. Plus, our rank isn''t terrible, and we make enough money to live comfortably. It''s just¡­ we could be doing so much better! We have Victor, the best scout in the safe zone. Carlos, the best defense outside the high-tiers. Casey can deal damage at long range. Jake is highly adept at control, stalling and distracting the opponents so the rest of us have time to deal with them. Same with Brittany. Meanwhile, I can deal damage on the front lines. All we were really lacking was a big bruiser to draw attention and take damage, and now we have you! We practically have the perfect team composition, yet¡­ we''re stuck at the thirteenth rank, because Jake can''t take any risks."


    Greg nodded along. "I can see that being frustrating."


    "Well, you''re in the same boat as the rest of us now." Tessa smirked. "We''ll see how you handle it."


    Greg paused, taking on a considering look. "Maybe I should consider Meredith''s offer more¡­"


    "Don''t you dare." Tessa growled, waving a sharpened finger threateningly.


    Greg chuckled, shaking his head. "What''s up with her anyways? I mean, if she''s as much of a bitch as you guys say she is, why is her squad so high ranked? Hell, why does she even have a squad?"


    "Because of her ability." Tessa spat. "She has the only healing ability in the safe zone. Even if her squad mates hate her, once they''ve experienced the assurance of having a dedicated healer at their backs, they can''t go back. She''s like heroin. It feels good at first, but that feeling fades, until you''re stuck in a situation you hate, but you can''t bear to leave."


    "Insidious. But you know, not particularly useful against me." Greg shrugged.


    Tessa paused, her eyebrows raising as she looked at Greg, before letting out a short, sharp laugh. "Ha! Right! What use would you have for a healer? Even if she did manage to snatch you, she''d actually have to put out if she wanted to keep you!"


    Greg raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"


    Tessa''s attitude immediately shifted. "Don''t even think about it. I will castrate you."


    Greg snorted. "Uh huh. How many times? Not to mention, I have this new tentacle form-"


    "Oh, god, please, no. I do not need that image in my head." Tessa shuddered.


    "Yeah, it''s gross." The tiny woman nodded, finally having something to contribute to the conversation. She''d just been sitting off to the side, listening half heartedly this entire time.


    Tessa turned to her with a frown, before looking back at Greg raising an eyebrow. "The feral I saved her from was the tentacle guy." Greg explained quickly.


    "Yeah! Greg''s the best!" The tiny woman confirmed excitedly. "He let me explore the city, he brought me to see all these new things, he''s letting me eat food, it''s exciting! All that mean man did was put me in a cage and look at me all the time. So boring."

 Smoke: 13 - Menace

    Greg and Tessa continued to talk through the meal. At first they focused on the squad and how Greg might fit into it, but eventually the conversation drifted towards the ferals and what Greg had been getting up to at night as he discussed the various forms he''d acquired. Greg was actually surprised by how well he remembered them all, despite few of them being very remarkable. Most of the diversity was just cosmetic, switching out scales for thick fur or whatever over the basic arrangement of claws and teeth. It was rare to run into something unique like the scorpocroc or the tentacle man.


    ¡°You really are trying to help people, huh?¡± Tessa muttered, giving him a weird look after he finished telling her about a dog man who''d been running around and raping any women he could get his hands on. He''d been a bitch to take down due to some kind of paralytic ability. Thankfully he''d only been able to use it on one person at a time, and it had a limited range, so Jennifer had been able to keep away from him while Greg was paralyzed and Greg could save her if she got paralyzed.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Yeah? Why else would I be doing it?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? I thought you were just doing it because you were bored.¡± Tessa shrugged. ¡°Which I''m sure is still part of it, but¡­ you really do care about helping them, don''t you?¡±


    Greg frowned slightly. ¡°I- don''t if it''s so much that I care. It''s more like¡­ going the speed limit? You don''t do it because you feel strongly about how fast cars should go, and if anything you''d really like to go faster, but not going the speed limit would be wrong, so¡­ you go the speed limit. Well, five over, cause I''m not that insane, but you know what I mean.¡±


    Tessa raised an eyebrow. ¡°I''m- not sure I do.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°Uh¡­ basically I''m not really doing it because I care about people, but because leaving people to suffer is just wrong. It isn''t about how I feel about it, it''s just what any decent person should do in this situation. At least, in my opinion.¡±


    Tessa pursed her lips. ¡°You think running around killing people is the decent thing to do?¡±


    Greg coughed awkwardly. ¡°Well¡­ kinda, yeah? Without a legal system to appeal to, the only judgment we have available is our own, and I personally judge that if someone is going to unrepentantly harm the people around them, then they should be removed from people. And if you see a problem, have the ability to fix the problem, and don''t fix the problem¡­ Then you''re the problem. And the only way I have to fix the problem is by killing them.¡± He finished, shrugging helplessly.


    ¡°I see.¡± Tessa muttered thoughtfully, before shaking her head. ¡°In any case, I believe it''s time for us to get back to work. I''m going to check on Sarah and Jennifer real quick and bring them some food, but you should head back to the training rooms and get some more practice in.¡±


    ¡°Want to bring this one with you?¡± Greg asked, gesturing to the tiny woman who had once more nodded off while they talked. ¡°Speaking of, we probably need to give her a name¡­¡±


    Tessa paused. ¡°I believe those are both things we should consult her on.¡±


    Greg snorted. ¡°Fair.¡± He gave the tiny woman a little poke, causing her to groan pathetically, giving him a death glare through a half open eye. ¡°Hey, we''re about to go, and we were wondering if you''d prefer to go with me or Tessa. I''m just going to practice fighting some more, and Tessa is going to a place with a nice comfy bed you can sleep in.¡±


    ¡°Sleep.¡± She groaned.


    Greg nodded. ¡°Alright, also, would you like a name?¡±


    The tiny woman frowned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. ¡°Name?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like I''m Greg and she''s Tessa. Some word that sets you apart from all the other tiny flying people¡­ like Trixie.¡± Greg offered.


    ¡°No.¡± Tessa immediately shot it down.


    ¡°Minnie?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Petunia?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Tina?¡±


    Tessa paused. ¡°That could work.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Really?¡± He didn''t see how it was any better than the other ones.


    The tiny woman looked between them in confusion for a moment. ¡°So¡­ I''d be Tina?¡±


    ¡°If you want to be.¡± Tessa agreed.


    ¡°Tina¡­¡± She mulled it over for a moment, before hopping up excitedly. ¡°I''m Tina!¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°You sure are. Alright then, I''m heading back to the training room. See you in a bit?¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°I shouldn''t be long. Come along, Tina.¡±


    The two of them headed to Tessa''s place while Greg returned to the training room. He started practicing his punches, but he didn''t even get through a single set before he got sidetracked, remembering that last night, Tina had given him the idea to try to mix and match his forms. And once the idea was in his head, he couldn''t resist the urge to test it out. "Alright, how am I going to do this¡­ well, let''s start simple. Sharkman arms." Greg began, his arms changing into the Sharkman''s. "Cheetahman legs." He added as his legs changed as well. "Scorpocroc torso and head." He finished, as the remaining bits changed, giving him the scorpocroc''s torso and head, as well as the menacing tail.


    Greg examined himself as well as he could without a mirror, sending off a few clicks with the scorpocroc''s mandibles, which gave him a vague picture of it all. "Well, it worked¡­ looks weird though." He muttered, walking around a bit as he adjusted to the strange form. "Maybe if we put the scorpocroc''s skin over it all¡­ huh, yeah, that''s better." He muttered as his skin changed. He did a few tests, mostly seeing if the cheetahman''s speed had transferred over, which¡­ kinda? He was definitely faster than usual, but not as fast as he would be in the full cheetahman form.


    He then tried giving himself the sharkman''s eyes and the cheetahman''s nose, but¡­ there seemed to be some sort of disconnect where his brain just couldn''t process the extra signals, giving him a headache. He quickly got rid of the change, rubbing his head. "Shit, right, brain¡­ crap. Even if I have the equipment to get the data, if the brain can''t process it, it''s useless." He grumbled. With arms and legs, everyone worked off the same basic functions, so mixing and matching was easy. For the senses though, it wasn''t so simple. He wasn''t exactly comfortable with messing with his brain either, so he was stuck switching form for different senses for the moment.


    He continued to experiment a bit more, giving himself a leg where his arm should be (worked, but useless), giving himself extra arms (didn''t work, brain issues), turning into the tentacle man and turning each tentacle into an arm (did work, but not well), putting the sharkman''s claws on the ends of the tentacle man''s tentacles (did work, terrifying, devolved into putting other things on the ends of the tentacles, not pretty), and so on. Greg figured out that as long as he matched the machinery with the head, he could pretty much change anything. For example, if he turned into the cheetahman, he could change the tail into the scorpocroc''s no problem, because both had tails, but if he turned into the sharkman and added the scorpocroc''s tail, it wouldn''t work. The tail would just hang there.


    Greg had just turned into a tiny winged version of himself after some testing with the tiny woman''s form, when there was a knock at the door. Greg didn''t think much of it, figuring it was just Tessa making sure she didn''t walk in on something weird, which given what he''d done with the tentacle man form, was probably smart, so he just changed back into his human form and opened the door wide. "That di-" He began, before freezing, his eyes widening as the familiar form of Meredith appeared in front of him, still displaying more of herself than anyone should in a polite society. Though¡­ he supposed they weren''t exactly in a polite society anymore.


    "Gregory~! I heard you were in here~! You see, I was talking to my friend here, and she was wondering if you''d be interested in a quick spar. See, her ability is fairly powerful, and it''s so rare for her to find someone who can last~ long enough to give her a real workout~ With your healing factor, you should have enough stamina~ to satisfy her, right?" Meredith asked in a teasing tone, winking as she pushed her way inside, followed by another woman, who, while not quite as¡­ explosive as Meredith, was still rather attractive. Greg was beginning to think being attractive was a prerequisite for getting superpowers¡­ but then how did he get them?


    "Er, well, yeah, but- hold on, how did you find me?" Greg asked incredulously, frowning as the other woman closed and locked the door.


    Meredith giggled. "I just asked around, silly! People are so nice around here, they''ll tell you just about anything. Like about that big~, thick~ other form of yours. Wouldn''t you like to whip it out and let us experience it for ourselves?"


    The other woman rolled her eyes. "Meredith, enough." She chastised her, before turning to Greg. "Hi, I''m Emily. My ability lets me shoot sharp, invisible projectiles, slashing or piercing my opponents from a distance." She explained, demonstrating as a hole and slash appeared on the nearby wall. "Would you care to spar?"


    Greg frowned as he stared at the marks on the wall. He was about to reject her, since her lack of defense would make the spar as simple as him walking up to her and knocking her on the head, when he paused. Wouldn''t this be a good chance to try out some of the techniques Tessa had taught him that morning? It wasn''t like she was some defensive ability user, so he could focus on his technique, dodging her attacks, before getting close enough to land the finishing blow. Greg nodded slowly. "Hmmm¡­ alright, sure. Let''s spar." He agreed.


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    Emily nodded, moving towards the middle of the room, before turning around and frowning. "What are you doing?" She asked curiously.


    Greg paused, looking around in confusion. He''d just gotten into his fighting stance, hadn''t he? Was he doing it wrong? "Uh¡­ what do you mean?"


    "Why are you so far away? Why haven''t you changed into your other form?" Emily asked, her frown deepening. What kind of person would purposefully create distance between them and a long range attacker? What kind of shapeshifter wouldn''t shapeshift before fighting!?!


    Greg frowned. "Wouldn''t that make things too difficult for you? I mean, if I''m too close or too fast, how are you going to react in time?"


    Emily scowled. "Are you looking down on me!?!" She growled angrily, gritting her teeth.


    Greg cocked his head. "No? I just don''t want to end it too quickly, you know?"


    Emily was practically furious at this point, glaring at Greg fiercely. "I''ll make you eat those words." She threatened in a low voice.


    Meredith was standing off to the side, watching the two as if she really wished she had some popcorn. "This is going to be interesting~!" She giggled. "Are you two ready then?" Greg nodded first, Emily''s eyes narrowing at him as she nodded as well. "Alright~ Three. Two. One! FIGHT!" She announced.


    The moment Meredith finished the count, Emily moved, slashing her hand at Greg. Greg jumped to the side, but he still received a long cut on his arm, though it quickly healed. Cursing to himself, he began to make his way forward, dodging Emily''s strikes as well as he could, getting at least a minor injury each time. Once he got closer, thing''s got even worse, until eventually Emily managed to shoot a spike directly into his gut, and he stopped. "Ah, damn it. That would have been fatal. You win." Greg sighed. "Want to go again?"


    Emily paused, frowning as she watched him warily. "What are you doing? You can still fight! Keep going!"


    Greg gave her a weird look. "Uh, if that''s your criteria, then you''re never going to win." Greg lifted up his shirt to reveal his completely uninjured gut. "See? My healing is bullshit. Hell, you could get me in the head and I''d barely feel it. Well, no, I''d feel it, but¡­ it wouldn''t stop me."


    Emily''s eyes widened as she leaned forward, examining his stomach. "You- your healing factor is that good?"


    "Yup. I''m pretty much immortal. I''ve been burned, sliced, stabbed, decapitated, the works, no problem." Greg explained with a grin.


    "Decapitated!?!" Emily asked incredulously.


    "Several times." Greg nodded. "Large, sharp claws are pretty much basic equipment for ferals."


    "But- but then- how- how do I beat you?" Emily asked in a small voice.


    "You don''t? Or, you know, arbitrariness, like a gut wound is fatal, so you win." Greg shrugged, before walking over to the other side of the room again. "Alright then." He suddenly transformed, turning into his cheetahman form. "Let''s try this again." Emily nodded blankly and got into position.


    Meredith was frowning after Greg''s revelation, thinking seriously, not even paying attention to the other two, until Greg coughed slightly, drawing her out of her funk. "Hm? Oh! Three, two, one, fight." She muttered absently, before returning to her thoughts.


    This time Greg was the first to move, circling to the right, easily dodging Emily''s attacks. Much like he''d expected, the footwork became much more effective in the cheetahman form, his reaction speed improving by a significant margin. He weaved through her attacks as they became more and more frantic, until a small jump flipped him right over her, turning in the air and landing right behind her as he lightly grasped her shoulder. "And that one''s my win." He chuckled.


    Emily gasped heavily, her eyes wide in disbelief at Greg''s sudden increase in capability. A simple form change made that much of a difference?!? She couldn''t even keep up! His position changed faster than she could attack, leaving her no chance to actually land a blow! She turned to look at the still feral looking Greg, his low chuckle sending chills down her spine as she gulped nervously. She''d never felt this¡­ powerless in front of someone. Even the high tiers. They were powerful, but they were still human. They bled, they could be injured, they could be killed. This man¡­ this man was something else.


    Emily stepped away from Greg, then again, and again, until she was practically running as she fled from the training room, leaving Greg standing there, stunned. He turned to Meredith, changing back to his human form, as he scratched the back of his head. "What was that about?"


    Meredith glanced at the open door, gulping slightly, before turning back to Greg, putting on her flirtatious smile again. "I-I guess she just didn''t expect you to be this powerful~ Neither did I¡­" She trailed off, her gaze losing focus for a moment, before shaking herself, approaching Greg, hesitantly at first, then with determination, latching onto Greg''s arm and pressing herself firmly against him. "Gregory, how can I convince you to join Phoenix Squad? I promise you, anything that is mine to give is yours to take. Anything~" She continued to press herself against him, her eyes making it clear that she wasn''t kidding as they bore burning holes into Greg''s waning self-control.


    The moment she grabbed him, he froze, holding on to the warnings his friends had given him, not willing to abandon them, but unable to push the all too real temptation out of his mind. Just the fact that she was showing this much interest in him was messing with his head, let alone her generous physical attributes. He had absolutely no interest in leaving Unicorn Squad, or even starting a relationship with Meredith, but¡­ maybe just one night? Just for the experience?


    "Hello? Greg? Are you-" Tessa''s voice came from the hall as she stepped into the room, before freezing as she caught sight of the scene inside.


    "Tessa!" Greg immediately cried, the sight of her immediately clearing his head. He knew that one night would quickly turn into two, then three, until he was completely trapped by this alluring woman. He turned into a cloud of smoke, causing Meredith to yelp as she stumbled due to the sudden lack of support, and flew behind Tessa, reforming as he hid behind her. "Protect me, for I am weak!"


    Tessa glanced at him with a cold look in her eye, before snorting, turning back to glare at Meredith. "Still pulling the same old tricks I see." She growled.


    Meredith shook her head. "Not this time. I mean it, I''ll do anything to have Gregory in my squad. No, scratch that, I don''t even care which squad we''re in, as long as we''re together! How about I join Unicorn Squad? You guys could use a healer, right?" Meredith''s voice was full of sincerity, and she even dropped her flirty tone and attempts at seduction.


    Tessa''s eyes widened in shock, before she turned to Greg. "What did you do?!?"


    "I just fought this girl, uh¡­ E something." Greg tried to remember Emily''s name, but failed. He knew she''d introduced herself, but Meredith was busy shaking her tits at him at the time, so he''d barely registered it.


    "Emily? Is that why I saw her running out of her like she was being chased by an army of ferals?!?" Tessa asked incredulously, before suddenly pausing and narrowing her eyes at him. "You didn''t use that tentacle form, did you?"


    "What? No! Fuck no, jeez. That one even gives me the creeps, especially after¡­" Greg trailed off, before coughing, flushing slightly. "Uh, no, I just used my cheetahman form. It pairs rather well with that footwork you taught me, so I won pretty easily that time."


    "That time?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, we fought twice. She won the first time. Shot me right in the gut. Decided that was a win for her." Greg nodded.


    Tessa frowned. "So, you proved that you couldn''t be killed, then you proved it didn''t matter even if you could?"


    Greg cocked his head thoughtfully. "I guess you could put it that way."


    "You are a menace." Tessa shook her head, exasperated.


    "Hey, she''s the one who wanted to fight!" Greg complained defensively.


    Tessa rolled her eyes, before shooting one last glance at Meredith and snorting again. "Come on, let''s go." She grabbed Greg by the wrist, pulling him along as they left. They walked quickly, leaving the building and going a good distance before Tessa was sure Meredith wasn''t following them, and she finally let go of him.


    "Thanks for showing up when you did." Greg thanked her sincerely. "I was about to be in some serious trouble there."


    Tessa rolled her eyes, shooting him a glare. "Mhmm. What happened to that ''iron self-control'' of yours?"


    Greg sighed. "That''s just for absolutes. When something is absolutely wrong, it''s never going to happen. It''s just the way it is. But Meredith isn''t absolutely wrong, she''s just¡­ ill advised. If I was already in a relationship, or if she was married, or something, I''d have no issues, but¡­ we''re both single, both consenting adults, not under the influence of any substances, and it isn''t exactly something people don''t do. Even if I know I shouldn''t, there''s no absolute reason why I shouldn''t, so¡­ I''m weak. It''s like with junk food. You know you shouldn''t eat an entire box of swiss rolls, you know it''s bad for you, but they''re right there and you absolutely could eat them¡­ this is why I''m-" Greg looked down at his now flat stomach. "Er, this is why I used to be fat."


    Tessa raised an eyebrow at him. "So, if you were in a relationship, you wouldn''t want to sleep with her anymore?"


    "Well, no, I would. I mean, she''s still fucking ridiculous, and right there in your face with it, but I wouldn''t let myself actually do it. But, I mean, I want to do a lot of awful, terrible things that I don''t let myself actually do. I can''t help my desires, I just control my actions." Greg shrugged.


    Tessa frowned thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense¡­"


    "Of course, it probably doesn''t help that I haven''t been able to properly engage in a certain form of stress relief in almost two goddamn years." Greg grumbled. "I swear, if I could have dreams, they would be wet."


    Tessa scrunched up her nose in disgust. "I did not need to know that."


    Greg raised an eyebrow at her. "Really? I sort of figured you already did. I mean, you''ve been around me this entire time, so you know I haven''t had any opportunities."


    "Not consciously!" Tessa retorted. "I try not to think about men''s ''stress relief''. I don''t want to even imagine the disgusting ideas they come up with after they learn about my ability." Tessa shuddered.


    "Hm, fair. That could get disgusting. Especially when you add in the people with certain kinks. Have you ever heard of vore?" Greg asked.


    Tessa shook her head. "No, no, no, I haven''t and I don''t want to know."


    Greg nodded. "Yeah, you probably don''t."


    They kept walking, lapsing into a short period of silence, before Tessa let out an agonized groan. "Fuck, I have to know. What is it?"


    Greg raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure? It''s gross."


    Tessa nodded. "I''m just going to make up something on my own if I don''t. Is- is it vaginal gore? Please tell me it''s not. I don''t want to know how shapeshifting plays into that."


    Greg shook his head. "No, it isn''t that. It''s this thing where people get off on the idea of one person swallowing another person whole."


    Tessa blinked. "Like- like eating them?"


    "Kinda? It isn''t exactly clear. The person is alive when they''re swallowed, so they kind of just end up¡­ hanging out in the stomach, I guess? Though, I think it''s more about the process than the result. I don''t know, it''s never been my thing." Greg shrugged.


    Tessa stared at the ground with a profound grimace on her face. "I hate you!"


    "I told you it was disgusting." Greg retorted.


    "You brought it up in the first place!" Tessa countered.


    "Ah, true¡­ my bad." Greg nodded along, before yelping as Tessa began to stab him repeatedly in the side.

 Smoke: 14 - Horishontalnesh

    After Tessa calmed down, Greg asked if she''d be interested in playing pool, since there really wasn''t much else to do. She agreed, and they headed to Victor''s place to grab him as well, since Greg figured the more the merrier, which led to Tessa stabbing him again for some reason she didn''t bother to explain. Carlos was there with Victor, since the two of them had been hanging out together, so he joined as well.


    Once they arrived, Carlos and Victor went to claim a pool table, while Greg and Tessa went to the bar to buy drinks and get the balls. "Two Vodkas, a lemonade, an orange juice, and two hours of pool." Tessa told the bartender as she handed over the coins. He nodded, placing four bottles on the counter, along with the balls. Tessa''s hands morphed, each one wrapping around two bottles securely. "Get the glasses." She told Greg, tilting her head at a table by the bar full of glasses.


    Greg grabbed the balls, raising an eyebrow at her. "We''re drinking? Aren''t we¡­ you know, a little young?"


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "According to who? There''s no government anymore, Greg. The drinking age is whatever you want it to be."


    Greg paused. "Well, that''s fair." He shrugged, turning to grab a stack of four cups and following Tessa to where Victor and Carlos had staked out a pool table. Tessa and Greg set the glasses and alcohol on a nearby counter, the balls on the table, and they all took a moment to pour themselves drinks. Greg poured himself a glass of vodka and lemonade, and took a sip, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "This¡­ just tastes like lemonade."


    "Yeah? That''s what vodka does. It just blends with whatever you put it in." Carlos shrugged.


    Greg frowned. "That sounds¡­ dangerous."


    "That''s why you pour your own drink." Victor chuckled. "So you know what you''re getting."


    Greg looked down at his drink. "What am I getting? I''ve never actually had alcohol before."


    "How much did you put in it?" Tessa raised an eyebrow at him.


    Greg looked down at his glass, before looking back up. "Half and half?"


    "Jesus." Carlos shook his head.


    "Yup, that''ll get you drunk." Victor nodded. "Or at least most of the way there."


    Greg looked down at the glass again, frowning. "Should I make a new one?"


    "No, just pace yourself. Sip it, and then don''t make yourself a new one for a while." Tessa explained.


    Greg nodded, sipping at his glass. Once everyone had their drinks, Victor clapped his hands. "Alright, teams. Who wants to be with me?"


    "Me, duh." Carlos answered before Greg could. "If me and Tessa were on the same team, you two wouldn''t stand a chance!"


    Greg shrugged, not really caring who he was with. "Guess I''m with you then." He commented, turning to Tessa.


    Tessa just nodded, grabbing her cue stick. Since Carlos had racked, they had the first break, which Greg insisted Tessa take. He''d barely ever played pool before, and he knew from last night he wasn''t all that great at it. As he watched, he took another sip of his drink, enjoying the flavor. Besides the fact that it wasn''t cold, it tasted just like lemonade. Greg absently sipped at the drink until the glass was empty, before it even got to his turn. Placing the empty glass down, he took his turn, failing to actually sink a ball, and refilling his glass with a sigh as he returned. He absently sipped at it until he finished it again, before his next turn. This cycle repeated a few times, until Victor noticed how much he''d actually had at this point, shooting him a concerned look.


    "Uh, Greg, are you feeling okay?" He asked.


    "Yeah? Why?" Greg replied, raising an eyebrow as he finished his latest glass.


    "Because I''m pretty sure you''ve had close to half a bottle of vodka at this point, and we''ve only been playing for like twenty minutes." Victor responded, pointing at the mostly empty bottle of vodka on the counter.


    Greg''s eyes raised slightly, looking at his glass, then back at the bottle. "Huh¡­ I don''t feel anything though?"


    "Dude, it takes time for the alcohol to get into your system. Hold off and wait for a bit." Carlos sighed, shaking his head, before turning to Victor. "If he pukes, you''re cleaning it up."


    Greg was going to protest, saying he''d be fine, but¡­ well, the others definitely had more experience than he did, so he should probably take their advice. He set his glass down and focused on the pool game.


    As he missed yet another shot, a ridiculously easy one which he really should have made, Tessa shook her head. "You have to keep your stick straight." She commented.


    "Huh?" Greg asked, confused.


    "When you shoot, you have to make sure your stick moves in a straight line, and follow through." Tessa elaborated.


    Greg flushed slightly, scratching the back of his head. "I- thought I was¡­" He muttered.


    Tessa smirked slightly, shaking her head. "Not with the way you''re standing. Your body is in the way. You have to lean over more. Watch me." She continued as her turn came up, taking aim. Greg watched as she shot, noticing how she positioned herself before shooting. "Got it?" She asked once her turn was over, sinking the first ball, but missing the second due to a poor angle.


    Greg nodded slightly. Once his turn came up, he tried to position himself like she had, moving his body out of the way of his stick. Once again, he had a pretty easy shot, but this time, he actually made it! "Ha, first ball in!" He cried happily.


    "Yeah, but you scratched." Carlos pointed out, taking out the cue ball, which had followed the other into the pocket.


    Greg frowned. "Scratched?"


    "It''s when the white ball goes into one of the pockets. You lose your turn, the ball you made comes out, and we get ball in hand." Victor explained. "I just ignored it last night, since you''re new."


    Greg sighed. "Ah, damnit."


    "You hit the ball too high." Tessa explained. "When you have a straight shot like that, you want to hit the ball hard and low. Hitting low puts a backspin on the ball, while hitting high makes it roll forward more. To the sides puts spin on it in either direction."


    Greg frowned. "Wait, so I need to pay attention to where I hit the ball too? No wonder my shots are inconsistent."


    As they continued to play, Tessa continued to give Greg advice, and he slowly improved. He still didn''t get good, but he got better. After the third game, he noticed Victor giving him another strange look. "What?"


    "Are you still not feeling anything?" Victor asked, looking him up and down.


    "What do you- oh! The alcohol, right." Greg was confused for a moment before he remembered he''d been drinking. "Uh¡­ no, not really. Not at all actually. I mean, I''ve never been drunk before, so I''m not really sure what I should be feeling, but I just feel normal." Greg explained.


    Victor frowned. "That''s not right¡­ you had way more than I did, and I''m definitely buzzed by now." He muttered.


    Greg shrugged awkwardly. "I don''t know what to tell you."


    "Maybe it''s his smoke bullshit." Carlos interjected. "Making him all immune and shit."


    Greg frowned. "Wait, so I can''t get drunk?!? Man, this ability takes all the fun out of life!" He grumbled bitterly. "I bet I can''t get high either."


    Tessa gave him a weird look. "Do you really dislike your ability that much?"


    Greg paused, considering the question for a moment. "Well¡­ okay, so, for like fighting and not dying, it''s great. I can''t deny that. Plus, it has a few convenient features for daily life, like not needing to take a shower, but¡­ well, I don''t like it when things are completely unavailable to me, even if I didn''t really want to do it in the first place. It feels limiting, and I hate being limited. I hate the idea of not being able to do something, even if I don''t really want to do it anyways."


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    Victor nodded along. "I get that. I get the same way when people tell me I have to do something. Like homework. Utter bullshit."


    "You do realize that homework is the only reason you''re a C student, and I''m an A student, right?" Greg replied. "Literally, it''s worth like twenty percent of your grade."


    "That''s my point!" Victor exclaimed. "You and I both get the same test scores, but just because I don''t do the homework, something that''s supposed to act as a study aid to help you do better on the test, I get C''s! It''s ridiculous!"


    "You both realize college isn''t a thing anymore, right? Why waste time complaining about a system that no longer exists!" Carlos asked incredulously.


    Greg and Victor shared a look. "How did we get there?" Greg asked, confused.


    "Uh, hold on¡­ Right! Things people say I have to do for no apparent reason." Victor replied.


    "Ah, yes. You have to get over that." Greg commented.


    Victor shot him a glare. "Make me, bitch."


    Greg frowned. "I''d need to find a shock collar¡­ maybe a cattle prod."


    "I think positive reinforcement would be more effective in this situation. You want to incentivize behavior, not disincentivize." Victor commented.


    "Yeah, but you''re not really reward motivated. You have to adjust the treatment to the person as well as the situation." Greg responded.


    "I''m totally reward motivated! You just don''t know what I consider rewarding." Victor retorted.


    "This conversation has gotten weird." Carlos muttered.


    "This conversation has gotten interesting." Greg countered.


    Tessa snorted, shaking her head. "Alright, enough. Victor, it''s your turn."


    *


    "Okay, this ishn''t fair. You two are perfectly sober! How''re we shuposed to beat that?!?" Carlos complained as he and Victor lost the third pool game in a row.


    Tessa shrugged. "It isn''t our fault you can''t handle your alcohol." She commented blandly, taking a sip of her drink.


    "Actually, I''ve been meaning to ask. Why are you still sober?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow at Tessa.


    "Enhanced metabolism." Tessa explained simply. "I can speed up how fast my body processes alcohol, letting me maintain a slight buzz, without drifting into the realm of drunk."


    "Ish not fair!" Carlos grumbled again.


    "May have a point¡­ rooms a bit spinny." Victor muttered, leaning against a wall, looking like he wasn''t going to move any time soon.


    Greg shrugged. "I guess we can stop¡­ we have been playing for a few hours now."


    "I suppose. What should we do next then?" Tessa asked.


    ""Sleep."" Victor and Carlos groaned at the same time.


    Greg frowned. "Guys, it''s only like eight. Little early, isn''t it?"


    "Not when you shtarted drinking at five." Victor retorted. "Need water¡­ and horishontalnesh. Mmmm, horishontalnesh."


    Greg sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, fine. Let''s get you guys home then."


    "Feh! I can get home myshelf." Victor grumbled, waving slightly as he began trudging out the door, swaying slightly, followed by Carlos.


    Greg went to stop them, before being stopped by Tessa. "Leave them. This isn''t their first time doing this."


    Greg glanced at her. "You guys do this a lot?"


    Tessa shrugged. "There isn''t much else to do."


    Greg thought about it for a second, before nodding. "Yeah, that makes sense. So¡­ what do you want to do then? Play more pool?"


    Tessa shook her head. "Let''s do something else¡­ we could head to the dance hall? They have a live band."


    Greg frowned. "Not a big fan of bands¡­ I mean, the music is better on- ah, damn it." Greg sighed. "I forgot I don''t have a music library in my pocket anymore."


    Tessa grinned at him. "Sucks, huh?"


    "Quite a bit." Greg nodded with a bitter expression.


    "So, band?" Tessa offered again.


    "Eh, sure." Greg nodded with a shrug. "Let''s see what this new world has to offer."


    They left the bar, heading to a different building, which had also had its entire first floor converted for a single use. It seemed that the safe zone had decided that all business would be done on the first floor, leaving the upper floors for residences. In the building, a few people were playing a mishmash of various instruments. Guitars, violins, pianos, saxophones, pretty much anything they could get their hands on, all working together to create a unique melody. Tables and chairs were set up along the walls, where various people sat and listened, while a large empty area was left open for dancing.


    Greg and Tessa made their way to a small table in the corner, taking a seat and listening to the music. Slowly though, Greg got bored. It wasn''t that the music was bad or anything, but¡­ it wasn''t substantial enough to keep him occupied. He needed something else to accompany it, like a book or game or something.


    "What do you think?" Tessa asked as the band took a short break.


    "It''s fine." Greg shrugged. "The music is¡­ interesting, but it''s just music. Not really enough to grab all my attention."


    "What do you mean?" Tessa asked, cocking her head.


    "Well, before all this, music was always an addition to something else I was doing. An accompaniment. Like, music and video games, or music and reading. Just listening to music on its own is a little¡­ I just can''t stay in it. My mind wanders and I start getting itchy, looking for something else to do." Greg explained.


    Tessa frowned at him. "Please don''t do something weird like making a giant fort out of all the tables."


    Greg paused. "I wasn''t going to, but now that you mention it¡­"


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "Have you tried dancing? I believe that''s a pretty classic answer to what to do while music is playing."


    Greg frowned. "I guess, but I don''t really know how to dance¡­ plus, who am I going to dance with?"


    Tessa gave him a bland look. "Are you really this stupid, or are you being purposefully obtuse?"


    "Eh?" Greg asked, confused.


    "I will teach you how to dance." Tessa sighed, shaking her head.


    Greg was startled. "You know how to dance?"


    "Of course. Everyone does by this point." Tessa explained. "Come on, I''ll show you the basic steps before they start again." She stood up, waving for him to follow her. They walked to the edge of the dance floor, finding a relatively clear space. "First, we''ll start simple, with the swing. It''s a basic four step dance. We start by holding hands, then you¡­" Tessa explained the basics of a swing dance, showing Greg the steps, explaining the basics of keeping time. "Right, like that, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four." She counted off as they went through the steps.


    Greg frowned as they fell into the rhythm. "Wait¡­ this is dancing? Really?" He asked incredulously. "Isn''t it a little too simple?"


    Tessa shook her head. "You''re missing the point. There are more complex moves you can get into, but unless you want to become a professional, it sort of defeats the point. Dancing is about an excuse to remain in close contact with another person for extended periods of time. It''s simple so that you can talk and get to know that person while you do."


    Greg frowned. "Do we really need to dance to do that? Pretty sure we could have talked back at the table."


    Tessa shrugged. "It''s different. Dancing forces you to pay attention to your partner. Besides, dancing is more for people who aren''t comfortable with each other. When a guy asks a girl to dance, she''s only committing to a few minutes of interaction. If he asked if he could sit and talk with her, he could be there for an indefinite period of time. It''s like a test."


    "That makes sense, I suppose¡­" Greg replied, still frowning slightly. "I''m guessing you have a lot of experience with this?"


    Tessa shook her head. "Not really. I''m not exactly the most¡­ approachable person."


    "Well, maybe if you weren''t so eager to stab people all the time." Greg commented with a grin.


    "Maybe if people didn''t deserve to be stabbed, I wouldn''t feel the need to all the time." Tessa retorted. "Besides, it''s more of an aggravated poking than stabbing."


    "I clearly remember you flat out cutting open my hand literally the first time we met. I hadn''t even done anything yet!" Greg countered.


    "That''s different." Tessa shook her head. "That was experimentation. Science. Completely justifiable."


    "Whatever you say, Josephina Mengele." Greg shot back.


    Tessa tsked. "Rude."


    Greg snickered. "You''re just angry cause I''m right."


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "Shut up and dance."


    "Wouldn''t that defeat the purpose?" Greg replied, grinning. "Remember, dancing is simple so you can focus on your partner and talk." He commented, before yelping as needles came out of Tessa''s hands, stabbing into his. Her grip tightened, not letting him let go.


    "Don''t be rude." She growled, glaring at him.


    Greg sighed, shaking his head as they continued to dance. "And you wonder why people have a hard time approaching you." Tessa just snorted and rolled her eyes.


    They continued dancing for a while, slowly getting more comfortable with each other, chatting idly, joking together, stabbing Greg when he made a particularly bad joke, complaining about being stabbed, the usual. Of course, at this point, the stabbing was more of a joke than anything. They both knew it meant nothing to Greg. He dealt with worse injuries every night. But Greg felt like it''d be wrong if he didn''t get threatened with a stabbing from Tessa every now and then. It was like him and Victor calling each other friend or buddy, then denying it. It was just how they worked, and he liked it.

 Smoke: 15 - Patrick

    Greg and Tessa hung out at the music hall for a bit longer, until Tessa finally decided it was time to end the night, saying goodbye and heading back to her apartment. Greg then turned into a smoke cloud and shot out into the city. It was time to work.


    *Let''s see¡­ if I was a half-way decent feral, where would I be?* Greg wondered to himself as he flew. As much as Greg felt it was necessary to hunt down the truly evil ferals out there, without enlisting more people to help, all his efforts would be in vain. *Hmmm¡­ well, the biggest threats would be the assholes and the unformed, but¡­ both of those are fairly strong and it''d be dangerous to fight them. So, I''d probably focus on protecting and avoiding, finding a safe place for the weaker ferals to gather. It''d have to be hidden, somewhere a random feral couldn''t stumble into¡­ you couldn''t go telling everyone where it was either. So¡­ how would you get new residents? Observation? If you''re going to have this super secret safe place, you''d need to be really selective about who you brought in.*


    Greg landed on a roof, beginning to pace as he thought. *Okay, so safe place, probably underground, maybe in the sewer system, but you''d need to have access to the rest of the city so you could observe potential residents¡­ Maybe the subway system?* Greg frowned. *But even with that, how do I find them? It''s too big an area to just search, and even if they''re in and out for observation, how would I tell who''s who? Do I just have to hope I get lucky? What if I''m wrong and there isn''t even any feral doing this?*


    Greg groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Fuck, killing assholes is much easier than this shit." The other option was to try and reform the ferals who simply didn''t realize just how much they were actually hurting others, but¡­ those were never intelligent enough to be effective. Maybe eventually they would be, but counting on maybe eventually wasn''t Greg''s style. Maybe if he could somehow train up strong ferals, but he had no idea where to even start on that, since he didn''t know how ferals became strong in the first place.


    *Maybe I should focus on observation for a few nights¡­* Greg thought to himself, heading down to street level. *Hmmm, but how?* Greg wondered to himself, his thoughts turning to the smoke as always. He considered the glass he''d given to the girls he''d saved from the tentacle man. The moment he focused on it, he could tell where it was, right down to the distance, not in anything as precise as miles but in that way when you look at a map and you can tell basically how far apart things are. What if he sort of¡­ tagged the ferals? Placed his smoke on them in some form and tracked it? Eventually, at least one of them should find their way into whatever safe place there was, right?


    Greg changed into the sharkman, looking for a trail to follow. Each time he came across a feral, he''d send out a small bit of smoke and replace a piece of them with it, which was more difficult than he''d thought it''d be. His smoke had a hard time getting into people in the first place, and trying to replace something was even harder, as something about life innately resisted the smoke''s manipulation. Thankfully that resistance didn''t seem to be conscious, so the ferals didn''t notice anything while he did it, but it still meant he had to take breaks to recover from the strain every now and then, during which he really wished it''d actually make him tired so he could nap, instead of just sitting there bored.


    He tagged about ten ferals in each area before moving on, getting four areas tagged before the sun began to rise and he had to head back to the safe zone. Well, he didn''t technically have to, but with the rising sun, all the weak ferals would hide, leaving only the powerful ones who walked around during the day, which he had no interest in tracking. Though he might consider recruiting them¡­ maybe that''s where all the decent, strong ferals were? Patrolling during the day to keep everyone safe from the unformed?


    Greg was lost in thought, considering this possibility as he flew over the wall and into the safe zone, when suddenly a pillar of light shot down from the central tower, slamming Greg into the ground! *Ga- uh¡­ Huh.* Greg began to grunt, expecting pain, but there wasn''t any. He simply got pushed into the ground. He couldn''t even articulate his attempt at pain as he didn''t have vocal cords in this form. He peeked out of the ground to see a ball of light shoot off the tower, flying over and landing heavily in front of him, dimming to reveal the form of a man.


    "Now what are you?" The man asked, talking mostly to himself as he observed the strange cloud that had been flying over the walls emerge from the ground.


    "Uh¡­ hi, I''m Greg." Greg answered as he returned to his human form, holding out his hand to the strange light man.


    The light man''s eyebrows shot up in surprise, ignoring Greg''s hand. "Oh, you''re a super! Which safe zone are you from? Why are you flying over the wall instead of going through the gate? It''s rude to intrude unannounced, you know."


    "I''m from here." Greg explained, dropping his hand with a shrug. "I just went into the city for the night."


    The light man frowned. "Is that so? I don''t believe I''ve seen you around before. Which squad are you affiliated with?"


    "Unicorn Squad. I''m new though, I just arrived the day before yesterday." Greg explained.


    "Unicorn? The one with Tessa?" The light man asked, sounding slightly surprised.


    "Yeah?" Greg replied, confused, wondering why Tessa was the first person he affiliated Unicorn Squad with.


    "Interesting." The light man pondered Greg. "She had mentioned she''d gotten a new squad member¡­ Well, it''s nice to meet you. I''m Patrick, Tessa''s brother." Patrick grinned, holding his hand out.


    It was Greg''s turn to be surprised, as he reached out to shake Patrick''s hand. "You- huh, I didn''t realize Tessa had family here."


    "Oh? She didn''t tell you?" Patrick asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Greg shook his head. "Nope. I suppose it just didn''t come up."


    "Huh¡­ and she didn''t tell you about Dad either?" Patrick asked.


    "Dad?" Greg asked, confused.


    "Fredrick." Patrick elaborated.


    "Who''s that?" Greg asked again, frowning.


    "You don''t know Fredrick?" Patrick''s eyebrows raised, surprised.


    "Should I?" Greg replied.


    "Well, he is the head of the safe zone¡­" Patrick commented.


    "He''s what?" Greg asked, slightly stunned.


    "He''s the leader. The big boss. The head honcho. The dude." Patrick elaborated. "The guy who made all this happen. Tessa never said anything about that?"


    "No." Greg replied with a frown. Why would she not tell him that? Then again, did it really matter? Greg thought over everything, before deciding that no, it didn''t. They were teammates. Who her family was didn''t really enter into the equation.


    "Interesting." Patrick muttered, giving Greg an evaluating look.


    "Is it?" Greg raised an eyebrow. "I mean, I haven''t told her about my family either. Sometimes things just don''t come up."


    "Hmm¡­ yes, well, you may have a point there." Patrick nodded. "Anyway, about the whole ''flying over the wall'' thing. Try not to be so obvious about it, okay? Strange things going over the wall tend to disturb the populace, and they''re already scared enough, you know?"


    "Ah, gotcha. I can go through the ground if that works better?" Greg offered.


    "As long as you don''t leave weird holes, that would be fine." Patrick replied with a grin.


    "Nah, my smoke goes through things really well. Unless they''re alive. Or your light, I suppose¡­" Greg muttered, frowning slightly. ¡°I''ve never actually run into an ability that could affect me like that.¡± But then again, he hadn''t really run into a lot of abilities, so maybe all of them could affect him like that?


    Patrick chuckled. "Maybe you need to get out more. I know of quite a few abilities that could probably give you a few issues. Like the Thunder God." He finished with a low growl.


    "The Thunder God?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "It''s a feral with lightning powers, a lot like my light abilities. However, it can somehow jack into others¡¯ nervous systems, turning them into its slaves." Patrick explained with a frown. "Hard to kill, insidious, a real pain in the ass. Thankfully it''s a feral, so it isn''t too smart, or it could do some real damage."


    Greg froze. "Uh¡­ how- how do you know it isn''t intelligent?"


    Patrick frowned. "It''s a feral, isn''t it?"


    "Uh¡­ Tessa didn''t tell you?" Greg asked nervously.


    Patrick''s frown deepened. "Tell me what?"


    "Well¡­ the ferals are- they''re getting their intelligence back." Greg explained. "At least half of the ones I''ve met are at least as smart as a fifth grader, if not smarter. Hell, Jennifer is as smart as any of us."


    "You''re joking." Patrick replied, looking at him with a mix of concern and doubt.


    "No? I mean, Jennifer lives here now. You want to meet her?" Greg asked.


    "Jen- you- she''s a feral? In here? In the safe zone?" Patrick''s eyes widened in shock.


    "Yup. With Tessa actually¡­ she really didn''t tell you?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Patrick looked back into the safe zone, frowning. "No¡­ no she didn''t."


    *


    "Greg!" Jennifer jumped into his arms the moment she opened the door. "Where were you yesterday!?!" She yelled, pulling back slightly. "We waited all day and you never came by!" She ranted in an accusatory tone.


    "Ah! Ah! Claws!" Greg exclaimed, wincing in pain. "I''m sorry! It was a busy day! Tessa dragged me off for training, and then I experimented with my ability, almost got eaten by a monster¡­ shit happened."


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "My sister offered to train you? On her own?" Patrick, who''d been standing behind him stunned suddenly latched on to this new piece of information.


    "Who is this?" Jennifer asked, noticing the new person for the first time, sliding closer to study him intently. "Tessa''s brother? They do have similar scents¡­"


    "Er, yes. I''m Patrick, nice to meet you." Patrick replied, awkwardly offering his hand to the cat like feral invading his personal space.


    Jennifer stared at his hand warily for a second, before turning back to Greg, grabbing his arm, and dragging him into the apartment. "Come on, Greg. You have to spend the day with us this time! It''s our turn!"


    "Wait, wait, wait, how did you decide that?" Greg protested. "I mean, I''m not saying I won''t hang out with you, but it isn''t because you have turns with me. I''ll hang out with you because I decide to hang out with you."


    "Mmmm, what time is it? Why are you being so loud?" Sarah grumbled, stumbling out of her room, rubbing her eyes, before they widened as she caught sight of Greg. "Greg!" She exclaimed, rushing forward to hug him, just like Jennifer had.


    "Hey, Sarah." Greg sighed, patting her on the back as she latched onto him tightly.


    "Where were you yesterday! I missed you¡­" Sarah pouted.


    "I had training with Tessa, then¡­" Greg trailed off, not really wanting to explain again. "It was just a busy day."


    "You could have brought us along." She huffed.


    Greg raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember what happened the last time you were out there? I mean, I almost had to kill a guy. Sure, he was a scumbag, but still, not something I really want to make a daily activity."


    Sarah considered his argument, before stomping her foot in frustration. "Ugh! I hate this ability!"


    "Yeah, I get that." Greg nodded, commiserating with her. "Oh, right." Greg remembered Patrick, turning to give him a stern look. "Don''t get any funny ideas. Sarah''s ability makes guys ridiculously attracted to her. Keep it in your pants."


    Patrick, who''d been fixated on Sarah ever since she showed up, tore his gaze away, turning to Greg, sweating slightly. "I- I''m not- I would never-"


    "Yes, you would, cause that''s literally what her ability makes you want to do. It happens to me too. You don''t need to deny it, just control yourself, alright?" Greg explained.


    Patrick took a deep breath, getting himself under control, and nodding. "Right." He glanced back at Sarah and flinched. "Fuck! That''s insidious." He groaned.


    Greg shook his head. "Anyway, what do you think of Jennifer then? Pretty smart, huh?"


    "Huh? Oh!" Patrick turned to Jennifer, studying her intently for a bit, until Jennifer started to feel weird and hid behind Greg. "You''re sure she''s a feral?" Patrick asked Greg, raising an eyebrow. "She could have simply mutated. It isn''t all that uncommon."


    Greg shook his head. "No, she''s a feral, and she isn''t the only one I''ve found like this. Her memory only goes back like a year, and she''s been living out in the city the entire time. Maybe if it was just one person like that, it might be a fluke, but ten? Twenty? Fifty? What are the odds of that?"


    Patrick frowned, considering his point, when a yawning Tessa suddenly emerged from one of the rooms, only wearing a small t-shirt and a pair of panties. "Why are you guys making so much racket?" She grumbled, rubbing her eyes, before her vision cleared and she saw who was in the room. Tessa suddenly yelped, jumping back into her room. "What are you two doing in my apartment!?!" She yelled from behind the door.


    "Well, you see, Patrick didn''t believe me about Jennifer, so¡­" Greg began, scratching the back of his head, trailing off.


    "So you decided to bring him over at five in the damn morning!?!" Tessa shrieked.


    "I mean¡­ the sun''s up?" Greg shrugged. In the midst of all the shouting, a small form slowly flew up from a corner, lazily flying over, and landing on Greg''s shoulder, curling up and making herself comfortable. Patrick''s eyes widened at Tina, not expecting yet another strange creature to appear. "Oh, yeah, this is Tina. She''s also a feral¡­ not as smart though."


    A tiny fist punched him weakly. "Meanie." Tina muttered sleepily.


    Tessa finally emerged from her room, fully dressed, looking pissed. She marched straight over to Greg and stabbed him in the side, before turning to Patrick. "Oh, shit, I''m sorry! I''m sorry! I shouldn''t have woken you up, shit, I''m sorry!" He panicked, scrambling away, now wanting to be his sister''s next victim. He suddenly froze as he noticed Greg was just standing there with a bemused grin on his face. "Eh?"


    Greg chuckled. "I guess she also didn''t tell you I''m essentially immortal, huh?"


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "To my eternal dismay."


    "Oh, you know you''d miss me." Greg retorted.


    Tessa snorted. "Only when I''m angry."


    Patrick looked between the two of them, his eyes wide. "You, uh, you two seem to be pretty close, huh?"


    Tessa and Greg shared a look. "Well, she was the first person I met after being in a coma for two years. Kinda makes a person memorable." Greg commented.


    "He saved my life." Tessa added simply with a shrug.


    Patrick nodded. "Gotc- you- he- what?!?"


    Greg frowned. "When did I- oh, right! Sharkman. To be fair, I did kinda cause that in the first place¡­" He then glanced at Sarah. "Well¡­ sort of."


    Tessa shook her head. "We both decided to fight that night. You saved me. End of story."


    Tessa''s tone didn''t leave any room for argument, so the conversation stopped for a moment, before Patrick coughed and spoke up again. "So¡­ why is this the first I''m hearing about intelligent ferals?" He asked, looking at Tessa strangely.


    Tessa frowned. "I hadn''t figured out a way to tell Dad yet."


    Patrick frowned back. "What''s so hard about that? Just say ''hey Dad, ferals are getting smarter. You think that might be a problem?'' and you''re done!"


    "The problem is him." Tessa retorted, pointing her thumb at Greg. "What do you think Dad would say if I talked about a strange man who claimed to be in a coma for two years, can shapeshift into feral form, and has friendly relationships with multiple ferals? Do you think he''d just say ''oh, sounds like a decent guy'' and move on?"


    Patrick''s frown deepened. "No. No he-" He suddenly paused, turning to Greg. "You can turn into a feral?"


    Greg shrugged. "My ability is multifaceted."


    Patrick stared at him for a moment longer, before turning back to Tessa. "And you''re sure he''s-"


    "Saved my life, remember?" Tessa rolled her eyes at him.


    "Hm, right. Though, maybe-" Patrick began again.


    "Patrick, no. Greg is a good guy. You don''t need to worry about that." Tessa immediately shut him down with a hard glare.


    Patrick looked like he was about to argue, but he noticed the dangerous look in his sister''s eye and sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine, you win. He''s a good guy. Still, this isn''t information we can hide. I will need to tell Dad."


    Tessa nodded. "I know."


    Patrick glanced at Greg. "He''ll probably want to talk with him."


    Tessa nodded again, sighing lightly. "I know."


    "Right¡­ Well, I''ll be off then." Patrick turned to go, before glancing at Greg one last time. "Thank you for telling me this." He thanked Greg seriously, before stepping out the door and heading off.


    Greg glanced at Tessa. "Well¡­ that seemed weirdly serious."


    Tessa shook her head. "No one takes the ferals lightly around here. We all remember when this all first happened, everyone going crazy, attacking everyone around them, or worse. The people closest to you suddenly treating you like a stranger, or even an enemy. Everyone had to hide or fight to survive. Only when the high-tiers began to appear did any level of security return to the world."


    Greg frowned. "Did things really get that bad?"


    Tessa nodded. "I know what you''re trying to do, and I support it, but¡­ people have long memories, and they can be stubborn. Your path won''t be easy."


    They both lapsed into silence at that, both lost in their own thoughts. Sarah and Jennifer shared a look, not even sure what to say or contribute. Sarah herself knew the horrors of the ferals, how terrifying it was to be at their mercy, but¡­ she also knew that ferals like Jennifer were different. They didn''t deserve to be lumped in with the rest.


    Jennifer also knew the nature of her kind, how casually cruel they could be. But still, she saw hope, hope through Greg and what he''d done. He hadn''t just killed, like the unformed. He''d been patient, kind, teaching those who could be taught, while removing the ones who couldn''t. It was sometimes harsh, but slowly, he began to change the ferals. She longed to see him continue, to see the future he promised with her own eyes.


    After a while, Tessa suddenly sighed and turned to Greg. "Since I''m up, shall we get your training out of the way for the day?"


    "Sure." Greg shrugged.


    "Wait! You can''t just leave!" Jennifer protested. "You said you''d hang out with us today!"


    "And I will. After my training." Greg replied sternly.


    Jennifer looked disappointed, but she got it. "Fine." She agreed, crossing her arms with a slight pout.


    Greg rolled his eyes. "I''ll see you guys in a bit." He replied, carefully picking the still sleeping Tina up and placing her on a nearby pillow, before turning to Tessa. "Alright, let''s go."


    *


    Fredrick stared at Patrick with a stern gaze. "Are you sure about this?"


    "I''ve met the girl, Dad." Patrick nodded. "She''s as intelligent as you or me. If Greg is right, and it''s happening to all the ferals¡­ we could be in trouble."


    Fredrick sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Just when I thought things were starting to get better¡­ Do you have any idea how prevalent this is yet?"


    "According to Greg, about half the ferals he''s been in contact with have basic levels of intelligence." Patrick answered.


    "Shit¡­" Fredrick cursed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alright, how do we plan for this?"


    "First off, this isn''t entirely a bad thing." Patrick began, pulling out a few pieces of paper. "A good portion of the ferals will become less violent as they become intelligent, much like this Jennifer girl. This will lead to a decrease in low level danger, especially for the scavenger teams. We can actually see that bearing through in the recent months. We''ve had a sharp decrease in incidents across the board. However¡­" Patrick pointed out a certain data sheet. "When there is an incident, it tends to be fatal, particularly in the case of Basilisk Squad."


    Fredrick frowned. "That was Mark''s team, right?"


    "Yeah. All of them were found dead." Patrick nodded with a serious expression. "With the rise in intelligence, the ferals who can''t face our squads are avoiding us as much as we are avoiding them, but the ones who can¡­ they may even be hunting us."


    Fredrick sighed wearily, rubbing his temple. "So what do we do?"


    Patrick shrugged helplessly. "What can we do? We can''t stop sending squads out and we''re already doing as much as we can to prepare them for what''s out there."


    "So, what, we just have to accept this?!? There are monsters out there hunting our people, and we just ignore it!?!" Fredrick exclaimed.


    "Dad, we''re already doing all we can." Patrick explained helplessly.


    Fredrick deflated covering his face with his hands. "I know. It''s just¡­ frustrating." Patrick nodded in agreement with a distasteful grimace. "We''ll table this for now." Fredrick said after a short period of silence. "Tell me about this Greg person."

 Smoke: 16 - Politically unsavvy

    "So, with your dad, that isn''t going to be, you know, an issue, right?" Greg asked as they headed to the training rooms.


    "It won''t be fun, but, while Dad does have strong opinions, especially about ferals, he''s not unreasonable. It''s just going to be stressful." Tessa explained.


    Greg frowned. "It won''t cause any issues for Jennifer and Tina, right?"


    Tessa shook her head. "They can be classified as mutated people, rather than ferals, so it shouldn''t be a problem. It''s the ones out there you need to worry about. Dad isn''t going to let them off the hook just because you say some of them might be nice."


    "Yeah, I guess I shouldn''t expect that." Greg sighed. "Still, when I do bring good ones around, I hope he''ll at least trust me enough to not arbitrarily execute them."


    Tessa turned, raising an eyebrow at him. "How many ferals are you planning on collecting?"


    Greg shrugged. "However many need it? I mean, ideally, I''ll be able to find somewhere else to put them, cause I don''t think a rapid integration would be good for either side, but still, the circumstances aren''t mine to dictate. Sometimes people need help and this is the only place I can keep them safe."


    Tessa snorted, shaking her head. "I don''t think that''s going to work out for you, though not for the reasons you might think."


    Greg frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "Let me ask you this: what do you think would happen if the squads and soldiers suddenly learned that not all ferals are bloodthirsty maniacs, and some of them can even be nice?" Tessa asked.


    "They''d¡­ start being more careful? Be on the lookout for good ferals?" Greg answered hesitantly, not sure where she was going with this.


    Tessa nodded. "Right. Now, let''s say a squad is out there, and suddenly they come across a feral. How will they react?"


    Greg raised an eyebrow. "Carefully?"


    "Yes, or in other words, they''d hesitate. Now, how do you think the feral would react?" Tessa continued.


    "Well, that depends-" Greg began.


    "Does it?" Tessa interrupted, giving him a significant look.


    Greg frowned, then his eyes widened. "Ah shit." He cursed, before letting out a weary sigh. "The feral doesn''t know what the humans know. All they know is that humans are dangerous, so even if they''re good, they''ll attack. Shit, even if they did know, evil ferals could pretend to be good to trick people into letting their guards down."


    Tessa nodded. "Exactly. Knowing that ferals might possibly be good would only make our people hesitate, risking their lives more than they already are, or make them feel guilty, thinking they may have killed someone innocent."


    Greg rubbed his temples with a groan. "Fuuuck, talk about your catch twenty-two. Damned if you do, damned if you don''t. Even if both sides knew the other could be talked to, they have no way to actually go about doing it without risking their own safety."


    Tessa nodded. "Thankfully, that''s where you come in. Your safety doesn''t matter, so you can talk to both sides."


    "Right, until I get enslaved by the fucking Lightning God." Greg grumbled.


    Tessa paused. "Right¡­ don''t do that."


    *


    After training, Greg and Tessa swung by the restaurant to pick up food, before bringing it back to her place to eat with the others. Greg kept his promise to spend time with Sarah and Jessica today, but since leaving the apartment was still a no go, they had to find something to do there. "We could play rummy?" Sarah offered. She and Greg had spent quite a bit of time playing the game back at the safe house, so she was already pretty comfortable with it.


    "No, let''s play hide and seek!" Tina interjected excitedly.


    "How are we supposed to hide in here?" Sarah asked skeptically.


    "There''s plenty of places to hide!" Tina exclaimed, zipping off and stuffing herself into one of the drawers. "See?"


    Greg rolled his eyes. "Tina, we aren''t as small as you are. There''s not a lot of places for big people to hide."


    "Awww." Tina pouted, returning sullenly and plopping herself on Greg''s shoulder.


    Greg shook his head, grinning slightly, before turning to Tessa. "Do you have any games you usually play? Like, when you get together with the others?"


    Tessa raised an eyebrow at him, before shaking her head. "We don''t actually hang out all that much. Usually just a night at the bar every now and then, playing pool or darts or something. Other than that, I either train or read."


    Greg blinked at her a few times. "You have books?"


    Tessa nodded slowly. "Yes."


    "Where are they? Could I borrow a few?" Greg asked, a strange, eager look in his eye.


    "I only have a few on hand, but we have a library if-" Tessa replied with a shrug, before Greg interrupted.


    "We have a library?!? Why did no one tell me!?! Come on, let''s go check it out!" Greg exclaimed, jumping to his feet in agitation, ready to run straight to the library.


    "Greg, you promised to spend time with us!" Jennifer complained, stopping him.


    Greg paused. "Oh, right¡­ I''ll check it out later." He sighed, sitting back down, before pausing. "Does this library have anything in the way of board games?"


    Tessa thought about it. "I believe they might? I remember seeing a games section, though¡­ it still just had books in it. Though I did see a bin full of dice nearby."


    Greg''s eyes widened. "Do- do you mean they had game manuals?!? For- for tabletops!?!"


    Tessa frowned. "I don''t know what that means."


    Greg licked his lips nervously, practically vibrating like an addict who''d just found out there was a new dealer in town. "Okay. Okay okay okay okay, we, uh, we need to go check out the library. Eh! We''ll be back, I promise." Greg shut Jennifer''s protest down, jumping to his feet. "If we''re lucky, I''ll bring back something really fun we can do! Come on, let''s go!" He grabbed a bewildered Tessa by the wrist, dragging her away.


    Once they got out of the building, Greg let Tessa take the lead, following her excitedly as she led him to the library. He couldn''t believe the library might have tabletops! He hadn''t had much experience with tabletop RPGs, since they needed a dedicated group of friends to really get into, but he''d always wanted to get involved with them. He''d watched people play on the internet, tried out some of the video games that tried to replicate them, and even read some manuals and learned the rules so he would be ready to play if he ever got the chance. He wondered which manuals the library had. D&D would be a decent choice, classic option, but as Greg had looked through all the different systems out there, the one that had really caught his eye was GURPS. He appreciated the other systems, but they always felt vaguely¡­ limiting. You''d be stuck in a class, or a build, the game itself almost forcing you to choose one way to play. GURPS didn''t do that. There was no concept of roles or classes, just page after page of options for you to choose. He knew it''d be a bit harder for people to get into, but he couldn''t resist the freedom it offered.


    Finally, after a few twists and turns, they made it to the library, and Greg rushed inside. His eyes widened as he was greeted with the sight of shelf after shelf of books, stretching out in front of him in a magnificent display. Tears began to pool in the corners of his eyes as he brought his hands to his chest. "Oh, my precious friends, I''ve missed you!" He mumbled emotionally, before diving in, looking through the safe zone''s collection. Every now and then, a cry of an author''s name would escape his lips as he found their books neatly arranged along the shelves, excitedly grabbing any book he hadn''t read yet, as well as a few of his favorites to reread. It wasn''t long before his arms were overflowing with books.


    "Greg. Greg!" Tessa caught his attention as she finally caught up with the desperate book fiend. "Greg, there''s a four book limit!" She scolded him.


    Greg looked down at his armful of books which was getting close to the fifteen range. "But- I want them all¡­"


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "Come on, you, let''s put some of these back."


    Greg sighed and slowly retraced his steps, returning most of the books to their proper place, just keeping two. He still had to check out the game manuals, so he needed to leave some room. After they were done, Tessa led him to the games section, where his eyes widened yet again as he was greeted with even more wonderful things. The first thing he saw was the manuals, all different systems displayed proudly in their own sections. D&D had multiple shelves dedicated to it, sorted by edition. Even small games like Numenera had their own little space. Greg quickly b-lined to the GURPS section, grabbing the core books.


    Other than the game manuals, there were also shelves full of board and card games deeper in, which Greg couldn''t help but drool over. He recognized a few of his favorites, as well as some new games that looked interesting. He struggled over the choice for a moment, before eventually deciding to grab one of his favorites, a simple but fun game that he was fairly certain the others would enjoy. Once he was done picking, he brought his selections to the front desk to check out.


    The clerk took down his name and place of residence, before recording the items he''d borrowed. They wrote down the book titles, as well as the name of the game, before pausing as they got to the GURPS manuals. "Sir, would you like to rent these or get a copy? The copy is one coin each, but you wouldn''t need to return it."


    Greg''s eyes widened. "You have copies?"


    The clerk nodded. "Since game manuals are in such high demand, we scanned them into the system so we could print copies for everyone who wanted them."


    Greg didn''t even bother to listen to their entire explanation before fumbling with his pouch, pulling out two coins and slamming them on the counter. "I''ll take them!"


    The clerk was startled by his eagerness, but quickly ran to a cabinet to pull out two binders, exchanging them for the manuals and the coins. "There you are, sir. The books will need to be returned within a week, while the game must be returned by tomorrow night. Have a nice day!" Greg frowned when he heard they only had the game for a day, but when he considered the scarcity of games, he figured it made sense. You couldn''t have someone hogging a game all to themselves for too long. It just wouldn''t be fair to other people.


    Greg and Tessa returned to her apartment, at a much more relaxed pace. "There you are!" Victor exclaimed as they walked in, standing up from the couch to walk over. "You would not believe the morning I''ve had."


    "Victor? Casey? What are you guys doing here?" Greg asked, looking between the two. Apparently, after he and Tessa had left, the two of them had come around to look for him. The girls had told them he''d be back soon, so they stayed to wait. "Why were you looking for me?"


    Victor shook his head. "You''re not going to believe this. Guess who showed up at my door this morning?"


    Greg looked between him and Casey. "Casey?"


    "Eh? No! Well, yes, eventually, but that''s not the weird thing. It was Meredith!" Victor exclaimed.


    "Meredith?!?" Greg replied, his eyes widening, before they narrowed in suspicion. "What was she up to? She didn''t try anything on you, did she?"


    Victor snorted. "Please, have a little respect for me, will you? If she was just trying her usual tricks, I wouldn''t even mention it to you. Now, she was looking for you, and she said she wanted to talk, but that''s also not the weird part. See, you know how she usually dresses, right? The loose v-necks, the blouse unbuttoned down to her bellybutton, all that crap, right? Well get this. When she showed up, she was wearing a sweater! And not like a tight, form fitting one either! Just a big, thick sweater, covering everything! Then, once I tell her you aren''t there, she tells me to tell you she just wants to talk. You can name the time, name the place, and bring whoever you want. She also told me to tell you she promises she won''t try anything. And she actually sounded sincere! I couldn''t believe what I was hearing! Then, after she left, Casey came by with some interesting news." Victor finished explaining, gesturing for Casey to pick up where he left off.


    Casey nodded. "So, I met up with Emily this morning, for breakfast, and-"


    "Who''s Emily?" Greg asked, cocking his head.


    "She''s my girlfriend." Casey replied proudly. "She''s really cool, you have to meet her! She''s also a super, and she can shoot out these invisible attacks, it''s awesome!" Greg frowned, wondering why that sounded familiar, as Casey continued. "Anyways, we were talking, and apparently, Meredith quit Phoenix Squad! The entire squad is a mess! No one knows why, where she''s going, what she''s going to do, anything! Half the other squads are scrambling to recruit her, even Dragon Squad, but she won''t talk to any of them! It''s insane!"


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Victor turned back to Greg. "So, once I hear that, I get to thinking. Meredith quits her squad, ignores all the recruitment offers, and only wants to talk to you? There''s only two options here. Either she''s pregnant with your child-"


    "Dude! I haven''t even been here more than three days yet! Even if I had slept with her, there''s no way she''d be able to know if she was pregnant." Greg rolled his eyes.


    "Right, so that only leaves one option. Meredith wants to join our squad, because of you." Victor declared, grinning as he gave Greg a significant look. "Whatever you did, you must have been impressive."


    Greg frowned. "I didn''t really do much. I just sparred with- wait, uh¡­ hold on, it starts with an E."


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "Casey just said it. How did you already forget?"


    "I am terrible with names." Greg explained.


    "It''s true. He kept calling me Hector for like two weeks after we first met." Victor nodded.


    "Wait, you fought Emily?" Casey interjected, her eyes widening, before they narrowed again. "Is that why she came over yesterday all freaked out and shit?!? It took me hours to get her calmed down!"


    Greg coughed awkwardly. "It was just a spar¡­ I didn''t even hurt her!"


    "You better not have." Casey growled fiercely, pointing at him with a finger that began to glow red.


    Greg shook his head, before continuing. "Anyway, that''s really all I did. Me and-"


    "Emily." Tessa provided with another eyeroll.


    "Right, Emily, thank you, we just sparred and then she and Meredith got all weird. She ran out like she had a demon chasing her, while Meredith got all¡­ well, she still acted the same, but like, she meant it. I''m pretty sure if I''d told her to get on her knees and bark, she would have done it." Greg explained, frowning, as he still didn''t quite get their sudden shift. He hadn''t even done much. Why would their attitudes just shift like that?


    Tessa shook her head. "Greg, I don''t think you realize just how intimidating your other forms are. I''ve only seen you transform once, when you dealt with the men in the bazaar, and I was so stunned I didn''t even react until you''d already dealt with everything. That was with me knowing you, and what a goofball you really are. For people like Meredith and Emily¡­ There''s this primal fear that comes with facing something that is designed to kill you. Combine that with the fact that it can''t be killed, and you really only have two options: get on its good side, or run."


    Greg frowned. "I''m really that scary?"


    "Terrifying." Sarah answered in a low voice.


    "I think he looks cool!" Tina exclaimed. "All big and powerful, it''s awesome!"


    Jennifer nodded. "I have always found Greg''s other forms to be comforting. Power in the hands of someone as good as he is is not something to be feared."


    Casey and Victor shared a look. "We''ve actually never seen you in any other form, so¡­" Victor mentioned, shrugging.


    Greg frowned, before raising his eyebrows. "Huh, I guess you haven''t¡­ Do you want to?"


    "Not in my apartment!" Tessa hissed, glaring at him. "If you scratch my floors, I will be pissed."


    "Ah, maybe later then." Greg shrugged. "So¡­ who wants to play a game?"


    *


    "What do you mean your father wants to meet me?" Greg asked in shock. Greg, Victor, Tessa, and the rest had been playing the game Greg had picked up, when Patrick arrived, announcing that his father wanted to see Greg. They would have been playing GURPS, but Greg still needed to make a campaign, so that was on hold for a bit.


    "I mean my father wants to meet you." Patrick replied, raising an eyebrow. "It''s a pretty straight forward statement, you know?"


    "Okay, but why?" Greg asked. "I really don''t see how I can help him with any of this."


    "Greg, just go. If my father wants to talk to you, it''s going to happen." Tessa sighed, putting down her cards.


    "This isn''t fair!" Jennifer complained with a pout. "Why does everyone keep interrupting our day together!"


    "Jen, not the point." Greg grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Okay, let''s go then." He sighed, shaking his head.


    "I''ll go with you." Tessa stood up, walking over.


    "Ooh, can I come?" Tina asked cheerfully, flitting over from where she''d been munching on a chip.


    "I wouldn''t recommend it." Patrick shook his head. "Dad may have agreed to having ferals in the safe zone, but actually meeting with them¡­ let''s not test his limits." Patrick paused for a moment, before turning to Greg. "Why do you have so many ferals around you?"


    Greg looked around. "It''s only two¡­"


    Patrick rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, most people have comfortably managed to avoid collecting any ferals."


    Greg shrugged. "It just kinda happens every now and then. Usually I spend the night hunting down the¡­ Well, I call them the assholes. The ferals that prey on anyone weaker than them without regret." Greg paused. "Do I need a better term for them? I seem to need to explain it every time I bring it up."


    "How about psychopaths?" Tessa offered.


    "What''s so bad about being a psychopath?" Victor asked, sounding slightly offended.


    "Most of them are much worse than you." Casey replied, patting his hand. "Now would you hurry up? It''s your turn!"


    "Okay, can we just go now?" Patrick sighed, shaking his head.


    "Yeah, let''s go." Greg nodded, following him out, Tessa right behind him.


    Patrick took them to the central tower and into a small elevator, using a key to activate the power and pressing the button for the top floor. Greg raised an eyebrow. "You guys can use electricity for this one, but not for the apartments?"


    "Do you know how much power it would take to keep the apartment elevators running twenty-four seven? It''d be ridiculous!" Patrick explained. "Only three people have the key to this elevator. The amount of electricity involved is miniscule in comparison."


    "Yeah, yeah." Greg rolled his eyes. "That''s how the powerful always justify their excess. It isn''t wasteful because it''s exclusive."


    Patrick frowned while Tessa had a small smile. The rest of the elevator ride went in silence, until they eventually arrived, the doors opening into a large, open penthouse. "This way." Patrick grunted, leading them down a hall and into a large office. "Dad, I brought him."


    "Greg, welcome." Fredrick stood to his feet, walking forward with a grin, his hand out, when he paused as he caught sight of Tessa. "Oh, Tessa, you came as well?"


    Tessa nodded. "I was with Greg when Patrick came to get him."


    "Oh really?" Fredrick asked, turning an evaluating gaze on Greg, sending a chill down his back. "I didn''t realize you two were that close."


    "It wasn''t anything like that." Greg quickly explained. "It was a group thing, you know? A bunch of us all together."


    "Oh? And she chose to follow you here instead of remaining with your other friends? How interesting." Fredrick commented, maintaining that evaluating gaze.


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°Is it?¡±


    "Greg, ignore him." Tessa sighed, rolling her eyes. "What do you want, Dad?"


    "I was just interested in meeting the man who has delved so deeply into the midst of the ferals. The information he has obtained, or will obtain in the future, could be very useful for the safe zone." Fredrick explained, keeping his gaze on Greg as a slight frown formed. "I do wonder how you managed to accomplish this in the first place."


    "I just went out looking for a fight." Greg shrugged. "Though¡­ I did look like a big ass sharkman at the time."


    "Pardon?" Fredrick raised an eyebrow.


    "Uh¡­ I looked like a sharkman? I can transform into things I''ve dissolved." Greg explained.


    Fredrick blinked a few times. "You have an ability?"


    "Yeah?" Greg replied, giving him a strange look.


    "Interesting." Fredrick muttered, brows furrowing as he studied Greg even more intently, causing him to back away slightly.


    "Dad? What are you-" Patrick began in a questioning tone, looking confused.


    "My ability doesn''t seem to work on him. Rather strange, don''t you think?" Fredrick commented.


    Patrick''s eyes widened. "Are you sure?"


    Fredrick rolled his eyes. "Of course I''m sure. I know when my ability works or not."


    "But- but how?!?" Patrick asked incredulously.


    "I''m sorry, but what is your ability?" Greg asked, confused, looking between the two.


    "I can apply a portion of another''s power to myself or others within a certain range, either granting myself a minor form of said power, increasing the strength of my allies powers, or decreasing the strength of my enemies power by an equal margin." Fredrick explained.


    Greg''s eyebrows raised. "Huh¡­ well, I kinda can see why your ability wouldn''t affect me then. My power is pretty much being made out of smoke¡­ can''t really make that stronger or weaker, you know? Also, I don''t see how you could be like part smoke or something¡­ I don''t think that''d work."


    Fredrick shook his head. "Even if that was the case, I''d still be able to sense your ability. Take Tessa for example. I can''t do anything about her ability to shapeshift, but I can still tell she has such an ability. With you, I just don''t get anything. It''s strange."


    Greg shrugged helplessly. "I just do what I do.¡±


    "Indeed." Fredrick replied, eyes narrowing as he studied Greg a bit more before shaking his head. He headed to a small sitting area, waving Greg after him. "Anyway, please, have a seat. Tell me about yourself. Where are you from? Do you have any family around here?" He asked as he sat down, gesturing for Greg to sit in one of the chairs while Patrick and Tessa took their own seats.


    "I''m from a small town a few hours away." Greg explained as he sat down. "Well, a few hours by car¡­ might be a few days away now. Unless¡­ maybe if I flew there?" Greg paused, considering it for a bit before shaking his head. "Uh, sorry. As for family¡­ I might have some relatives around here, but I wouldn''t really know. There were some¡­ issues when I was younger. The only person I really know is my uncle because well, he''s the one who raised me, and he should have been in Vegas when all this happened¡­ not much point in going home then."


    "I see. Any friends you''re missing?" Fredrick asked.


    "Nah, Victor and Casey are both already here. In the same team too. Very convenient." Greg answered.


    Fredrick frowned. "You only have two friends?"


    "I didn''t get out much." Greg shrugged.


    "Uh huh¡­ Is there anything you want that we could provide for you then? Feel free to voice any request. We''re very motivated to keep useful supers such as yourself happy." Fredrick explained.


    Greg frowned. "Not really? I mean, I''d like to have video games and TV back but, well, even if you had the electronics, without the internet, it''s kinda pointless. I like books, but you already have a library¡­ all the diet coke is definitely skunked by now¡­ Oh! Uh¡­ so, I do occasionally run into a group of ferals who need protection. If you had somewhere I could put them where they''d be safe, that would really help me out. It isn''t like they need much either. Just somewhere they can hide, maybe something to entertain themselves, and they''re good."


    "You want me to shelter ferals. Really." Fredrick replied with a distasteful frown.


    "Well, no, not shelter them. Like, you don''t need to bring them here, but if you could have the Earth Bender dude make them a cave or something and put a nice sturdy door on it, it''d be better than the crappy apartment building I currently have them holed up in. I mean, it has bars on the windows, but¡­ ferals are strong, man." Greg elaborated. "I do think eventually ferals and humans could get along, but I don''t think either side is ready for it yet. It''d cause more problems than it''d solve."


    Fredrick continued to frown at him for a bit. "There''s really nothing else you want? Out of everything we could provide, you simply want a safe place to store your pet ferals?"


    "Yeah? Though I wouldn''t call them pets¡­ they are people you know." Greg replied.


    Fredrick snorted. "I''ll think about it. You can go now." He waved him away, standing to his feet and returning to his desk.


    Greg froze, a bit surprised by the sudden dismissal, before shrugging and heading to the elevator. Tessa sighed, shaking her head as she followed him, taking out her key to activate the elevator. "You shouldn''t have mentioned the ferals." She commented as the elevator began to descend.


    Greg frowned. "But he said I could ask for anything."


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "He meant drugs. Women. Stuff that used to be illegal before the world went to shit. He didn''t mean supporting you in protecting a group he considers to be inhuman garbage and a threat to everything he''s worked for!"


    "But they''re getting better! I told him that!" Greg exclaimed.


    Tessa shook her head. "People can''t just change their minds like that. In his view, ferals getting smarter is more of a threat than anything else. To him, your idea sounds more like building a fort for the enemy than protecting helpless victims. Even if he believed everyone you brought in would be good, he would still worry about whoever they let in, and rightly so. Good people tend to be naive and easily tricked by bad people."


    "That- well, that''s fair¡­ ugh, this is why I hate helping people. You always have to worry about how someone is going to take advantage of it." Greg grumbled.


    Tessa raised an eyebrow at him. "Don''t you go out and try to help people every night?"


    Greg shook his head. "Nonononono, I help a person or multiple persons. It''s much different than helping people. You see, helping a person is one on one, individual interaction where you do one thing that you know the effect of, like buying a meal for a homeless person. It''s when you try and help people, as in a continuous, sustained operation, like setting up a soup kitchen, that you start to have issues. You need rules and standards, which is tough because anything that keeps the bad people out leaves out some of the ones you wanted to help, and anything that includes all the people you want to help lets in a bunch of bad people as well. Then people begin to rely on it, as if getting stuff for free is just the way the world should work and even the people you were trying to help turn into assholes! It''s just a pain in the ass."


    Tessa frowned. "Then why try and get this safe place built?"


    Greg sighed. "Cause sometimes you need to do something anyway, even if it is a pain in the ass. Of course, ideally, I''d have a group of strong, moral ferals who could watch over said safe place, ensuring that everyone behaved. See, once you put people in charge of overseeing helping people, you bring it back to person to person interactions. Individual judgements. That''s the key to all this. However, I''m having a hard time actually finding any of these supposedly moral ferals, strong or not, and if they''re assholes it doesn''t work, so it''s kind of a moot point."


    "Well, you know what they say. ''Absolute power corrupts absolutely.'' Having strength out there in the city is pretty close to absolute power. Finding someone who can resist that is bound to be difficult." Tessa commented. "Even here in the safe zone we struggle with this. People with power get everything they want, while those without are lucky to be ignored."


    Greg frowned. "I don''t know¡­ I haven''t noticed anything that bad so far."


    Tessa shook her head. "You''ve only been here a few days. Give it time."

 Smoke: 17 - When you gotta go

    Greg and Tessa returned to her apartment, rejoining the game. "That was quick." Victor commented as they walked in.


    "I mentioned protecting ferals and he didn''t want to talk to me anymore." Greg explained with a shrug.


    "Ah. What a dick." Victor replied.


    "Dude, that''s Tessa''s dad." Greg scolded him.


    Victor blinked at him then turned to Tessa. "Your dad''s a dick."


    "I''m aware." Tessa agreed blandly.


    "See? No big deal." Victor smirked, turning back to Greg.


    Greg rolled his eyes. "Just give me my cards."


    "Is that really all you talked about? Protecting ferals?" Casey asked.


    "No, there was some stuff about my ability, he asked about where I''m from, my family and friends, stuff like that. We only got to the ferals when he asked what I wanted." Greg explained.


    "Ah, the ''you''re useful so let us pimp out the rest of our people to keep you happy'' talk." Victor nodded in understanding. "I should have known."


    "Yeah, I''m the dumbass who thought he was actually looking for what I wanted." Greg sighed.


    Victor grinned. "You''re not very smart, are you?"


    "Apparently not." Greg chuckled, grinning back.


    "At least he was in a position to get the speech." Casey retorted, nudging Victor with her elbow. "You aren''t even on Fredrick''s radar."


    "What can I say? I''m easily overlooked." Victor sighed, causing Greg to chuckle and Tessa and Casey to roll their eyes.


    Jennifer frowned. "I don''t get it."


    "It''s a pun." Victor explained. "My ability is to be unnoticeable, and being overlooked is another way to say I wasn''t noticed, you see?"


    "Oh¡­" Jennifer nodded along, before pausing and shaking her head. "No."


    "Don''t worry about it. It wasn''t funny anyways." Casey replied.


    "Who does get the talk then?" Greg asked.


    "Mostly teenagers going through puberty." Victor replied.


    "Quit it!" Casey growled at him.


    "You see, it''s all about the birds and the bees." Victor began.


    "I will burn you." Casey threatened, holding up a finger with a flame flickering above it.


    "People who have proved they are invaluable to the safe zone." Tessa answered Greg''s question, ignoring the other two. "Anyone with a high-tier ability, people like Meredith, high level engineers and scientists, and so on."


    Greg frowned. "Then why did I get the talk? I''m pretty sure I''m not at that level yet."


    "Don''t underestimate the value of information." Tessa replied. "The biggest fear my dad has is that somehow the ferals will organize and group up to attack the safe zone. They have enough powerful supers on their side that there''s a chance they could overwhelm our defenses if they all worked together. With you out there, we might at least get some prior warning, letting us prepare as much as possible."


    Greg paused. "So¡­ he probably wouldn''t want to hear that one of my plans is to try and organize the ferals, would he?"


    "No. No he would not." Tessa nodded in agreement.


    "Man, he is just destined to not like me." Greg sighed.


    "Maybe if you''d stop doing weird things all the time." Sarah grumbled from the side.


    "You''re a very close minded little girl, you know that?" Greg retorted. Sarah just stuck her tongue out at him, before looking back at her cards. Greg chuckled, shaking his head, when suddenly, he felt something snap and his gaze hardened. His head whipped around to stare directly at where the apartment building with all the feral girls would be. "I have to go." He growled, instantly turning into a cloud of smoke and shooting out of the apartment, heading over the walls and into the city.


    The table was slightly stunned by his sudden flight. "Little bit of an extreme reaction for a bathroom break, don''t you think?" Victor commented, causing everyone to groan.


    *


    "D-don''t come any closer!" The bird girl yelled from in front of the huddled mass of women as they pressed against the wall, staring at the large wolf man standing before them.


    "Listen! I''m not trying to hurt you!" He growled. "I have somewhere safe for you to live!"


    "Go away!" She cried.


    The wolf man snarled in frustration, stepping forward to grab her by the arm, pulling her after him. "Just come with me and see! I promise, you''ll be well taken care of!"


    "No! Let me go!" The bird girl panicked, struggling as she attempted to pull out of his grip. The other girls huddled in fear, too scared to oppose him.


    The wolf man had just managed to get the bird girl outside, when a cloud of smoke descended from the sky, transforming into the scorpocroc as it did, landing with a thud. A pincer flashed out, gripping the wolf man by the throat and lifting him into the air. "Let her go." Greg growled, glaring at the wolf man who instantly complied, recognizing that any resistance would mean instant death from a foe like this. "Are you alright?" Greg asked the bird girl.


    "Mighty one!" The bird girl exclaimed, leaping forward to latch onto him, tears streaming down her face as she cried. "He- he tried to take me away!"


    Greg turned back to the wolf man. "Where were you taking her?!? What were you planning to do to her!?! Speak!" The wolf man let out a few choking sounds, patting at Greg''s pincer. "Uh, oh, right, sorry." Greg coughed awkwardly as he released the claw, letting the wolf man fall as he gasped for air.


    "I-I wasn''t going to hurt her I swear!" The wolf man explained in a panic after he recovered his breath. "I-I didn''t realize these were your women! I-I apologize!"


    "My women?¡± Greg asked, cocking his head as he noticed the strange way the wolf man emphasized his relation to the women. ¡°Do you know me?"


    "Y-you are the mighty shifting cloud, yes? Y-you have killed many powerful ones and come out unscathed." The wolf man stammered.


    Greg frowned. "Yeah? But not around here I haven''t. I''ve only been active in this area one night. How do you know about me?"


    "I-I-I-I-I¡­" The wolf man stammered, eyes widening in fear as he was unable to answer Greg''s question.


    Greg''s eyes narrowed. "You have some sort of information network, don''t you? Which means you have some sort of organization¡­ where were you taking her?"


    "Nowhere!" The wolf man exclaimed. "I-I simply desired her and wished to take her back to my lair to mate! Yes, I wanted to mate with her! Please, I did not know she was yours! Please spare me!" The wolf man fell to his knees, bowing before Greg, shivering in fear.


    Greg considered the wolf man thoughtfully for a moment, before sending a wisp of smoke into him, focusing for a moment as he replaced a small bit of his shoulder. "Fine, you may go." He declared dismissively, before heading back into the apartment, trying to ignore the bird girl who was squirming against him in a very stimulating manner, so as not to give away the act. The wolf man watched him go in disbelief, before dashing away as quickly as possible.


    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Would you knock it off!" Greg chastised the bird girl the moment he noticed the wolf man was out of range, gently but firmly pushing her away.


    The bird girl cooed in disappointment. "Why will you not accept my appreciation, mighty one?" She pouted. "Am I not attractive enough for you?"


    Greg unconsciously looked her up and down, noticing her various ''features'' before quickly looking away, coughing awkwardly. "No, that''s- I mean you aren''t- I mean that isn''t the point! Sleeping with someone just because they protect you is wrong." Greg sighed, wondering why on earth he kept getting into this kind of shit. ¡°It doesn''t matter whether you''re attractive or not, because I wouldn''t have sex with you regardless. You aren''t in a position where you can comfortably say no, so any consent you give is suspect at best, which means anything I do to you would be rape¡­ Or at least rape adjacent. Got it?¡±


    The bird woman blinked, giving him a blank look. ¡°What is rape?¡±


    Greg grimaced. ¡°It''s- bad. Ugh, fuck it, here.¡± He fixed up the piece of glass for her, handing it back. ¡°Bye.¡± He grunted, quickly leaving before things could devolve. *Everyone in the apocalypse is a damn degenerate.* He grumbled to himself as he left.


    Since he was already out in the city, Greg decided to just stay out until morning, figuring it''d be pretty pointless to fly back only to head right back out again. He shifted into his sharkman form, looking for tracks, deciding to find another feral who knew the area to guide him. He was beginning to realize how lucky he''d been to meet Jennifer on his first night out. All she did was lead him around and keep him company, no sexual advances or vendettas that she pushed him to deal with for her. Unfortunately, even if he brought her out here, she didn''t know the area, so there wouldn''t be much point to it. Plus, he preferred she stay safe in the safe zone.


    Greg soon came upon what looked like a spider girl sneaking through the alleys. Her skin was covered in chitinous plates, she had four arms, two sets of eyes, and she had webbing draped all over her with little bits and bobs tangled up in it. He frowned for a moment as he realized he''d somehow found another woman, wondering if there was something he was doing to cause all this, before dismissing the thought. All he did was follow random footprints. It wasn''t his fault they always seemed to lead to women, right?


    Greg sighed, shifting into his scorpocroc form and stepping forward. "Hell-"


    "Ah!" The spider girl jumped, shrieking as she whirled on Greg, throwing her hands out and shooting a burst of webbing at him, covering him in a pile of sticky threads before booking it in the opposite direction!


    Greg grimaced slightly, turning into smoke to slip through the threads before chasing after her in his cheetahman form. He caught up to her before she even reached the end of the alley and grabbed her by the shoulder. ¡°Oop!¡± Greg winced as her momentum spun her around, causing her to trip and fall on her butt in front of him. "Sorry!" Greg apologized, instinctively lunging forward to help her up.


    "No!" The spider girl exclaimed, covering her eyes with one set of arms while the other thrust out to fend Greg off. She froze as instead of the expected pain, she found herself being gently lifted up and placed on her feet, a careful hand brushing some debris out of her hair. She carefully peeked out from between her fingers to see Greg stepping away, giving her some space.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to scare you like that. I''m¡­ just hoping you could tell me about this area? Like who the dangerous people are, where their lairs are, stuff like that." Greg explained, scratching his head, feeling slightly embarrassed.


    The spider girl hesitated, sizing him up with a suspicious expression. "That is all you wish from me?"


    "Well, if you could show me around, I wouldn''t complain, but it isn''t like I''m going to force you or anything." Greg shrugged.


    The spider girl eyed him suspiciously as she cautiously listed off the more dangerous ferals she knew, giving him a vague description of their location before tentatively stepping away, scampering off once Greg made it clear he wouldn''t stop her. "Thank you! Have a nice night." Greg called after her, grinning to himself as he headed towards the first target, a slight skip in his step. The spider girl paused once she was what she considered a safe distance away, watching him go with a frown. She narrowed her eyes, considering something for a moment, before carefully stalking after him, sticking to the shadows as she did. She couldn''t help but wonder what the hell was going on with this strange person.


    *


    Greg sighed in satisfaction as he finished dealing with his fifth target of the night, dissolving a hole in its chest after he finished it off. One of the perks of this area, as opposed to where Jennifer had been, was that everything was much closer together, so he didn''t have to waste a bunch of time walking everywhere. It''d only been a few hours and he''d already taken care of as many as he''d done in an entire night back there! Of course, he was also starting to feel the strain of too many intense fights happening back to back like that, getting to the point where even the walking he did do started to feel like a chore.


    He sighed, sitting next to the corpse he''d just made to rest for a bit as his mind flicked to the piece of smoke he''d hidden in the wolf man, frowning as he did. He''d been checking the wolf man''s progress pretty frequently, and it was clear he wasn''t getting to a base any time soon. The dude was just running around, looping through the area seemingly at random, as if he was trying to lose someone, which¡­ Probably made sense, now that Greg was thinking about it. If he was part of some secret organization of ferals, there was no way he''d go anywhere near their base until he was absolutely certain he wasn''t being followed, particularly after encountering someone like himself.


    Greg shook his head, getting up to do a walkthrough of his latest target''s lair, which was always the hardest part. If he was lucky, he''d find someone who''d only recently been captured, simply releasing them from whatever bonds the psychotic feral had placed them in and letting them run off after they thanked him profusely. If he wasn''t lucky¡­ the things people could go through and still survive were both incredible and heartbreaking. His only option was to put them out of their misery as quickly and painlessly as possible. Thankfully, this time, he was lucky. He found a feral woman locked in a small room, terrified but untouched. He quickly released her, smiling as he accepted her tearful gratitude, before sending her on her way. He sighed as he watched her run off into the distance, hoping she could stay safe on her own until he actually had someplace to send her.


    "Why are you doing this?" A curious voice came from behind him.


    Greg turned, surprised to see the spider girl from earlier standing there with a confused look on her face. "Oh, it''s you. Did you follow me?" Greg asked, cocking his head. She hadn''t seemed all that eager to stick around when he''d left.


    "I was curious about your intentions. Why look for people such as this?" She asked, nudging the corpse of the dead feral with her foot. "Why kill them? Why release those they have captured? Your actions seem to be contradictory. To the weak, you are kind and gentle, but to the strong you are vicious and cruel¡­ why?"


    Greg paused. "It isn''t about being strong or weak¡­ I''m vicious and cruel to people like him because they are vicious and cruel to others. I believe it''s necessary to remove them in order to keep everyone else safe. It''s really that simple."


    The spider girl narrowed her eyes at him. "Yet you seem to take great pleasure in doing so¡­ why is that?"


    Greg coughed in embarrassment. "That, uh, that''s a personal problem."


    The spider girl gave him another evaluating look. "You are a strange person."


    "Yeah, I get that a lot." Greg shrugged. "What can you do?"


    The spider girl frowned. "I can create threads to entangle my foes."


    "That- I wasn''t actually asking what you can do¡­" Greg explained. "I was saying I can''t do much about being strange."


    "Oh¡­ can you not? I believe simply adjusting your behavior slightly would suffice." The spider girl replied, cocking her head.


    "Well, sure, but that would go against my principles, you know?" Greg responded. "Besides, there''s nothing wrong with the way I am, even if it is a little odd."


    "I believe taking pleasure in other''s demise is quite wrong." The spider girl retorted.


    "If they deserve it, why shouldn''t I enjoy it?" Greg countered.


    "Hmm¡­ you are very strange." The spider girl muttered again.


    "So I''ve been told." Greg chuckled. "So, did you just come here to tell me I''m strange, or do you have something else to ask me about?"


    The spider girl hesitated slightly. "I- do not know why I have approached you¡­ I could not help myself. Your actions are so¡­ strange. I could not hold back my curiosity."


    "Fair enough." Greg shrugged. He stood there waiting for the spider girl to continue, but all she did was stare back at him. "Uh¡­ well, I''m going to continue with what I was doing then¡­ nice talking to you, I guess?" Greg waved goodbye awkwardly, before heading off towards his next target, shaking his head at how weird some of these ferals could get.


    The spider girl watched him go, with an inscrutable gaze before slipping away towards an unknown location. "I must report this to the others." She muttered to herself.


    *


    Later that night, several strange figures gathered together in the dark, far from any prying eyes. "Have you heard the reports?" One of the figures asked, looking around at the rest.


    "Of this ''Mighty Smoke Shifter'' fellow? Yes. They seem contradictory." Another commented with a frown.


    "A mix of ruthlessness and benevolence¡­ What a strange individual. Even the mad ones are less confusing than this." Yet another added.


    "Yet by all accounts, he is sane." The first figure replied.


    "His methods do have a strange logic to them. Deeming certain individuals irredeemable¡­ I do not like it, but I see the sense in it." A new voice interjected.


    "The effect is evident as well. Even after leaving his previous territory, the amount of violence has decreased considerably. There have even been protectors rising among them, such as the ice and spine twins, inspired by his example." A fifth voice entered the conversation.


    "But at what cost?" The third voice countered. "The amount of powerful individuals dead at his hands, those who could stand against the unformed and live¡­ without their deterrence, the others will suffer even more at the hands of the unformed! He has simply traded a lesser evil for a greater one! We simply cannot support a policy which weakens our own kind so."


    The fifth individual shook their head. "This unformed threat of yours is just that: unformed! You speak of how they will seek our destruction, yet every piece of evidence we see suggests they simply wish to avoid us as they gather their strange resources! Where are the hunters you so fear? Why have they not appeared to rain destruction upon us?"


    "How dare you question their threat! Do you not remember why we hide? Why we no longer gather? I was there when our homes were raided! Every time our people manage to gather together, the unformed seek to destroy us!" The third voice growled in anger.


    "Enough!" The first voice yelled, silencing the other two. "The threat of the unformed is clear." They announced, causing the fifth voice to huff in frustration. "However, these¡­ assholes, as the mighty cloud shifter calls them, are no friends to us either. Their power does not help us when it is turned upon our own kind so indiscriminately. Maybe¡­ maybe there is merit in their methods."

 Smoke: 18 - Its a thing

    Greg returned to the safe zone early the next morning, slipping under the wall as he remembered Patrick''s advice, vaguely noting that he seemed to move slower underground than he did through the air. Which, he supposed, made sense. No matter how weird his smoke was, it was still something, and things didn''t travel through the ground as easily as they did air. Most things couldn''t travel through the ground at all. The fact that all he did was slow down was still pretty ridiculous. And also rather helpful because by the time he shook himself out of that line of thought, he was practically in the middle of the safe zone. If he''d been going his normal speed, he probably would have overshot it completely.


    He slipped into an alley and returned to his human form, groaning slightly as he limped towards Victor''s place. He had officially pushed himself too far last night, letting the strain build up to the point where he felt like he was walking through sludge, having to push with everything he had just to take a single step! He''d managed to get by in the city by mostly traveling as smoke, which didn''t seem to take any effort at all, letting him recover just enough that he could make one solid blow, then sitting there as the ferals tore at him, waiting until he got the perfect opening to end it, and avoiding any that seemed more intelligent than a four year old so they actually would keep tearing at him. It''d let him take out a full sixteen ferals throughout the entire night, but he wasn''t sure he''d be up to do anything anytime soon.


    Greg grimaced. The problem was that once he had a target, he literally couldn''t stop himself from going after them without a legitimate excuse, and the fact that it would be harder just didn''t qualify as one for him. Maybe if the strain made him feel tired it''d be different, but even now, he wasn''t exhausted, he was just¡­ limited. Like yeah, he felt like he was walking through molasses, but he still felt¡­ fresh? Like every step was his first, not the indeterminate slog it actually was. Kinda like he was a robot with rusty joints or something. Sure it made everything harder, but he didn''t actually care that it was harder. Though maybe he should, considering he had people he needed to protect¡­ There was no way he''d be in any position to do anything if he felt the glass break right now. Well, he could show up at least, but actually stopping anyone would be almost impossible. Which¡­ wasn''t good. And that was a legitimate excuse he could use.


    Speaking of, he''d continued to monitor the wolf man''s location throughout the night, but he was still just randomly circulating through the same area for some reason. He at least seemed less panicked than he had earlier in the night, but he still didn''t seem inclined to head to any sort of base any time soon. Still, Greg had hope, idly considering how he''d approach these ¡®good ferals¡¯ when he did find them, getting so lost in thought that he didn''t even notice the person standing by Victor''s door until she was right in front of him. "Hm? Gah! Meredith!" Greg exclaimed, stumbling backwards as he raised his hands defensively, feeling like he should run, but conversely not really wanting to run¡­ bitch or no, the woman was hot, and a not insignificant part of him really hoped she''d give him a good excuse to go for it. Not that he had any idea what a good excuse would be, but he was open to being surprised. He paused as he realized the two of them had just been staring at each other for about half a minute now, coughing awkwardly as he dropped his defensive stance. ¡°Uh¡­ What''s up?¡± He asked cautiously.


    "I''ve been waiting for you." Meredith explained, flushing slightly. "You never responded to my message yesterday¡­ I''m not used to men ignoring me, you know." She joked half-heartedly, but without her usual, flirty demeanor, it just came across as forced. She wasn''t wearing her usual outfit either. Instead she''d put on a bulky overshirt which gave her more of a girl next door vibe. Still attractive, but not in your face about it.


    "Message? Oh, right! You wanted to talk¡­ uh, sorry, I got sort of caught up in some other stuff and I forgot." Greg explained, scratching his head somewhat sheepishly, which was only half true. He had gotten caught up, particularly with the Fredrick stuff, but he''d really just blown her off because¡­ Well, because he actually did want to talk to her and he knew he shouldn''t, so he ignored it.


    Meredith shook her head. "It''s alright, I understand. You ended up talking with Fredrick, right? That must have been all you could think about. I know how intense he can be."


    Greg raised an eyebrow at her. "How''d you know about that?"


    Meredith flushed. "I''ve developed a rather decent information network in the safe zone¡­ Not much escapes my notice."


    "Is that how you keep finding me?" Greg asked. Meredith paused for a moment, before nodding nervously. Greg sighed, shaking his head. "No wonder¡­ Why are you being so persistent about all this? I mean, you didn''t even know what my ability was before, and you were still hunting me down like a kid chasing a breakfast cereal mascot."


    Meredith''s flush deepened. "At first, I was just trying to annoy Tessa. I knew you two were close, so stealing you from her would- See, she and I have a small rivalry over who the most desirable woman in the safe zone is¡­ If I could steal you from her, it would prove that I was the more desirable one. It didn''t really matter how strong you were. Then once I saw how strong you actually are¡­ I just- I need to be on the same squad as you! If I have someone like you to keep me safe¡­¡± She eyed him with an almost hungry look in her eyes as she trailed off, instinctively posing herself a bit more seductively.


    Greg frowned. His first thought was that this rivalry of hers had to be largely one sided, because he didn''t think Tessa gave two shits about being the most desirable woman in the safe zone. His second thought was why the hell did women keep trying to sleep with him for protection!?! He really didn''t need the temptation. Plus, why him? He got it for the ferals, but Meredith had to have better options, right? "What about the high-tiers? I can promise you, if they''re all like that Earth Bender guy and Patrick, they''re much stronger than I am. Why not join one of their squads?"


    Meredith sighed. "High-tiers aren''t allowed to join squads because they''re too important to the defense of the safe zone. They have to remain here to keep everyone safe.¡±


    Greg paused. "Well¡­ I suppose that makes sense. You don''t want your strongest fighters to be god knows where when danger comes knocking. Still though, aren''t you one of the most desirable women in the safe zone? Why not rely on one of them?"


    Meredith crossed her arms and huffed. "People who can be of use to the safe zone aren''t allowed to live in indolence. If Fredrick caught me living easy off one of the high-tiers, he''d throw me out into the city faster than you could blink. He doesn''t mind if you''re weak, but if you''re strong, and you don''t do anything with it, he has no use for you."


    "Huh¡­ harsh, but I can''t say I disagree." Greg muttered. "So¡­ I guess the end of all this is you want to join Unicorn Squad, right?"


    Meredith nodded. "You know my ability. I would help keep the rest of the squad safe, while you would keep me safe. None of your members are weak, and with my ability letting you take more risks, I''m sure the squad will shoot to the top of the rankings in no time! It''s a win-win scenario! Plus¡­ My offer still stands. Anything you want from me, I''ll give you willingly. Eagerly~¡± She finished, watching him carefully, biting her lip to pull off a cautiously seductive look. Apparently she was still holding on to a bit of hope that she could ''steal'' him from Tessa.


    Greg groaned. ¡°Okay, look, if you want to be on the squad, then this has to stop, because you are absolutely capable of twisting me around your finger and I''m not putting the squad through that. You''re either with me or you''re on the squad, not both.¡±


    Meredith frowned. ¡°Why would I want to be with you if I couldn''t be on the squad?¡±


    Greg shrugged helplessly. ¡°Because you actually like me?¡± Meredith just raised an eyebrow at him, like he''d just told a bad joke, causing Greg to deflate slightly. ¡°Yeah, okay, I guess that was a longshot¡­ anyway, my point is, you either get influence over me, or over the squad, not both. I''m sure we''ll start to get reliant on your healing, so the others are going to be motivated to give you whatever you want, but as long as I''m not sleeping with you, I don''t give a fuck what you want.¡±


    Meredith frowned. ¡°Why would that matter?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Because you''re a bitch? I mean, we were just talking about how you tried to ¡®steal¡¯ me from Tessa, which is ridiculous in the first place since we aren''t even a thing, but it''s still absolutely a bitch move. Someone needs to be in a position to tell you to cut that shit out.¡±


    Meredith''s eyes widened, her mouth working wordlessly for a moment. ¡°I''m not a bitch!¡± She hissed angrily.


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is there a non-bitchy reason to try to steal a man from someone?¡±


    Meredith glared at him. ¡°I was simply letting you know you had options. If that could steal you away, then you weren''t really hers in the first place!¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Fair¡­ but you''ve already made it clear you don''t actually like me, so you were just leading me on, which is still a bitch move. No matter how you cut it, you were trying to hurt at least one of us.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have to stand here and be insulted like this!¡± Meredith huffed.


    ¡°I mean¡­ You kinda do? If you want to be on the squad at least. Cause we don''t want to have to deal with you being a bitch all the time.¡± Greg pointed out.


    Meredith froze, then turned a predatory look on him, sauntering forward. ¡°What if I took you, twisted you around my finger, and made you join a squad with me?¡± She asked with a dangerous purr, reaching out to place a hand on his chest. They were both very clear that if she wanted him, she could have him, and once she had him¡­


    Greg shook his head. ¡°Wouldn''t work. I''ll put myself through a toxic relationship if the benefits are good enough, but no matter what, I''m not putting my friends through that shit, and abandoning them just because my shitty girlfriend wants me too isn''t going to happen either. Like, I would really like to sleep with you, but I''m not going to ruin my life over it, you know? Half the reason I¡¯m so tempted is because I honestly don''t think I''d care about most of the shit you''d try to pull. It isn''t like I love you or anything, I just think your body is freaking bonkers.¡±


    Meredith blinked, not entirely sure how she should take that. ¡°I- see¡­ So I can join the squad?¡± She asked, sighing as she took a step back.


    ¡°I don''t think it''s really my decision, but I''ll put in a good word for you?¡± Greg offered.


    ¡°Very well. I hope to hear from you soon.¡± Meredith nodded, immediately turning and walking off.


    *


    "So Meredith does want to join Unicorn Squad, huh?" Victor commented after he woke up and Greg told him the news. "Well I''ll be damned."


    "Yeah. So what do you think? Should we go for it?" Greg asked.


    Victor sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don''t know. I mean, if she can avoid being her usual Queen Bitch of Hell self, she''d be an amazing asset. But¡­ well, she can be a fucking Queen Bitch of Hell. I mean, I''ve seen it happen again and again. She comes on real sweet, gets you all wound around her finger, until you''re practically addicted to her, and then she turns it around and you can''t help but do everything she says cause you need her more than she needs you.¡±


    ¡°That''s why I told her she can''t be with me if she''s on the squad.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°I don''t need her healing, so she can''t hold that over me, and if she isn''t sleeping with me, I have no problem putting her in her place if necessary.¡±


    Victor raised an eyebrow. ¡°And she¡­ accepted that?¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Greg shrugged. ¡°I mean, she didn''t seem to appreciate being called a bitch, but yeah? She still wants to join the squad at least.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, hold on.¡± Victor held up a hand. ¡°You called her a bitch? To her face? And she still wants to be on the same squad as you?!?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Victor just stared at him for a moment. ¡°Shit, maybe this can work.¡± He muttered.


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Maybe. I mean, obviously she''s still going to try, because duh, but¡­ well, I''m kinda hoping you guys do let her on the squad, because then she''ll be officially off limits and I''ll be free.¡± He sighed wistfully.


    Victor snorted. ¡°Or you could just start dating Tessa already.¡±


    Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°Dude, that''s not a thing.¡±


    ¡°That''s totally a thing, and the fact that you can''t see it is hilarious.¡± Victor snickered.


    Greg grimaced. ¡°Okay, look, I get that Tessa is a bit invested in me, but that doesn''t mean it''s romantic, you know? She probably just feels responsible for me or something.¡±


    Victor nodded. ¡°Sure, sure. But it absolutely is romantic, so¡­ get on that, huh? Or I''m pretty sure she''s going to start stabbing me soon, and I don''t heal the same. Though if we got Meredith¡­¡± He hummed thoughtfully, tapping his chin.


    Greg grumbled under his breath, letting the topic drop. It wasn''t that he didn''t think Tessa could actually be into him, or that he couldn''t be into her as well, it was just¡­ he didn''t want to fuck things up. And if he was wrong, it would fuck things up. The squad seemed to have enough drama as it was, and if he made Tessa uncomfortable, there might not even be a squad. He didn''t want to be the reason everything fell apart. He''d played that role too often already.


    *


    "Meredith is competing with me?" Tessa asked incredulously. She''d swung by to pick Greg up for training again, and he''d told her about Meredith as they made their way to the training rooms. It''d been a few hours since he got back, so the strain wouldn''t get in the way, though it still wasn''t completely gone. Maybe halfway there? But more than enough for training, since he didn''t really need to push himself for that.


    "Yeah, she seems to think you two are rivals for most desirable women in the safe zone." Greg nodded before pausing. "Though, now that I think about it, doesn''t Sarah get that title by default? I mean, it''s literally her ability."


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "Yes, let''s just parade Sarah around the safe zone, let all the perverts get a good look at her. That will show Meredith."


    "Hey, I wasn''t suggesting anything like that. I mean, who cares who''s the most desirable in the safe zone? I was just saying it''s sort of a pointless debate seeing as Sarah literally has cheats. Unless you wanted to add in women¡­ but then you''d have to count desirable guys as well, so that just makes things even more complicated." Greg rambled, frowning as he went down the rabbit hole.


    Tessa sighed. "Greg, not the point! Meredith has been carrying on some sort of imaginary competition with me this entire time! It''s insane!"


    Greg paused. "Well, the competition isn''t exactly imaginary. I mean, just because you don''t care, doesn''t mean people don''t desire you. Though¡­ the fact that you aren''t even trying does make it kind of sad for Meredith." Tessa gave Greg a flat, unamused stare. "Uh, anyway, the real point is whether or not we actually want her in our Squad. I think I''ll be able to control her, but is it really worth having to control her in the first place?¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°You think you can control her? You can barely control yourself!¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hey now. I''m tempted by her because there''s no good reason not to be with her. At least, from my standpoint the benefits outweigh the cost. Not by a lot mind you, but¡­ enough. But once she''s on the squad, that equation flips because then I''m the one who has to handle her, and I''m not going to be able to do that if I''m sleeping with her.¡± Greg paused. ¡°Well, no, I might, but definitely not as well¡­ Anyway, what I''m saying is that it isn''t like sex makes me lose my mind, I just have a hard time not indulging when I don''t see any reason not to.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°Elaborate.¡±


    Greg sighed. "Alright, basically, I have my issues. I know my issues. I''m prone to excess. I sleep too much, I eat too much, I read too much, anything I enjoy, as long as it isn''t wrong, I do it as much as I can. I really just can''t stop myself. And at its core, sleeping with Meredith isn''t wrong, and I''m pretty freaking certain I''d enjoy it. Of course, there are incidentals that make it ill-advised, like the fact that she''s a bitch, and all my friends would judge me for it if I actually did it, hell, I would judge myself for it, so I have some measure of resistance, but it''s still hard. But if she''s in the squad, then sleeping with her would give her power over everyone else, which is wrong, so I wouldn''t be tempted to sleep with her anymore! Which would be a huge relief because I don''t actually want to sleep with her.¡±


    Tessa scowled. "If you don''t want to do it, then don''t do it! Why would you want to do something you don''t want to do?!?¡±


    Greg grimaced. "Because I do want to do it. It''s like¡­ intellectually, I know it''s ultimately a bad idea, but I also know it''d be really fun in the moment. And unfortunately, I''m not that great with long-term consequences¡­ I mean, I recognize them, but I''m not the best at caring about them. Like, I can deal with being miserable later as long as I get to enjoy myself right now, you know?¡±


    Tessa threw up her hands in exasperation. "Then just go do it already! Why stop yourself? Go, have fun!"


    "No, that''s not-" Greg''s expression twisted as he tried to figure out how to explain this. "It''s- okay, say you''re really craving chocolate, but you know you shouldn''t have chocolate. It isn''t like you''re going to go out of your way to buy chocolate, but if there happens to be a chocolate bar right next to you, you''re going to have a hard time not eating that chocolate bar, right? Does that make any sense? Plus, it isn''t like the consequences are terrible. Maybe you break your diet, but like, you can just do better later. Of course, you never actually do do better later¡­ But a little extra weight isn''t the worst thing in the world either. The whole Meredith thing is like that. Sure, if I went for it, there''d be consequences, but they wouldn''t be terrible consequences. It isn''t like people don''t sleep around, and while yeah, relationships based solely on sex aren''t great, people still do it, and they at least seem to enjoy it. I don''t necessarily want to be that kind of person, but I don''t see anything inherently wrong about it.¡±


    Tessa raised an eyebrow at him. "You don''t see anything wrong with only using women for sex?" She asked, crossing her arms.


    Greg frowned. "Well, it depends on how you do it, doesn''t it? If you''re tricking women into bed by pretending you have feelings for them, then yeah, that''s wrong, but if you''re up front about it and everyone involved knows what the deal is and consents, then what''s the harm? You use them, they use you, and everyone''s happy."


    "If that''s what you think, then why don''t you want to do it?" Tessa asked, looking legitimately confused. She just could not get Greg''s reasoning.


    Greg sighed. "Because I want to find a real relationship, you know? One based on love and respect. It''s hard to find something like that when you spend all your time and energy on shallow flings. I know some people get lucky and turn flings into serious relationships, but¡­ I just don''t think it''s common enough to depend on. Though¡­ it isn''t like I''m finding anyone doing what I''m doing either." Greg paused. ¡°Actually, I seem to be meeting a lot of girls lately¡­ but not many I''d actually consider being with, you know? Especially since most of them are ferals who probably don''t even understand what commitment is.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Honestly, I got nothing on relationships. Not real ones, at least. I''ve always figured my best chance is that she''ll find me. But knowing me, I''d probably overthink it or think I was just imagining things and ignore her anyway.¡± Tessa blinked, looking at Greg with a mix of exasperation and incredulity. "What?" Greg asked as he noticed her look.


    "You-" Tessa began, before sighing in defeat. "Nothing. Come on, we have training to do." She grumbled, stalking off towards the training rooms. Greg watched her go with a confused expression, before shrugging and following. He vaguely felt like he was missing something, but he just couldn''t figure out what. Eh, he was probably just imagining it. He had a very active imagination.


    *


    Casey heard a knock on her door, her eyes widening in surprise as she found Tessa, instead of Emily, who was supposed to show up sometime soon. "Hey, Casey. Can- can I talk to you about something?" Tessa asked, shuffling slightly in an uncharacteristic display of nervousness, increasing Casey''s confusion even further.


    "Uh¡­ yeah? Yeah! Come on in." Casey shook herself from her daze, stepping aside to let Tessa in, the two taking a seat on Casey''s couch, Tessa sitting there quietly for a moment until Casey coughed. "Uh, so¡­ what did you want to talk about?"


    Tessa hesitated slightly, before replying. "It''s- well- with- with Greg¡­ is- is there something¡­ up with him? Like, what''s his deal?" She asked nervously.


    "Greg?" Casey responded, eyebrows rising slightly in surprise, before furrowing down into a frown. "Up with him? I- kinda? I guess? I wouldn''t know how to describe it though¡­ he''s just- well, he''s Greg. I think the only person who really understands him is himself. Maybe Victor, but even then, I think it''s more that they operate on similar wavelengths, than any true level of understanding." Casey explained thoughtfully, before pausing, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Wait, why? What did he do? He didn''t bring home another feral, did he?"


    "No, he didn''t do anything." Tessa groaned. "I just- I don''t get why he can get that Meredith-" Tessa spat out her name in a tone of disgust."-is into him, yet when I-" Tessa froze, realizing she''d said more than she meant to, flushing slightly.


    Casey''s eyebrows shot up. "You- you like Greg?" Tessa hesitated, before nodding stiffly. "That''s- that''s- that''s great!" Casey exclaimed excitedly, jumping to her feet and moving to sit right next to Tessa, grabbing her by the hands. "Since when? What is it you like about him?"


    Tessa froze. "I- I- it- I-" She stammered, before taking a deep breath. "I- I think it started after he saved me from that feral, the one who was keeping Sarah captive¡­ he just- it was the first time I saw how¡­ sturdy he can be. He- he has this absolute sense of what''s right and what''s wrong, and- he just doesn''t move from it. He could have left Sarah- he could have left me, but¡­ he didn''t. He couldn''t. It isn''t who he is. And I just see it more and more. With Sarah''s ability, with the ferals, with-" Tessa paused. "Well, less with Meredith than I would like, but he at least shows resistance." She grumbled. "Plus¡­ Well, he''s kind of a dork, and I like that." She added quickly, flushing lightly.


    "Huh¡­" Casey grunted, cocking her head as she considered Tessa''s explanation. "So¡­ Do you think he likes you back?"


    "I don''t know!" Tessa let out another groan, throwing herself back into the couch. "I''m not even sure he realizes I like him! I mean, I go out of my way to train with him, I take him dancing, we have lunch every day, and- and- nothing! I don''t know if he''s purposefully ignoring me or if he''s really that oblivious!"


    "Well, if I had to guess¡­" Casey sighed. "Greg can be really, really oblivious. Like, it isn''t even funny. I once saw a girl go up to him to ask if he wanted to do homework together, and do you want to know what his response was? ''No, I already did it''! And he just walked off, leaving the poor girl just standing there! The worst part? I knew he had a crush on her! At least, he was interested. And it wasn''t like he was scared or nervous or anything, he just¡­ the idea that doing homework together was an excuse to hang out never occurred to him."


    Tessa frowned. "So what, do I have to start acting like Meredith? Show off three quarters of my tits and plaster myself against him?"


    Casey paused, before shaking her head. "As much as I would love to see that, I wouldn''t actually recommend it. Honestly, I think your best bet would be to just tell him you like him and see what happens."


    Tessa grunted noncommittally, frowning as she considered Casey''s suggestion. It wasn''t that she couldn''t do it, but¡­ the fact that she had to do it just made her uncomfortable. Why could he read Meredith''s intentions, but not hers? Why was what she''d already done not enough to get through to him? Her fingers felt itchy as she thought of stabbing Greg again, gritting her teeth in frustration. Finally, she let out a sigh, getting to her feet. "Thank you for talking about this with me. I- I have a lot to think about." She thanked Casey, before leaving the apartment, heading for someplace quiet where she could be alone with her thoughts.

 Smoke: 19 - Responsible

    After lunch with Tessa, Greg went to Jake to let him know about Meredith''s offer, before heading back to Victor''s apartment to read. It''d been so long since he was able to truly lose himself in a good book, he almost didn''t realize it''d gotten dark until a drunk Victor stumbled back to the apartment and passed out on the floor. Greg moved him into his room, making sure he wouldn''t drown in his own vomit, before heading into the city for the night.


    He still had a few of the psychotic ferals he''d learned about from the spider girl to hit, so he didn''t waste any time looking for an informant that night. However, he did decide to limit himself to one fight every hour, spending the interim working on creating a GURPS campaign, having dissolved the core books so he could remake them whenever he liked, along with a notebook so he could write things down. "I wasn''t sure if you would come here tonight." A voice called out after he finished dealing with the fourth feral of the night.


    Greg turned to find the spider girl leaning against a nearby building, watching him with a complicated look in her eye. "Have you been waiting for me?" Greg asked, raising an eyebrow at her, or at least, what constituted an eyebrow in his current form.


    The spider girl nodded, stepping towards him. "Indeed. I was wondering if you might consider a more¡­ active partnership."


    Greg frowned, taking a step back, watching the spider girl warily. "In what way?"


    The spider girl cocked her head, looking confused. "In what you are doing? Tracking down dangerous individuals and¡­ disposing of them."


    Greg breathed out a sigh of relief, relaxing. "Ah, okay, cool. I thought you wanted to sleep with me or something."


    The spider girl frowned. "Sleep with you? I suppose resting together would provide a sense of comfort¡­ you are powerful, and your presence would deter any violent ones who may attempt to harm me."


    "Uh, that''s not- you know what, nevermind." Greg shook his head, deciding to move on. "What would this partnership look like? How would you help me?"


    "I would investigate the violent ones, determine their level of¡­ assholeness, as you say, then deliver you a list of locations, strengths, and weaknesses, which you will then¡­ take care of." The spider girl explained simply.


    Greg considered her offer for a moment, before shrugging. He didn''t really see any reason not to accept. He''d have to check out the first few she sent him after, just to make sure she wasn''t using him to settle her own personal grudges, but he had to observe just to see whether they were redeemable or not anyway, and it''d be a good way to waste time while he reduced his strain. "Sure, why not?" He paused, before creating a piece of glass and tossing it to her. "Just break that whenever you want to talk, alright? Or if you''re in danger or something."


    Spider girl caught the glass in surprise, her eyes widening, looking down at it before looking back up at Greg. "I- I break it?!?"


    "Yup, like this." Greg replied, making another piece of glass, before breaking it and reforming it, then dispersing it back into smoke. "I''m aware of anything made from my smoke, so I can tell when you break it and know where to go. It''ll also let me find you if I need to talk to you for any reason."


    The spider girl studied the glass for a moment longer, before nodding seriously, sticking the piece of glass to her wedding, adding a few more threads to secure it firmly. "Then I shall do my best to find as many assholes as I can." She replied seriously.


    Greg nodded. "Cool. Have fun. Don''t get yourself hurt, you hear?" He waved her off, sitting down and creating the GURPS books, getting back to work on his campaign.


    The spider girl watched him with a complicated expression, before turning and slinking off through the alleyways. She wasn''t sure why the elders had tasked her with directing this mighty one, but she would fulfill her task diligently, focusing him towards the most dangerous fiends that stalked the city, and away from the more benign threats, beings that were simply cruel, rather than dangerous. The tentacled one for example. If anything, his cruelty was beneficial, keeping many females safe, if not happy. Not ideal to be sure, but not dangerous. Not harmful. No, beings such as he did not need to be disposed of, as the Mighty Shifting Cloud seemed to believe, but the others¡­ She agreed that the others needed to go.


    *


    Greg returned to the safe zone after another long, bloody night, almost wishing he could yawn and stretch, but he just wasn''t tired. Sure, the strain was there, but if anything that inhibited stretching. Honestly, this endless stamina was beginning to mess with him. Every time he did something, fought a particularly vicious feral, flew further into the city, struggled with the strain, any time he exerted himself really, he felt like he should be tired, but¡­ he just wasn''t. There were no aches, no pains, no yawns or stretches, just¡­ nothing. He didn''t even particularly feel good, he just felt functional. Like he was ready to do whatever he needed to do. He missed the satisfaction of a good rest, of a tense knot suddenly releasing. Hell, he even missed a bad rest, where you snuggled back under the covers and refused to move again, too groggy to face the world. He didn''t miss minor aches and pains though¡­ Those were annoying.


    Greg sighed lightly as he returned to the apartment, checking briefly on Victor to make sure he was still okay, before returning to the couch and his book. At least he still had reading. Glorious, glorious reading. He lost himself in the book once again, until there was a soft knock at the door. Greg got up to answer it, setting aside his book with a sigh and opening the door to see Tessa. He glanced at the clock on the wall. "Time for training?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Tessa nodded, a bit of stiffness to her nod that Greg failed to notice. "Are you ready?"


    Greg sighed. "When am I not? My ability eliminates any need for hygiene. Or sleep." He spat the last bit out in a bitter tone.


    Tessa rolled her eyes, turning to go as she glanced over her shoulder. "You know, most people would think that was a good thing."


    "Yeah, well, most people are dumb." Greg retorted, following her, closing the door behind him. "Sleep is one of the most beautiful things one can do! Napping, dozing, dreaming. God do I miss dreams." Greg added wistfully.


    "So you''ve said." Tess replied, smirking slightly.


    "It bears repeating." Greg shot back. "You people¡­ you have no idea how lucky you really are." He added, clicking his tongue.


    Tessa shook her head, unable to keep the smile off her face, until something hit her and her expression turned complicated. She glanced over at the man walking next to her, staring off into the distance with a slightly bored expression, and she couldn''t stop her heart from beating faster. He was just so¡­ Tessa looked away in frustration. Why didn''t he seem to get that she liked him?!? Did he just not see her that way? Tessa glanced over at him again as they stepped out into the street, watching his eyes flicker as he looked around, occasionally pausing for a moment before moving on, almost as if he was searching for something, but never finding it. He always did this whenever they were around people. She thought he was paranoid or anxious at first, but from the way he walked, the way he talked while doing it, completely relaxed, as he was with almost everything he did, she knew that wasn''t it. He was just¡­ observing. Occasionally a small smile would play across his face as he seemed to find something amusing, before quickly disappearing as his eyes flicked away again, searching for the next thing he found interesting. She wondered what he thought when his eyes landed on her¡­


    "So, what''s the plan for today?" Greg suddenly asked, glancing over at her. "More stances and punching?"


    Tessa''s expression twisted before releasing a sigh. "Actually, today I was thinking we would move on to sparring." She replied. "You could use a good beating." She added under her breath.


    "Sparring, huh? Sounds fun." Greg agreed. Since he''d paced himself last night, he barely had any strain to deal with, so it wouldn''t be an issue if he pushed himself a little. "Though, I get a lot of that during the night."


    Tessa rolled her eyes. "Against ferals. You need some practice against someone who actually has some skill."


    "Oh? So you''re bringing in someone else then?" Greg asked, suppressing a grin. Tessa shot him a dirty look, instinctually sharpening her arm and stabbing it into his side as the aggravating man burst out laughing. She added an extra stab for good measure, venting a bit of frustration as Greg yelped.


    They walked the rest of the way in silence, barring the occasional snicker from Greg, soon arriving at the training rooms. Tessa stripped off her outerwear, revealing her training outfit, which¡­ Well, usually she wore a pair of loose shorts and a cutoff T-shirt with these, but- Tessa watched as Greg''s eyes widened slightly, taking in the form fitting outfit, a slight grin playing across her face. "Ready?" She asked, falling into a fighting stance as his eyes snapped up, his face flushing in embarrassment.


    Greg nodded stiffly, falling into a fighting stance of his own, trying to keep his eyes from straying downwards. *It''s just yoga pants and a sports bra, dude! Calm your shit!* He internally scolded himself, another part of him reflecting on the unfairness of shapeshifters. That ass could not be natural. "Ready." Tessa nodded, before shuffling forward using her smooth footwork, jabbing at Greg''s face as the spar began.


    Once they got into it, Greg''s distraction quickly faded as he focused on Tessa''s attacks, dodging as much as he could, blocking when he couldn''t, occasionally attempting a counter attack when he thought he saw an opening, which usually ended up with him being thrown over Tessa''s shoulder or something as the opening turned into a trap. Still, he had to admit that the spar really helped him see how all of Tessa''s lessons fit together. She''d repeatedly drilled into him that he needed to dodge, block, and attack, in that order. Dodging was his first focus, since the best way to survive an attack was to not be hit in the first place. If he couldn''t dodge, blocking would at least minimize the damage. Then, once he wasn''t in danger, he could think about attacking. In Tessa''s opinion, people who traded blows were stupid. Attacking took more energy than dodging or blocking, so why not just sit back and let your opponent tire themselves out? Of course, the actual number one priority was the parry, turning your opponent''s attack into your own, like Tessa was doing, but Greg wasn''t skilled enough for that yet, and if he tried it, he''d just end up getting himself hurt. Not that that particularly mattered considering his ability, but if they considered his ability, the only thing he''d need to worry about would be attack, which would kind of defeat the purpose of these lessons.


    Still, even if they didn''t consider Greg''s healing factor, there was nothing they could do about the fact he just didn''t get tired, and they weren''t doing anything significant enough to accumulate strain. Honestly, Greg was beginning to think he couldn''t do anything to accumulate strain in his human form. He''d started to notice that even when he ran as fast as he could as a human, it still only added the same amount of strain as jogging in his cheetahman form, which was about the same speed. He was beginning to think it wasn''t about how hard he pushed himself, but about the actual amount of force he used, and his human body just wasn''t capable of exerting a significant amount of force, at least not compared to his feral forms. So even twenty minutes into the spar, he was still feeling fine, while Tessa began to make mistakes, the openings Greg saw no longer always feints, and about ten minutes after that, he actually managed to land a hit. A few minutes later, Tessa was forced to fall back with a groan, landing on her butt, looking up at Greg with a scowl as she panted. "It''s just. Not. Fair." She grumbled between breaths.


    Greg shrugged, grinning slightly. "This is the price you pay for access to that wonderful plane called dreamland." He chuckled.


    Tessa waved a suddenly bladed arm. "Stab. You." She growled through her panting.


    Greg crouched down, just out of reach, his grin widening. "Oh? And how are you going to do that?"


    Tessa half-heartedly swung the blade at him, before collapsing backwards with a groan. "Unfair!" She complained.


    Greg chuckled, turning into smoke and reforming lying on the ground next to her, hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "Just enjoy your rest. Then we''ll go get lunch. My treat this time."


    "Never." Tessa hissed, slapping the blade down at him, hitting him with the flat of it, though there was no force behind it. Greg clicked his tongue, but knew not to start a losing battle.


    The two of them lay there for a while in silence, staring at the ceiling as Tessa''s exhausted panting slowly began to subside. Greg used the time to let his mind drift, going over their spar, seeing how he could incorporate what he''d learned into his nightly activities, which was as close to sleeping as he got these days. Tessa was laying there with a mix of frustration and nervousness, occasionally glancing over at Greg as he stared at the ceiling, obviously lost in thought. He still didn''t get it! Did he think these clothes were normal?!? Tessa paused, her mind flashing to what Meredith usually wore, before shaking her head. She was not going to compare herself to that woman! Still¡­ Tessa bit her lip nervously. Was she really going to have to just come out and say it?


    "Greg?" Tessa called out to him, searching through her mind for something to say, something that could get him to realize, to actually think of her as a romantic option.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Yeah?" Greg replied, glancing over at her, wondering what she wanted to say. Did she have some tips for him after they''d sparred?


    Tess hesitated slightly. "What- what do you look for? In- in a woman."


    Greg froze for a bit, surprised by the question, before a stupid grin spread across his face. "Tits, ass, then fa-ah!" He yelped as something sharp stabbed into his side, before bursting out laughing.


    "I''m serious!" Tessa exclaimed, stabbing him a few more times for good measure, which only made him laugh harder.


    "I kno- gah! I know! I just had to. Too perfect an opportunity." Greg replied, still laughing as Tessa snorted, before calming down, his expression turning serious. "What do I look for in a woman, huh?" He muttered, thinking through it thoughtfully. He didn''t think much of the question, since it wasn''t the first time a female friend had asked him it. Sometimes someone got it in their head that they needed to help him find a partner, though obviously it wasn''t going to be them. Still, he appreciated the help, since he clearly had no idea what he was doing, so he still took the question seriously. "Well¡­ I think we need to be friends, first and foremost. Be able to get along, laugh, have fun, you know, enjoy being around each other. I''d also want her to be a good person, someone who does what''s right just because it''s the right thing to do, not for benefits or because it makes her feel good or some bullshit. I mean, that''s fine and all, but it can''t be why you do it. Way too unstable." Tessa frowned at that one, almost wanting to interrupt and get a better explanation, but pushing it aside for the moment. "Other than that¡­ I guess just the basics. The same values, some shared interests, and different flaws." Greg finished with a shrug.


    "Those are the basics?!?" Tessa asked incredulously, unable to help herself this time.


    "Yeah? They''re the foundation of any good relationship. You need the same values, because when you''re making major decisions, like where to live, how to raise your kids, whether to even have kids, you need to both be on the same page, talking about the best way to get to a shared goal, not arguing over which goal to even strive for. Then, you need some similar interests, so you actually have something to talk with each other about¡­ this one isn''t that important I suppose, it just makes things easier. Then, you need different flaws, because if both of you are bad at the same things, then together you''re going to be absolutely terrible at it. If you''re bad with people, you need to find someone who''s good with people. Disorganized? Find an organizer. Financial problems? Get an accountant, actually. Making your spouse deal with your money problems is a recipe for disaster. Same with mental illness. Need to get that fixed on your own, not let your spouse be your personal therapist. Well, not on your own¡­ but not by your spouse." Greg explained, rambling a bit towards the end.


    Tessa furrowed her brow thoughtfully. It made sense? She couldn''t poke a hole in it at least. A part of her wanted to argue that if you truly loved a person, you could make even dissimilar values work, but¡­ when she thought about it more, she began to doubt it. There were things that people- that she considered way too important to waver on, and if she was with someone who would¡­ it would be a problem. As she thought about it, she couldn''t help but compare herself and Greg. They obviously had similar interests, so that was covered. As for values¡­ they''d need to talk more, but from everything she''d seen so far, that was also good. They tended to approach problems from different angles, but they seemed to share the same goals. Then the flaws¡­ she paused, frowning as she tried to think about what her own flaws were, before moving to Greg. The man got bored way too easily, which wasn''t a problem for her. Other than that, he was a bit goofy, maybe not the best at reading people, incredibly oblivious, but otherwise¡­ she wasn''t sure.


    Tessa paused for a moment. "So¡­ what flaws are you looking to cover?" She asked tentatively.


    Greg let out a weary sigh. "I need someone who cares."


    Tessa frowned, sitting up and looking at him with a confused frown. "Huh? What are you- but you care! A lot! I''ve never seen anyone who cares as much as you do! You''re out there every night helping ferals!" Tessa retorted incredulously.


    Greg shook his head. "There''s a difference between action and intent. What you do doesn''t define why you did it. I do all that because it''s right. It needs to be done and I''m the only one who can do it, so I have to. But¡­ I don''t actually care. I don''t particularly care about anything really¡­ Well, no, that isn''t true either." Greg muttered with a frown. "I care about enjoying myself, however that may come about. And the things I enjoy¡­" Greg flashed to thoughts of tearing through flesh, the look in his enemy''s eye as rage turned to fear and fear turned to hopelessness, women worshiping him, begging to- he twitched, tensing his neck as he shook the bad thoughts out of his mind, locking them up behind solid walls of sheer self-control, before letting out another weary sigh. "I''m just not a good person. I need someone who is."


    Tessa stared down at him with a complicated look, before snorting and laying back down. "I think you''re a better person than you might think. Better than most people. If- if you really don''t care, then the lengths you go to to actually help people are even more impressive. There are lots of people who do care, who don''t do anything. They''ll yell and rant about feeding the poor, while living in a gated community so that they never have to actually see a poor person. Yell tax the rich, but never donate or volunteer at the struggling soup kitchen down the street. Sneer at the low minimum wage, but get offended if the cashier at McDonald''s has a tattoo or smells even a little off. God forbid they have an accent." Tessa huffed, her tone turning spiteful towards the end.


    Greg turned towards her, a slight smirk on his face. "Thanks for that, but I didn''t actually mean it that way. I mean, I know I do good, that I help people, it''s just¡­ I also know it doesn''t come naturally to me. I have to think through every action I take, to make sure I''m doing it for the right reasons, not for some ulterior motive or just to enjoy myself. It just gets exhausting sometimes, and I start to question why I even do it, why I even try, and I know if I let myself go down that path¡­ things will get bad. I need someone¡­ like an anchor, to keep me stable, secure, so I don''t¡­ drift off. To remind me why I do what I do. To remind me that people are worth the effort. Cause sometimes- sometimes it just doesn''t feel like it."


    Tessa frowned. "But what if they aren''t worth the effort? I mean, I know there are people who are, people who need help and deserve to get it, but¡­ there are leeches out there. They''ll take anything you give them and just suck and suck until there''s nothing of you left."


    Greg shook his head. "I don''t think you''re quite getting where I''m coming from. I know about the leeches. I don''t coddle them. What I struggle with is wondering why I should help anyone at all. Like with the ferals. They''re getting smarter, and this tension between them and the humans is going to blow at some point, but¡­ so? What can I do about that? Why should I even try? I just want to be happy, you know? Be able to curl up with some good books, hang out with my friends, maybe start a family, and that''s really it. By that logic, what I should be doing is helping the humans, making sure they''re as strong as possible, so they can keep what I enjoy safe. Much less work, and just as effective. Why should I care if a bunch of people I don''t know die?" Greg explained, his expression darkening. "But¡­ I mean, I know that isn''t how I should look at things, you know? I know that the right thing is to work towards the best solution for everyone, not just myself. I just need someone to give me that- actually, the look you''re making right now." Greg grinned as he glanced over to see Tessa looking at him with a mix of concern and incredulity. "That look that says ''how could you possibly think that way?''. It sends my bad side packing, at least for a bit, if the person giving it is close enough to me. Maybe because I care about staying on their good side, so that I can keep hanging out with them and stuff? I''m certain it''s still for some messed up reason, but hey, it works, you know? I don''t really have anything else to work with." Greg finished with a sigh.


    Tessa frowned as she took it all in. This- this was a side of Greg she hadn''t expected to find. She thought back to his list of things he wanted in a woman, remembering the one about doing things because they were right and not because it made you feel good. It made a lot more sense now. It was what Greg did. He didn''t even enjoy doing the right thing, but¡­ he did it anyway. Tessa felt a heat rise in her chest as she thought about it. It felt wrong, but Greg''s admission that he wasn''t some amazing moral bastion, that he was flawed, that he struggled, only made her like him more. She wanted to take care of him, to help him. It was like she''d finally found the place where she was needed in their relationship, and suddenly she felt more secure. Still, something was bothering her.


    "What would you do if you actually found a girl like that?" Tessa asked tentatively.


    Greg let out a long breath of frustration at that. "Oh, god, nothing."


    Tessa frowned. "Nothing?!?" She asked incredulously.


    Greg sighed, shaking his head. "Probably. See, this is how it would go, how it does go. I would initially notice the attractive qualities in the woman, and attempt to get closer to her. Now, this goes one of two ways: I can''t, in which case she''s gone and no longer an issue, or I can, and now we''re friends. So, now I''m friends with the girl, which is nice, and I keep finding more and more attractive qualities about her, which is good. However, since I''m fucking crazy, I have a small issue. You see, I have absolutely no idea if a girl likes me. I just can''t pick up on the signals. Wait, scratch that, I can pick up on the signals, but I think everything is a signal. My stupid brain, because it knows it wants a girl, several if possible, willingly convinces itself that every single available woman is into me. Hell, it''ll even drag in unavailable women if I''m attracted to them enough. So, I find myself in a conundrum. Do I attempt to ask the girl out, based on what are most likely false signals created by my way too over eager brain, possibly ruining the friendship? Or do I just go with it, and keep things the way they are? And of course, since the only real thing I''m giving up is all the romantic, sexual stuff, I can''t really justify going for it, so¡­ yeah, nothing." Greg finished, frowning in frustration.


    "You think everyone likes you? Seriously?!?" Tessa asked incredulously.


    Greg nodded. "Yup. I know, it''s crazy, but¡­ I have no idea how to fix it. My brain just reads into everything to an insane degree."


    Tessa''s eyes narrowed. "What about Casey?"


    Greg coughed awkwardly. "Well, she''s not exactly available, but¡­ well, every now and then I get ideas."


    "Jennifer?" Tessa continued, raising an eyebrow.


    "I actually think I might be right on that one, but I think it''s just because I''m the first person who''s ever been nice to her. Well, at least that she remembers. Same with Tina, by the way." Greg replied.


    "What about Sarah?" Tessa asked, her eyes narrowing again.


    Greg froze, flushing. "I have a disease, woman! I can''t help it!"


    Tessa scoffed, rolling her eyes, before hesitating. "What about me?" She asked next, trying to keep her tone as normal as possible.


    "Well, yeah, obviously at this point, right? But¡­ Well, I''m pretty sure you just feel responsible for me. I mean, you were the one who found me and brought me here. I could see you just thinking you needed to make sure I had everything I needed. Plus, I mean, we''re friends, right? It''s normal to do things to help out your friends." Greg explained, focusing on the reasons against her actually liking him, not because he actually believed them, but because he couldn''t afford not to believe them. Because Tessa¡­ Tessa was amazing. As much as he denied things when talking to Victor, it wasn''t because he didn''t think he could be right, it was because of how much he wanted him to be right, and he knew he couldn''t let the idea get into his head or it''d be over. He''d get obsessed, and then he''d do something, and everything would blow up. Again. Because what genuinely good and caring woman would actually be interested in him?


    Tessa blinked at him a few times, before turning to stare at the ceiling again. "I can''t believe I actually have to do this." She muttered under her breath.


    "What was that?" Greg asked, frowning slightly as he turned to look towards her, not having heard what she said, when suddenly Tessa was on top of him! She straddled his waist, leaning down to press her lips against his in a rough, almost angry kiss, before pulling back, glaring down at him.


    "Is that clear enough or do I have to whip out my tits before you get it!?!" She growled.


    Greg looked up at her in a daze, blinking a few times as his brain struggled to process what the fuck just happened, before something clicked. "Well, I think I got it, but maybe do it anyway, just to make sure?" He replied, grinning slightly.


    Tessa''s arm instinctively sharpened, before she suddenly paused, a grin of her own slowly forming. "Well, we have to be sure, don''t we?" She muttered in a low voice, carefully sliding the sharp edge of a bladed finger between her cleavage, slowly parting the fabric of her bra, until just a tiny fragment was holding it in place. Greg''s eyes went wide, gulping slightly as he took in the view. "But¡­ are you ready to take responsibility for what comes next?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him, her heartbeat quickening as she wondered just what his response would be.


    Greg paused for a moment, before carefully sitting up, arms wrapping around her waist to keep her stable as she shifted into his lap. "Tessa¡­ all I am is responsible." He replied, his face inches from her own. Tessa smiled, the finger blade finishing its journey, and the next moment their lips met.

 Smoke: 20 - Double trouble

    "Not. Fair." Tessa panted, collapsing against Greg''s chest.


    "Hey, at least I didn''t finish too fast." Greg replied with a chuckle.


    "You finished. And then you finished. And you never stopped finishing." Tessa groaned.


    "Hidden benefit of never getting tired. Who knew?" Greg shrugged, pulling the exhausted Tessa closer with a satisfied grin as she began to doze off, before turning to his own thoughts. Things with Tessa had¡­ progressed, much faster than he thought either of them had intended. Not that Greg had much of an issue with premarital sex, especially when he wasn''t even sure marriage was a thing anymore¡­ it definitely wasn''t a legal thing anymore, that was for sure. However¡­ going from ''hey, I like you'' to balls deep on the training room floor was a bit quick in his opinion. It was just¡­ once they started, they just couldn''t stop. First Tessa''s bra went, then his shirt, then her pants, and then all his clothes had poofed into smoke and it was on. Then¡­ Well, they''d quickly realized that Greg didn''t need to stop. Ever. Which led to where they were now.


    While Tessa drifted into unconsciousness, beginning to snore lightly, Greg sent out bits of smoke to clean up their mess. Well, Tessa''s mess at least. The list of benefits of being a smoke man grew to include the fact that everything about him was smoke, which meant that his¡­ excretions could simply be turned back into smoke as well, just like everything else about him. The obvious bonus, besides the quick clean up, was that he didn''t have to worry about getting Tessa pregnant unless he wanted to. Of course, what a child born of smoke sperm would actually be like was another question, but¡­ well, that could wait till later. Greg also dissolved Tessa''s clothes, before using his smoke to reclothe the both of them.


    The next thing he had to deal with was¡­ what now? The two of them were obviously together now, but¡­ how together? Should he move into her place? Well, ''move in''. With his great big pile of nothing, it''d really just change where he sat on the couch to read. Even still, that seemed a little fast, but then again, so had what they''d just done, and he didn''t regret that, so¡­ Eh, maybe he should just wait to talk to Tessa about it. No sense in making plans without her.


    Tessa shifted comfortably in his arms, snuggling deeper into him, not looking like she was going to wake up any time soon. Not that he could blame her, really. She just went through two rather intense workouts in a row. She deserved some rest. Greg snuggled back, sighing in satisfaction as closed his eyes, before moments later they snapped open, a panicked look on his eye. *Oh no¡­ I''m getting bored!* Greg tried to resist it, he really did, but the longer Tessa slept, the more he felt the urge to do something. *Okay, okay, Greg, you cannot leave Tessa right now. Sleeping with a girl and then running off is the definition of a dick move.* Greg chastised himself as he attempted to force himself to just stay still. It wasn''t working. He was bored. *Okay¡­ okay, how about this, I''ll use the smoke to create a new body, then we''ll¡­ wait, no, then she''d just wake up to a fleshy sack that just looks like me.* Greg frowned. *Hmmm¡­ maybe¡­ if the other body is an exact replica, I could switch my consciousness between them? I mean, this body is just smoke, that body is just smoke, what''s the difference?* Greg theorized, before letting out a sigh. *Okay, yeah, it''s dumb, but I''m desperate, so¡­* Greg sent out a large cloud of smoke, enough to make himself a new body. He wasn''t exactly sure how much smoke he actually had, but it seemed like the more he dissolved stuff, the more he got, so he had quite a bit at the moment. The body quickly formed, lying on the ground so it didn''t just flop over.


    Greg paused, blinking as he was suddenly in two places at once¡­ kind of. Unlike what he''d supposed, he didn''t exactly transfer his consciousness between the two bodies. It was more like he suddenly had double the amount of limbs¡­ and eyes and ears and everything else, but he still had to coordinate it all. He felt it all, but he couldn''t focus on it all. His new body sat up, glancing over at his old one, briefly turning his attention back to the old one and looking back, giving himself a wave, then shifting back and waving back.  ¡°Huh. This¡­ could work.¡± It wasn''t like he wasn''t still there. If Tessa woke up, he''d feel it, and he could immediately turn his attention back to his old body! Meanwhile, this other body could go out and do whatever he wanted¡­ as soon as he figured out what that actually was.


    Greg made sure the training room door was locked before slipping out in a cloud of smoke, which actually proved to be somewhat difficult due to the metal door, which took him almost four seconds to get all the way through! Which admittedly, wasn''t all that long, and the door was like four inches thick, but he''d expected to be through it in no time at all! Greg sighed as he reformed on the other side. At least he knew to avoid traveling through metal now. He then made his way out of the central tower, trying to figure out where he actually wanted to go. Usually he''d be training right now, but¡­ well, obviously that wasn''t happening. He supposed he could hang out with Jennifer and Sarah? They''d probably appreciate that, but he felt like doing something a bit more productive right now. Work before pleasure, you know? Or after, as it were¡­ whatever, he had to at least do something productive today. Not that getting into a relationship wasn''t productive¡­


    Greg froze in the middle of the street as it hit him. He had a girlfriend! At least he thought he had a girlfriend¡­ No no, he definitely had a girlfriend. Maybe¡­ Tessa had made it pretty obvious, hadn''t she? Or had she just gotten caught up in the moment? But she''d been the one to create the moment¡­ ¡°Probably just need to talk to her.¡± Greg muttered, shaking his head. Still, he was pretty sure he had a girlfriend now, and that¡­ that felt pretty fucking amazing! His mind briefly drifted to his other body, a stupid grin spreading across his face as he pulled Tessa closer. He could get used to this.


    Of course, he still had no idea what he was actually going to do with himself¡­ Hm, he had been thinking of seeing what the city looked like during the day, hadn''t he? It''d probably be a good idea to avoid fighting, but he could at least try to talk to some people, right? Greg nodded decisively, making his way towards the walls, slipping under them before flying deeper into the city, not going far before landing in a random alley and shifting into his sharkman form, immediately starting to scream as his eyes began to burn! He quickly returned to his human form, cursing as he rubbed his eyes. ¡°Fuck! That is not a day time feature.¡± He grumbled, switching instead to his cheetahman form and sniffing the air to find a scent trail. He wasn''t as comfortable following a scent trail as he was following a heat trail, but it was better than his eyes burning, and he was sure he''d figure it out.


    Greg quickly found a scent trail to follow, making his way out of the alley and down the street, climbing through a collapsed building and emerging to find himself face to face- well, face to chest with one of the deadliest looking ferals he''d ever seen! Instead of arms, this guy had two tentacles coming out of each shoulder, but not like the tentacle man''s tentacles. These tentacles were hard, whip-like, and spikey. They looked like they could rip your skin off in seconds. And the spikes didn''t end there. The dude''s entire body was like a cheese grater! Even its face! "Uh¡­ hi?" Greg greeted the feral as it looked down at him, cocking its head, as if confused by his sudden appearance.


    "Hm, a night-kin, yes? What brings one of you into the light?" The feral asked in a strange, scratching voice, which sounded almost¡­ disappointed? As if it''d opened a present only to find an empty box.


    Greg blinked a few times, not expecting that response. Most ferals either ran or attacked on sight. Or at least, they prepared to run or fight. This guy¡­ he just stood there, looking almost relaxed. "Uh¡­ curiosity? I''ve never actually met a¡­ day-kin? before, and I was wondering what you guys were like." He finally replied.


    The feral looked almost taken aback, starting to chuckle, then laugh, until it turned into a full on belly laugh, causing the feral to hunch over as it released its mirth. "You brave injury, death, or even worse, for mere curiosity?!? My my, what an interesting little creature you are!" The feral mocked as it continued to laugh, then it suddenly froze mid laugh, straightening as a serious look came over it. "You wonder what we are like, do you? It is simple. We are feral! We fight, we kill, we take whatever we want, and we love it! It is what we exist for! We live beholden to our basest instincts, in true communion with nature, with the world! And in return, the world grants us power! Strength!" The feral clenched its tentacles together as a pressure slammed into Greg, sending him to his knees! It stalked towards him with a chuckle, its tentacles rising as it poised to strike. "Do you regret your curiosity, night-kin? Do you feel fear?"


    Greg paused. "Uh¡­ not really? I''m kind of immortal, so¡­ still, you''re really strong, aren''t you?¡± He grunted as he tried, and failed, to stand. ¡°Yup, pretty damn strong. Props. But, uh¡­ Could you stop? I''m just trying to talk, not get into any fights.¡±


    The feral paused, giving Greg a strange look. "You- want me to stop?¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Obviously?¡±


    The feral cocked its head thoughtfully, then shrugged. ¡°If that is what you wish.¡± Greg sighed as the pressure released. ¡°Now, I wish to flay your skin from your bones. Shall we begin?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ I''d really rather you not.¡± Greg coughed. ¡°I mean, I guess it wouldn''t exactly be a problem for me, but¡­ you know, I''m not a huge fan of pain. Not that I haven''t been getting used to it lately, but still.¡±


    The feral tsked, shaking its head as the pressure descended on Greg again, quadrupling in strength! ¡°You aren''t being very accommodating.¡± It grinned as it increased the pressure even further, trying to crush Greg with his power.


    Greg groaned as he felt his entire being get crushed under the pressure. *That''s a new type of pain.* He shifted into his scorpocroc form, hoping the stronger form would help, but for some reason the pressure seemed to get even worse. *Ugh, this isn''t working.* Greg grumbled, wondering if he''d just have to turn into smoke and leave. The feral was just staring down at him with an amused expression at this point, showing no indication of stopping any time soon. But¡­ this guy was definitely an asshole. He couldn''t just leave and let him continue to hurt people.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Greg paused as an idea occurred to him. If turning into the scorpocroc, his biggest form, made things worse, would getting smaller make things better? He shifted into a tiny winged version of himself, and¡­ it worked! Greg stood to his full six inch height with a grin, flapping his wings¡­ okay, that wasn''t happening, but at least he could walk! Though he wasn''t going to be able to fight¡­ and the feral could just step on him instead. Maybe this wasn''t such a good idea.


    The feral grimaced, glaring down at him as the pressure increased even further. A tentacle lashed out, wrapping around Greg and pulling him up to the feral''s face. "Why do you refuse to die, strange night-kin!?!" The feral growled.


    "I did say I was immortal." Greg grunted, sneaking out a few wisps of smoke, sending them towards the feral''s chest, thinking he might be able to skip the fight and dissolve the feral''s heart or something, but as the smoke reached the feral''s chest, it simply stopped. Greg frowned, trying to push the smoke through, and while he did make some progress, the moment he relaxed, the smoke was immediately pushed back out. He grimaced as he felt the strain build as well, realizing he probably wouldn''t even get through the feral¡¯s skin before he was tapped out. *That¡­ is a problem.* Greg groaned as the tentacle holding him tightened, tearing into his body, smoke leaking out between the gaps, unable to reform until the tentacle released.


    The feral loosened its grip, watching as his small body reformed, growling in frustration. "Why won''t you die!" It yelled, slamming Greg to the ground and stomping on him in frustration! "Die, die, die!"


    *This is not going well.* Greg sighed. *How am I supposed to beat this guy?*


    ¡°Hey~¡± A voice suddenly murmured in his ear, Greg freezing until he realized he was hearing it in his other body, Tessa having woken up from her nap.


    ¡°Uh, hey, I''m- actually kinda busy at the moment.¡± Greg coughed awkwardly. ¡°Could we- talk in like a minute or so?¡±


    Tessa sat up, frowning down at him. ¡°You''re busy?!? Doing what!?!¡±


    ¡°Well, it turns out I can have multiple bodies, but like I still have to control them all, so¡­¡± Greg trailed off as an idea occurred to him. ¡°Hold that thought.¡± Back with the feral, he snuck some smoke behind the feral, turning it into the scorpocroc to try for sneak attack, only to immediately get crushed by the pressure. ¡°Shit.¡± Greg sighed, pausing as he realized the feral hadn''t actually noticed him. It just had some kind of field putting pressure on everything. If that was the case¡­ He dissolved the scorpocroc and moved the smoke over the feral, creating a steel spike, grinning in satisfaction as it drove through the feral¡¯s skull like a bullet, practically cutting the feral in half! ¡°Okay, I''m done, what''s up?¡± He asked, sitting up as well.


    Tessa glared at him for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh. ¡°Multiple bodies?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Greg exclaimed, remembering he''d been explaining that. ¡°Uh¡­ that''s pretty much it, actually. I didn''t want to leave you alone, but I also didn''t want to just lie here while you slept for who knows how long, so I made myself a new body, and it worked! I ended up going out into the city and fighting this cheese grater looking feral who could create some kind of pressure field¡­ wait, was it manipulating gravity? Hm, anyway it was completely bonkers and psychotic, so I killed it. Took some doing, though. There are some strong ferals out there¡­¡±


    Tessa snorted, giving him a serious look. ¡°Would you not have left if it hadn''t worked?¡±


    Greg blinked, taking a moment to decrypt that. ¡°Probably? I mean, I don''t think I would have left. Though¡­ I definitely would have done something. It- probably would have gotten smoky in here.¡±


    Tessa paused as she considered what Greg would have gotten up to if he hadn''t been able to leave. ¡°I suppose it''s for the best that you were able to keep yourself occupied.¡± She muttered. ¡°Plus, it''s good to know I don''t need to worry about sleeping in an empty bed while you run around at night.¡±


    ¡°So you do want me to move in?¡± Greg asked hesitantly.


    Tessa flushed. ¡°I- don''t know. I didn''t exactly expect my confession to turn into¡­ this.¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Yeah, we may have gotten ahead of ourselves. Probably should have at least gone on a date first.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°We''ve been going on dates all week, you just haven''t been realizing it.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Does that still count?¡±


    ¡°Did we still get to know each other better?¡± Tessa countered, Greg giving her a tentative nod. ¡°Then yes, I''d say they count.¡± She paused. ¡°But I do agree that we probably should have discussed things a bit more before we got to this point¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I''m honestly still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that you actually like me.¡± Greg admitted. ¡°I just- why?¡±


    ¡°Because you''re a good, car- er, responsible man.¡± Tessa replied.


    ¡°Okay, but see, right there, you almost said caring, and that- that just isn''t me.¡± Greg pointed out, frowning slightly.


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Greg, even if you don''t feel care, you still take care, and that''s what actually matters. The fact that you do it without even wanting to just makes it more admirable, not less.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°I mean¡­ yeah, I get that, but wouldn''t you want someone who does both?¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°I- don''t think I do? I think I want someone who does what''s right no matter how they feel¡­ which is you.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but don''t you find the fact that I end up doing something crazy whenever you leave me alone annoying?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°As much as it can be¡­ exasperating, in terms of issues you could have, it''s a relatively benign one.¡± Tessa retorted. ¡°What really concerns me is your inconsistent levels of self-control, but¡­ from everything I''ve seen, you never let it affect anything that''s actually important, and there are worse sins than indulging yourself every now and then.¡±


    Greg coughed. ¡°You realize that you''re going to be one of the things I want to indulge in now, right?¡±


    Tessa flushed. ¡°I- don''t think I mind being indulged.¡±


    ¡°Oh really~?¡± Greg chuckled menacingly, sending shivers down her spine as Greg cut off awkwardly. ¡°Uh, sorry. Sometimes when I get excited, my laugh comes out evil.¡±


    Tessa released a breath she hadn''t realized she was holding in. ¡°As long as you aren''t actually evil, I can deal with it.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°I mean¡­ I''m not not evil.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg, if there''s one thing the apocalypse has taught me, it''s that everyone has evil inside them. The fact that you want to do horrible things doesn''t make you evil, it''s actually doing those things. And you''ve had plenty of opportunities to be absolutely horrible, and you haven''t taken a single one.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I do regularly go out and murder people. That''s- legitimately something I do.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°I mean, I know the excuse is that they deserve it, but¡­ there''s a large part of me that''s just doing it because I enjoy killing them.¡±


    Tessa''s expression twisted slightly. ¡°I- understand that. But, in your pursuit, have you ever relaxed your principles? Have you ever decided to kill someone you probably shouldn''t simply because you wanted to or because it''d be easier?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°No? I mean, it isn''t like I''m hurting for people who deserve to die¡­ there are a lot of nasty ferals out there.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°Fine, then have you ever done anything to prolong a fight or cause undue suffering to indulge in the killing?¡±


    ¡°Also, no¡­¡± Greg muttered.


    Tessa nodded firmly. ¡°Then you''re still a good person in my book. Even if you want to kill, you aren''t doing it because you want to kill, and you aren''t using it as an excuse to indulge yourself. You''re simply doing what has to be done, and the fact that you enjoy it is¡­ incidental.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but¡­ damn it, I just feel like it isn''t fair for someone like you to have to deal with all my issues, you know?¡± Greg groaned.


    Tessa raised an eyebrow. ¡°Someone like me?¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Someone good. Both because you want to be and because you know you should be. I- I can understand if you respect me, even admire me in some ways, but- why would you ever want to stain yourself by loving me? Not that you do, I''m just saying that''s where relationships are supposed to lead, and¡­ I just don''t get why you would ever want that.¡±


    Tessa watched Greg slump in defeat with a mix of concern and exasperation, reaching out to grab his hand. ¡°Greg, I want to be with you because you need me to¡­ and I need you too. We both need each other to¡­ balance us.¡± She let out a frustrated sigh. ¡°Do you know why, despite all my complaints and how easily I could, I''ve never taken leadership of the squad? It''s because if I was in Jake''s position, I''d be even worse. He at least pushes us to attempt risky missions, like scavenging the campus. I- I probably wouldn''t risk anything outside the suburbs. I couldn''t. The idea that someone might end up dead because of a decision I made? It- it terrifies me. And now that I know the ferals are intelligent? People doing their best to survive, just like us? Just the idea of getting into a fight out there due to a misunderstanding makes me sick. I know it''s necessary, but¡­ it doesn''t make me feel any better, and being forced to make decisions like that over and over¡­ I''d be miserable.¡± She gave Greg a serious look. ¡°I need someone like you, someone who can look at the necessary evils of the world and just accept them. Who can make the decision that certain people need to die, and follow through without second-guessing or regret. Just like you need me to make sure you''re actually right.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ that- actually makes sense.¡±


    Tessa smiled. ¡°We all have our own struggles. Isn''t that why you look for someone with different flaws? So you''re strong where they''re weak, and vice versa.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, I just¡­ never thought of my flaws having a strong point? I never thought about the fact that others would struggle to hurt people, even when necessary, as a bad thing.¡± Greg explained. ¡°And I definitely never thought the fact that I don''t was a good thing.¡±


    Tessa crossed her arms. ¡°Well it is.¡± She paused. ¡°As long as you make sure you actually are right.¡±


    ¡°Well obviously.¡± Greg snorted. ¡°But that''s why I have you, right?¡±


    Tessa couldn''t help but smile again. ¡°Right.¡±


    Greg smiled back, then frowned slightly. ¡°So¡­ does this mean you want me to move in with you? Not that it''d exactly change much, but¡­ I don''t really know where our relationship sits, you know? Like, obviously we''re compatible and good for each other, and there''s a part of me that just wants to go for it, because I can''t see this not working out long-term, but another part of me says rushing things is a great way to ruin things, so¡­ I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°I think- I don''t think we''re going to regret taking things slow, even if we could move faster, but we''d definitely regret moving too fast.¡± Tessa replied hesitantly. ¡°I- think it''d be best to just let things develop naturally? As our relationship develops, we''ll inevitably spend more and more time together, until we spend almost all our time together, and at that point, we''d already be practically living together anyway.¡±


    Greg paused, then shrugged. ¡°I guess I can work with that.¡±

 Smoke: 21 - Try

    ¡°Wait¡­ don''t we already spend practically all our time together?¡± Greg asked, pausing mid bite. The two of them were at the restaurant for lunch, like they were every day.


    Tessa froze. ¡°That''s- incidental. It has more to do with your training and the women you seem to be collecting for some reason. Very little to actually do with us.¡±


    ¡°Fair, I suppose¡­ sorry, I''m just trying to pin things down. I''m not good when things are¡­ uncertain.¡± Greg explained with a sigh. ¡°Which is probably part of the reason why I''ve never actually asked anyone out before, now that I think about it¡­¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°You realize you still haven''t asked anyone out, right? This was all me.¡±


    ¡°Hey, if you''d literally told me you liked me, I probably would have asked you out too.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°Don''t think I can''t tell that whole conversation was you scoping me out.¡±


    Tessa flushed slightly. ¡°Be that as it may, I''m still the one who actually did it.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Yeah, that''s fair.¡± He agreed with a shrug. He considered things for a moment. ¡°I guess the question I really want to ask is what are we doing tonight?¡±


    ¡°What do you want to do tonight?¡± Tessa asked cryptically.


    Greg sighed. ¡°That is not a question you want to ask. If I had my way we''d still be going at it in the training room, with no signs of stopping any time soon. But you know, I get that it wouldn''t be healthy to do that, for the relationship or us, so I''m not going to push for it. The problem is I don''t know what would be healthy. My only experience with relationships is through books, TV, and the occasional one night stand my uncle brought home¡­ which all pretty much just taught me that once you start assuming shit, you''re fucked.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°So you''re just going to put everything on me?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­ okay, so you know how you were talking about things developing naturally?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Well, naturally¡­ I''m pretty much ready for us to be basically married. You''re amazing, you''re fun to hang out with, we balance each other out¡­ I honestly can''t think of a single thing I don''t like about you. But I get that way about things, so I''m not sure how real it is. Like, I''ll be obsessed with something for like two weeks, and then never touch it again. I''m just- if I''m in, I''m in, you know? And if I''m out¡­ I''m gone. And I''m very fucking aware that isn''t a healthy way to look at a relationship, I just have no idea what to actually do about it.¡±


    ¡°And yet I''m the one who had to ask you out?¡± Tessa retorted somewhat incredulously.


    ¡°That''s actually why I couldn''t ask you out.¡± Greg replied. ¡°Obsession is a horrible thing to base a relationship on, and I''m trying very hard to keep it out of my decision making process.¡±


    Tessa eyed him skeptically for a moment. ¡°So, what you''re telling me is that you want as deep a relationship as we can have, but not really, because that want is based on feelings you can''t trust? Which would mean you have no idea how you actually feel?¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°I mean¡­ I know I like you? That''s definitely a thing. And I''m absolutely certain the two of us would do well together if we were married, if only because I can''t imagine either of us would just let a problem fester, and since we obviously have similar values and different flaws, we should be more than suited to solve those problems together. Even in a purely logical sense, I am down for this relationship. I just don''t trust that my natural inclinations are the best way to develop it. I- really just don''t want to fuck this up, and I''m really hoping the fact that I''m being honest is helping, not hurting.¡±


    Tessa huffed. ¡°It isn''t comfortable. But- I think it does help.¡± She hesitated. ¡°I- agree that from everything I''ve seen, being married to you would be¡­ good. But I think that''s the point of dating? Why would you be with someone if you didn''t think they would eventually make a good spouse? I think- I think we''re still in the process of looking for reasons why that wouldn''t be the case.¡±


    Greg nodded slowly. ¡°That makes sense¡­ how do we do that?¡±


    ¡°We spend time together? That''s essentially what dating is, you know. Spending time together so you can figure each other out.¡± Tessa pointed out.


    ¡°So we just keep doing what we''ve been doing?¡± Greg asked, and Tessa nodded. ¡°Huh¡­ So then what about tonight?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°How about we just get there and see what happens?¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Fine. But I want it to be on record that I''m not comfortable with this level of uncertainty.¡±


    ¡°And I''m not comfortable being this frank about a relationship, so I guess we''ll both have to adjust, hm?¡± Tessa retorted.


    Greg blinked. ¡°You aren''t?¡±


    ¡°No¡­¡± Tessa admitted. ¡°In my experience, relationships are just supposed to¡­ flow. You like each other, you start dating, and then things slowly progress until something happens to make it all fall apart. Laying everything on the table like this¡­ it feels like it takes all the romance out of it. Which, admittedly, feels very you.¡±


    ¡°Rude?¡± Greg protested hesitantly.


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°It isn''t a bad thing. I''m just- I''m not used to it. It feels weird to be this¡­ introspective about it, but ultimately I can see how certain relationships might have gone better if we had done something like this right from the beginning. They still would have ended, but¡­ it would have at least been less messy.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ We''re good?¡± Greg asked tentatively.


    Tessa snorted. ¡°Yes, we''re good. At least, I''m still invested in this relationship. Are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, definitely.¡± Greg agreed.


    ¡°Good.¡± Tessa smiled.


    The two sat there smiling at each other for a moment. Then Greg coughed. ¡°Okay, I honestly have no idea what to talk about now.¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°How about you tell me about your family? You''ve said a few things now that seem¡­ concerning.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know how concerning it is¡­ more weird? Basically my parents died when I was a baby, I was adopted by my aunt and uncle, and then they died as well, leaving me with my Uncle Jonathan. There was a whole mess with part of the family thinking I was cursed or something, but we pretty much just ignored them and got on with our lives. It hit me kinda hard during my angsty teenager phase, but that was also when people stopped really feeling like people, so I''m pretty sure that period wasn''t going to go all that well no matter what.¡± Greg explained.


    Tessa just blinked at him. ¡°There is- so much to unpack there.¡± She hesitated. ¡°What do you mean when you say that people stopped feeling like people?¡±


    ¡°That?¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°It''s very rare for a person to seem like anything more than an NPC to me. Pretty much just you, Victor, and Casey at the moment. Didn''t we just talk about this, before¡­ you know, we ¡®got together¡¯?¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°You said you didn''t care. I didn''t think that meant you didn''t see people as people.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Wouldn''t that be worse? If you can fully conceptualize someone as a thinking, feeling being who matters just as much as you do, then what kind of monster would you have to be to not give a shit about them? I mean, my brain is fucked, but it isn''t that fucked.¡±


    Tessa just stared at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh and rubbing her temple. ¡°It''s going to take me ages to figure you out, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, I feel like I''m very upfront about who I am and what I''m about.¡± Greg countered.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, but the part that confuses me is why. How does all your crap turn into one of the best men I know?!?¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Greg paused. ¡°I try? I''m pretty sure that''s all it really takes. Oh, and I never assume I''m right, because¡­ well, obviously? But honestly, if you''re assuming you''re already right, then you aren''t trying to be better. So yeah, I try.¡±


    Tessa blinked. ¡°That''s it?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Pretty much. Don''t get me wrong, I have my struggles, but just because you struggle doesn''t mean you can''t try.¡±


    Tessa eyed him suspiciously. ¡°That sounds right¡­ but I still feel like there''s more to it than just that. I feel like most people at least try to be good.¡±


    ¡°Do they?¡± Greg sighed. ¡°I think most people just try to survive. Others are more focused on trying to win. And even those who are trying to be good often get focused on a certain way of being good, and judge anyone who doesn''t do things their way, using it as an excuse to be mean to people who are just trying to live their lives. I dunno, thinking about people bums me out. Like, all you have to do is treat people like actual fucking people, and the fact that I can pull it off with all my crap and so many others don''t just- where is the disconnect?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Tessa muttered, feeling a bit bummed herself. Why was it so hard for people to just be good to each other? She used to think maybe it was just harder for other people, but if Greg could do it¡­ what was anyone else''s excuse? Unless he was just playing up his issues for some reason, but¡­ she doubted that. She''d seen him dismiss people as utter garbage, without hesitation. Normal people couldn''t just do that. She''d talked to Sarah about what happened with Mark''s team, and from the way she told it, Greg had been more concerned with the mess than the murder. She hadn''t been sure how to reconcile that with the man she''d interacted with, but now it made sense. Greg was constantly telling himself that everyone around him was a human who deserved the benefit of the doubt, but once you proved there was no doubt, all he had to do was stop trying, and at that point¡­ all you were was meat waiting to be butchered.


    A part of Tessa flinched away from that thought, the part of her that grew up before the apocalypse, who couldn''t fathom the idea that anyone would deserve to be killed like that, and who would be horrified by the idea of dating someone who had. But another part of her recognized that the other part of her was naive. The part of her that had seen what people would do when given even the slightest opportunity. The reason why her family was doing everything they could to keep Sarah hidden, because if certain high-tiers got a taste of her ability¡­ there was nothing they could do to stop them. Because if they started a war with the high-tiers, the safe zone would fall.


    Tessa jumped as Greg reached out to grab her hand. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Tessa sighed, then smiled bitterly. ¡°I was just contemplating the horrors of people with more power than sense.¡±


    ¡°Oof, yeah, I get that.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Anything in particular?¡±


    Tessa hesitated. ¡°It''s just- Sarah. She''s been getting frustrated being stuck in the apartment. But there''s nothing I can do about it! If we take her out and the wrong person sees her¡­¡± Tessa trailed off, shaking her head.


    Greg scowled as he was reminded of that particular issue. ¡°You know, I did just kill something I can only assume was a high-tier. It wasn''t easy, but¡­ well, I pretty much have unlimited attempts. Which means it''s much better for me to take care of things before they actually become an issue.¡±


    Tessa gave him a serious look. ¡°Greg, this is not something you can handle like a psychotic feral. The safe zone depends on the high-tiers for protection, and some- some abuse that dependence. But because we are dependent on them, there''s nothing we can do about it. Unless you think you can protect the entire safe zone yourself, calm down.¡±


    Greg''s expression hardened for a moment, until he remembered his struggle with the cheese grater. There was no way he could protect the safe zone from people with that kind of power. He let out a weary sigh as he relaxed. ¡°Fine, whatever. It isn''t like I actually care anyway, it''s just¡­ annoying.¡± He briefly wondered if it''d be better to kill Sarah before anything like that could happen to her, before dismissing the thought. There was always a chance for things to turn for the better, and Greg definitely wasn''t going to just give up on saving her. One day the ferals wouldn''t be an issue, and everyone who abused the situation would be dealt with, permanently. Greg smiled at the thought, refocusing on Tessa. ¡°So, what are we going to do about it?¡±


    ¡°Keep her hidden and hope for the best. She isn''t going to like it, but it''s better than the alternative.¡± Tessa replied, eyeing him suspiciously. She did not trust that smile.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Greg grunted. ¡°Shit, that is all we can do, huh? For now, at least.¡±


    ¡°I- should not have brought this up.¡± Tessa muttered. She''d already been dealing with it, and it wasn''t an issue Greg could or should try to solve. ¡°Greg, promise me you aren''t going to do anything drastic. As much as I hate it, the stability of the safe zone comes first. It has to! Or we all die.¡±


    Greg smiled. ¡°Of course, I promise. I''m not stupid, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you are impulsive.¡± Tessa grumbled.


    ¡°A little, maybe.¡± Greg agreed, getting Tessa to roll her eyes at him. ¡°Okay, a lot, but seriously, I''ll behave. I won''t do anything to jeopardize the safety of the safe zone.¡±


    Tessa narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Okay, good.¡± She paused. ¡°Maybe leave me something so that if you do come across something you might be able to do, you can ask?¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡± Greg nodded, taking a tiny person amount of smoke and turning it into a glass bar, narrowing in the middle so it could be broken. ¡°And this way, you can break it if you need to talk to me as well.¡± He added as he handed it over.


    Tessa took the glass, eyeing it for a moment. ¡°Could you put it on a strap, or a necklace?¡±


    ¡°Sure? Hold on.¡± Greg took a moment to make a thin chain. He didn''t know how to make the clasp, so he just made it long enough to go over her head. He then took the glass and made a loop on the end, connecting it to the chain before handing it back.


    Tessa put on the necklace, pausing as the glass settled in her cleavage. ¡°This- makes me oddly conscious of the fact that this is technically you.¡± She muttered, flushing slightly.


    ¡°If it helps, I can''t feel anything through it. It''s just glass.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°Though if I transform while it''s like that¡­¡± He trailed off, feeling the urge to do just that.


    ¡°Don''t you dare.¡± Tessa growled, her flush deepening. She hesitated. ¡°At least¡­ not in public.¡±


    ¡°Oh really~¡± Greg chuckled menacingly.


    Tessa''s flush began to spread down her neck. ¡°I- believe we would be remiss if we failed to adequately explore the advantages our abilities offer.¡±


    Greg looked almost taken aback before a wide grin took over his face. ¡°You have no idea how happy you just made me.¡± His smoke swirled, condensing into a notebook and pencil. ¡°Shall we start a list?¡±


    Tessa froze for a moment. ¡°You are such a dork.¡± She snorted, shaking her head, though she couldn''t keep the smile off her face. ¡°You''re lucky I''m into that.¡± Her expression then turned serious. ¡°But we are not making a list.¡± She smirked. ¡°We''re going to explore this subject¡­ organically~¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Was that a pun? And you think I''m a dork?¡± He snorted, then flashed her a grin. ¡°Good thing I''m into dorks too.¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t a pun, it was innuendo!¡± Tessa hissed.


    Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Innuendo is just spicy puns.¡±


    ¡°That-!¡± Tessa hesitated. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    ¡°It at least sounds true, doesn''t it?¡± Greg snickered.


    Tessa frowned at him. ¡°You''re really bad at flirting, you know that?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I feel like that probably should have been obvious? Also, when did we start flirting?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°When a piece of you got stuck between my tits!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Greg looked confused. ¡°I thought we were just talking about sex?¡±


    Tessa gave him a flat look. ¡°What do you think flirting is?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°I can honestly say I have no idea. Which again, probably should have been obvious.¡±


    Tessa narrowed her eyes. ¡°What did you think Meredith was doing?¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°Blatantly offering to sleep with me? I assume there was some flirting involved, but for the life of me I couldn''t tell you what it was.¡±


    Tessa just stared at him for a moment. ¡°This makes an uncomfortable amount of sense.¡± She frowned. ¡°What did you think innuendo was for?¡±


    ¡°Crude jokes?¡± Greg offered tentatively.


    Tessa sighed. ¡°And why would a girl want to make crude jokes with a boy?¡±


    ¡°For fun?¡± Greg suggested.


    Tessa leveled a glare at him. ¡°You have to have connected the dots by now.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°I''m beginning to think high school could have gone much differently. Though I still think some of them were just joking.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°I''m sure. Forget it, we should probably go check on the girls. I worry about what might happen if we leave them alone too long. Ready?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let''s get out of here.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Want to swing by the library and pick up a game first?¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°That''s a good idea. Either that, or we can get started on¡­ Gurts?¡±


    ¡°GURPS.¡± Greg corrected. ¡°And I''m still fiddling with the campaign for that. Though¡­ I wouldn''t be opposed to some help if people were interested. But it''d still be nice to have the game, so we have options, you know?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Tessa agreed as they exited the restaurant. ¡°Any-¡±


    ¡°Any what?¡± Greg asked, glancing over at her only to discover she was gone. He quickly whirled around, looking for her. ¡°Tess-¡± The world flickered and suddenly he found himself crammed in someplace dark with people surrounding him on all sides. ¡°-a? What-¡± There was a flash and something ripped his body apart. He reformed with a gasp, uncomfortably aware that he was now completely alone in an oppressively silent darkness. ¡°-the fuck!?!¡±

 Smoke: 22 - And now for something completely different

    ¡°-thing in part-¡± Tessa cut off as she realized she wasn''t talking to Greg anymore. Instead, she was in a gigantic crowd surrounding a raised platform. ¡°Greg?¡± She called out hesitantly, looking around nervously as he hand went to the necklace he''d just given her, her voice lost in the cacophony created by everyone else calling out as well, similarly confused by the sudden relocation they''d all just experienced.


    ¡°Stay back, all of you!¡± Tessa heard a familiar voice snarl, her eyes widening as she immediately began to push through the crowd, rushing over to where Jennifer was fending off several men with crazed looks in their eyes, only succeeding due to the help of a group of women who had taken it upon themselves to surround Sarah, the poor girl shivering in fear as she looked around at all the hungry gazes coming her way.


    ¡°Everyone take four steps back or you''ll start losing limbs!¡± Tessa roared as she arrived, her arms turning to blades as she fell in next to Jennifer, glaring at the bastards trying to get to Sarah.


    ¡°Silence!¡± A voice echoed from the platform, along with a pressure that immediately drew everyone''s focus, all of them turning to see a group of blue people standing there, looking over the crowd with cold expressions.


    A blue woman stepped forward and began to speak. ¡°As many of you are aware, your world recently changed, along with all the life that inhabits it, some of you developing powerful bodies while others gained unique abilities, whatever civilization you may have had collapsing in the chaos these changes brought. This is, unfortunately, the natural consequence of mana developing on a world. Worse, as the mana density increases on your world, these changes will only get worse as the life on your planet struggles to adapt to the changing environment, new species rising while others fall in an endless competition that will alter the landscape of your world forever. Less than ten percent of sapient species survive this transition. As such, the Mage Republic, which we represent, works to seek out these newly awakened worlds, retrieving the sapients and relocating them to worlds that have already stabilized, giving them the tools and training they need to make a new home for themselves.


    ¡°You may have noticed that not everyone you know is here with you. This is because not everyone is capable of embracing mana, and those who can''t will not be able to help you claim your new world. Their presence would only risk their lives and the lives of those who must protect and provide for them. Rest assured, they will be taken care of to the best of our abilities until you are in a position to take care of them yourselves and the sooner you claim your new world, the sooner you will be able to see them again. To further that goal, this ship is designed to simulate the conditions you will face when you arrive. Various challenges are spread across it which you must complete to gain resources and privileges. The better you do, the faster you will grow, and the more comfortable your life will be. You are also free to compete with each other as you wish. The only rule we enforce is that you must not kill one another. Otherwise, your culture is your own.¡± The woman finished, disappearing along with the rest of her group.


    ¡°I wonder how much of that is true.¡± Greg muttered, causing Tessa to jump and look around for him, finding him standing on her shoulder in his tiny form, having transformed from her necklace. It was really lucky he''d given that to her. Though he also sensed the glass he''d given to the bird girl and spider girl, along with Tina''s clothes, and the smoke he''d tagged a bunch of ferals with¡­ and Tessa''s clothes, he noted, now that he was paying attention. He had a lot of smoke out there, didn''t he? ¡°Cause they lied at least twice as far as I can tell.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°They lied?¡±


    Greg hesitated, looking around at the crowd. ¡°I''ll explain later. We should get somewhere quiet first.¡±


    Tessa gave him a worried look, but nodded. She had no idea what was going on, but she needed to get Sarah somewhere safe. Then she could deal with the idea that the people who kidnapped who knows how many people in an instant might be lying. She shivered slightly, looking around until she spotted the image of a sparkling unicorn floating in the air. ¡°Come on, we need to meet up with the rest of the squad.¡± She announced, waving for Jennifer, Sarah, and Tina to follow her, taking the lead while Jennifer guarded the back, fending off any particularly motivated men with her still bladed arms, everyone giving them a wide berth. Thankfully no one seemed particularly interested in making a fuss after getting abducted by magic aliens.


    ¡°There you are!¡± Victor greeted them as they arrived under the unicorn, finding him, Brittany, and Carlos waiting. ¡°Greg, please tell me you dissolved a bed at some point.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I didn''t, but I''m still on Earth, so I can just go find a bed and do it now.¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°Sweet.¡± Victor nodded in satisfaction. ¡°I was not looking forward to jumping through these peoples hoops just so I can get a bed.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on, why are you still on Earth?!? And why are you only six inches tall!?!¡± Brittany asked incredulously.


    Victor gasped. ¡°Brittany! You can''t just ask someone why they''re six inches tall!¡±


    Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°Basically whatever they used to teleport only worked on my solid bits, so my smoke is still on Earth. And¡­ I just happened to be six inches tall when everything happened, so this is all that came with me.¡±


    Brittany blinked. ¡°You just happened to be six inches tall?¡±


    Greg nodded hesitantly, searching for a good explanation only to realize he already had a perfect one. ¡°I went out to check out the day ferals and ended up fighting this feral that could control gravity or something. I couldn''t even move in my big forms so I got tiny so I could at least run around. Didn''t particularly help with the fight, honestly, but I didn''t see much point in getting big just to get crushed again, so¡­ here we are.¡±


    Tessa glanced at Greg suspiciously, wondering why he was lying and concerned that he seemed to be so good at it. Was whatever secret he was hiding really that big a deal? For that matter, where was his body? Why hadn''t it shown up with her? A pit began to form in her stomach as she began to put together the implications.


    ¡°The real question is what are they telling the ferals.¡± Greg muttered, staring off into the distance. The aliens weren''t dumb or cruel enough to force the two sides together right off the bat it seemed.


    Carlos blinked. ¡°They got the ferals too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like¡­ ten? miles that way.¡± Greg gestured vaguely in the direction he sensed his smoke.


    ¡°Wait, ten miles?¡± Victor asked skeptically. ¡°How big is this thing?¡±


    ¡°No clue, but if I had to guess, probably at least twice that?¡± Greg offered. ¡°Cause I¡¯d buy those walls being about five miles away, and we can assume they''re probably in a similar chamber, right?¡±


    Victor paused, then nodded. ¡°Checks out, sure.¡±


    ¡°What checks out?¡± Casey asked as she arrived, dragging along Emily, letting out an exasperated sigh as she caught sight of Greg. ¡°Damn it, Greg, why are you tiny?!?¡±


    ¡°Shit happened and I aint explaining it again.¡± Greg replied. ¡°I''m tiny, deal with it.¡±


    ¡°What are we dealing with?¡± Jake asked, arriving with Meredith for some reason.


    ¡°I am tiny. It''s not a big deal. Literally just going to go eat one of the trees in a bit, and I''ll be fine.¡± Greg explained, gesturing towards the nearby forest. The area they were in seemed to be split into four sections, one of which was a green leafy biome, another which was a rocky mountainous biome, and the other two being thinner strips filled with buildings. Annoyingly, for Greg at least, the strips weren''t in line with each other, making the leafy region larger and the mountain zone smaller.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Jake muttered, before shaking his head. ¡°Does anyone have any idea what the fuck is going on?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you listen to the blue lady?¡± Victor asked. ¡°We''re an endangered species and we''re being conserved. It''s pretty simple.¡±


    ¡°I got that but why?!?¡± Jake asked, frustration clear in his tone. ¡°Why are they doing this, why did they just take us, and what do they want from us!?!¡±


    Victor grinned. ¡°Could you rephrase that last one as a why question? For symmetry.¡±


    Jake glared at him while Greg cocked his head thoughtfully. ¡°Why¡­ are we valuable to them?¡± He offered.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jake groaned. ¡°Would you two please take this seriously?!?¡±


    Victor snorted. ¡°Why? Aliens just abducted us like it was nothing, and they could dump us in space just as easily. It''s pretty clear we''re stuck going along with whatever they want, so why worry about it?¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Honestly, even if they flat out told us they were taking us to their homeworld to work as slaves in their mana crystal mines, what would we do about it? Not get stronger? Refuse to learn from them? Kill ourselves before they can?¡±


    ¡°Well no, but¡­ I don''t know, at least we''d know we have to do something!¡± Jake retorted.


    ¡°Like what, get strong enough to tame a wild planet warped by mana?¡± Victor rolled his eyes.


    Jake froze, looking lost, and Tessa sighed. ¡°Why don''t we focus on figuring out what we''re doing now.¡± She suggested. ¡°Specifically, how are we going to keep Sarah safe?¡±


    Everyone turned to look at the nervous looking girl. ¡°That- is a good question.¡± Victor muttered, oddly serious.


    ¡°Why do you need to keep her safe?¡± Meredith asked skeptically.


    ¡°Because unlike you, people actually find her attractive.¡± Victor replied, unable to resist the opportunity to throw in a dig.


    Meredith sneered. ¡°I knew you were scum, but I didn''t think you were a pedophile.¡±


    Victor froze. ¡°Shit, walked right into that one, didn''t I?¡± He sighed. ¡°Anyway, her ability makes her incredibly attractive to the opposite sex. Which, you know, shouldn''t be an issue, but¡­ Well, as much as it pains me to admit this, you should be more than aware of the type of trouble that could come her way.¡±


    Meredith narrowed her eyes, giving Sarah a calculating look. ¡°I see¡­ And you''ve been hiding her?¡±


    ¡°Duh. What else would we have done?¡± Victor rolled his eyes.


    Meredith snorted. ¡°Men. You see a beautiful woman and you think she should hide herself away, so you don''t have to deal with it!¡± She turned to Sarah with a serious look. ¡°Attraction is a tool, and if you don''t make use of it, someone else will. Take pride in their attention and use it to destroy anyone who crosses you!¡±


    Sarah blinked. ¡°Wh- What?¡±


    Tessa glared at Meredith. ¡°If you think you''re going to turn Sarah into a little you-¡±


    ¡°What''s her alternative?¡± Meredith retorted, crossing her arms. ¡°Staying hidden for the rest of her life, never interacting with anyone for fear of what they might do? Is that really the life you want her to live? Or would you rather see her empowered?¡±


    Tessa grimaced. ¡°I-¡±


    ¡°False dichotomy.¡± Greg cut her off. ¡°I agree that Sarah can''t keep hiding, but that doesn''t mean she needs to use her power to manipulate people. We just need to find a way to make her untouchable. Manipulation is one way to do it but it can''t be the only way.¡±


    Meredith huffed. ¡°Anything else would force her to rely on someone else for her protection. Why should she do that when she''s perfectly capable of protecting herself?¡±


    ¡°Because she''s not a bitch?¡± Victor offered.


    Meredith glared at him for a moment, before turning away, not even deigning to respond as she focused on Sarah again. ¡°What do you want? I can teach you how to control your own life, or you can continue to be dependent on others. It''s your choice.¡±


    Sarah hesitated. ¡°I- I want to be able to trust people¡­ I don''t- I don''t think I could do that if I was always manipulating them.¡±


    Meredith visibly flinched at that, her eyes widening as she stared at Sarah. ¡°I see¡­¡±


    Victor snorted. ¡°Well, as fun as that was, it didn''t exactly get us anywhere, so does anyone else have any ideas?¡±


    ¡°I can make us a shelter to at least get her out of sight for now.¡± Greg offered. ¡°Which, honestly, should probably be our first move no matter what we do.¡±


    Jake let out a relieved sigh, finally finding a direction he could focus on. ¡°Right, let''s do that. Let''s head to the mountain region, since it looks like everyone is going to the forest. Victor, Brittany, the two of you should go check out what those buildings are for. We''ll make a base by¡­ that cliff, got it?¡± Jake pointed towards a cliff a good distance into the mountainous region.


    ¡°Got it.¡± Brittany confirmed, Victor nodding along.


    ¡°Are Meredith and¡­ Erica?¡± Greg glanced at Emily hesitantly. ¡°Uh, are the two of you staying with us? I need to know how many rooms to make.¡±


    Casey glared at him. ¡°Emily is staying with us, but we can share a room.¡±


    ¡°I will stay with you at least until we figure out the nature of these challenges or I find a more promising team.¡± Meredith replied noncommittally.


    Victor snorted. ¡°I think the better question is do we want you around?¡±


    Jake coughed. ¡°It wouldn''t hurt to have a healer around until we get a better idea of what''s going on, right?¡±


    Victor narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°You aren''t wrong¡­ But why do I get the feeling you''re not making this decision due to logic?¡±


    ¡°Victor, enough.¡± Greg interjected before Jake could answer. ¡°Meredith is useful to have around, and she hasn''t done anything to fuck with us, so stop focusing on old grudges and let''s get to work.¡±


    Victor sighed. ¡°Fine. C''mon Brit, let''s go do some scouting.¡±


    Brittany scowled. ¡°I told you not to call me that!¡±


    ¡°But it''s so convenient!¡± Victor snickered as they walked off. ¡°I save a whole syllable!¡±


    *


    ¡°Okay, turns out that dissolving shit does increase my strain.¡± Greg grimaced, only halfway through making their base but utterly incapable of continuing. ¡°Maybe if I went for a second floor?¡± It didn''t seem to cost him anything to create stuff, the issue was just digging out all the rock. He had plenty of smoke now, so all he had to do was build on top of what he''d already dug out, and it should be good? He turned into a cloud, moving through the ceiling and starting to create the second floor, doing what he could to blend it in with the rest of the cliff. They weren''t exactly trying to hide, but Jake insisted they do their best to not draw attention, and Greg honestly couldn''t argue against it. No need to stand out if they didn''t have to.


    Once Greg finished with the second floor, he put a bed in each room and created some stairs down to the living room, floating down and reforming his body, falling onto the couch next to Tessa. ¡°And done.¡± He announced with a satisfied smile, putting an arm around Tessa''s shoulders as everyone froze, staring at him wide-eyed. ¡°What? Surprised by how fast I was?¡±


    ¡°Shit yeah, dude!¡± Carlos exclaimed. ¡°You''ve only been around for like a week!¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°How- how did this happen?¡± Jake asked, looking pale.


    ¡°Smoke?¡± Greg replied, not feeling any less confused.


    ¡°When did this happen?¡± Meredith asked, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°Just now?¡± Greg answered, starting to get the feeling they weren''t talking about the base.


    ¡°Congratulations!¡± Casey squealed, jumping up to give him and Tessa a hug as Greg finally realized what everyone was getting so worked up about. ¡°I''m so happy for you two!¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes, flushing as she pushed Casey away. ¡°We just started dating.¡± She grumbled. ¡°It isn''t like we got engaged.¡±


    Casey smiled. ¡°Well I''m still happy for you. Particularly Greg! Honestly, I was beginning to think you''d never realize a girl likes you.¡±


    Tessa couldn''t help but snort at that, quickly covering her mouth as her flush deepened and Greg chuckled. ¡°I didn''t really have much of an option. She kinda beat me over the head with it.¡±


    Casey rolled her eyes. ¡°I figured, and I''m still impressed you picked up on it.¡± She turned to Tessa. ¡°How much did it take?¡±


    ¡°I asked him point blank what he looks for in a woman and what he thought about me, and I still had to jump in his lap and kiss him before he got it.¡± Tessa sighed, shaking her head in exasperation, though she couldn''t keep a small smile from her lips.


    ¡°In my defense, it wasn''t that I couldn''t see the signals, I just could fathom the idea that I literally just told her I just flat out don''t care about people, and she still liked me. Honestly, it still doesn''t make too much sense to me, though I admit there is some logic to it.¡± Greg commented.


    ¡°All that matters is if you care about me.¡± Tessa retorted. ¡°And you do, don''t you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, big time.¡± Greg grinned.


    Tessa nodded in satisfaction. ¡°Good.¡±


    The room fell silent for a moment as everyone processed that, Jake looking a little sick, Meredith examining the two of them with a calculating look, Casey watching them proudly while Carlos and Emily didn''t seem all that invested. Sarah looked like she didn''t quite know what to make of it, and as for Jennifer and Tina¡­ ¡°What''s dating?¡± Tina asked. The ferals didn''t exactly have a great grasp on relationships.

 Smoke: 23 - Mana problems

    Victor and Brittany stomped into the base a few hours later, both looking incredibly annoyed. ¡°Okay, whose bright idea was it to send us off then hide this place without leaving any way for us to actually find you people!?!¡± Victor growled. ¡°We spent more time looking for this fucking place than actually investigating!¡±


    Everyone turned to look at Jake, who coughed awkwardly. ¡°Sorry?¡±


    Victor grumbled bitterly under his breath as he pulled out a bag and started taking strange looking wristbands out and tossing them to everyone. ¡°The aliens call these ¡®network devices¡¯ but they''re essentially magic smartphones. You can use them to look up training material on their internet. Figure the rest out yourselves.¡± He explained as he finished handing them out, before finding a seat and focusing on his own device, a translucent screen projecting from it as he did.


    Jake frowned at Victor for a moment, before turning to Brittany. ¡°Did you figure anything else out?¡±


    Brittany shook her head. ¡°It''s basically what the lady said. There are a bunch of services you could get, but they all require challenge points to earn, so until we do there''s not much to figure out.¡±


    Jake grimaced slightly as he nodded in acceptance, focusing on the network device to see if he could find any answers there, everyone else doing the same. That is, except for Greg, who couldn''t seem to get his to work. ¡°I think mine is broken.¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Tessa gestured for him to hand it over, taking it and focusing on it for a second, a screen popping up as she did. ¡°There, see? It works. You just have to focus on it.¡±


    Greg frowned, taking the device back and focusing on it, but¡­ nothing. ¡°Okay, I''m starting to feel stupid. Am I focusing wrong?¡±


    ¡°I''d say that''s impossible, but if anyone could¡­¡± Casey muttered.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Just look at it and think about turning it on.¡±


    ¡°I am! It isn''t working!¡± Greg retorted, getting frustrated as he tapped the device, hoping to maybe shake something loose.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Tessa grumbled, finding a search engine and looking up why a network device might not be working, but every answer she found focused on something being wrong with the device, which clearly wasn''t the case. She frowned, looking up how the network device worked, thinking maybe that would provide some answers, but all it said was that the network device used an individual''s natural mana to communicate with the network hub. She then looked up natural mana, which was apparently the unique expression of mana within an individual, or in other words, what everyone had been referring to as an ability. Her natural mana allowed her to shapeshift, Casey could use hers to create fire, and Greg¡­ Tessa froze as it hit her. ¡°Greg? I- don''t think you actually have mana.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°I don''t?¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°Every other ability we see is all about doing something. I shapeshift, Casey makes fire, Victor makes people ignore him, Brittany makes illusions¡­ You get the picture. But you- your smoke isn''t something you do, it''s who you are. A mutation, not an ability.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ no mana.¡± Greg grimaced, staring at the network device. ¡°Which means I probably can''t use anything around here, huh?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, no.¡± Tessa agreed.


    ¡°Now hold on, he should be able to use mana, right?¡± Carlos interjected. ¡°Otherwise he''d be with the others. The ones who can''t use magic.¡±


    Greg''s eyes widened slightly. ¡°That''s- A good point, yeah. Maybe I just missed a trigger or something? I''ll figure it out, don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°Says here that a mage awakens when they''re exposed to pure mana.¡± Casey offered. ¡°Hmmm¡­ oh, here it is! Some people need larger quantities of mana to awaken, something to do with rarer forms of natural mana? You probably just haven''t been exposed to enough mana yet. There''s an awakening station in the strip you''ll need to go to that should take care of it, according to this.¡± She paused. ¡°Though you''ll probably need one of us to help you find it.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± Greg nodded along uncomfortably. He was pretty sure that even if he did go to this awakening station, it wouldn''t help. After all, he hadn''t been pegged as a mage. He''d been sent somewhere else, and then he''d been torn apart. He didn''t think it''d be a good idea to let the aliens get a good look at him any time soon.


    Victor eyed him suspiciously. ¡°Why do I get the feeling there''s something you aren''t telling us?¡±


    ¡°You''re a paranoid bastard?¡± Greg shrugged, forcing a grin.


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Victor grunted, clearly not buying it but sensing that it probably wasn''t a good idea to force the issue. Greg wasn''t the type to hide something unless it was something that actually needed to be hidden.


    ¡°You should get your awakening done soon so we can hit our first challenge.¡± Jake announced. ¡°We need to start earning challenge points. There are resources that can actually increase the strength of our abilities! And we can learn spells!¡± Everyone nodded along, excited by the possibilities. The alien abduction may have been unexpected, and no one was sure how to feel about a higher civilization treating them like wildlife in need of protection, but no one could deny the situation was full of opportunity. At least, for everyone but Greg¡­


    *


    ¡°So¡­ are you ready to tell me what''s going on?¡± Tessa asked as she and Greg retreated to her room.


    ¡°What do you think the odds are of the aliens spying on us?¡± Greg replied.


    Tessa paused, before taking off her network device and tossing it on the bed. ¡°Less now.¡±


    Greg nodded, using his smoke to cover the device in metal for extra security as he began. ¡°So, as you know, I wasn''t brought here like you guys were. Instead I ended up in this dark space filled with people, and then suddenly I was alone, putting myself back together after my body was torn apart.¡±


    Tessa grimaced, already suspecting something like this from the little clues he''d dropped. ¡°So when the aliens said they were taking care of the others¡­¡±


    ¡°They likely meant it in a permanent sense.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°I mean, we are dealing with magic here, so maybe it was some sort of decontamination process that my smoke just didn''t mesh with, but¡­ I doubt it.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°So, what do we do?¡±


    Greg shrugged helplessly. ¡°What can we do? We are completely at these people''s mercy. At any moment they could send us wherever they like, and there''s nothing we can do about it. The last thing I want is for you to end up in that dark room.¡±


    ¡°But we have to do something!¡± Tessa protested. ¡°They slaughtered our people! And for what reason?!? Because they couldn''t use mana!?!¡±


    ¡°I know. Believe me, I know.¡± Greg growled. ¡°But there''s nothing we can do about that now, and our focus needs to be keeping the rest of our people safe. There''s no point in avenging anyone if the rest of us die in the process.¡±


    Tessa scowled at him for a moment, before letting out a frustrated groan. ¡°You''re right. We need to be smart about this.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Which unfortunately means we need to play their game. Find challenges, get points, get stronger, and hope at some point we''ll be in a position to hold them accountable for what they''ve done.¡±


    ¡°Right. We need to get you awakened as soon as possible.¡± Tessa agreed.


    Greg gave her a complicated look. ¡°Tessa¡­ I don''t think that''s an option. I think there''s a reason I ended up there, and not here.¡±


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Tessa froze. ¡°But then- how will you get stronger?¡±


    Greg shrugged helplessly. ¡°I won''t? Look, I''m not happy about it either, but I don''t think there''s much we can do about it. If I go to that awakening station and the aliens figure out I can''t use mana¡­¡±


    Tessa grimaced. ¡°But what if you can use mana? What if there was some sort of mistake? The aliens obviously have a hard time dealing with your smoke.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°They do have a hard time dealing with my smoke¡­ but it still isn''t a chance we can take. If they figure out we know what happened, it''s over.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°Then¡­ What if we do it ourselves? We could sneak into the awakening station or steal some pure mana somehow! The aliens would never have to know!¡±


    ¡°That could work.¡± Greg agreed, nodding thoughtfully. ¡°But what if it doesn''t? What if I simply can''t use mana? And even before that, how do we keep the squad from catching on before we figure out how to get the pure mana? I''m not sure if we should tell them what''s going on or not¡­ I mean, I know Victor could handle it, but Casey would probably end up going off on someone at some point, and I don''t know the rest of the squad well enough to say how they''d react.¡±


    Tessa hesitated. ¡°I- think we should keep this between us for now. I know Jake wouldn''t be able to handle this, and only telling half the squad just doesn''t feel right. But I also have no idea how to hide the fact that you can''t use mana. You can''t even use the network device without it! How would we even explain the fact that people have no way to contact you?¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°I should have stayed hidden until you were alone. I get the feeling it''s going to be impossible to hide my lack of mana. It would have been easier to just hide me.¡±


    ¡°But then we wouldn''t have a place to hide Sarah.¡± Tessa pointed out. ¡°The longer she''s out there, the higher the chances she''ll run into someone too powerful for us to stop.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Greg muttered. ¡°And that would have forced me to reveal myself anyway.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°Plus, I like having you around.¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Oh do you now?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Duh. I am your girlfriend.¡±


    The two of them smiled at each other for a moment, becoming increasingly aware of the fact that they were alone in a room Greg had made sure was more than adequately sound proofed. ¡°I''m not sure there''s anything else we can really do right now.¡± Greg commented, taking a step closer to Tessa.


    ¡°Maybe some investigation?¡± Tessa offered tentatively, though she didn''t step back.


    ¡°I think I can handle that myself¡­ while you sleep.¡± Greg replied, hesitating for a moment before lightly placing his hands on her hips. ¡°It''s probably better to use my smoke anyway¡­ the aliens do have a hard time with it after all.¡±


    ¡°That''s true¡­¡± Tessa agreed, running her hands up his arms and resting them on his shoulders. ¡°I suppose we''ll have to find some other~ way to occupy ourselves.¡±


    Greg chuckled malevolently, Tessa shivering as he pulled her close, wondering why that excited her so much. ¡°I''m sure we''ll think of something.¡±


    *


    A satisfied smile spread across Greg''s lips as he idly played with Tessa''s hair as she slept, feeling like the luckiest man in the world. Or on the ship, he guessed. Greg grimaced as that thought immediately killed his mood, reminded of the fact that this could be taken away from him at any moment at the whim of their new alien overlords, subconsciously pulling Tessa closer. He truly gave zero fucks about what happened to him, but if anything happened to Tessa¡­ well, he wasn''t exactly sure what he''d do, but he''d make damn sure someone wasn''t happy about it.


    Greg sighed, dismissing the thoughts as he sent out a small cloud of smoke, the smallest he could manage while still being able to see with any measure of clarity, which was about the size of an eyeball. It was also the same density it''d take to actually make an eyeball, which should probably tell him something¡­ Greg sent the ball of smoke out of the base, keeping low as he flew it towards the strip. Tessa had shown him a map before things got¡­ involved, so he had a vague idea of where he was going. Thankfully the aliens had been accommodating enough to label everything in English, so once he got to the right area, he had no problem finding the awakening station. Which of course, was where the trouble began.


    *What the fuck?!?* Greg complained internally as his smoke practically bounced off the awakening station''s walls! *What the hell are these made of, mythril!?!* He paused. *Wait, shit, that''s actually possible, isn''t it? Guess I should look for a door¡­* He drifted around the building, finding the door and attempting to slip under it, but¡­ *Did they seriously make this thing air tight?* Greg wondered incredulously as he slid along the edge of the door, getting nowhere. *Is this place really that important, or is this just how they build?*


    Greg flew over to the next building, frowning to himself as he slipped right through the walls, finding himself in¡­ a spa? He flew out and checked the sign, finding that yes, it was a spa. He then turned back to the awakening station. What was so important about this building? Was pure mana really that valuable? Obviously it was, but why? What did it do besides allow people to awaken? He''d need to remember to have Tessa look it up, but either way, there wasn''t anything more he could do here. Unless¡­ Greg returned to the door to the awakening station, flattening some of his smoke so it bridged the edge of the door and the door jamb and turning it into paint, so that when the door opened, it would break. He made sure the color was as close as possible to the color of the door, then painted the rest of the smoke across the top of the door jamb where he believed people would be least likely to notice anything off. If anyone opened the door, he should be able to sneak inside after them. Of course, there was still the matter of getting whatever was in there out, but first steps first.


    With that set up, Greg decided to check out the ferals. He focused on one of the pieces of glass, turning it to smoke and looking around, the glass thankfully made from enough smoke to give him a clear view, albeit unintentionally, allowing him to clearly make out the lightly feathered breasts he found himself nestled between. Wondering whether he should read into that or if it was just a convenient place to keep things, he slipped out to look around, and- *Oh this is bullshit!* Greg complained as he found himself in an almost luxurious room! This was blatant favoritism! Why were the ferals being treated so well?!? He slipped outside, looking around the space he found himself in, which was practically the polar opposite of the space the squad was in. Where their space was a wilderness with a thin line of civilization, this space was full on city! Greg could still see some forest and mountains in the distance, but it was clear the aliens had dedicated a lot more resources to the ferals. He could even see a few of the aliens walking around, talking with the ferals, looking like they were giving them personal guidance.


    *Okay, this is just rude.* Greg grumbled, flying towards the mountains to dissolve some rocks so he could actually talk to someone about what the hell was going on, making sure to leave a bit of smoke in the bird girl''s room so he could find his way back. It didn''t take him much to grab enough smoke to make a scorpocroc body, but as he was about to fly back, he realized a problem. This was way too much smoke to go unnoticed flying through the air. He supposed he could go underground, but the city ground was made of solid stone and that was a bitch to get through, so getting anywhere would take forever. Well, more like a half hour or something, but in Greg time, that was completely unacceptable. He paused as he realized something. Why did he have to travel as smoke? Would the aliens really question a random feral wandering around? Greg grinned as he transformed into the scorpocroc and started making his way back towards the bird girl.


    ¡°Halt!¡± A voice snapped after Greg made it about halfway back. He whirled around to find a blue woman glaring at him. ¡°I believe we made it very clear that males are not allowed in the female section. I pray this is your first offense or you will not enjoy the consequences.¡± She growled, activating her network device, a beam shooting out to scan the stunned Greg. The woman frowned, tapping at her network device as the beam shot out again. ¡°Strange¡­ Why can''t I scan your natural mana?¡±


    ¡°I- haven''t awakened?¡± Greg offered tentatively.


    The woman raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°That doesn''t matter. I would still be able to pick up your natural signature simply through your interactions with the scanning mana. This- it''s like you don''t interact with mana at all!¡± Greg gulped, not expecting his secret to get exposed so easily. Maybe if he could escape- ¡°But that shouldn''t be possible¡­ all life interacts with mana!¡± The woman continued, studying Greg thoughtfully.


    Greg blinked. ¡°All life?¡± He couldn''t help but ask. ¡°What about people who can''t use mana?¡±


    The woman''s gaze sharpened. ¡°Who told you there are people who can''t use mana!?!¡±


    ¡°I- have really good hearing and I overheard some of you¡­ blue ones discussing it.¡± Greg explained, not technically lying.


    The woman narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then snorted. ¡°Damn gossips. But yes, even those who ¡®can''t use mana¡¯ can interact with it, creating a unique signature that we can track. The only way to not interact with mana is to not be life at all. Which, clearly, is impossible.¡±


    Greg paused. Was he not actually alive? That- would actually make sense, in a way. He was definitely sapient, but he wasn''t sure he met literally any other requirement for life. ¡°Not that I know what the requirements for life are¡­¡± Greg muttered absently, forgetting where he was. The question was why wasn''t he alive? He had been, hadn''t he? Before the apocalypse? And he could simulate life¡­ What was the difference between simulating a cell and being a cell? He looked at his hand, focusing not just on looking like a scaly, clawed monstrosity, or feeling like a scaly, clawed monstrosity, but on actually being a scaly, clawed monstrosity, and suddenly he felt something shift as he was hit with a gnawing hunger digging into his gut! ¡°Food!¡± He gasped, turning to the confused looking woman in desperation, feeling the modicum of smoke he had left get drawn into him somehow as he passed out.

 Smoke: 24 - A real boy

    Greg groaned as he woke up to someone shaking him. ¡°Five more minutes.¡± He grumbled, rolling away, only to let out a yelp as he fell off some kind of gurney. ¡°What- oh, wrong body.¡± Greg muttered with a yawn, shifting his focus to the self with Tessa, who was the one shaking him with a concerned expression. ¡°What''s up?¡±


    ¡°What- Greg, you were asleep!¡± Tessa exclaimed.


    ¡°So-oooh, right, I don''t do that.¡± Greg frowned, his mind finally catching up with what was going on. ¡°I- think I did something¡­ impulsive.¡±


    ¡°Why am I not surprised.¡± Tessa grumbled. ¡°Please tell me you didn''t kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°No one died.¡± Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°But¡­ I may have been confronted by an alien while wandering around the wrong section of the feral zone, been told something about all life interacting with mana in relation to the fact that I did not, and subsequently gone about possibly changing that while in front of said alien, which¡­ was probably not the best idea, seeing as I almost immediately passed out.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°You passed out?!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, turns out becoming a real boy makes a person really hungry.¡± Greg explained. ¡°Like ¡®I''m about to die¡¯ hungry.¡±


    ¡°Okay, let me get this straight.¡± Tessa sighed, rubbing her temple. ¡°You went to check on the ferals, somehow got caught by the aliens, and in the process became real? As opposed to what?¡±


    ¡°Smoke, I guess?¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Though I suppose I''m probably still smoke¡­ Basically, I realized that what I''ve been doing so far is just kind of simulating things. I make my smoke feel like skin or bone or whatever, but ultimately it''s still smoke, you know? But if I can simulate the feel of skin and bone and all that, then what was stopping me from simulating everything else? Like, what if I simulate the cells instead? Or the proteins, or even the particles! Basically, the more complete my simulation, the closer it should be to reality, until the difference is non-existent! And the moment I realized that, I obviously had to try it, and then¡­¡±


    ¡°You passed out.¡± Tessa sighed again, shaking her head. ¡°I miss the days when all you did was make card castles.¡±


    ¡°I dunno, I think the stuff I get up to now is much more interesting.¡± Greg retorted.


    Tessa just rolled her eyes. ¡°So what happened after you passed out?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°No idea. I was out until you woke me up, and I haven''t had a chance to look around because we''ve been talking.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Tessa muttered. ¡°Okay, you go figure out what''s going on, I''m going to see what the squad is doing. Then- we''ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Greg nodded, shifting his focus back to his other body. ¡°Fuck!¡± He jumped as he found the blue lady from last night standing over him, watching him with a curious expression.


    ¡°You are one of the strangest creatures I''ve ever interacted with.¡± The woman commented, stepping back as Greg clambered to his feet.


    ¡°How so?¡± Greg asked, eyeing her suspiciously.


    The woman raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°First, you might as well have been a rock according to my scan, which as I explained, should have been impossible. Then you began to ignore me and a moment later fell unconscious, your entire body shutting down due to a complete lack of nutrients, which is even more impossible. And now, you roll off your bed, mutter something about ¡®wrong body¡¯, and simply go into a daze for the next five minutes! And to top it all off, I now find that you are perfectly scannable!¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°I am?¡±


    The woman glared at him, activating her network device and hitting him with the beam again, before showing him the screen, which was a surprisingly detailed breakdown of his physical attributes, along with a note that stated his natural mana allowed for heat manipulation. ¡°A fully accurate profile, independently verified by our specialists after I brought you in. By all accounts you seem to be just another mage, with a rather basic form of natural mana. Which makes it all the more baffling that you seem to have simply appeared on the ship, with no record of us actually picking you up.¡±


    The two stared at each other for a moment. ¡°So¡­ what are you going to do with me?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Imprison me? Kill me? Shoot me into space?¡±


    The woman gave him an incredulous look. ¡°What? Of course not! All we want to know is how you managed to get here, how you fooled our scans, and what you did to consume all the nutrients in your body. It seems clear that you experienced some kind of unique mutation during your world''s shift and we wish to document it, even study it if you''ll allow us.¡±


    Greg frowned, considering how he should play this. Obviously pretending to be normal wasn''t an option anymore, probably hadn''t been an option since the first time he was scanned. But¡­ Did it actually matter whether the aliens knew about his smoke? If anything they''d just see it as a unique mutation, right? The only thing he needed to hide was the fact that he knew they''d killed everyone they hadn''t taken. So¡­ his best bet was to tell enough truth that they wouldn''t suspect he was leaving anything out, right? ¡°I suppose I should start from the beginning then, huh?¡± Greg finally offered.


    ¡°If you''d like.¡± The woman agreed, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms as she settled in for Greg''s story.


    ¡°Basically, I''ve been unconscious for the last two years, ever since the apocalypse started, which I suppose would be when mana arrived. Then I woke up about two weeks ago, discovering that I''d transformed into a smoke man.¡± Greg began.


    The woman raised an eyebrow. ¡°Smoke man?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see-¡± Greg cut off, frowning as he tried to pull some smoke out, but found it sort of¡­ stuck. He cocked his head as he had to actually detach the smoke from his body to pull it out. ¡°Weird¡­¡± He muttered, sending the smoke back in and attaching it again, before detaching it and bringing it out again, doing it a few more times just to get a feel for the process. Then he sent some into the gurney and attached it to a small section of it, feeling a tickle in his mind as he got a feel for the material that the gurney was made of. ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± The woman asked, causing Greg to jump as he''d legitimately forgotten she was there.


    Greg coughed awkwardly. ¡°Sorry, just¡­ figured out something new I could do. Anyway, this is my smoke and I can turn it into pretty much whatever I want, as long as I''ve dissolved it.¡± He explained, showing her the smoke then turning it into a small rock, then a piece of glass, and finally a wad of magnetic balls before turning it back into smoke. ¡°I basically am the smoke, fully capable of existing as just a cloud of it if I want to. Which, apparently, means you guys don''t pick up on me, so when you took everyone, you kinda¡­ left me behind. Thankfully, I''d given a few people some things made of smoke so I could keep tabs on them or they could alert me if they needed me, so I just turned them back to smoke, found some material to dissolve until I had enough to make myself a new body, and boom, here I am! I was heading over to talk to one of them to figure out what was going on when you found me.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    The woman stared at him, taking a moment to put everything together. ¡°So you''re with the cultured as well?¡±


    Greg froze. ¡°Uh¡­ what?¡±


    She rolled her eyes. ¡°You''re a discontinuous existence, you remember the time before your mutation, and then there''s the comment you made about the ¡®wrong body¡¯. It only follows that your primary concern is with the others who share your culture, joining with them first, probably not long after they were taken, and making sure they were secure before you checked on the uncultured. I assume your time spent in a daze earlier was due to your attention being focused on them. Does that sound accurate?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    The woman gave him a weird look. ¡°Why would that be a problem? One of our goals is to reintegrate the cultured and uncultured. The fact that you have allies on both sides is a good thing. The more connections between the two sides, the easier it will be to bring them together.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ okay then.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Yeah, I started with the humans, or the civilized, I guess, which does make more sense considering we''re all technically human anyway¡­¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°Then the only thing that still confuses me is how all the nutrients disappeared from your body.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°I can''t say for sure, but¡­ I don''t think they disappeared, I think they weren''t there in the first place. See, when you started talking about all life interacting with mana, it got me thinking that maybe I wasn''t alive, and that I was just simulating life, poorly at that. So I tried to do better, and¡­ well, it worked, but because it worked, my body suddenly needed all this stuff to actually function, which it didn''t have, because before that moment I didn''t need it. And so I passed out. I think I could have fixed it with more smoke, but I only had enough on me to make the body. Plus this little bit, obviously, but that''s clearly not enough.¡±


    ¡°And that''s why you were suddenly able to be scanned as well.¡± The woman muttered thoughtfully. ¡°Because before then, you weren''t technically alive.¡±


    ¡°Basically.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°And that''s all I know.¡±


    The woman considered him for a moment, before letting out a snort. ¡°I reaffirm my previous assertion. You have to be the strangest creature I have ever interacted with. Discontinuous existences are uncommon enough on their own, as are beings composed of a single material, but a discontinuous existence composed of a single material that is capable of simulating anything it consumes? I wouldn''t believe such a creature would even be possible if you weren''t standing right in front of me!¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Yeah, that''s fair. I¡¯d probably have a hard time believing something like me existed too if I weren''t, you know, living it.¡±


    The woman gave him a serious look. ¡°I would very much like to continue studying you, if you''d allow me to. I can compensate you with personal instruction.¡±


    ¡°Instruction on what?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Centering exercises, spell insight and adjustment, mana investment, and combat.¡± She replied simply, pausing for a moment before continuing as Greg stared blankly at her, obviously having no idea what she was talking about. ¡°Centering exercises help you maintain your mental state so that the mana doesn''t warp you like it has the uncultured. This clearly wouldn''t be a permanent issue for you but it is a waste of mana. Spells are the process of altering your natural mana to create a different effect through spiritual constructs imbued with intent. The more efficient your construct and the clearer your intent, the more powerful the result. Mana investment is the process of taking in mana to strengthen your body and mana pool, and there are different ideologies on how to best do so, which I can help you parse through to discover the best method for you. And combat is combat, which I don''t think you need me to explain.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, I got it.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°So basically you''re offering to tutor me in exchange for me helping you with your research.¡± He considered it for a moment. ¡°I guess the question is what are you hoping to learn from studying me?¡±


    ¡°There is much to learn from the uniqueness of your mutation. Just the fact that it is possible could tell us a lot about the nature of mana! And that doesn''t even touch on the insights your smoke could bring to the nature of illusions! A thorough understanding of how your smoke works could revolutionize the construction of certain spells.¡± The woman explained.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    ¡°Spells operate through imagery and understanding. The better you understand something and the clearer your visualization, the more effective your spells will be. For example, in order for someone with natural water mana to cast an ¡®ice spike¡¯ spell, they would need to understand cold, ice, and the shape of a spike, and be able to visualize the process of water turning into an ice spike. You could try to brute force this by imagining forming water into a cone and freezing, or you could visualize the process of an icicle forming on a ledge. The first requires a significant amount of mental effort, but everyone knows icicles and how they form, and it''s an easy picture to pull up, which makes the process stronger and more efficient. Similarly the idea of something that is fake but real enough to interact with is hard to grasp and requires those without very specific forms of natural mana to jump through a lot of hoops to conceptualize. However, your smoke does this naturally, so not only can it develop our understanding of how this is possible, the image of it can carry the intent, just like the icicle carries the intent of an ice spike!¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you want to use my smoke to help people make better illusions?¡± Greg asked, scratching his head.


    The woman smiled. ¡°Basically, yes.¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s fine?¡± Greg muttered, considering the other ideas his smoke could represent, in particular the ability to dissolve things¡­ though if you wanted to kill something, there were probably easier ways. ¡°What do you get out of it? Like, do you get paid or something for selling the idea?¡±


    The woman paused. ¡°There is¡­ compensation for spreading spell knowledge.¡±


    Greg narrowed his eyes. ¡°More than some training would be worth?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the spell.¡± The woman replied. ¡°If people find it useful, then yes, it could provide a lot of compensation, but if not, it could be worthless.¡±


    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°But on the off chance that it is valuable, I think I should get something a bit more substantial out of it, don''t you? Nothing major, of course, just say¡­ Fifty percent? Though I suppose you might incur some expenses training and studying me¡­ how about you cover your expenses first, then we''ll go fifty-fifty. That seems fair, doesn''t it?¡±


    The woman raised an eyebrow. ¡°That does seem fair. Though I doubt it''s something we''ll actually have to worry about. Its main use would be for those with natural smoke mana, which is relatively rare itself. The main value of this knowledge will be adding to the collective understanding of mana.¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Fair. Just covering my bases, you know? Is there some kind of contract we should sign, or¡­?¡±


    The woman snorted. ¡°I''ll put something together.¡±


    ¡°Awesome.¡± Greg grinned, giving her a thumbs up. ¡°Is that it then? Are we good? Can I go?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you may go.¡± She nodded, then paused. ¡°Where would you like to go?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I''d still like to check on the f- er, the uncivilized, but they''re all women, so if you''re separating everyone by sex that isn''t exactly an option. Though I guess there''s nothing stopping me from being a woman¡­¡± Greg trailed off as that thought percolated through his mind. ¡°Fuck I''m a degenerate.¡± He muttered, shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, I definitely want my main self to be with the civilized, but I don''t want to abandon the uncivilized in the process, you know?¡±


    The woman stared back at him with a blank expression. ¡°You are going to be incredibly difficult to work with, aren''t you?¡± She sighed, rubbing her temple. ¡°Just finding you is going to be a pain.¡±


    ¡°Oh! I have something for that!¡± Greg turned the little bit of smoke into a small strip of glass. ¡°Just break that and I''ll find you. I can sense all my smoke and I feel when it breaks.¡±


    The woman blinked. ¡°I see¡­ then where do you want me to send you?¡±


    Greg considered it for a moment. ¡°The uncivilized. I have enough smoke with the civilized, no need to send more over there.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± The woman nodded. ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡± Greg agreed, and then he was in the middle of a city square, surrounded by ferals. ¡°Ah, shit, I forgot to get her name.¡±

 Smoke: 25 - Getting noticed

    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Tessa asked hesitantly as she and Greg headed to the strip for his awakening.


    ¡°Pretty sure?¡± Greg replied. ¡°That alien chick already scanned me and said I have a heat ability, so I don''t see why it wouldn''t work. I just need to get some food so I don''t pass out once I turn real. Though I may be able to avoid that with more smoke¡­ still should have some food on hand just in case though.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°I don''t mean that, I mean the part about letting some strange alien woman study you! What if you let something slip and she finds out about¡­ that? And again, why is it always a woman!?!¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure I can avoid the topic fairly easily, but if not, I can always call things off, right?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°And honestly, I really need to figure out what the hell is going on with my smoke. Having an expert take a look at it wouldn''t be the worst thing in the world. And I still have no idea why I keep running into women! Though, admittedly, the problem this time was probably the fact that I''d apparently wandered into the women''s section¡­¡±


    Tessa narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before shaking her head and sighing. ¡°Just be careful, alright?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Greg assured her, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. ¡°I''d never do anything that might get you hurt.¡±


    Tessa flushed, glancing away. ¡°I don''t want you to get hurt either.¡± She grumbled, giving his hand a squeeze back.


    It didn''t take them much longer to get to the strip, making their way to the cafeteria and grabbing some food, which was thankfully free, Greg filling multiple plates with food before the two of them found a table. ¡°Alright, here we go.¡± He let out a slightly nervous breath as he focused, shifting his simulation of his body closer to reality until- ¡°Fuuuck.¡± Greg groaned as everything clicked into place and the starvation hit. Then, a moment later, the extra smoke he''d brought surged into him, latching on and¡­ ¡°Huh¡­¡± Greg grunted, blinking slightly as he suddenly felt¡­ fine? He was still hungry, but it didn''t seem to actually matter anymore? Like he would kill for a pizza, but he didn''t feel like he was about to pass out anymore.


    ¡°Well?¡± Tessa asked. ¡°Are you good?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°I''m not passing out at least, so that''s something? I''m still starving though¡­¡± He shrugged, finally digging into the food. ¡°Well, I guess that''s good enough for now.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°It isn''t like you''re going to be doing this very often, right?¡±


    ¡°I certainly hope not.¡± Greg mumbled through a mouthful of food. ¡°I hate being hungry.¡± Tessa smiled, letting him focus on eating while she idly picked at her own meal. As he ate, Greg''s mind drifted towards his smoke, wondering how attaching it to his body kept him from passing out. Obviously it was somehow acting as a stand-in for the nutrients and whatnot he was missing, but it wasn''t replacing them or he wouldn''t be hungry, right? Somehow it was making his body work despite the missing nutrients¡­ but how? By¡­ moving it? That''s all a body was, right? A system of cells and chemicals just sort of¡­ circulating? You just needed nutrients to fuel it all, like an engine. And his smoke moved things despite the lack of fuel? Did that mean his smoke could just move things like that?


    Greg blinked. Wasn''t that what his smoke had been doing? It wasn''t like the bodies he formed out of smoke were using food to function. He supposed they could have been using mana, like everyone else, but according to that alien woman, his smoke didn''t even interact with mana! Greg frowned. But then where did the force from his smoke come from? It had to come from somewhere right? And the whole mutation was caused by mana¡­ Greg sighed, dismissing that train of thought. He didn''t have enough information to figure out what was going on there. But what he could figure out¡­


    Tessa yelped as she felt something pinch her butt. ¡°Who-!¡± She whirled around, looking for the perpetrator, only to cut off as she heard Greg snicker, whipping back around to glare at him. ¡°That was you?!?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Greg replied with a smirk. ¡°But can you guess how?¡±


    Tessa narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°A bug?¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Nope. Guess again.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°A tac?¡±


    ¡°Not even close.¡± Greg snickered, shaking his head.


    Tessa blinked. ¡°Did you awaken?¡±


    ¡°What? No, it still has something to do with my smoke.¡± Greg replied.


    Tessa cocked her head. ¡°You¡­ figured out how to make yourself invisible?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ but I''m definitely going to try now.¡± Greg muttered.


    Tessa scowled, searching for any other possibility, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. ¡°I don''t know. How did you do it?¡±


    ¡°Like this.¡± Greg grinned, sending a small cloud of smoke to her wrist and grabbing it with it, picking it up and swinging it around a little.


    Tessa''s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. ¡°So your smoke is like conditional telekinesis?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°I guess you could put it that way? I don''t know, I just realized that since my smoke was just simulating things, then the force of what I''ve been doing hasn''t actually been coming from like muscles or anything, it''s just the smoke, and if that''s the case, then why would it actually need to simulate anything to work?¡±


    Tessa just stared at him for a moment, then let out a sigh. ¡°And you haven''t even awakened yet.¡±


    *


    Greg took a bit more time to finish eating, then the two of them headed to the awakening station to get Greg some magic. Greg surreptitiously collected the smoke he''d left on the door as they walked in, since there was no reason to try and sneak in anymore. Well, no, there probably was, considering how tightly they kept it locked up, but he wasn''t going to without a good reason. One of the blue alien people was sitting at a desk, focused on her network device, quickly putting it away and flashing them a smile as they approached. ¡°Greetings! How may I help you?¡±


    Tessa gave Greg a weird look before turning back to her. ¡°My boyfriend doesn''t seem to be awakened, and according to what I found on the network, this is where we go to fix that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, let me just make sure¡­¡± The woman muttered, raising her network device and hitting Greg with a beam, scanning him. ¡°Let''s see¡­¡± She hummed as she went over his results, her eyes widening slightly as she caught sight of his natural mana. ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Tessa asked, expression twisting almost like she''d expected this.


    The woman glanced at her. ¡°I''m- not sure. The scan can''t seem to decipher his natural mana. It seems to indicate he can produce something, but it can''t seem to determine what that something might be, which suggests that whatever he produces is entirely unique!¡± She got excited for a moment, then frowned as she continued. ¡°Which means we can''t determine what effect the substance might have on our reality. It could be dangerous, like antimatter.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°That''s a thing? People who can make antimatter?¡±


    The woman nodded. ¡°It''s rare, and they generally can''t produce very much, but yes, it happens. And this substance you can produce could be even worse.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Greg asked hesitantly.


    ¡°We''ll need to have your mana tested before we can continue, which means you''ll need to see the Archmage.¡± The woman explained, tapping at her network device as she sent off a message.


    Greg frowned. ¡°Archmage?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± A voice answered, Greg and Tessa both jumping and whirling around to see another alien woman standing behind them. ¡°Which one of you has the strange mana?¡±


    ¡°You got here fast.¡± Greg couldn''t help but comment as he raised his hand.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°¡®Here¡¯ is relative.¡± The Archmage smirked slightly, creating a white thread. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Greg did as she said and she carefully sent the thread into his hand, Greg feeling a bit of a tingle as it circulated around his palm before the Archmage pulled it back out, its color having changed to black, immediately isolating it in some kind of bubble and sending it away. Greg blinked as he suddenly felt some smoke simply appear miles away, focusing on it and looking around, finding himself in a rune covered circle with several beams shooting at him while the spitting image of the Archmage studied him from outside it. ¡°Hm¡­ it doesn''t appear to be dangerous.¡± The Archmage muttered, drawing Greg''s attention back to the awakening station. ¡°According to all my readings, it''s utterly non-reactive. Which, unfortunately, means it probably isn''t very useful either.¡±


    Greg raised a finger, opening his mouth, then closing it, then opening it again, only to close it once more, before finally settling on a response. ¡°You can clone yourself?¡±


    The Archmage blinked at him. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°The lady in the room with all the runes and beams and whatnot, that''s you, right?¡± Greg elaborated. ¡°How are you controlling two bodies at the same time? Is it a skill thing or is there magic involved?¡±


    ¡°Ah, you''re connected to that substance in some way. Fascinating.¡± The Archmage muttered as it clicked. ¡°There is some level of skill involved but primarily it requires a significant investment of mana into the development of your mental faculties, until you''re capable of maintaining multiple threads of thought at the same time. A worthwhile pursuit if you wish to make the best use of this substance.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Greg nodded thoughtfully. ¡°Weird, I thought my natural mana was heat. Why''d it become making smoke?¡±


    ¡°Wait, that''s the substance you make?!?¡± Tessa asked incredulously.


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Apparently?¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°I can''t tell if that''s better or worse than you just getting an entirely new ability.¡±


    The Archmage eyed them suspiciously. ¡°You''re familiar with this substance?¡±


    ¡°I am that substance.¡± Greg replied, briefly poofing into smoke, the Archmage''s eyes widening slightly as he reformed, letting out a groan as the hunger hit him. ¡°Oh, that was a mistake. Does anyone have a burger? Several if possible.¡±


    ¡°That''s what you get for trying to show off.¡± Tessa smirked.


    ¡°Well how am I supposed to prove I''m a smoke person if I don''t turn into smoke?¡± Greg retorted. Tessa just raised an eyebrow, then a finger, which she sharpened into a claw. Greg blinked at her, then crossed his arms. ¡°Well you don''t have to be rude about it.¡± He grumbled.


    A pulse of pressure suddenly swept over the two of them as the Archmage fixed them with an annoyed look. ¡°Explain. Now.¡± She growled.


    Greg coughed. ¡°Uh, it''s basically what I already said? I''m made of smoke, I can sense and see out of it and stuff, and I can simulate anything I''ve dissolved with it at varying levels of realism, up to the point of being indistinguishable from the real thing, which is why I''m really hungry right now. Oh, and I just learned I can use it to pick things up and whatnot, like telekinesis. Aaand I can also connect it to things, which lets me copy them without dissolving them.¡± He turned to Tessa. ¡°Am I missing anything?¡±


    ¡°Multiple bodies. Incapable of getting tired. Incredibly hard, if not impossible, to kill.¡± Tessa replied, listing them off on her fingers as she did.


    The Archmage just stared at them for a moment as she put all that together, even her prodigious mind struggling to come to terms with Greg''s existence before she finally made a decision. ¡°Would you be interested in becoming my apprentice?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Would you be interested in becoming my apprentice?¡± The Archmage repeated slowly, enunciating each word. ¡°I specialize in mental magic, specifically multitasking and analysis, with minor specializations in illusion and force magic, and I would be very interested in developing a deeper understanding of this ¡®smoke¡¯ of yours which so intrinsically melds force and illusion, while you would benefit greatly from my understanding of mental magic and development, so I believe the relationship would be mutually beneficial.¡±


    ¡°Because of course he has to collect yet another woman.¡± Tessa grumbled under her breath, rubbing her temple.


    ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­ but I sort of already agreed to let someone study my smoke? I didn''t get her name, but she was patrolling the female section in the uncivilized part of the ship last night.¡± Greg replied. ¡°She apparently had some people check me out as well, because I kinda passed out, so there''s probably a record of it somewhere.¡±


    The Archmage frowned. ¡°Did you have a pincer and scales?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Greg exclaimed, then paused. ¡°Wait, were you one of the people who checked me out?¡±


    ¡°No, but I read the report.¡± She explained. ¡°You were supposed to have a heat related natural mana¡­¡± She eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. ¡°Could you transform into your other form?¡±


    ¡°Sure?¡± He agreed, instinctively going to switch into his scorpocroc form. ¡°Gah!¡± Greg twitched as an intense tingle surged through his body, squirming uncomfortably as his body shifted, more smoke getting drawn in as he grew, the whole process taking about four seconds. ¡°Fuck that tickled!¡± Greg cursed, turning to Tessa. ¡°Does your shapeshifting tickle?¡±


    ¡°A little?¡± Tessa replied. ¡°I tend to stick to minor alterations though. I don''t trust myself not to make a mess if I tried to do something like you just did.¡±


    ¡°Shapeshifting can be dangerous if not done carefully.¡± The Archmage agreed, before glancing at Greg. ¡°For most people, at least.¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°My base form is a cloud. I don''t think I can mess anything up.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± The Archmage grunted, turning to the woman at the desk. ¡°Would you please scan him again?¡±


    The woman nodded nervously, giving Greg a scan. ¡°It- it says his natural mana produces heat now!¡±


    ¡°I suspected as much.¡± The Archmage muttered, studying Greg with an intense gaze. ¡°Can you transform into her?¡± She gestured to Tessa.


    Greg hesitated. He''d been trying to avoid turning into other people, mostly because he didn''t want to put the idea that he could rather easily steal someone''s identity in his or anyone else''s mind. He glanced at Tessa. ¡°Would you be okay with that?¡±


    ¡°Just don''t abuse the privilege.¡± Tessa replied, rolling her eyes. Greg nodded, enduring another few seconds of tingling as he turned into a copy of Tessa.


    ¡°Now scan him again.¡± The Archmage ordered.


    ¡°Sh- shapeshifting natural mana.¡± The woman gulped as she read off the new scan.


    ¡°Now her.¡± The Archmage gestured to Tessa.


    The woman''s eyes widened as she realized what the Archmage wanted to test, quickly scanning Tessa. ¡°It- It''s the same! According to the network, they''re the exact same person!¡±


    The Archmage turned to Greg with a serious look. ¡°And how much do you need to transform into someone?¡±


    ¡°Not much¡­ some dead skin, hair, spit, blood, or- other bodily fluids.¡± Greg replied. ¡°And just like a drop or so of it.¡±


    ¡°Remarkable¡­ so little to essentially become someone else.¡± The Archmage shook her head. ¡°The ability to alter your natural mana alone is a prodigious gift, a sign of some of the most powerful mages to have ever lived. But the ability to copy form and mana so completely¡­ that is a dangerous tool to wield. Many valuables and secrets are locked behind an individual''s unique mana signature.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Neat? Can I go back to being me now? I''m having a hard time resisting the urge to grope myself.¡±


    An amused twitch played across the Archmage''s lips. ¡°That would be fine, yes.¡±


    Greg sighed in relief as he returned to his human form, scratching his chest as he finished. ¡°So I did have an itch!¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°You''re a dork.¡±


    ¡°You still haven''t answered my question.¡± The Archmage commented. ¡°Would you be interested in becoming my apprentice?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I mean, obviously? I''m assuming you''re one of the best mages on the ship, right? Which, I suppose, doesn''t mean you''re the best teacher, but I''m a pretty great learner, so as long as you have the information, I''ll probably be good. The only thing is that I promised what''s-her-name I''d let her study my smoke. I''m not sure if that''d actually affect anything, but I try not to go back on promises, you know? It''s kinda shitty to say you''re going to do something and then not.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Lapodala, and I doubt any study she performed would interfere with your apprenticeship.¡± The Archmage assured him. ¡°In fact, a greater understanding of your natural mana is the first step on your path to becoming an archmage yourself.¡±


    ¡°Cool, then yeah, I''d totally be down to be your apprentice.¡± Greg agreed, giving her a thumbs up. ¡°But I should probably actually become a mage first, huh?¡±


    The Archmage laughed. ¡°Yes, that would be for the best.¡±


    Greg turned to the woman manning the desk. ¡°So¡­ shall we?¡±


    The woman glanced at the Archmage, who nodded, before turning back to Greg. ¡°Right this way, sir.¡± She agreed, giving him a slight bow.


    Greg glanced at Tessa as they headed deeper into the building. ¡°Hey, since I don''t need Laladapa to teach me anymore, do you think we could get her to train you?¡±


    ¡°Lapodala.¡± Tessa corrected him. ¡°I''m sure she''d be much more willing if you get her name right.¡±


    ¡°Oof.¡± Greg grunted. ¡°High bar right out the gate.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Remembering someone''s name is not a high bar.¡±


    ¡°Depends on the name.¡± Greg replied. ¡°All I remember about her name is that it makes me think of the Dalai Lama.¡±


    Tessa scowled. ¡°It''s Lapodala.¡±


    ¡°Lap of the Dalai Lama, got it.¡± Greg nodded, smirking slightly.


    ¡°Greg.¡± Tessa growled warningly.


    Greg snickered. ¡°I got it, I got it, Lapodala.¡± He paused. ¡°But seriously, I''ll probably need you to remind me later¡­¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Of course you will.¡±


    They finally arrived at a small room with an egg-like chamber inside, which opened up to reveal a padded seat. ¡°Please sit here, sir.¡± The woman gestured to the egg and Greg did so. She then began messing with her network device, the egg closing as she did, fully encapsulating Greg. A few moments later a soft light began to fill the egg, bathing Greg in pure mana before fading away. Then the egg reopened.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Greg asked.


    The woman nodded. ¡°That''s it, sir. You are now a fully awakened mage.¡±


    Greg frowned, stepping out of the egg. ¡°Huh¡­ kinda expected to feel something.¡±


    ¡°Give it a moment.¡± Tessa commented. ¡°It''s like a new limb you''ve always had. You aren''t really aware of it until you are.¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°That is the least helpful explanation I''ve ever heard. What, am I just going to reach for some smoke and- oh.¡± Greg cut off as he reached out a hand and smoke began to flow out of it. ¡°Huh¡­ okay, sorry, your explanation was right on point, my bad.¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°Come on, let''s go deal with your new master. We still have to hit our first challenge with the squad.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Greg agreed, then paused. ¡°Could we stop by the cafeteria, too?¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Yes, we can get you food.¡±

 Smoke: 26 - Group dynamics

    The Archmage was gone when they returned, but once Greg picked up a network device, he found several messages waiting for him. The first one stated that she''d linked both of his mana signatures together so he wouldn''t have to switch between them to check his messages, the second was a list of reading material, and the third was a schedule for him to follow, detailing what he should read, when they would meet, and time blocks for when he should train, meditate, attempt challenges, experiment with his smoke, eat, and sleep, with a few small slivers designated for free time. ¡°I''m beginning to think this apprenticeship thing is a bigger deal than I thought¡­¡± Greg muttered through a mouthful of food as he looked over the schedule.


    ¡°Don''t talk with your mouth full.¡± Tessa chastised him. ¡°And what did you think it would be?¡±


    Greg raised a finger as he chewed, Tessa rolling her eyes as he ensured that the food was well masticated before he swallowed. ¡°Honestly, I was thinking she''d be more like a college professor. I figured she''d give me a few lessons, then point me towards resources I should take advantage of, not plan out my entire freaking life!¡± He paused. ¡°Kinda feel like this should have been a more significant conversation.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you''d asked what being her apprentice would actually mean instead of just agreeing it would have been.¡± Tessa pointed out.


    Greg paused. ¡°I suppose¡­ I just didn''t see much point in asking a bunch of questions when I was obviously going to say yes. But I was actually thinking it should have been a more significant conversation on her part. I mean, if she''s going to invest this much time in me, I feel like she should know more about me than a few interesting things I can do.¡±


    Tessa blinked at him. ¡°Greg, do you honestly not realize how utterly ridiculous your smoke is?¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°I mean¡­ I guess the fact that I just straight up can''t die is pretty ridiculous, but I don''t think anything else is that bad?¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°It isn''t that any one thing is too much, it''s everything together that''s ridiculous. Being connected to all your smoke, able to extend your senses through it? Not that bad. Being able to dissolve things and copy them using your smoke? Useful. Being able to exert force through your smoke? Jake can do the same without smoke. Being able to exist solely as your smoke, your existence fundamentally intertwined with it? Strange, but without the rest, that''s all it''d be. Your smoke seeming to be fundamentally indestructible in its base form? Again, strange, but insignificant on its own. But once you put it all together, you become an immortal, telekinetic cloud that can become anyone and anything!¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Okay, yeah, that does sound kind of ridiculous¡­¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, kind of.¡±


    ¡°But I still don''t see why the Archmage would jump on taking me as an apprentice because of it.¡± Greg added. ¡°I mean, I''d get it if she just wanted to study me, like Lamadapa, and teaching me in exchange just makes sense cause that''s what I need at the moment, which is what I thought she meant by the whole apprentice thing, but this¡­¡± He waved vaguely at the schedule. ¡°This is a lot of investment for what is essentially a curiosity.¡±


    ¡°It''s Lapo- ugh, you''re just going to forget it again.¡± Tessa grumbled. ¡°And I don''t know why she''s going this far for you. Maybe it isn''t that significant for her?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­ she does have all that mental enhancement stuff going for her.¡± Greg agreed tentatively, then sighed. ¡°I guess there''s no point in questioning it anyway. I mean, it isn''t like I''m going to complain about the Archmage taking a greater interest in me.¡±


    ¡°You better not.¡± Tessa grumbled. ¡°The fact that you lucked into not one, but two instructors within a day is even more ridiculous than what you can do. And I still don''t understand why they''re both women!¡±


    ¡°Well, I don''t know how I could have had any effect on the gender of the Archmage, so I''m pretty sure it''s just bad luck at this point.¡± Greg shrugged.


    Tessa grunted noncommittally, pausing as she checked her network device. ¡°Are you done? We should join up with the others. They already found a challenge and they''re just waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m done.¡± Greg nodded, the two of them getting to their feet. ¡°What''s the challenge?¡±


    Tessa checked her network device again. ¡°Settlement defense.¡±


    *


    ¡°There you guys are!¡± Victor exclaimed as Greg and Tessa arrived. ¡°What took you so long? Did you take a break to fuck or something?¡±


    Tessa glared at him for a moment, before turning to the others, pointedly ignoring his comment. ¡°Greg''s awakening was a bit more complicated than we thought it would be because his natural mana allows him to produce a substance that the aliens had never encountered before, so they needed to test it first. Can anyone guess what it might be? I''ll give you a hint. We''re all very familiar with the substance.¡±


    ¡°No fucking way, his superpower is making smoke?!?¡± Casey asked incredulously.


    ¡°Yup!¡± Greg chuckled, sending out a small burst as an example. ¡°Though I''m not really sure how useful it''ll be¡­ I''ve never exactly been hurting for smoke.¡±


    ¡°It is kinda like putting a hat on a hat.¡± Victor muttered.


    Jake sighed. ¡°Guys, come on, we''re already behind. We can deal with Greg''s bullshit later.¡±


    Victor snorted. ¡°Behind by what metric? Who are you trying to beat? The freaking high-tiers?¡±


    Jake crossed his arms defensively. ¡°The more challenges we beat, the more resources we can get, and the stronger we can become! The high-tiers may have a head start, but that doesn''t mean we can''t catch up!¡±


    Greg coughed. ¡°I have it on pretty good authority that one challenge every other day is a decent pace. Slow and steady and all that, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Jake sneered. ¡°And who told you that?¡±


    ¡°The Archmage?¡± Greg offered. ¡°Not sure exactly what the title means in this context, but she certainly seemed important, so I''d take her input fairly seriously.¡±


    ¡°You met someone calling themselves the Archmage?¡± Brittany asked skeptically. ¡°And they gave you advice on how often to complete challenges?¡±


    ¡°He did, and she did.¡± Tessa confirmed. ¡°As I said, his awakening got complicated.¡±


    ¡°We should still focus on the challenge.¡± Jake grumbled.


    ¡°Right, so how does this work?¡± Greg agreed, looking around. The challenge was set up in a small valley, a lone wall standing in the middle. Greg could see signs of fighting around, but currently no one else was there, probably due to the fact that most people had gone towards the forest and that this challenge was pretty out of the way, almost a mile into the mountainous zone.


    ¡°We go up on the wall, activate the challenge, then a swarm of monsters will come down that hill, and keep on coming until we''re all ¡®dead¡¯.¡± Victor explained simply. ¡°All the monsters are illusions, so they can''t actually hurt us, but our network devices keep track of every time we take ¡®damage¡¯ to determine when we''re out. It also tracks ¡®healing¡¯, so Meredith isn''t useless at the one thing we keep her around for. The goal is just to last as long as possible.¡±


    ¡°And we get ranked based on how well we do?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Basically.¡± Casey nodded. ¡°It balances things out based on contribution and strength, so the high-tiers don''t automatically win just because they''re stronger and you can''t just use a big group to boost your ranking.¡±


    ¡°Neat. Let''s get to it then.¡± Greg clapped.


    Jake shot him a dirty look. ¡°How about we discuss our strategy first?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°I mean, if you feel like it, sure.¡±


    Jake scowled. ¡°You will be covering Casey and Brittany, while Tessa and Victor cover Emily, and Carlos covers me and Meredith in the middle.¡±


    ¡°Not much of a discussion there¡­¡± Victor coughed.


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    ¡°I would prefer if Greg covers me.¡± Meredith added, causing Tessa to snort.


    ¡°Shouldn''t Brittany be in the middle so her illusions can cover more ground?¡± Carlos commented.


    ¡°Carlos is the better defender and what good would Brittany''s illusions do even if they could cover more ground?!?¡± Jake snapped. ¡°We''re being attacked by a swarm, it isn''t like we can hide from it!¡±


    ¡°Carlos is better, but his defense is all in his barriers, so sticking him with Meredith doesn''t exactly help.¡± Brittany pointed out. ¡°You should put her with Tessa if you want to get the most out of her. I think Carlos would do best covering Casey and Emily in the center as our primary damage dealers while the rest of us clean up the edges. And I believe I can work with Greg to create and hide traps for the swarm? And you and Victor can work to create openings for the rest of us, stepping in to help whoever might be struggling at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Now that sounds like a plan.¡± Victor smirked.


    Jake''s eye twitched. ¡°Since when do you all have problems with my strategies?!?¡±


    ¡°Since when do you think you get to tell everyone what to do?¡± Casey retorted. ¡°We''ve always discussed our strategies. You just figure out when to use them. Or did you forget because we haven''t had to adjust our strategies for the last year or so?¡±


    Jake clenched his jaw. ¡°Fine. We''ll go with Brittany''s plan.¡±


    ¡°I am not working with her!¡± Meredith protested, jabbing a finger at Tessa.


    ¡°Then you can find a new squad.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°I''m sure there are plenty of people willing to take you.¡±


    ¡°That isn''t your decision!¡± Jake snapped. ¡°I''m leading this squad and I get to decide who''s in it or not!¡±


    Victor barked out a laugh. ¡°Bull-fucking-shit! The only reason you''re in charge of anything is because the rest of us don''t care! But if you think you''re going to start acting like a little dictator, that can change real fucking quick.¡±


    ¡°Wha- he started it!¡± Jake complained, gesturing to Greg. ¡°He just tried to kick Meredith out of the squad like he was the one in charge!¡±


    ¡°Did he?¡± Casey asked, crossing her arms. ¡°All I heard was him letting her know that if she was going to be a bitch to one of our friends, then she could take a hike. Which I believe is something all of us can agree with.¡±


    ¡°And isn''t he the only reason she''s even in the squad in the first place?¡± Brittany added. ¡°And wasn''t one of the conditions for that that he watch her to make sure she isn''t being a bitch?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because the real question here is why you weren''t jumping in to defend Tessa too.¡± Victor smirked. ¡°Have you already been seduced by the dark side? You do know the cake is a lie, right?¡±


    ¡°Man, fuck you.¡± Greg groaned. ¡°Now I''m missing movies and video games.¡± He sighed. ¡°Seriously though, can we all just chill for a bit? We''re all friends here, right? There''s no need to get all worked up over bullshit.¡±


    ¡°I am not your friend.¡± Jake spat. ¡°All you''ve done is ruin things since you showed up! You make my squad risk our lives traveling through the city to save your ass, you start telling everyone the ferals are getting smarter and treating them like people, you monopolize all of Tessa''s time with your bullshit, and throughout it all you run around murdering people and act like you''re a saint for doing it!¡±


    ¡°We went out to save Sarah, ferals are people, how I choose to spend my time is none of your business, and if you call Greg a murderer again I''ll cut out your tongue and shove it up your ass.¡± Tessa snarled fiercely.


    Jake sneered at her. ¡°What, you don''t like hearing the truth about your new boyfriend? Do you really think it''s a coincidence he keeps bringing new girls home? Have you ever wondered why they all seem so attached to him? Do you enjoy maintaining his little harem for him?¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell, man, are you trying to die?!?¡± Greg cursed.


    ¡°Well he''s certainly doing a good job of digging his own grave.¡± Victor commented, his voice notably lacking its usual hint of amusement as he eyed Tessa warily, before turning to Jake. ¡°You should go before you do anything to make this worse.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes, because all this is my fault!¡± Jake scoffed. ¡°Why can''t any of you see what a monster he is?!? All he does is hurt and use people!¡±


    Carlos groaned. ¡°Jake, bro, you have got to stop. I''m not even on your side here.¡±


    Brittany shook her head. ¡°Neither am I.¡±


    ¡°I''ve been resisting the urge to fireball your ass since you called one of my best friends a murderer.¡± Casey growled.


    ¡°I''m kinda on his side?¡± Greg offered. ¡°I mean, I don''t agree, obviously, but I can see where he''s coming from. I do some shady shit.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg? Shut up.¡±


    Greg sighed, turning to Jake. ¡°Sorry dude, I tried.¡±


    ¡°Why would I ever want your help?!?¡± Jake sneered. ¡°And why would I want to be on a squad with a group of simple-minded, disloyal ingrates!?! You can all go rot for all I care!¡± He turned to Meredith. ¡°Come on, let''s go find a squad that will actually appreciate us.¡±


    Meredith looked at him like he was crazy. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Jake froze. ¡°I- you can''t actually be considering staying with these people, can you?!?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how hard I worked to get on the same squad as him in the first place?!?¡± Meredith retorted incredulously, gesturing to Greg. ¡°Why the hell would I give that up for you?!? I don''t even like you!¡±


    Jake flinched. ¡°I- fine! You''re a bitch anyway!¡± He snarled, turning and stomping off.


    They were all silent for a moment, until Greg sighed. ¡°Why did no one chill? I specifically requested it.¡±


    ¡°Greg, this is not the time!¡± Tessa snapped. ¡°Brittany and Carlos just lost one of their closest friends over you!¡±


    Brittany shook her head. ¡°No, it''s fine. Jake- Jake has been setting himself up for that for years now. It''s not Greg''s fault he ended up being the one to set him off.¡±


    ¡°I just can''t believe he just went off like that.¡± Carlos muttered. ¡°I mean, I knew he was hurting, but I''ve never seen him just lash out like that before.¡±


    Victor nodded. ¡°I just expected him to sulk and throw out some petty jabs, not go full incel on everyone.¡±


    ¡°Aw, fuck, he did go full incel!¡± Carlos groaned, burying his face in his hands. ¡°I knew he needed to get laid!¡±


    Brittany scowled. ¡°What he needed to do was accept reality and stop pining after something that was never going to happen. Which I''ve been telling him for months now!¡±


    ¡°You don''t just stop obsessing over a girl.¡± Greg commented with a weary sigh. ¡°You have to stop yourself from getting obsessed in the first place by wholeheartedly believing that no one likes you, because why would they? You''re a mess who obsesses over every girl who smiles at you, like a crazy person. And if you ever do start obsessing over a girl, you pretty much have to assume she''s already rejected you, because again, you''re crazy.¡±


    Everyone just stared at him incredulously for a moment. ¡°Do we need to talk or something, buddy?¡± Victor asked tentatively.


    ¡°Not your buddy, guy.¡± Greg smirked. ¡°And why would we?¡±


    ¡°Greg, that sounded like some serious self-esteem issue shit.¡± Casey replied, giving him a concerned look.


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Acknowledging that I''m crazy doesn''t mean I have low self-esteem. Honestly, I kinda like who I am. But I have issues and I take the necessary steps to account for them, you know? That''s not low self-esteem, that''s just being practical.¡±


    ¡°It''s practical to believe no one likes you?¡± Brittany asked incredulously.


    ¡°Sure, why not? Statistically you''re right more often than you''re wrong.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Plus, I''m already programmed to believe everyone likes me, so the two sort of balance each other out. Gives everyone a nice neutral vibe.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what if there''s someone who actually does like you?¡± Carlos asked.


    Greg frowned. ¡°I- still haven''t figured that one out, honestly¡­ not that it particularly matters at the moment, since I''m with Tessa.¡± He glanced at Tessa. ¡°Or at least I think I am?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg, if I want to break up with you, I will tell you. Until then, assume I am madly in love with you, okay?¡±


    Greg froze. ¡°I- don''t think you mean that.¡±


    ¡°I am certain I do.¡± Tessa retorted, a slight smile playing across her lips.


    Greg just stared at her for a moment. ¡°Do you think if my body is real enough, I can get you pregnant?¡± Tessa''s eyes widened slightly, her mouth opening only for Greg to wave dismissively. ¡°No, no, you''re right, we''ll figure it out.¡± He turned to the others as Tessa flushed. ¡°Let''s get to this challenge then, eh? Barbie, you''re with me, right? And Meredith, you are working with Tessa! Chop chop, everyone!¡±


    ¡°Who are you calling Barbie?!?¡± Brittany protested. ¡°I''m not even blonde!¡±

 Smoke: 27 - Challenge

    ¡°Alright, everyone ready?¡± Carlos called out from the center of the wall, getting ready to activate the challenge.


    ¡°We''re ready.¡± Greg confirmed for him and Brittany.


    ¡°As are we.¡± Tessa answered for her and Meredith.


    ¡°I''m as ready as I''ll ever be.¡± Victor sighed. This challenge didn''t exactly play to his strengths.


    ¡°Then let''s do this!¡± Carlos roared, activating the challenge. Immediately a horde of gigantic praying mantis looking creatures appeared, letting out roars of their own as they charged towards the wall. As soon as they appeared, Greg started sending out smoke, creating a field of metal spikes between the horde and the wall, Brittany covering some in illusions while others were left bare. It didn''t seem to make much of a difference either way, unfortunately, as the horde simply charged through, the front of the wave impaling itself on the spikes as the ones that followed charged over them. As the horde got closer, Casey and Emily went to work, throwing out fire and flying blades to thin it out before it reached the wall, and Greg finally finished setting up the spikes, the last ones set up on the wall itself, pointing downwards, transforming into his scorpocroc form as he prepared for the horde to hit the wall.


    As the horde of mantis creatures reached the wall, they began flinging themselves up it. Some missed and impaled themselves on Greg''s spikes, but a good chunk of them reached the top, where they met Carlos''s barrier, bouncing off and falling back into the swarm. Carlos covered as much of the wall as he could, keeping the mantises down while Greg and Tessa handled the areas he couldn''t reach, tearing into any mantis that came near them. Meredith carefully monitored Tessa''s condition, shooting a pulse of healing into her every now and then, while Brittany covered Greg in an illusion of himself, controlling it to send fake attacks at the mantises to cover Greg''s, confusing the mantises as much as she could. Since Casey and Emily couldn''t shoot through Carlos''s barrier, they turned to support the other two teams, taking out any mantis that got around Tessa and Greg. Meanwhile, Victor slipped into the horde on Tessa''s side to cause confusion, pushing and shoving the mantises into each other, creating openings for Tessa where he could. Unfortunately, even the fact that he was unnoticeable didn''t keep him from getting knocked around by the press of the mantises, so he had to retreat fairly often to get healing from Meredith.


    As time passed, Carlos began to wear out and his barrier started to shrink, forcing the squad to move closer and closer together until they were back to back. Then Victor was finally knocked out, Meredith too focused on Tessa to spare him any healing, and not much later Tessa fell as well, the rest of them falling soon after as the mantises broke through, swarming over the rest of them. ¡°Hey, I can still keep going!¡± Greg protested as he was knocked out by whatever metric the network device was using. Though, admittedly, the strain was starting to get to him and his body was exhausted. He was pretty sure the only reason he was still moving was the smoke.


    ¡°Could you fucking not though?¡± Victor groaned. ¡°Fuck, even if it''s just an illusion, that shit fucking hurt!¡±


    ¡°I''m sore in places that don''t even exist.¡± Carlos complained. ¡°I don''t think I''ve ever pushed my barrier that hard before.¡±


    All the others nodded in agreement. The challenge had been intense, pushing all of them to their limits before they finally fell. ¡°Has anyone checked our rankings yet?¡± Brittany asked.


    A chorus of groans echoed out as everyone checked their network devices. The rankings were split into four categories in which all twenty-five thousandish people in their section of the ship were ranked. The categories were offense, defense, survival, and development, and you could earn benefits by ranking higher in each category. ¡°I''m in the top four thousand.¡± Victor announced.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Brittany added.


    ¡°Top thousand.¡± Tessa smirked.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Meredith shot back.


    ¡°And me.¡± Carlos replied.


    ¡°Us too.¡± Casey answered for both her and Emily.


    ¡°I''m¡­ forty-fourth?¡± Greg frowned. ¡°That doesn''t seem right¡­¡±


    The rest of the squad shared a few looks. ¡°Seems about right to me.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°How many people do you think are capable of altering the battlefield like that and then fighting longer and harder than anyone else? Your spikes did just as much to keep the mantises off of us as Carlos''s barrier did, and you handled an entire side better than me, Tessa, and Meredith combined.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, dude, you''re pretty ridiculous.¡± Carlos agreed.


    ¡°Terrifying.¡± Emily shuddered.


    ¡°I mean, sure but aren''t the rankings supposed to adjust for stuff like that?¡± Greg pointed out.


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°The rankings adjust for strength. You aren''t stronger than anyone else, you just do more than anyone else. Which is probably what the aliens are looking for in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I''m kind of surprised you''re only forty-fourth, all things considered.¡± Brittany commented. ¡°Who''s ahead of you?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ people?¡± Greg replied, looking over a bunch of strangers'' names.


    ¡°Probably other people with weird powers like him.¡± Casey waved dismissively. ¡°He can''t be the only one, right? Not mixed in with twenty-five thousand other people.¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°I think Greg is more unique than you might think. He probably just didn''t make the most of what his smoke could do.¡±


    ¡°Hey?¡± Greg protested.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°You didn''t even touch your telekinesis, or the heat power from your other form.¡±


    Greg blinked, then coughed awkwardly. ¡°I- was conserving resources? It didn''t seem like I needed to use them, you know?¡±


    Everyone stared at him incredulously. ¡°All that and you were holding back!?!¡± Casey hissed.


    ¡°Only a little!¡± Greg retorted. ¡°I mean, I can only focus on so much at a time, and I was busy fighting monsters!¡±


    ¡°All I''m hearing is that you need more training.¡± Tessa muttered.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah?¡± Greg agreed. ¡°I''ve only been doing this shit for like a week.¡±


    They all paused, then Victor snorted. ¡°And he''s still forty-fourth.¡±


    Brittany sighed. ¡°Alright, come on, let''s focus on figuring out what we could have done differently. Any ideas?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think Casey and I should have attacked before the swarm hit the wall.¡± Emily suggested. ¡°We didn''t noticeably thin their numbers and it drained our stamina for the fighting on the wall. We should have focused our energy on picking off the ones that were actually a threat.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°I think we got too focused on the idea of defending the wall. The way this challenge is set up, it''s inevitable that we''ll be overrun, and our focus should have been on our own survival. Instead of focusing on the middle, we should have taken an edge, so we could focus on defending one side instead of splitting our resources to defend two. There are clear boundaries to this challenge and we should take advantage of them.¡±


    ¡°That''d let me do more, too, since I wouldn''t have to deal with every monster myself.¡± Greg added. ¡°Though that would probably be solved by Victor and¡­ Bethany?¡±


    ¡°Brittany.¡± Tessa sighed, while Brittany gave him a weird look.


    ¡°Right, if you both learn some offensive or even defensive spells, it''d help a lot.¡± Greg finished.


    ¡°Well, duh.¡± Victor scoffed. ¡°But that isn''t exactly something we can fix until we''ve gotten more challenge points.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± Greg muttered. ¡°How many challenge points did we get?¡±


    ¡°We get ten points the first time we complete any challenge, another five if we take it again and beat our previous performance, then three more if we do it again, and a final two for the fourth, for a total of twenty max points from each challenge. After that, all it does is affect our ranking.¡± Brittany explained.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Greg nodded, then paused. ¡°So wouldn''t it be a good idea to just run around and blitz through every challenge you can find? If all you have to do is challenge it for the points, then it doesn''t particularly matter if you try or not, right?¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I wish, but the aliens already thought about that.¡± Victor grumbled. ¡°Your network device monitors your condition and you can''t do another challenge until you''re back in tip top shape. And, if it determines you didn''t actually try in a challenge, you don''t get the points either.¡±


    ¡°Ah, smart.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°So what does ten points get you?¡±


    Victor rolled his eyes. ¡°What am I, your mother? Look it up yourself. There''s a whole online store you can browse.¡±


    ¡°We''ll still need to complete a few more challenges before we can buy anything significant.¡± Tessa explained. ¡°Even basic spells require fifty points to get, and they are far from the only things we need to get stronger.¡±


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°Oof.¡± Greg grunted.


    ¡°Alright, so, back to the base?¡± Carlos suggested.


    ¡°Not like there''s anything else for us to do right now.¡± Victor grumbled. ¡°The entertainment hall costs points and we can''t even buy alcohol here!¡±


    ¡°I can probably get a pool table for you, but you''re on your own for the alcohol.¡± Greg offered.


    Victor blinked. ¡°You can?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? I''m still on Earth, remember?¡± Greg reminded him.


    ¡°Aw, fuck yeah!¡± Victor grinned. ¡°I know just where to set it up too! Adios Jake, hello game room!¡±


    ¡°Dude, too soon.¡± Carlos groaned.


    ¡°Hey, you don''t have to play if you don''t want to.¡± Victor smirked.


    ¡°Yeah, right.¡± Carlos snorted. ¡°You just want a chance to win for once.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, who wants to win?¡± Victor retorted. ¡°The fun is all in losing gracefully! That, and the ball puns. Gotta love the ball puns.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes, turning to Greg. ¡°You can get some board games too, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure. And books, and anything else in the safe zone.¡± Greg replied. ¡°It''s not like there''s anyone else around to use it.¡±


    They all shared a look, then Brittany sighed. ¡°We''re going to need to make a list.¡±


    *


    The squad returned to the base and then Greg spent an hour or so running around the safe zone dissolving and making copies of everything people wanted, which ranged from specific games to personal mementos, the most surprising of which was an engagement ring hidden in Meredith''s room that she immediately ran off with the moment Greg gave it to her, and he swore he saw tears in her eyes as she did. Once he finished, he set up the pool table for Carlos and Victor while the rest of them set up with a board game at a table nearby. ¡°So¡­ what are we going to do next?¡± Carlos asked after he broke, turning to the table as Victor took his shot.


    ¡°We should probably take a look around to see what factions are developing.¡± Tessa commented. ¡°I can''t imagine Dad isn''t up to something, and I doubt he''s the only one.¡±


    Victor snorted, standing up after missing his shot. ¡°You can deal with that shit if you want, but I''m not touching that mess with a ten-foot pole.¡±


    Tessa frowned at him. ¡°Even if you don''t want to touch it, they aren''t going to ignore you, and they definitely won''t ignore Greg. Knowing what they want is the first step in staying out of it.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, fine.¡± Victor grumbled. ¡°But only so we can avoid it.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Victor, do you really think I''d be in this squad if I didn''t want to avoid politics?¡±


    ¡°I mean, no, but we were all abducted by aliens yesterday, Meredith is on the squad somehow, Jake isn''t, and Greg has a girlfriend! Shit¡¯s crazy and I''m not making any assumptions.¡± Victor muttered.


    ¡°Jake''s not in the squad anymore?¡± Sarah asked, surprised.


    ¡°No, he isn''t.¡± Brittany grumbled.


    Sarah shifted uncomfortably. ¡°Is- is it because of me?¡±


    Everyone turned to look at her. ¡°Why would it be because of you?¡± Tessa asked, a mix of concern and suspicion in her tone.


    ¡°Because I''m a burden?¡± Sarah offered hesitantly. ¡°I can''t fight, I can''t earn challenge points, and you have to leave people to protect me all the time so they can''t earn challenge points either¡­ I''m just- a problem.¡± She finished, grimacing bitterly.


    ¡°Sarah, you are not a problem, you have a problem.¡± Tessa corrected her softly. ¡°Would you talk about someone with a broken leg like that?¡±


    ¡°I guess not¡­¡± Sarah muttered. ¡°But at least a broken leg would heal.¡±


    ¡°And so will this.¡± Tessa assured her. ¡°We have magic now! There has to be a way to fix whatever is wrong with you.¡±


    ¡°I should probably ask the Archmage about that, huh?¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Actually, I''m just going to do that now or I''ll forget.¡± He sighed, pulling up his network device and typing up a message explaining Sarah''s situation.


    ¡°Uh, Greg, are you sure that''s smart?¡± Brittany asked tentatively as Greg typed.


    ¡°Why wouldn''t it be?¡± Greg asked, glancing at her weirdly before refocusing on his message.


    ¡°Because it''s the Archmage!¡± Emily hissed. ¡°How did you even get her contact in the first place, and how can you even think it''d be okay to use it to ask her random questions?!?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I''m kind of her apprentice? Answering my questions is pretty much her job.¡± Greg shrugged, finishing up his message and sending it as everyone stared at him incredulously. ¡°There, done!¡± He looked up from his network device to see everyone staring at him. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You''re the Archmage''s apprentice?!?¡± Casey exclaimed. ¡°How!?!¡±


    ¡°He intrigues me.¡± The Archmage answered, appearing behind Greg, looking around for a moment, before focusing on Sarah. ¡°As I thought. A premature awakening.¡± She turned to Greg. ¡°Thank you for bringing this to my attention. There isn''t much we can do to fix the issue, but I will make sure she is protected from the consequences of it.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°What is the issue? A premature awakening?¡±


    The Archmage nodded. ¡°It is rare, but occasionally individuals will experience an awakening before they reach physical maturity and begin leaking uncontrolled mana. This mana creates a sort of aura around them, exhibiting a minor effect based on their natural mana, such as decreasing or increasing the temperature around them, or projecting their emotions with minor illusions. It''s rare for these effects to be harmful, but with certain types of mana, such as this young woman''s, the effect can still be¡­ inconvenient. Unfortunately, the only cure is to wait until she matures and gains control over her mana.¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Well that sucks. She''s still got like four years before she''s mature.¡±


    ¡°It could be less.¡± Tessa interjected. ¡°Physical maturity can happen as early as sixteen for women.¡±


    ¡°Fifteen, actually.¡± Victor commented, pausing as everyone gave him a weird look. ¡°What? It''s basic biology!¡±


    ¡°Oh? And what''s the earliest a man can be physically mature?¡± Brittany asked, crossing her arms.


    ¡°That one is sixteen.¡± Victor answered, rolling his eyes. ¡°Y''all need to pay more attention in school.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so she only has one to four more years of this.¡± Greg summed up. ¡°That''s not so bad, right?¡±


    ¡°One to three, actually.¡± Victor corrected. ¡°The latest for girls is seventeen. Though this is all averages and what not, so who knows? Maybe she''s an extreme outlier who won''t finish maturing until she''s thirty.¡±


    ¡°Why would you even say that?!?¡± Brittany groaned as Sarah went pale at the thought of something like that happening.


    Victor shrugged. ¡°Why not?¡±


    The Archmage raised an eyebrow at the exchange, before turning to Greg. ¡°I''ve added a warning system that will trigger when a network device senses her mana signature, warning any men to maintain their distance. Additionally, her network device will send an alert to the nearest supervisor if it senses an unapproved male mana signature come within arms length of her. I''ve approved all the men here, but you will need to talk to a supervisor if you want to approve any more.¡±


    ¡°Got it, thank you. That should help a lot.¡± Greg nodded, smiling gratefully.


    ¡°It is simply my duty.¡± The Archmage smiled back, disappearing a moment later.


    ¡°Did that seriously just happen?¡± Carlos muttered.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Victor confirmed. ¡°What did I say? Shit¡¯s crazy, y''all.¡±


    ¡°How- how- how?!?¡± Emily asked with a panicked edge in her voice, having been frozen the entire time the Archmage had been there.


    ¡°I''m intriguing, apparently.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°My smoke is pretty weird.¡±


    ¡°Understatement of the century.¡± Casey muttered, rubbing Emily''s back to help her calm down. ¡°And could you please stop freaking out my girlfriend!?!¡±


    ¡°I can try but it''s not like I''m doing any of this crap on purpose.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°It just kinda happens, you know?¡±


    ¡°Does this mean we no longer need to protect Sarah?¡± Jennifer asked, primarily because she was the one who always ended up protecting her, and it was hard not to resent it.


    Greg considered that for a moment. ¡°I think it''s still a good idea to have someone watching out for her, but I don''t think we need to hide her anymore. In fact, it''s probably better to let the asshole bring down the aliens'' wrath on themselves before they can get any stronger. But we don''t know what the aliens'' response time is, so it''s probably best to have someone around to hold them off just in case.¡±


    Tessa scowled at Greg. ¡°We are not using Sarah as bait!¡±


    ¡°Eh? No, I didn''t mean we''d do it on purpose! I''m just saying we can let Sarah go out and do whatever she wants, and if she happens to catch an asshole''s attention, bonus.¡± Greg explained.


    Tessa eyed him warily. ¡°You''re not allowed to draw their attention to Sarah either.¡±


    ¡°Now hold on a minute.¡± Greg raised a hand at her. ¡°What''s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Because Sarah deserves to be able to go out without worrying about you bringing trouble towards her!¡± Tessa growled, jabbing a finger at him. ¡°In fact, you''re going to do everything you can to make sure she never encounters an asshole in the first place!¡±


    Greg narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°Mmmm-fine, but I still don''t see what the problem is. It isn''t like I''d let her get hurt.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°She doesn''t need the stress. She has enough to worry about.¡±


    Jennifer frowned. ¡°Can I join you for challenges or not?¡±


    Greg glanced at Tessa. ¡°Yes?¡± Tessa nodded, though she narrowed her eyes at Jennifer as she did. ¡°Yes.¡± Greg confirmed, then paused. ¡°Actually, what can you do, anyway? And- where the hell is Tina?!?¡±


    ¡°Here!¡± Tina burst out of nowhere with a giggle, appearing right in Greg''s face, planting a kiss on his nose before disappearing again. ¡°And here!¡± She appeared on Tessa''s shoulder. ¡°And there!¡± She pointed at Sarah''s head, appearing there a second later as rolling around as she giggled uncontrollably.


    Greg shook his head. ¡°Alright, so Tina can teleport. Jennifer? Whatchu got?¡±


    ¡°I''m- not sure what to call it, but it lets me do this?¡± Jennifer got up and began sliding around on the floor like she was skating.


    ¡°She¡¯s really slippery!¡± Sarah added. ¡°No matter how hard I tried to grab her, she just kept slipping out of my hands!¡±


    ¡°Something to do with friction?¡± Brittany muttered thoughtfully. ¡°Does it work on other things, or can you only use it on yourself?¡±


    Jennifer blinked. ¡°I- don''t know?¡± She turned to the couch, focusing on it for a moment, then giving it a slight push, watching it slide away. ¡°It worked!¡± She exclaimed giddily.


    ¡°Okay, that is going to be useful.¡± Brittany muttered, freezing as the couch disappeared and reappeared where it''d been, whirling around to stare at a proud, but a bit put out looking Tina incredulously. ¡°That too.¡±

 Smoke: 28 - Howdy!

    They all spent an hour or so coming up with ways to fit Jennifer and Tina into the squad while they played, before splitting into teams to scope out what everyone else was doing. Team one consisted of Brittany, Tina, and Victor, since the three of them had the best chance to go unnoticed, and in the worst case scenario, Tina could teleport them away. Team two was Carlos, Casey, Emily, Meredith, Jennifer, and Sarah because Casey and Emily insisted on staying together and without that, no split made sense. Plus, even with the Archmage''s precautions, having some extra protection around Sarah wasn''t the worst idea. And team three was just Tessa and Greg. Team one would be the primary investigation team, while team two would just wander around and see what people were offering, and team three would be looking for Fredrick.


    ¡°Do you think your dad will like me better now that the ferals aren''t an issue?¡± Greg wondered.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Does it matter? It isn''t like you care.¡±


    ¡°I mean, fair, but that doesn''t mean it wouldn''t be nice to have a good relationship with my future father-in-law.¡± Greg shrugged.


    Tessa stumbled as she whipped around to stare at Greg incredulously. ¡°Your future what?!?¡±


    ¡°My future father-in-law?¡± Greg raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°You did say you were madly in love with me, right? Just seems prudent to plan for the future with that in mind.¡±


    Tessa flushed. ¡°I said to assume I was madly in love with you.¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°What''s the difference?¡±


    Tessa opened her mouth for a second, then closed it with a snap, her flush deepening. ¡°And you''re- okay with that?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Why wouldn''t I be?¡±


    ¡°Because our relationship isn''t even two days old yet?¡± Tessa replied.


    Greg paused. ¡°Well¡­ that''s a good point, but- I dunno, I just like you? The idea of you being madly in love with me just feels¡­ comfortable. Right, in a sense even. Not in the obsession sense, which¡­ shit, probably need to watch out for that, but- crap, I have so many issues.¡± He sighed. ¡°See, I''m comfortable in pretty much any situation I happen to find myself in, I just don''t know what to do with myself if I don''t know what the situation actually is. So the whole ¡®do you like me, how much do you like me, are you liking me more or less¡¯ thing is a freaking nightmare for me because I don''t know what level of affection and familiarity is appropriate at any given moment, but if I just assume you like me as much as possible¡­¡± Greg chuckled sinisterly, wrapping an arm around Tessa''s waist and pulling her closer. ¡°Well, then I can do pretty much whatever I want, can''t I? And I like being able to do whatever I want.¡± He paused. ¡°You know, as long as I''m keeping my obsession in check¡­ Why do you like me again?¡±


    ¡°Why indeed.¡± Tessa muttered, shaking her head. ¡°But I do¡­ I really, really do. Though I don''t think that means you get to do whatever you want¡­¡± She added, flushing slightly.


    ¡°Well, yeah, but- it''s that whole all or nothing thing again.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°I''m good with absolutes. Things that are either completely on the table or completely off. The moment you start throwing maybes and ifs around, I just start getting confused and nervous because I''m just not good enough at reading the situation to know when those maybes and ifs apply. So yeah, I''m perfectly comfortable treating you like¡­ well, like my wife, because honestly, trying to slowly develop up to that point would be like trying to navigate a minefield for me.¡±


    ¡°What if you do something I am uncomfortable with?¡± Tessa asked tentatively.


    ¡°Tell me?¡± Greg offered, scratching his head. ¡°I mean, I get I''m being kind of unreasonable here¡­ though I would point out that it was your idea. Not that you knew what you were suggesting, but¡­ nevermind, it doesn''t matter. If you want to take something off the table, then go for it. I''m good with no, I''m just not good with uncertainty.¡±


    Tessa studied him for a moment. ¡°I suppose I can live with that¡­¡±


    A dangerous chuckle escaped Greg''s lips. ¡°I certainly hope so. Cause the only other option I have is waiting for you to make the first move every time. Though¡­ I do prefer things this way.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Tessa hummed. ¡°Just don''t abuse the privilege.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do my best.¡± Greg agreed with a smirk, giving her waist a light squeeze before letting her go.


    Tessa narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, then snorted and started walking again. ¡°Come on, let''s find my dad.¡±


    ¡°Don''t you mean our dad?¡± Greg snickered.


    ¡°Try that with him. I dare you.¡± Tessa shot back.


    Greg coughed. ¡°Yeah, no, that''d probably be a bit much¡­ Maybe in a week or so?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Let''s see if he even accepts the fact that we''re together at all. He''s never been a huge fan of any of my boyfriends.¡±


    ¡°Well, shit.¡± Greg sighed.


    *


    ¡°Tessa!¡± Patrick greeted her as she and Greg arrived in a large, and getting larger, clearing where several log cabins were being erected. ¡°Where have you been?!? We saw your squad getting together, but after that we couldn''t find you anywhere!¡±


    ¡°We set up a base in the mountainous zone.¡± Tessa explained. ¡°We figured it''d be best to avoid people given Sarah''s situation.¡±


    Patrick froze. ¡°That- right, shit, good point.¡± He looked around. ¡°You- probably shouldn''t bring her here anytime soon, either.¡± He sighed wearily.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Trust me, we know. But don''t worry, we''re doing fine. How about you? Getting set up alright?¡±


    Patrick sighed. ¡°We''re managing, but we''ve had a few setbacks. Half our people are still freaking out over missing loved ones, and half the rest are more focused on challenges and magic than on actually making sure the people who need it have a place to sleep. There may not be any ferals to worry about, but you can''t have kids and old people sleeping out in the cold every night.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°And what is Dad doing?¡±


    ¡°He''s putting together squads and setting up schedules for them, getting everyone organized, putting them to work, the usual.¡± Patrick shrugged. ¡°We wouldn''t even be half as far along without him kicking everyone into gear.¡±


    A slight smile tugged at Tessa''s lips. ¡°That sounds like Dad. How is he motivating everyone now?¡±


    ¡°Training, information, and ¡®services¡¯.¡± Patrick sighed. ¡°Even if everyone has powers now they don''t necessarily know how to use them, he has squads running around putting together a list of all the challenges in the area so people don''t have to waste time searching themselves, and¡­ well, you know, there are always people who are willing to do certain things in exchange for being taken care of.¡±


    Tessa let out a light hiss. Her father''s willingness to let people sell themselves for his own benefit was one of her primary contentions with the man. It helped that everyone at least seemed to be a willing participant, but the idea of collecting people just to use them to keep other people happy rubbed her wrong. ¡°Right¡­ and I''m sure he already has a plan to get everyone here working under him?¡±


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    Patrick snorted. ¡°Obviously. Is that why you''re here?¡±


    Tessa wiggled her hand. ¡°We just want to make sure we don''t step on anyone''s toes.¡±


    Patrick tsked in disappointment, but nodded in understanding. ¡°Then I''d suggest steering clear of any development challenges, or at least not getting too invested in them. Each one teaches a specific craft and rewards resources instead of challenge points. Controlling one is like having a monopoly on whatever it is that challenge makes, so the more you control, the better.¡±


    ¡°Does that really matter with magic and whatnot?¡± Greg asked, cocking his head. ¡°I mean, I guess people are going to want clothes and shit, but how valuable is that going to be?¡±


    ¡°You''d be surprised.¡± Patrick chuckled. ¡°But you''re right, basic goods wouldn''t mean all that much in the larger scheme of things, but we aren''t talking about basic goods.¡± He raised his arm, tapping his network device. ¡°Where do you think things like this come from? Or the network itself? How about armor that reflects damage? Weapons with heated blades? And that barely even scratches the surface of what''s possible! Yes, we can use magic, but that means we can craft with magic too.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Well shit, good point.¡±


    ¡°So, everyone is going to be fighting over the development challenges, got it.¡± Tessa sighed. ¡°Is there anything else we should be aware of?¡±


    ¡°Not that I''ve been told, but you know how Dad is. He only tells people what they need to know when they need to know it.¡± Patrick replied. ¡°But you can ask him yourself, you know.¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°Asking Dad about his plans is a great way to become a part of those plans, and we''d prefer to stay out of it.¡±


    Patrick grunted noncommittally. ¡°You should at least talk to him.¡±


    ¡°We will.¡± Tessa agreed, smirking slightly as she grabbed Greg''s hand. ¡°I have to introduce him to my new boyfriend, after all.¡±


    Patrick froze for a moment, before breaking out in a bright smile. ¡°Ha! I knew it! Oh, Dad is going to be pissed.¡± He snickered, turning and waving for them to follow. ¡°Come on, I''ve got to see this!¡±


    ¡°I''m not that bad, am I?¡± Greg asked as they followed Patrick deeper into the growing settlement.


    ¡°Well, you didn''t exactly make the best first impression, but it wouldn''t matter even if you had.¡± Patrick chuckled. ¡°Dad expects us to end up with the smartest, most competent, amazing people to ever exist and the fact that you aren''t is more than enough to piss him off.¡±


    ¡°Well what if I am the smartest, most competent, amazing person to ever exist?¡± Greg retorted, causing Tessa to bark out a laugh.


    ¡°Please tell him that.¡± Patrick grinned.


    Greg smirked. ¡°I might. If he''s going to be pissed anyway, why not just go for it?¡±


    Patrick and Tessa shared a look. ¡°I''m beginning to see why you like him.¡± Patrick commented.


    ¡°He is pretty great.¡± Tessa smiled, bumping into Greg as they walked.


    Patrick led them to a larger cabin near the center of the settlement, taking them through a large room filled with people running back and forth constantly on their network devices as they switched between talking to each other and sending messages to others, Patrick winding through the chaos to reach a back room, all of them walking through the doorless opening to find Fredrick sitting on a log focused intently on his own network device. Fredrick raised a finger as they entered, not even looking up until he finished whatever it was he was doing. He finished a moment later, his expression brightening as he saw Tessa. ¡°Tessa! You''ve finally joined us!¡± He exclaimed, getting up and giving her a hug.


    ¡°I''m just visiting, Dad.¡± Tessa corrected. ¡°My squad had Sarah, remember? Joining you would only cause problems none of us want to deal with.¡±


    Fredrick grunted in disappointment. ¡°Right, that one. Well, in any case, you can still coordinate with us. Where are you based? How many people do you have? Not many, I suppose, but a small strike force no one knows about could be useful in certain situations¡­¡± Fredrick trailed off as he began putting plans together.


    ¡°I think it would be better if we didn''t.¡± Tessa grimaced. ¡°We don''t want to become a target, since we won''t be able to depend on you for protection.¡±


    Fredrick frowned. ¡°True¡­ we would need to reserve you for emergencies.¡±


    Tessa suppressed the urge to roll her eyes, recognizing that this was the best she was going to get. Besides, if there actually was an emergency, it wasn''t like they''d just ignore it. They may not want to get involved in all the politics, but she still wanted her family to succeed if possible. ¡°We just wanted to make sure you were doing alright and get your contact. Also¡­ I wanted to introduce you to my new boyfriend.¡± Tessa announced a lot more hesitantly than she had with Patrick, stepping closer to Greg and grabbing his arm, pressing herself against it.


    Fredrick froze as Greg grinned and raised his other hand to give him a peace sign. ¡°Howdy!¡± Tessa groaned, covering half her face with her hand while Patrick struggled and failed not to laugh, turning to face the wall as if by doing so Fredrick would fail to notice the snorting sounds he was making.


    Fredrick''s expression darkened as he glared at Greg. ¡°You are dating my daughter?¡±


    ¡°Yup!¡± Greg beamed at him. ¡°I''m one lucky sumbitch, huh?¡±


    Fredrick stared at him like he was a caveman who''d just pooped on his doorstep, then turned to Tessa. ¡°Is this a joke?¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°No, he''s really my boyfriend. Though why he thought it was a good idea to start talking like a yokel, I have no idea.¡± She grumbled, shooting a glare at Greg.


    Greg coughed. ¡°It just kinda slipped out? No idea why.¡± He paused. ¡°Also, I think that was more redneck?¡±


    ¡°Not helping.¡± Tessa growled.


    ¡°Pretty sure I''m beyond help at this point.¡± Greg shrugged.


    ¡°That we can agree on.¡± Fredrick muttered.


    ¡°Well, since I have so thoroughly made a fool of myself already-¡± Greg began.


    ¡°Do not say it!¡± Tessa hissed, digging her fingers into his arm.


    ¡°Aw, but I said I would!¡± Greg complained. ¡°Do you really want me to be a liar? Though¡­¡± He glanced over at Patrick who seemed to be having trouble standing. ¡°It might give your brother a stroke.¡±


    ¡°Greg.¡± Tessa growled in warning.


    Greg sighed. ¡°Fine, I- holy shit, am I bleeding?¡± He blinked in shock as he felt something drip down his arm.


    Tessa froze, releasing her grip on his arm as she quickly stepped back, not even having realized she''d sharpened her fingers. ¡°Shit, sorry!¡±


    Greg frowned at the holes in his arm for a moment, wondering why they weren''t healing, taking a moment to concentrate on putting his arm back to normal, watching as the blood flowed back and the wounds slowly knit back together. ¡°Huh¡­ guess my healing isn''t automatic when I''m all fleshy. Weird.¡± He shrugged, turning back to Fredrick. ¡°Anyway, yeah, I''m Tessa''s boyfriend now. That''s a thing and it''s probably not going to stop being a thing any time soon. Hate it, love it, deal with it.¡± He turned to Tessa. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    Tessa just stared at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°No, that- pretty much sums it up.¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Great! Anyone want to go get dinner? I''m feeling a bit peckish.¡±


    Patrick coughed. ¡°I could eat.¡± He paused. ¡°I could eat¡­¡± He repeated, a slight edge of shock in his voice.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Tessa agreed, her eyes widening slightly.


    Fredrick grunted. ¡°And I as well. It seems whatever was keeping us from going hungry is no longer in effect.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Greg blinked. ¡°Huh, I was going to blame it on healing myself.¡± He turned to Tessa. ¡°To the cafeteria?¡±


    Tessa nodded, then glanced at Fredrick. ¡°You can join us, if you like.¡±


    Fredrick frowned at her, then Greg, who beamed back giving him two thumbs up, before sighing in acceptance. ¡°I would be remiss if I did not make an effort to familiarize myself with your¡­ boyfriend.¡± His lips twitched distastefully as he said the word.


    ¡°I can feel the love.¡± Greg snickered.


    Tessa scowled, struggling to pick who to glare at first, before letting out a frustrated grunt and turning to Patrick. ¡°Patrick?¡±


    ¡°How could I not?¡± Patrick smirked.


    Tessa groaned. ¡°Could you at least pretend you aren''t enjoying this?¡±


    Patrick paused, then shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡± He grinned. ¡°Your boyfriend is great, sis.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t I?¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°You could say-¡±


    ¡°Don''t!¡± Tessa hissed. ¡°Just- come on, let''s go eat!¡± She insisted, grabbing Greg''s hand and pulling him out of the room.


    Fredrick watched them go, before turning to Patrick. ¡°Do I want to know?¡±


    Patrick grinned. ¡°Let''s just say this one has no lack of confidence.¡±


    Fredrick grunted as the two of them began to follow. ¡°At least she finally found one with a spine.¡± He muttered under his breath, a brief smile twitching across his lips.

 Smoke: 29 - Making sense of things

    The meal with Tessa''s family didn''t go as poorly as Greg would have thought, or at least he didn''t think it had. Fredrick started the meal basically interrogating Greg, but since Greg''s life before the apocalypse was honestly pretty boring and he hadn''t had much time to actually do anything afterwards, it didn''t particularly go anywhere. After explaining his weird family situation and what he''d been doing with the ferals, the only thing Greg really had to talk about were the various books, games, and movies he''d enjoyed. That or his weird mental issues, but he figured Fredrick didn''t need any more reasons not to like him. So once that well ran dry, Greg started asking questions about him. Apparently before everything went down, Fredrick had been some kind of big shot executive running the branch office of some multinational corporation in the city. When the apocalypse started, he was at work, along with Patrick who was interning at the time, and together they''d managed to clear out the ferals and organize the remaining employees into the early foundation of the Downtown Clan safe zone. Eventually Tessa had joined them, but despite their efforts, they''d never managed to figure out what happened to his wife and youngest daughter, who''d been at home and at school when everything happened. The conversation had soured a bit after that, but Patrick had pivoted into talking about some of the early challenges they''d faced developing the safe zone and things had smoothed out until the meal ended.


    ¡°So¡­ that went well, right?¡± Greg asked Tessa as they headed back to the base to wait for the others to return, after making a quick stop to pick up some mana pills.


    ¡°Surprisingly, I think it did.¡± Tessa agreed. ¡°I wouldn''t say my dad likes you, but he at least seems to accept you? Which is better than any of my other boyfriends have done.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°So you''re saying I''m winning?¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°Yes Greg, you''re winning. But if you weren''t beating my previous boyfriends, there wouldn''t be much point in dating you, now would there?¡±


    ¡°Hm, fair.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Not much point in dating someone worse than you dated before. Unless they died, I guess¡­ or they broke up with you? Though I suppose there''s something to be said for being better suited, even if they''re lacking in objective qualities¡­ like, a falcon is objectively better than a chicken, but if I''m choosing what to eat, I''m going for the chicken.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg, the only thing that really matters is that I''m with you, and I''m not with them. As long as that''s the case, you''re winning by default.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Am I though? I mean, I''m not exactly an expert on this stuff, but it seems to me like relationships are more of a stamina competition than a race. Like, it isn''t about staying ahead, it''s about keeping it going. Like an egg toss. It doesn''t matter if you''re ahead because the ultimate goal is to keep going as long as possible.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°But then you''re still winning, because the ultimate goal is to keep going, and everyone else has already stopped, right? So maybe it''s more like king of the hill? It doesn''t matter how long you have it, just that you have it once everything is over.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°Is over marriage or death?¡±


    ¡°Death?¡± Tessa answered hesitantly. ¡°I think marriage is more like fortifying your position¡­¡±


    ¡°Would that make having kids like hiring guards?¡± Greg asked.


    Tessa smirked. ¡°Sure, but if you abuse them they might turn on you.¡±


    ¡°Oof, betrayed by my own men!¡± Greg groaned, clutching his chest as Tessa giggled. ¡°Though on that note, I think it becomes more about what you do with the position, rather than simply holding it¡­ if everyone involved is miserable, then there''s not much point to it, is there? More like a management game in that sense.¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Okay, as much as I''m enjoying these analogies, I don''t think you''re going to find a perfect example out there. Let''s just say you''re winning and leave it at that.¡±


    Greg paused, then smiled. ¡°I think it''s more appropriate to say we''re winning. After all, it''s a co-op, not a single player.¡±


    Tessa flushed slightly. ¡°Yeah¡­ we''re definitely winning.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡± Greg began as they arrived at the base, slipping his arm around Tessa''s waist and pulling her close. ¡°What should we do now?¡±


    Tessa bit her lip nervously. ¡°I think- I think I should figure out how to use these mana pills, and you should get to the reading the Archmage assigned you. As much as I would love to- spend time together, we have things we need to get done and unlike you I actually get tired.¡±


    Greg sighed, letting go of her waist. ¡°Yeah, you''re right.¡±


    ¡°That being said¡­¡± Tessa muttered, grabbing his hand. ¡°There''s no reason we can''t cuddle while we do our research, right?¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Absolutely none at all.¡±


    *


    Once he and Tessa got comfortable, Greg started on the Archmage''s assigned reading, delving right into the nature of mana. Greg already knew mana could create effects based on the intents people put into it from his conversation with Lapodala, but apparently that wasn''t reserved just for people. Mana would take on any intent it was exposed to, no matter the source, which was why it reacted so poorly with technology. By being exposed to electricity and wires in the electronics, the mana would take on the intent of electricity and wires, allowing the electricity to travel through it, shorting out the device.


    Similarly, mana absorbed into a living being would take on the intent of the living being, but because the living being could think, it would also absorb the intent of the living being''s thoughts. This was how mutations happened. The mana would take thoughts like ¡®I want to be faster¡¯ or ¡®I need thicker skin¡¯ and make them reality. The key to strengthening yourself was to direct those thoughts as you absorbed mana, keeping your mind focused on how you wanted to change. The more clear your focus, the better. This was also why it was important to stay well fed, as your body would naturally draw in mana to fill its needs, and unless you were capable of focusing your mind throughout the entire day, that mana would take on random intents in the process.


    ¡°I can''t tell if I''m going to be insanely good or insanely bad at this.¡± Greg muttered.


    ¡°At what?¡± Tessa asked.


    ¡°Staying focused while I absorb mana.¡± Greg explained with a sigh. ¡°On the one hand, I can get so engrossed in a book that the rest of the world might as well not exist as far as I''m concerned. On the other¡­ Well, it sounds boring.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°Well¡­ at least the consequences aren''t too bad if you mess up? You can always revert back to normal. Plus, you have to focus on the actual absorption process, so that should keep your focus, right?¡±


    ¡°Absorption process?¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°I haven''t gotten to that part yet.¡±


    ¡°Basically you need to guide the mana into your body as you imbue it with the right intent.¡± Tessa explained. ¡°There''s not much point in telling the mana to make you stronger if you just let it sit in your spleen. You need to guide it to your muscles.¡±


    ¡°What''s wrong with a strong spleen?¡± Greg snickered, then paused. ¡°Actually, what is a spleen?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Tessa frowned. ¡°I''m not even sure it''s an actual organ¡­ but either way, I''m sure you want it to be durable, but it doesn''t really matter if it''s strong, right?¡±


    ¡°Durable, strong, same thing.¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Or at least, there''s not much point in being strong without being durable. Broken bones and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Tessa grunted noncommittally. ¡°I suppose it depends on how you think about it.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Huh¡­ shit, I think that''s all it depends on. If you see strength as just how much force you can exert, then that''s all the mana will effect, while if you see it as a combination of durability and force, then that''s what it will effect, though probably to a lesser degree than it would if you just thought of it as force.¡± He frowned. ¡°Man, trying to do anything with intelligence is going to be a bitch, huh? Like, what even is intelligence? Memory? Processing speed? Creativity? Logic? Comprehension?¡±


    Tessa''s expression twisted. ¡°This- ugh, this is definitely one of those things that''s incredibly simple on the surface but the deeper you go, the more complicated it gets.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°We should probably get back to it.¡±


    Tessa grunted in agreement and the two of them refocused on their reading. Greg''s reading continued into what he and Tessa had just talked about, going over the importance of guiding the mana and making sure you used the right intent. It added that the mana would cover any gaps in understanding you had, but mana would be wasted in the process, so the better you understood what the mana was doing, the more mana would go to what you actually wanted it to do. This then transitioned into spells, which followed a similar process. The better you understood something, the less the mana would have to fill in on its own, creating a stronger effect.


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    ¡°So, this entire system just revolves around knowing things.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°The better you understand what you''re doing, the more effective it is.¡±


    ¡°I guess that''s why you need the Archmage?¡± Tessa pointed out. ¡°Is that the entire point of all the reading she gave you?¡±


    ¡°I mean, it seems like it''s the entire point of mana in general.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°You''re essentially transferring thought into reality, and fuzzy thoughts turn into fuzzy reality, while clear thoughts turn into clear reality. That''s like¡­ foundational. I think she just doesn''t want to deal with the stuff I can learn on my own so she can focus on what only she can teach me.¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Tessa agreed tentatively. ¡°Are you done then?¡±


    ¡°Basically.¡± Greg nodded, skimming through the last little bit of the reading the Archmage had wanted him to get through, which was just going over the stuff on imagery he''d learned from Lapodala. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Tessa smiled. ¡°And the others still aren''t back yet~¡± She hummed, swinging into his lap.


    ¡°I think I''m getting better at picking up on your signals.¡± Greg grinned, his hands sliding up her legs.


    ¡°I think my signals are getting less subtle.¡± Tessa rolled her eyes, leaning in to kiss him as his hands reached her hips, pausing for a moment before sliding a bit further.


    ¡°We''re back!¡± Victor exclaimed as he practically kicked in the door and walked in, pausing as he noticed the two of them. ¡°Hey, no hanky panky in public spaces! I don''t want to worry about finding weird stains on the couch!¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tina agreed as Tessa quickly slid off Greg''s lap, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at them as she hovered next to Victor, before glancing over at him. ¡°What''s hanky panky?¡±


    ¡°Do not answer that.¡± Brittany growled as she stomped in after them. ¡°If you fill her head with one more ridiculous idea, I will turn your bedroom into a freaking rave for the next week!¡±


    Victor clicked his tongue. ¡°Fine.¡± Then he grinned. ¡°The truth is better anyway.¡±


    Brittany scowled at him. ¡°Don''t tell her that either.¡±


    ¡°Well someone has to tell her something.¡± Victor shrugged.


    Brittany rolled her eyes, turning to Tina. ¡°Hanky panky is something two people who care about each other do together.¡± She glanced at Greg and Tessa. ¡°In private.¡±


    ¡°Technically it was private until you guys showed up.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°And we were about to move.¡±


    ¡°Sure you were.¡± Victor snickered. ¡°I''m sure you were about to do a lot of moving. Back and forth and back and forth and- Oop!¡± He ducked as Tessa chucked one of the couch pillows at him. ¡°Ha! Missed- gah!¡± He stumbled as Greg turned the pillow to smoke and used it to give him a solid whap on the back of his head. ¡°Brittany, how could you betray me like this?!?¡± Victor moaned pitifully as he collapsed pathetically to the floor.


    ¡°Don''t look at me, look at your best friend over there!¡± Brittany protested, gesturing to Greg, before pausing. ¡°And how did I end up on your side in all of this?!?¡±


    Victor cocked his head. ¡°Guilt by association?¡±


    Brittany glared down at him for a moment, before walking over to one of the couches and sitting down. ¡°Well now you''re on your own.¡±


    ¡°Did you check for stains first?¡± Victor grinned as he got up.


    ¡°We didn''t do anything!¡± Tessa growled, flushing as Brittany froze and glanced at the couch warily. ¡°We''d literally just started kissing when you walked in!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡± Victor smirked, making a show of checking his own couch before sitting down. ¡°So, how''d you hit me?¡±


    ¡°Smoke based telekinesis.¡± Greg explained. ¡°And we really didn''t do anything, and even if we had, I wouldn''t leave any evidence. I mean-¡± He dissolved the couch under Victor into smoke, Victor letting out a curse as he fell, remaking it above him so it landed on him. ¡°-and boom, it''s clean.¡±


    ¡°Joke''s on you, I''m a masochist! All you''re doing is turning me on!¡± Victor shouted from under the couch.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Are you really?¡±


    ¡°No. Please stop hurting me.¡± Victor groaned in defeat.


    ¡°Who''s hurting who?¡± Casey asked as the other group arrived, pausing as she noticed the legs sticking out from under the couch. ¡°Who''s under the couch?¡±


    ¡°Hi Casey!¡± Victor greeted her, sticking a hand up over the back of the couch. ¡°Burn Greg for me! He''s being mean!¡±


    ¡°And what did you do to make Greg be mean?¡± Casey rolled her eyes, smirking slightly as she walked over and sat on the couch Victor was under, causing him to let out another groan.


    ¡°Why do my friends hate me?!?¡± Victor complained, before pausing. ¡°Oh, right, they''re my friends. Duh.¡±


    Casey scowled, hopping a little on the couch. ¡°Hate is not a part of being friends with someone!¡±


    ¡°Then why are you hurting me!¡± Victor retorted.


    ¡°Because you suck!¡± Casey growled, bouncing on the couch a few more times.


    ¡°Is that normal?¡± Sarah asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yeah, they''re always like that.¡± Carlos chuckled. ¡°Though usually Victor is smart enough to disappear before Casey can trap him.¡±


    ¡°I was ambushed!¡± Victor complained. ¡°He took the couch out from under me and trapped me with it!¡±


    ¡°Alright, enough.¡± Tessa announced. ¡°Get off him and let him up.¡±


    Casey huffed, giving the couch one last bounce before getting up, Greg turning it to smoke so Victor could get up, turning to Meredith as he did. ¡°A little healing? For an old friend?¡± Meredith just snorted, crossing her arms and ignoring him.


    ¡°I gotcha, buddy.¡± Greg announced, figuring he''d probably picked up Meredith''s DNA at some point and focusing on transforming into her, nodding in satisfaction as the itching began.


    ¡°Not your- whoa.¡± Victor froze, along with everyone else as they watched Greg transform into a spitting image of Meredith and shoot a healing beam at Victor, before transforming back into himself. ¡°Okay, since when can you do that?!?¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Since always? I transform all the time.¡±


    ¡°Not- why can you use Meredith''s ability?!?¡± Victor asked.


    ¡°Oh, my natural mana changes to match whatever form I''m in.¡± Greg explained, waving dismissively. ¡°Didn''t I already tell you about that earlier? After the challenge? I could have sworn something was said about my other form having a heat ability.¡±


    Casey threw up her hands in exasperation. ¡°And how the hell were we supposed to know that meant you could copy the power of anyone you transform into?!?¡±


    Greg raised a finger, then paused, dropping it and shrugging. ¡°Fair. But yeah, I can do that. Neat, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not sure neat is the right word for it¡­¡± Victor muttered. ¡°The phrase ¡®complete and utter bullshit¡¯ comes to mind.¡±


    Carlos snorted. ¡°Honestly. It''s like every time I see you you pull some new form of bullshit out your ass.¡± Carlos paused, going over it in his head. ¡°Yup, literally every time I see you.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°I do seem to be getting more and more ridiculous pretty quickly¡­ I doubt I have much more in me, though. Like, how much worse can I get?¡±


    ¡°Greg, you''re literally about to be personally trained by an Archmage.¡± Tessa sighed. ¡°If you don''t get more ridiculous, then all this magic crap is complete and utter bullshit.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Well¡­ shit, that''s a good point.¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°Alright, enough of that. Victor, Brittany, what did you two learn?¡±


    Victor nodded. ¡°Alright, so, there are four main factions forming at the moment. The first is made up of people like your dad, who I''m calling the nationalists, forming little governments to organize people. The second are the ones opposed to the first group, the anarchists, who think the only organization we need is the one naturally granted by personal power. They aren''t exactly grouping up, but there are a few with enough strength that we should keep an eye on them. The third group I''m calling the cultists, which as the name implies, are the people forming religions around the old gods of Earth, the aliens, or a mix of both. And finally, there are the isolationists, which is the group we fall into, people who basically don''t want to deal with any of this and just focus on getting stronger.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully, as far as we can tell, almost everyone is focused on the forest.¡± Brittany added. ¡°The mountainous zone isn''t exactly hospitable without the right powers to smooth things out, so anyone looking to group up is avoiding it, and the anarchists need people to actually be anarchists too, so they followed everyone else. I''m not sure how long that will be the case, but for now, we shouldn''t have to deal with any of it.¡±


    ¡°That''s pretty much what we found too.¡± Carlos agreed. ¡°We mostly just walked around the area by the platform where the aliens gave their speech, seeing who was recruiting, which was pretty much all nationalists and cultists. They aren''t exactly offering much besides the safety of being in a group, though.¡±


    ¡°It''s only been a day, so that''s to be expected.¡± Tessa commented. ¡°According to my brother, the main conflict is going to be over who controls the development challenges. Apparently they not only teach you how to make things, but provide the resources you need to actually do so, so the more you control, the more you can produce. Otherwise you''re stuck buying from the aliens.¡±


    ¡°So, I''m thinking we should give things a week or so to settle.¡± Brittany suggested. ¡°Let the groups fight things out for a bit while we focus on getting stronger, sending me, Victor, and Tina out to keep tabs on things every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Well, we are isolationists.¡± Greg replied. ¡°I figured staying out of things was pretty much a given. The only question is what we need to do to make sure no one tries to pull us into things.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they can try. We just need to make sure they don''t succeed.¡± Victor chuckled. ¡°Which, I believe, means getting as strong as possible so that when trouble comes knocking, we can just give them the finger and tell them to fuck off. And until then, we hide and stay out of the way as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°We should move our base fairly often.¡± Meredith added. ¡°We need to complete challenges, so it''s going to be impossible to keep people from noticing us, and there will definitely be those who can track us back here. Which means we either need to make this place unassailable, with multiple exits so no one can trap us inside, or we need to move regularly to keep the amount of people who know where we are as low as possible.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I might be able to do something about fortifying this place¡­ and I can definitely get us multiple exits, though it might take me a while.¡±


    ¡°It''d be up to you, since either way we''d be depending on you and your smoke.¡± Tessa pointed out.


    Greg considered it for a moment. ¡°I think I''d rather focus on building up a single location than move all the time, but I want to talk to the Archmage about it before I fully commit to the idea.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°Good idea. Anyone else have any thoughts?¡± They all shook their heads. ¡°Alright, then that''s it for now. Hopefully we''ll have a better idea of what we need to do tomorrow.¡±

 Smoke: 30 - Catching up with the ferals

    Greg snuggled closer to Tessa after indulging in what was quickly becoming their regular before bed activity as a strange feeling came over him, two paths appearing in front of him. On the one hand, he could follow Tessa and his body into the sweet embrace of sleep for the first time in forever, or¡­ he could let his body rest while his mind moved to his smoke, escaping the need for rest once again. A bleary groan escaped his lips as his consciousness slid out of his body and into his smoke. He had shit to do.


    With a sigh he focused on the smoke he had in the uncivilized section of the ship, considering his options for a moment before turning it into Jennifer and heading towards the bird girl. He supposed he could head to the male section as the scorpocroc, but he didn''t actually know anyone over there¡­ through no fault of his own, of course. It wasn''t that he didn''t meet a lot of males, they just¡­ usually ended up dead afterwards. Of course, he could go see the wolf man or one of the random males he''d ended up tagging, but that just seemed inefficient, since he''d have to waste time calming them down and explaining things before getting the information he wanted.


    Greg quickly arrived at the bird girl''s building, turning back to smoke and slipping inside, flying straight to the bird girl''s room. ¡°Knock, kno- oh, shit, are you crying?¡± Greg called out as he transformed back into Jennifer, cutting off as the bird girl whirled on him with bloodshot eyes.


    ¡°Who- who are you?!? How did you get in my room!?!¡± The bird girl exclaimed.


    ¡°It''s me, Greg- er, the mighty one? Hold on.¡± Greg sighed, transforming into his scorpocroc form. ¡°There, recognize- Oof!¡± He grunted as the bird girl slammed into him!


    ¡°Mighty one!¡± She exclaimed. ¡°I- I thought you''d abandoned me!¡± She added with a choked sob.


    Greg frowned. ¡°Why would you- oh, cause I took the glass? Sorry, I needed the smoke from it so I could actually be here, and in the process I sort of got side tracked¡­ but honestly, do you really need it now? You''re safe, right? You don''t need me to protect you anymore.¡±


    ¡°But- I want you to protect me.¡± The bird girl murmured, pressing herself against him.


    Greg frowned, putting his hand/pincer on her shoulders and gently pushing her away. ¡°Okay, what is up with your obsession with me? I mean, I sort of got it when you needed my protection, but now¡­ aren''t you with that rat dude? I mean, isn''t he your mate?¡±


    The bird girl gave him a weird look. ¡°You think I''m mating with my brother?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Your brother?¡± The bird girl nodded. ¡°How- would you even know that?¡±


    The bird girl paused, cocking her head. ¡°I- don''t know? He simply is.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ okay, but that still doesn''t explain why you want me.¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°Why wouldn''t I want you?¡± The bird girl cooed softly. ¡°You''re strong, caring, cute¡­ what more could I ask for?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that''s fair I guess. Though ¡®caring¡¯ comes with disclaimers.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Alright, well, in any case, I''m already with someone else, and I''m a one woman guy, so¡­¡± He gestured between the two of them. ¡°Not gonna happen.¡±


    The bird girl froze, then wilted. ¡°Oh.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Then¡­ why have you sought me now?¡±


    ¡°Well, as you know, I''ve been going back and forth between the ferals and the unformed, so when the aliens came, I got lumped in with the unformed, and now I have no idea what''s going on with you guys.¡± Greg explained.


    The bird girl tensed, letting out a hiss. ¡°The unformed are here?!?¡±


    Greg blinked, not expecting such an extreme reaction. ¡°I mean, not here, but yeah, they were picked up by the aliens too¡­ I doubt they''re actually going to be a problem for you though. The aliens seem to want to reintegrate the two groups, so I doubt they''re just going to let you kill each other.¡±


    The bird girl frowned. ¡°Reintegrate?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, cause, you know, you used to be unformed. Before all this.¡± Greg shrugged.


    Her eyes widened. ¡°We- we were?!?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°But then mana showed up and fucked with your heads, turning you wild. Then you started mutating, turning into bird and rat and cat and bat and¡­ gnat?¡± Greg offered hesitantly, before realizing he was getting off track and coughing awkwardly. ¡°Anyway, it turned you into a bunch of animal people. But originally you were baseline humans, like the unformed.¡±


    The bird girl narrowed her eyes. ¡°Then why do they hunt us?!?¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Cause people suck sometimes? When you went wild, a good portion of you became violent, apparently, so now the unformed think you''re all violent, and they don''t want to risk dying to make sure you aren''t. And, since you do the same thing on your end, you pretty much are all violent when it comes to them, so it just kind of perpetuates. Cause people suck.¡±


    The bird girl looked a bit lost. ¡°I- so the unformed aren''t our enemy? But¡­ they are?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Kinda? Basically, it isn''t that they want to be your enemy, it''s that up until now they haven''t any other choice. But now it seems like the aliens are doing something about that, so who knows? Maybe in a year or so, your best friend will be an unformed.¡±


    The bird girl shifted uncomfortably at the idea, deciding to change the subject. ¡°You wanted to ask about our situation?¡±


    ¡°Right! Yeah, I''m just wondering how the aliens are treating you and what not. The unformed pretty much just got dumped in the wilderness and told to figure it out, so the fact that you guys have rooms is a bit of a shock.¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°The ¡®aliens¡¯ are treating us well¡­ we have classes we must attend and challenges we must face, but otherwise they leave us to our own devices. The only rules are that males and females cannot enter each other''s zones and we cannot kill each other.¡± The bird girl explained.


    Greg nodded slowly. ¡°So, similar to the unformed, just a bit more guided¡­ I suppose you guys do need a bit more help.¡±


    The bird girl glared at him, crossing her arms. ¡°What is that supposed to mean? Do you think the unformed are better than us?!?¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°No, they just have a lot more¡­ history. Like, when was the last time you worked in a group larger than like¡­ twelve people? Never, right? Well, the unformed regularly work in groups of hundreds. Organization is natural to them, while you have to start from scratch. It doesn''t mean you''re worse than them, it just means you haven''t built the foundation they have. But they''ve had millennia to build that foundation, while you''ve had like¡­ a year. Maybe two.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± The bird girl grunted, not sure how to even process that information.


    ¡°Right, well¡­ Do you need anything?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°I- don''t think so?¡± The bird girl replied. ¡°Except¡­ maybe another piece of glass? I''d- still like to be able to contact you¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Greg agreed, finding a small plant in the corner and using some smoke to dissolve a bit of it to make her a piece of glass. ¡°There. Now, I have one more person to check on, so I''ll see you later.¡± He waved, turning into smoke and flying out of the building, before turning into Jennifer again and heading towards the spider girl, quickly finding the building she was in and slipping into her room. ¡°Hello?¡± Greg called out as he reformed as Jennifer again, not finding the spider girl in the bed. ¡°Anyone ho- gah!¡± He cut off, jumping as the spider girl popped in out of nowhere, driving some kind of shiv into his chest! ¡°Fuck, you scared me.¡± Greg let out a breath as the spider girl jumped back, watching him warily.


    She blinked as she watched him heal, standing up straight. ¡°Oh, it''s you. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°What, I can''t check up on a friend?¡± Greg grinned. ¡°How''d you jump out of nowhere like that?¡±


    ¡°My mana allows me to create a web of subspaces throughout an area.¡± The spider girl explained, narrowing her eyes. ¡°And since when are we friends?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°That- could be very useful.¡± He muttered, thinking of how he could use it to hide and protect the base as he sent a wisp of smoke out to nab a bit of hair off her. ¡°Anyway, yeah, I was just checking in to make sure you''re okay, see if you need any help, you know, the usual.¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°I-¡± The spider girl began dismissively, before pausing, her eyes narrowing. ¡°Do you have a challenge team, yet?¡±


    ¡°That- is a good question.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°I do, but I''m not opposed to having a second one, depending on the schedule.¡±


    The spider girl frowned. ¡°The overseers recommend sticking to a single team.¡±


    ¡°Well sure, for normal people, but I''m not exactly normal, am I?¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°We''d just need to do challenges at night and I''d need a place to store my body during the day. Though I should probably talk to the Archmage to make sure¡­ oh, and eventually I''ll be able to control both bodies at the same time, supposedly.¡±


    The spider girl blinked. ¡°You- No, of course you have multiple bodies.¡± She sighed. ¡°Your existence is objectively unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah.¡± Greg agreed, grinning slightly. ¡°But, if you work with me, that unreasonableness can be on your side. And not gonna lie, your pocket spaces seem like a great place to stash a body.¡±


    ¡°That- is true.¡± She muttered tentatively. ¡°I will need to discuss it with the others first.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°I have to discuss it with some people myself. Meet you here tomorrow? About the same time?¡±


    ¡°That should be fine.¡± The spider girl replied.


    Greg smiled. ¡°Alright, unless there''s anything else you need, I''ll see you then.¡±


    The spider girl gave him a small smile back. ¡°I shall see you then.¡±


    *


    Greg stored his smoke as a boulder near the spider girl''s building before turning his focus back to the base, spending the next hour or so digging a slanted tunnel deeper underground, heading further into the mountainous zone. Due to his experience with the awakening station and the room the aliens had used to dispose of the people who couldn''t use magic, he was certain he wouldn''t end up damaging anything important in the process, since anything important would repel his smoke anyway, and he figured the deeper they could get, the better. He was proved right when the tunnel got to about two hundred meters long and he finally reached the bottom, which was made of a silvery metal his smoke could barely even touch. He then managed to widen a small cavern before the strain got too much for him and he had to call it quits, letting his consciousness drift back into his body and enjoying a few hours of sleep before waking up to a kiss from Tessa.


    ¡°Mmm, good morning.¡± He greeted her with a satisfied groan.


    ¡°I was wondering whether or not you were in there.¡± Tessa grinned as she stroked his chest. ¡°There''s something nice about waking up to you and not just an empty body.¡±


    ¡°I''ll have to keep that in mind.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°I was out for a bit, early in the night. Made a nice long tunnel, too.¡±


    Tessa raised an eyebrow. ¡°Oh, did you now? For our new base?¡±


    ¡°That''s the plan.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°I managed to reach the bottom where the rock ends and the ship begins, which the aliens have fortified to hell, so no one is getting through it. One less direction to worry about, you know?¡±


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± Tessa agreed. ¡°Though I wasn''t particularly worried about people coming from beneath us.¡±


    ¡°Now that there is a fundamental lack of imagination.¡± Greg chuckled.


    ¡°Oh, you think my imagination is lacking?¡± Tessa purred dangerously, her hand shifting as it wandered lower.


    Greg gulped. ¡°That- oh, fffuck!¡± He groaned, Tessa grinning as her hand went to work.


    ¡°What do you think of my imagination now~¡± Tessa whispered in his ear.


    ¡°Just perfect~¡± Greg hummed in satisfaction, a glint flashing in his eye as he sent something a bit imaginative Tessa''s way as well.


    ¡°We- we should probably stop.¡± Tessa gasped a few minutes later.


    ¡°I''ll- stop when you- stop.¡± Greg grunted.


    ¡°Mmmpph.¡± Tessa groaned. ¡°Okay, okay, just- mm!¡± She hummed sharply, tensing for a moment before relaxing and pulling her hand back. ¡°Okay, now we need to get up.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Greg sighed, a part of him wishing he could spend all day in bed with her. ¡°Right, okay.¡± He urged himself on as he rolled over and pushed himself up, swinging his legs off the bed.


    Tessa scowled at his back as he stood. ¡°You could have at least argued a little.¡±


    Greg snorted. ¡°Believe me, if I thought there was any chance of changing your mind, I would have. But we aren''t in a position where we can afford to spend all day in bed. You need to start using those mana pills and I have my whole freaking month planned out thanks to the Archmage.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Tessa grumbled petulantly. ¡°But I''d still appreciate it if you argued at least a little.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I''ll keep that in mind.¡±


    ¡°You better.¡± Tessa muttered, hopping out of bed herself, pausing for a moment before grinning at him. ¡°Join me for a shower?¡±


    Greg smirked. ¡°As a wise man once said, if I ever say no to that question, shoot me.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°What good would that do?¡±


    ¡°Ha! Fair.¡± Greg laughed.


    The two ended up taking longer than they probably should have in the shower, forcing Greg to practically sprint to his meeting with the Archmage, and still¡­ ¡°You''re late.¡± The Archmage chastised him as he burst into the room.


    ¡°Sorry, I- got a bit lost.¡± Greg threw out as an excuse , which was at least half true. The Archmage had reserved a room in some kind of training complex on the strip, and it''d been harder to find than Greg had thought it would be.


    ¡°Hm.¡± The Archmage grunted. ¡°Very well. I assume that won''t be a problem next time, though, so I expect you to be precisely on time, if not early.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°I will be, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Good. Now, did you complete the assigned readings and do you have any questions?¡± The Archmage asked.


    Greg paused. ¡°About the reading or just in general?¡±


    The Archmage smirked slightly. ¡°I was referring to the reading, but I''m willing to entertain any question you may have.¡±


    ¡°Right, well, the reading seemed pretty simple. Mana turns thought into reality so watch yours and learn as much as you can so you can think better. Easy peasy. I just wanted to ask you if there''s anything in particular I should look out for when making defenses for a base, and if it''s a smart idea to join a second challenge team on the feral side of the ship, which I would focus on during the night while my main body sleeps, at least until my multitasking gets up to snuff. Cause, I mean, it isn''t like I''m doing anything else with that time. For the most part.¡± Greg finished with a shrug.


    The Archmage frowned thoughtfully. ¡°That is a basic, yet admittedly functional understanding of mana, and though it doesn''t cover how mana affects the environment it''s placed in, that isn''t a concern for you at the moment. As for defenses, simply infusing mana into whatever structure you create should protect against the majority of threats, given that your structure is suitably durable. And if I correctly presume that ¡®feral¡¯ refers to the uncivilized, then I believe forming a working relationship with a group of them would be wise indeed, as long as it doesn''t hinder your growth.¡±


    ¡°How do I infuse something with mana?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Simply release your mana without any intent for it to act.¡± The Archmage explained. ¡°Certain mana types are better for defense than others, but I believe yours should be perfectly effective.¡±


    ¡°Hm. And how does it work?¡± Greg followed up.


    ¡°Mana resists mana, so by filling the structure with your own intent, it will naturally block any mana that doesn''t match that intent. Your structure will still have to resist any attacks brought against it, but your opponents will not simply be able to bypass it as they wish. Their own intent would have to overwhelm yours, and in that case it would be unlikely that you would be able to resist them in the first place.¡± The Archmage elaborated.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Alright, that''s all I had.¡±


    ¡°Very well, then we shall begin by deciding which intents you wish to focus on.¡± The Archmage began. ¡°Based on your previous inquiry and the nature of your mutation, you wish for your primary focus to be multitasking, yes?¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°That seems like it''d get me the best bang for my buck. It''s kind of wasteful to have multiple bodies if I can only control one at a time, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Archmage agreed. ¡°Then we shall focus on determining your secondary intents, which will complement your primary. Force, projection, and illusion meld well with multitasking, as they allow you to create illusionary constructs containing your consciousness, allowing you to be in multiple places at once, but given that your mutation seems to cover this on your own, it may or may not be wise to pursue. There are benefits to redundancy, allowing you to reinforce what you already do, but learning how to accomplish something you can already do quite handily is somewhat wasteful. Ideally I would tell you to look to your natural mana for insight, finding intents that complement it, but since I can barely fathom what your natural mana is, I don''t believe that advice is particularly sound.¡±


    ¡°My smoke is pretty weird.¡± Greg agreed with a sigh, considering what she''d said for a moment. ¡°I don''t think it''d be particularly useful to focus on illusion or projection¡­ My smoke can already be practically indistinguishable from reality and it carries my consciousness just fine. Force might be useful though? Add magic to the force my smoke can already produce?¡±


    ¡°I have similar thoughts.¡± The Archmage nodded. ¡°However, I would not rule out projection. It does not simply involve projecting your consciousness to the clone, it includes sending your mana, allowing you to cast through the clone.¡± She paused. ¡°Though perhaps transfer would be a better focus¡­ I''m not sure which would fit better with your natural mana.¡±


    ¡°Transfer?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°The idea of moving something from one place to another.¡± The Archmage explained. ¡°It''s primarily a spatial intent, but it can also carry more ephemeral ideas, such as transferring thoughts or ownership. The reason I thought of it is that from what I understand, your smoke doesn''t project your consciousness, it contains it, even dispersed, and all that matters is where you focus. I believe conceptualizing it as transferring your consciousness between your bodies fits better than projection, as projection is sending your mind outside your body, and technically your mind never leaves your ¡®body¡¯.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Shit, this is more complicated than I''d thought it''d be.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Archmage sighed. ¡°And it is only made more so by your unique nature.¡± She shook her head. ¡°For now, let us simply focus on multitasking and force. There is no need to rush your choice at this point, as those two will round out your capabilities nicely on their own.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°So, where do we start?¡±


    The Archmage smiled. ¡°Let us begin with the nature of intelligence¡­¡±

 Smoke: 31 - Playing with smoke

    Thoughts whirled through Greg''s mind as the Archmage disappeared, leaving him to meditate on the lesson. The Archmage had detailed several methods he could use to improve his multitasking, from a simple all around increase in his mental capabilities to creating mental partitions to the Archmage''s personal method of cloning certain sections of her mind, each of which had its own benefits and drawbacks. The general enhancement would allow him to gradually expand his focus as his mental capabilities grew, giving him a powerful mind but forcing him to split his focus on his own, which was relatively inconsistent since certain situations would naturally draw more focus than others. Mental partitions would immediately allow him to perfectly split his focus, but they would also permanently split his mental capabilities, reducing how much brain power he could dedicate to any one thing. As for cloning sections of his mind, the downside was that it wouldn''t provide any benefit until he finished, but once he did, he''d essentially have the same benefits as if he''d enhanced his mind, then partitioned it. Of course, the ultimate goal of all three methods was the same, as eventually those who enhanced their mind would start to partition it, and those who partitioned would immediately need to start enhancing their mind to compensate for their decreased capabilities, while cloning was essentially doing both at the same time.


    The main thrust of the issue was what you were doing with the mental enhancement. The Archmage had little use for partial enhancements, so cloning was the best method for her, allowing her to focus solely on the mental capabilities she needed to control more and more of her constructs. However, for someone like Casey, she''d probably want to go the general enhancement path, enhancing her control over her mana, allowing her to focus her fire into concentrated beams or something, until she was comfortable creating a partition. And Carlos would probably want to go straight for the partition, sectioning off a portion of his mind so it could hold a barrier for him while he focused on other things.


    So, what was Greg trying to do? His first thought was that he was like the Archmage, purely focused on having as many bodies as possible, and while that was somewhat true, it didn''t account for what he could actually do with those bodies, particularly his ability to change forms. The problem was that each form had a different natural mana, so each one would be better served by different methods. So what he needed to do was create a mind for each form and developing it in whatever way would benefit that form most¡­


    Greg blinked as a thought occurred to him. Did he need to use mana for this? Couldn''t his smoke make minds perfectly well on its own? Greg brought out a small cloud of smoke, creating a tiny version of himself and making it real, infusing it with smoke to keep it functioning. A frown creased his brow as he studied his tiny self, his focus switching between the two a few times before he let out a frustrated sigh. Even though he technically had two brains right now, he couldn''t use both of them simultaneously. He could tell that the new brain was usable, but despite both brains being his, they weren''t actually connected. At least, not on the level he needed them to be in order to use both simultaneously.


    Greg sighed, shaking his head. His smoke was weird. It obviously held his consciousness somehow, since he''d spent a not insignificant amount of time as pure smoke and not noticed any difference in his mental capabilities. Yet he could clearly tell that having a real brain did something for him, he just couldn''t tell what! It was like his thoughts were more set when he had a brain. He thought about it for a moment, but he couldn''t figure it out. Clicking his tongue, he went to dismiss the little copy, figuring he didn''t need an extra body he wasn''t using telling him it was starving all the time, when he paused, the difference between having a brain and not suddenly clicking. He could clearly tell that the copy of himself was starving, but he didn''t feel like he was starving! Instead, the copy felt like it was starving! Greg reached out, poking the copy and making it stumble backwards, not feeling anything himself, but getting a clear sense that the copy had been pushed.


    Greg hummed thoughtfully as he considered what all this meant. Giving one of his bodies a brain seemed to give it the hardware it needed to operate, processing any sensations, keeping it breathing, the heart beating, and even keeping it standing. It just lacked direction¡­ Greg narrowed his eyes as instead of trying to be the copy, he simply directed it, telling it to turn around. Immediately the copy turned just as Greg intended, spinning around to face away from Greg. Focusing a bit, he could even share the copy''s senses, though that wasn''t particularly surprising since that seemed to be the base state of his smoke anyway. The extra brain just made it so he could tell where the senses were actually coming from.


    As Greg continued to direct his copy to walk around the room, he slowly put together what he needed to do. Just like the Archmage, he''d focus on cloning specific parts of his mind, except he wouldn''t need to worry about anything related to perceiving what his copies were interacting with or operating the body, all he''d need to do was make something that could direct the copies like he was now! Thankfully, part of the Archmage''s lesson had been creating a diagram of the different functions of a mind, so all he had to do was familiarize himself with the concepts behind decision making.


    That was another part of the lesson that had thrown him for a loop. He''d expected to be learning more about brain anatomy or something, but apparently that was fairly useless. Well, not useless, but unnecessary, because the mana didn''t care how your brain was arranged, all it cared about was the concept you were trying to enhance. Trying to tell mana to enhance your prefrontal cortex was only useful as it related to how you viewed the function of the prefrontal cortex. What was actually important was how well you understood the function of the brain. Or mind, as it were, since once you started adding mana, your mind would be more than just your brain. Which, he supposed, was the magic of it all.


    Chuckling to himself at his own joke, Greg got to work figuring out the mental processes he needed to copy to direct his other bodies, meditating on what they meant to him, and putting them together in a way that would fit his needs. Then all he needed to do was take a mana pill and direct it towards the creation of the mind clone. But that was for later, according to his schedule. First, he had lunch, and then he had his first meeting with Lapodala.


    *


    ¡°You!¡± Lapodala hissed as Greg walked into what appeared to be some kind of lab, causing him to freeze. ¡°What have you gotten me into!?! How did you manage to become the apprentice of the Archmage?!?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ luck?¡± Greg offered tentatively. ¡°I went for my awakening and she had to test my mana to make sure it wasn''t dangerous, which led to her learning about my smoke, which¡­ was apparently enough for her to want to take me as an apprentice?¡±


    Lapodala scowled at him for a moment, before letting out a frustrated sigh. ¡°I suppose it would be ridiculous to think you''d somehow planned to become the Archmage''s apprentice. I do wonder why you would still insist on having me study your smoke.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°Because we''d already agreed that you would?¡±


    Lapodala blinked incredulously. ¡°You- I have an entire team of specialists reporting to me now! People with decades- centuries more experience than I have! And you''re telling me it''s all because you agreed to let me study your smoke?!?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ yes?¡± Greg replied. ¡°I mean, we did agree you could, right? It would have been rude to change that just because I suddenly became some big shot''s apprentice. Oh! That reminds me! Since I am some big shots apprentice, it doesn''t quite make sense for you to train me anymore, so, I was wondering if you''d be willing to train my girlfriend instead? You know, if you want.¡±


    Lapodala just stared at him for a moment. ¡°Are you- sane?¡±


    ¡°Uhhh¡­ no? But don''t worry, I''ve got a handle on it.¡± Greg grinned, giving her a thumbs up.


    Lapodala opened her mouth, before snapping it shut and snorting, shaking her head. ¡°Of course. Yes, fine, I will train your girlfriend. And anyone else you might like, since you have literally propelled my career forward by decades, if not more. But now let''s begin studying this smoke of yours, and hope it is at least slightly more comprehensible than you.¡±


    ¡°Or at least more consistent.¡± Greg agreed with a slight chuckle. ¡°So, where do we start?¡±


    Lapodala sighed. ¡°Our ultimate goal is to discover what your smoke is, which we will endeavor to accomplish by cataloging and defining its properties. Let us begin with what you believe to be the smoke''s defining property.¡± Greg waited for a moment, expecting Lapodala to tell him what that might be. ¡°Well?¡± She prodded.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Well? Oh! What I think the defining property might be. Duh.¡± Greg smacked his forehead. ¡°I guess it''d be the ability to imitate anything it dissolves? Cause without that, I''m just a cloud. Though I guess I''d still be a telekinetic cloud¡­ but I wouldn''t even be able to do magic without it, because as a cloud I don''t have mana. So yeah, that.¡±


    Lapodala nodded slowly. ¡°Very well¡­ let us begin with the transformation aspect then.¡± She waved for him to follow as she walked over to one of the devices in the lab, which appeared to be a contained runic circle similar to the one the Archmage had used to analyze his smoke. ¡°Place some of your smoke inside.¡± Lapodala ordered as she used her network device to communicate with the device, runes lighting up inside it as Greg sent his smoke in. ¡°Now, transform your smoke into something simple.¡± Greg complied, turning his smoke into a rock, pausing for a moment before going even further and simulating the rock completely. ¡°Hm.¡± Lapodala frowned as she noted the data. ¡°Okay, now do something a bit more complicated.¡±


    Greg considered his options for a moment before deciding on a plant, making a copy of the little house plant the bird girl had had in her room, similarly going from a basic simulation to a complete one. However, the moment he did, it immediately started to wilt, as just like when he formed his bodies, it was completely lacking everything it needed to actually survive. ¡°Should I send some more smoke in to keep it alive?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No, this is good data.¡± Lapodala replied. ¡°We''ll see how it looks when your smoke is sustaining it later.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°What next?¡±


    ¡°Can you make a small animal? Something small that will fit in the scanner.¡± Lapodala replied.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Greg nodded, creating a tiny version of himself, again slowly ramping up the detail of his simulation to hopefully catch as much of the process as he could.


    Lapodala blinked at the tiny copy of Greg. ¡°You- can manipulate the size of your creations?¡±


    ¡°No. Well, maybe? I haven''t actually tried¡­ but I did this by copying the form of this tiny woman I know and altering the appearance until it matched mine.¡± Greg explained.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Lapodala grunted, then shook her head. ¡°Alright, that should give us a good baseline for your transformation. Now, let''s see what happens when you dissolve something.¡± She tapped at her network device and three containers soon appeared next to them. She opened the first one, pulling out a chunk of rock and placing it in the scanner. ¡°If you would dissolve this, please?¡± Greg nodded, sending in enough smoke to cover the rock, turning it into dirt to dissolve it. Lapodala frowned. ¡°Can you dissolve something without creating something else?¡±


    ¡°I- maybe?¡± Greg scratched his head. ¡°I haven''t yet, but I could try?¡±


    ¡°Alright, let''s try again.¡± Lapodala pulled another chunk of rock out of the box and placed it in the scanner again.


    Greg sent his smoke to cover it, focusing on dissolving it without creating something else, but it wasn''t working. He paused, wondering what his smoke actually did to dissolve things, and¡­ he honestly wasn''t sure. He just knew that if he created something where something else already was, that thing would get dissolved and turned into more smoke. Or it''d be used to create more smoke? Something like that, at least. Which meant there was something destructive that happened when he simulated things, so what he needed to do was create that destructive force without simulating anything? Greg frowned, focusing on his smoke again, trying to figure out what that destructive force might be. Some kind of vibration, maybe? That- sort of made sense, didn''t it? A lot of reality was just things vibrating, wasn''t it? Maybe? Greg sighed, wishing he''d paid more attention in physics. Or at least not forgotten everything the moment the test was over¡­


    Anyway, vibrations seemed like a good bet, so he concentrated on his smoke and began to vibrate it. Immediately a hum began to emanate from within the scanner, Lapodala even taking a nervous step back as it built in intensity, which proved to be smart as the rock exploded a moment later. Greg clicked his tongue, brushing some debris off his shirt. ¡°Well, that didn''t work.¡±


    ¡°What- what were you even trying to do?!?¡± Lapodala asked incredulously.


    ¡°Well, I''m trying to figure out what my smoke actually does to dissolve something and I thought it might be something to do with vibrations, so I made my smoke vibrate, and¡­ well, you saw.¡± Greg explained, waving a hand at the scanner, which thankfully didn''t look any worse for wear after the rock''s demise.


    Lapodala stared at him incredulously. ¡°How hard did you make it vibrate?!?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Like¡­ half?¡±


    ¡°Half of what?!?¡± Lapodala asked.


    ¡°However hard I can vibrate things?¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°I don''t exactly have measurements for this stuff. Though shouldn''t you?¡± He gestured at the scanner again, which presumably would have caught all of it.


    Lapodala flushed slightly. ¡°Right, let me¡­ huh. It seems that it wasn''t that you vibrated it all that hard, it''s that you vibrated it completely, all across it at once.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah? My smoke was inside it when it started vibrating.¡± Greg pointed out.


    ¡°Right¡­ okay, let''s try this again.¡± Lapodala grumbled, pulling out another rock and placing it in the scanner.


    ¡°Alright, but I gotta tell you, I''m running out of ideas.¡± Greg warned her, focusing on the new rock as he tried to figure out what he needed to do. It wasn''t dissolving or vibrating¡­ maybe he was thinking about this the wrong way? Yes, the object would be broken down, but in the process it either became or produced smoke¡­ so maybe it was more about conversion? Greg blinked, suddenly feeling like an idiot. Of course it was about conversion! He focused on the rock, and instead of focusing on dissolving or somehow destroying the rock, he focused on turning it into smoke. His smoke immediately latched onto the rock like it did his body and it just¡­ turned to smoke, just like anything he''d actually made out of smoke would. ¡°Huh¡­ did you catch that?¡± Greg asked, turning to Lapodala.


    ¡°I- did. Though I''m not sure what to actually make of what I caught.¡± Lapodala muttered. ¡°You simply- turned it to smoke.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s what I got out of it too.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°Next one?¡±


    ¡°Yes, let''s move on.¡± Lapodala agreed, opening the second box and pulling out a small plant, placing it in the scanner. Greg once again sent some smoke at it and focused on turning it into smoke, and just like the rock, it was there one moment and the next all there was was a cloud of smoke. ¡°I''m not sure if this next test will tell us any more than we''ve already gotten, but for the sake of completion¡­¡± Lapodala trailed off as she opened the last box and brought out a small cage with some kind of insectoid rodent type thing inside, placing it in the scanner.


    ¡°I am absolutely going to stick one of those in Casey''s bed.¡± Greg chuckled as he sent his smoke at it, once again focusing on turning it to smoke. He felt a small bit of resistance, just enough to be aware of it as he pushed through it, and it poofed into smoke.


    Lapodala shuddered slightly, eyeing Greg''s smoke warily. ¡°That is¡­ terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Greg asked, cocking his head.


    Lapodala frowned at him. ¡°You just turned a living being into smoke like it was nothing!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but that thing would have died from a hard smack.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°No way I could do it that easily to someone stronger.¡±


    Lapodala shook her head. ¡°Yes, a stronger constitution will resist your smoke, but how many people invest in their constitution? If you can destroy a rock, you can kill a good two-thirds of the mages on this ship. Easily.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°No? Living things resist my smoke. I had a harder time with that rat thing than I did with the rocks. I don''t know exactly how it works, but I do know that things are a lot easier to dissolve once they''re dead.¡±


    Lapodala blinked. ¡°It- is easier to dissolve something after it dies?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°There was this cheese grater dude I fought that my smoke couldn''t even touch, but once it was dead my smoke ate through him like it was nothing. Well, not nothing, but it wasn''t all that hard.¡±


    Lapodala stared at him for a moment. ¡°That makes no sense whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t?¡± Greg asked tentatively.


    ¡°No!¡± Lapodala exclaimed. ¡°If your smoke is physical, then why would it care if something is alive or not? If it''s magical, then it would make sense for something living to resist it more than something that wasn''t, but it wouldn''t make any sense for it to stop resisting once it was dead! Maybe- maybe if your smoke was mental, but that doesn''t make any sense either, since it doesn''t have any mental effects!¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ it has my mind, doesn''t it?¡± Greg offered hesitantly.


    Lapodala scowled at him. ¡°How would your smoke carrying your mind change how other people react to it?¡± She paused. ¡°Unless¡­ hold on, wait.¡± She frowned, holding up a finger as she thought. ¡°Your smoke¡­ is your body, mind, everything that you are¡­ and when you dissolve something, it becomes your smoke¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I actually figured out that I''m literally just converting things into smoke.¡± Greg interjected. ¡°You know, if that helps.¡±


    Lapodala nodded. ¡°Then, in essence, you are¡­ stealing someone''s body when you dissolve it? In a sense? That- might be able to explain things?¡±


    Greg shrugged helplessly. ¡°I got nothing.¡±


    Lapodala grimaced. ¡°Right¡­ okay, let''s start testing the quality of your creations.¡± She sighed. Because of course the smoke would have to be just as incomprehensible as the man himself.

 Smoke: 32 - A new team

    As it turned out, there was a limit to what Greg could simulate, or at least the density of it, which was around six and a half grams per centimeter cubed. He could still make a spike that looked like steel, of course, but the density of it would be six and a half grams per centimeter cubed, not the eightish it was actually supposed to be. Of course, neither Greg nor Lapodala had any idea why this was the case, as he seemed to be able to simulate every other quality of a material perfectly. In the end, Lapodala just sent him away in exasperation so she could go over the data with the specialists, hoping they could make better sense of Greg''s smoke than she could.


    After he finished with Lapodala, Greg had to rush back to the training hall to meet with his combat instructor, a woman named Indresta. Most of the lesson was just her getting a baseline for what Greg already knew, which wasn''t much, so she could figure out a lesson plan for him. Then, after getting a few exercises to work on from Indresta, Greg headed back to the base for his first round of mana investment.


    Greg found a quiet corner to sit in and took a deep breath as he turned his focus inward, searching for what was colloquially known as his mana pool, but was more accurately understood as his connection to the source of mana. Apparently there was some infinite plane of pure mana out there that all mana came from, and mages formed a connection with it that they could draw mana through, converting it into their natural mana in the process. The stronger this connection was, the more mana a mage could pull over at once, making whatever effect they produced stronger in the process. According to the Archmage, Greg should allocate at least half his mana investment to his mana pool. Physical and mental enhancements were useful, but the true strength of a mage was in the strength of their spells. But first he had to actually find the damn thing.


    Greg carefully drew on his mana, searching for the source of it, the point at which it entered reality from the mana plane. As he drew, not directing the mana in any way, he began to feel the mana collecting somewhere around¡­ his stomach? He frowned, clearing the mana out and starting again, focusing on the same area as he searched for the first signs of mana, repeating this process over and over again until he narrowed down the location to a small marble sized area in his stomach. The actual connection was just a single point and the closer he could get to it the better, but Greg''s mana sensitivity wasn''t good enough to get any closer than the marble sized area.


    Now that he''d found the general area of his mana pool, Greg popped a mana pill into his mouth, the pill almost instantly melting into a stream of pure mana which Greg directed towards his mana pool, concentrating on reinforcing his connection to the mana plane. It- actually went better than Greg thought it would. ¡°Connect to the mana~ mana, mana connect~ connect to the mana~ mana, mana connect.¡± Greg hummed to himself, bobbing his head back and forth as he corralled the mana towards his mana pool like some kind of mini game, the mana slowly getting absorbed as it hopefully strengthened his mana pool. Even still, the entire process wore on him and slowly his humming turned more forced and his head stopped bopping. ¡°Connect, connect, connect. Come on, mana connect.¡± Greg muttered wearily as he concentrated at the last of the mana, repeating it over and over until the final bit he could sense was finally absorbed, keeping it going for a few more seconds just to make sure before letting out a groan and slumping over on his side.


    ¡°That was rough. How long was I- fuck!¡± Greg cursed as he checked the time. He was only twenty minutes into his allotted time for mana investment! He felt like he''d been doing this shit for hours now! He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he could just stop here. He had already absorbed a pill, right? That was all he needed to do, wasn''t it? Greg grimaced. It was, but it was also the bare minimum. If he could do more, then he should do more, particularly since the squad was counting on him to be as strong as possible. If it was just a him thing, he''d be more than happy to skip it, but fucking over other people because he wanted to be lazy was an absolute no go in his book.


    Greg grimaced, getting up and popping another mana pill into his mouth, this time directing the mana towards his mind, starting the development of his first mental construct. He didn''t have a good mantra for the mental construct, but he actually almost enjoyed the process this time because building the mental construct was a lot like playing with those little magnetic balls, pulling a string of mana out of the ball and focusing on it for a moment to fill it with the right intent before twisting it into shape and connecting it to the rest. It took him about half an hour to use up the whole mana pill, getting maybe about one percent of his mental construct done.


    ¡°Alright, so, constructs are easier than enhancement. Good to know.¡± Greg muttered, checking the time again. The Archmage had assigned him an hour for mana investment, but there wasn''t much he could do in the ten or so minutes he had left so he got up and headed to the common room to join the others. Well, he probably could have gone through another round of enhancing his mana pool and only gone a few minutes over, but¡­ Greg shuddered. Maybe next time.


    ¡°There he is!¡± Victor announced as Greg wandered into the common room. ¡°How was your first day of being the Archmage''s apprentice, buddy?¡±


    ¡°Not your buddy, guy.¡± Greg chuckled as he sat next to Tessa, putting an arm around her. ¡°And it was fine? No worse than high school and a whole hell of a lot more interesting. How about you guys? Do anything fun today?¡±


    ¡°Nah, just worked on some mana investment.¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°Building up that mana pool, you know?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there''s not much else for us to do right now.¡± Carlos sighed.


    ¡°Fair.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°At least that gives you more time for mana investment though, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess, but you hit your limit pretty fast.¡± Casey grumbled. ¡°I only got through a pill and a half before my mana pool was done.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Limit?¡±


    ¡°The maximum amount of mana investment you can handle at once.¡± Victor explained. ¡°Did your new teacher not tell you about that?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°There''s a maximum?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, something about your body resisting any further changes after a certain point.¡± Victor elaborated. ¡°The beginners guide didn''t really go into detail on it, though.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ weird.¡± Greg muttered, wondering what his limit was, since it clearly wasn''t two.


    ¡°So what did the Archmage teach you?¡± Casey asked curiously.


    ¡°Mostly just about mental enhancement, since that''s what I need to control multiple bodies. Not that it''s going to happen any time soon¡­ a few months, at least.¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°So nothing that could help us out.¡± Victor sighed.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Even if he had learned something that could help us, he wouldn''t be able to tell us. Sharing the Archmage''s private lessons would lose him his apprenticeship faster than he could blink.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°It would?¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°Why would the Archmage share her secrets with you, just for you to turn around and share them with everyone else?¡±


    ¡°Well, secrets, yeah, but I don''t think anything I''ve learned so far is actually a secret. It''s just¡­ detailed?¡± Greg retorted. ¡°I mean, I''ll ask her, but I don''t think it''d be that big a deal.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful, alright?¡± Tessa sighed. ¡°You don''t want to piss off the most powerful person on the ship.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Anyway, who''s up for a game?¡±


    *


    Greg spent the next few hours hanging out with the squad before heading to bed with Tessa. About an hour after that he went to sleep and moved his consciousness to the rock by the spider girl''s building, turning it into smoke and flying to her room. ¡°Yo!¡± Greg greeted the spider girl as he arrived and transformed into the scorpocroc, causing her to jump and whirl on him, posing defensively. ¡°So, what''s the verdict? Does your team want me for challenges?¡± Greg asked, smirking slightly as he leaned against the wall.


    The spider girl glared at him as she relaxed. ¡°They wish to meet you first. They are waiting in the neutral zone for us.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. Lead the way.¡± Greg agreed.


    The spider girl nodded, reaching out and grabbing something, pulling it aside to open a portal. ¡°This way.¡± She waved for him to follow, stepping through the portal.


    Greg paused for a moment, not expecting that to happen, before stepping through after her, following her down a side street and into a large building, eventually ending up in a small meeting room with four others waiting for them. There was a gorilla man, what Greg could only see as a minotaur, a rabbit girl, and a dragon lady. The spider girl took a seat next to the rabbit girl, making it so the males were on one side and the females on the other, with the dragon lady at the head of the table. ¡°Please, have a seat.¡± The dragon lady insisted, gesturing to the seat at the other end of the table, which he did. ¡°Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Henrietta, and my natural mana grants me control over electricity.¡±


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°I am Brutus, and my natural mana allows me to temporarily grow larger and stronger.¡± The minotaur went next.


    ¡°I''m Gigi, and I move fast!¡± The rabbit girl bounced excitedly as she introduced herself.


    ¡°Gregory. I push and pull.¡± The gorilla man grunted.


    ¡°And my name is Bianca.¡± The spider girl added, just providing her name.


    Then they all looked at Greg expectantly, who coughed awkwardly. ¡°Okay, well, I''m Greg, and¡­ well, I can do a lot of things. My smoke can turn into pretty much anything, and my natural mana lets me make more of it. I can also transform into other people and use their natural mana, which so far includes heat, barriers, going unnoticeable, telekinesis, fire, healing, negating friction, teleportation, cutting and piercing with pure force¡­ and probably a lot more, since I have actually checked what all my forms can do yet.¡± He paused, wondering what the shark man''s mana would be before blinking as he realized he actually knew that one, but he would almost definitely never use it. ¡°Oh, and I''m also immortal as far as I can tell. And my smoke is telekinetic all on its own. Aaand I have multiple bodies, but I can''t control more than one at a time, so it isn''t very useful. Yet.¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°I think that''s it? At least everything I know about so far¡­¡±


    Henrietta frowned. ¡°Is your smoke not your natural mana?¡±


    ¡°No, as far as I can tell it''s a mutation, like you being a dragon lady.¡± Greg explained.


    Henrietta blinked. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ which part?¡± Greg asked, scratching his head.


    ¡°What is a mutation?¡± Henrietta asked, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table.


    ¡°It''s- what happens when you let mana handle your needs instead of eating and drinking for yourself?¡± Greg offered tentatively. ¡°Basically, mana gets absorbed into your body and altered by random thoughts, changing your body in the process, so you end up with scales and claws and whatnot. It''s- pretty much uncontrolled mana investment, I guess?¡±


    Henrietta raised an eyebrow. ¡°So what you are suggesting is that our forms are unnatural?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I wouldn''t say they''re unnatural¡­ at least, no more than anything else related to mana is. But yeah, I can confidently say these aren''t your original forms at the very least.¡±


    ¡°Ridiculous!¡± Gregory scoffed. ¡°This is the only form I''ve ever had!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, you lost all your memories. Of course you wouldn''t remember being any different.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Or do you really think you''re less than two years old?¡±


    Gregory blinked. ¡°I- what?¡±


    ¡°You seem to be very well informed.¡± Henrietta muttered.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I am the Archmage''s apprentice.¡± Greg commented. ¡°But honestly any unformed could tell you this, cause, you know, they saw it happen.¡±


    They all froze. ¡°You- have talked with the unformed?!?¡± Henrietta hissed.


    ¡°Oh, shit, right, you hate them.¡± Greg muttered, frowning slightly. ¡°Well, you shouldn''t. I mean, you should, because circumstances developed in such a way that it''d be weird if you didn''t hate each other, but it isn''t good for you to hate each other, because at this point there''s no real reason for it other than the fact that you already hate each other.¡±


    ¡°What- No, they destroyed our homes!¡± Brutus growled, slamming the table with his fist.


    ¡°So?¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°I mean, yeah, that''s fucked, but why does it mean you have to hate them?¡±


    Brutus stared at him incredulously. ¡°Because they destroyed our homes!¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Okay, just- let''s say that somehow, by accident, you end up hitting Gregory here, breaking his arm. Gregory is understandably pissed, so he hits you back, breaking your leg. How do you respond? If you hit him back, then suddenly you''re in a fight neither of you actually wanted, all because of an accident. You could apologize, but would Gregory actually listen? He doesn''t know you didn''t mean to hit him, all he knows is that he has a broken arm, and it''s your fault. What if you''re just lying so he''ll drop his guard? The only real solution is for both of you to calm down and talk things out, but who''s going to be calm after getting their arm or leg broken? That''s pretty much the situation you guys have with the unformed, except you don''t even remember hitting them in the first place, so to you it seems like they attacked you for no reason at all, but honestly all everyone needs to do is calm down and realize there''s no reason to fight in the first place.¡±


    Brutus looked almost lost. ¡°But- they destroyed our homes?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°And you destroyed theirs. Shit happens.¡±


    Henrietta narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°And where do you fit into all this?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Me? I went to sleep for two years and woke up as a smoke person. I ain''t got shit to do with any of this.¡± He paused. ¡°Or I guess I''m sort of on both sides? Like the unformed, I remember the time before mana arrived and fucked shit up, but I don''t remember you guys going crazy, so to me you''re just people, like the unformed. I don''t have this ingrained fear or hatred of you, because you''ve never actually done anything to me and neither have the unformed, so I''m just sort of¡­ here.¡±


    Henrietta frowned. ¡°But- how did you get the unformed to accept you?¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why wouldn''t they? I- oh! Right, because I usually look like this.¡± Greg explained, transforming into his human self. ¡°So yeah, they don''t have any problems with me. Just like you don''t have any problems when I look like a feral. Because shapeshifting is a bitch.¡± He paused as they absorbed that. ¡°Hey, weren''t we talking about whether or not you want me on your challenge team?¡±


    Henrietta blinked, then coughed awkwardly. ¡°Yes, I believe we were. What do you all think?¡±


    ¡°I don''t trust him.¡± Gregory grumbled. ¡°He could be an unformed spy!¡±


    Bianca rolled her eyes. ¡°For what unformed?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they''re here, they''re just in a different section of the ship. Because why would the aliens only take half the population? Well, half of half¡­¡± Greg trailed off, then coughed awkwardly as he realized he might have said too much. ¡°A-Anyway, yeah, the unformed are here, but I''m not spying for them or anything. Though¡­ I am with them. Because, you know, I have multiple bodies. And my girlfriend is an unformed, so, you know, loyalty there. But again, I don''t think you guys should be enemies in the first place and thinking that way is just unhealthy.¡±


    The ferals froze. ¡°The unformed- are here?!?¡± Brutus snarled, his fur bristling as his body began to grow, until a spark from Henrietta shocked him out of it and he began to shrink again.


    ¡°Calm yourself, Brutus!¡± Henrietta chastised him. ¡°Even if the unformed are here, the overseers will handle them, just as they handle those of us who insist on violence. If they brought them, then they must have a plan for them, particularly if Greg''s¡­ view of the situation is true.¡± Her expression twisted slightly as she said that, clearly uncomfortable with the idea, but not unconvinced.


    Brutus huffed. ¡°How do we know the overseers are trustworthy?¡±


    ¡°Because if they wanted you dead, you would be.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°Which isn''t to say they''re completely trustworthy, but I doubt they want you or anyone else dead. And they''ve flat out told me that one of their goals is peace between the unformed and the ferals.¡±


    Henrietta blinked. ¡°They have?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°Because again, there''s no actual reason for you guys to hate each other. Which I would really like to stop repeating, because it really shouldn''t be that hard to get.¡±


    ¡°We understand, we just don''t believe.¡± Brutus growled. ¡°You''re asking us to believe that the conflict that has cost so many lives is a simple misunderstanding. That everything we''ve done to protect our people is- is- pointless!¡±


    ¡°What? No, you absolutely had to protect your people because the unformed would hurt them if given the chance, just like you would have hurt them if given the chance.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°What I''m saying is that it''s time to recognize that you don''t have to protect yourselves anymore. You''re in a position where the unformed can''t hurt you, so maintaining a grudge against them that only formed due to circumstances outside everyone''s control is ridiculous. You actually have a chance to stop this conflict because the aliens are forcing you to calm down and think things through. So why would you insist on perpetuating it for no reason? Yes, you needed to defend yourselves, but that doesn''t mean you have to keep defending yourselves. It''s important to recognize when circumstances change, you know?¡±


    Brutus frowned. ¡°What if the unformed insist on perpetuating the conflict?¡±


    ¡°If someone insists on violence after being given every chance to not be violent, then they''re an asshole.¡± Greg grinned. ¡°And we all know what I do to assholes.¡±

 Smoke: 33 - Inconsistent data

    In the end, the ferals decided that they needed more time to discuss before they could make a decision on whether or not they wanted Greg on their challenge team, postponing it until tomorrow night. With nothing else to do, Greg spent another hour or so digging out more of the underground base and getting it ready for the others to move in before returning to his main body and getting some sleep. Then, after spending a bit more time than he probably should with Tessa again, he rushed over to the training complex for his second meeting with the Archmage, arriving exactly on time thanks to a timely shift into his cheetahman form.


    ¡°Woo! Made it!¡± Greg grinned as he returned to his normal form, taking a seat in front of the Archmage.


    The Archmage raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is the timing of our meetings an issue for you? You seem to be struggling to make it on time.¡±


    Greg coughed awkwardly. ¡°No, the timing is fine, I just- I''m not good with transitions, I guess? I either spend half an hour waiting to leave, or I get caught up doing something else only to look up and realize I should have left five minutes ago. And¡­ I''ve been getting kinda caught up with something lately.¡±


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± The Archmage hummed. ¡°Would it help if I assigned you a task to complete before our meetings? Something to ease you into the day?¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°That- seems like it''d exacerbate the issue? I think I''d just get caught up doing the task instead, you know?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but I would have you perform the task here, so even if you are caught up, I can interrupt.¡± The Archmage elaborated.


    Greg paused, then nodded. ¡°Okay, yeah, that could work. Assuming you don''t care if I''m a little late for that.¡±


    The Archmage smiled. ¡°Of course not. That would defeat the point, wouldn''t it? Now, do you have any questions before we get started?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yeah.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°I''ve noticed that a lot of your tech uses these runes.¡± He gestured to his network device as an example. ¡°But isn''t magic all about intent? Where do the runes come from?¡±


    ¡°Ah, a good question.¡± The Archmage nodded. ¡°To start, runes are innately meaningless. What matters is the intent the mage infuses into the rune as they inscribe it. That being said, a standardized rune language is useful for multiple reasons. First, it allows others to understand the function of what you''ve made. Second, it improves the focus of your intent, as when you''ve learned that a rune means fire, it naturally draws your understanding of fire. And third, standardized runes allow mages to craft cooperatively, which is important for larger workings, such as rituals or this very ship. But you shouldn''t concern yourself with runes until you''ve mastered a few spells at the very least, as without a refined intent, the runes will have little effect.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Oh, I also wanted to know what your policy is on sharing what I''ve learned from you with my friends.¡±


    ¡°You are free to share anything I''ve taught you so far, but as your apprenticeship progresses there are certain signature spells I would rather not see spread, due to their more¡­ abusable nature.¡± The Archmage replied. ¡°But I would caution you against investing too much of your time in educating others. You must build up yourself before you can support others.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Yeah, I know, I was just thinking more along the lines of pointing them down the right path. I don''t think I even could teach anyone right now¡­¡±


    The Archmage smiled. ¡°Any other questions?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I don''t think so? Wait, yes! I wanted to ask you about the mana investment limit. Specifically why there''s a limit in the first place.¡±


    The Archmage sighed. ¡°We don''t know. It''s simply a fact that an individual can only handle taking in so much mana at once, usually somewhere between one and two mana pills a day, though this limit can be grown if you regularly hit it. It doesn''t appear to be a physical limit, as it doesn''t matter where you invest the mana, it just accounts for the total amount of mana invested. There are many theories for why this limit exists, but ultimately no one can say for certain. It is simply a fact of life that we must accept.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± Greg muttered thoughtfully. ¡°Alright, that''s all I have then.¡±


    ¡°What did your mana investment limit end up being?¡± The Archmage asked.


    ¡°Oh, I haven''t hit it yet.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°It''s at least two mana pills, though.¡±


    The Archmage blinked. ¡°You- didn''t hit your limit? Why did you not continue your mana investment then?¡±


    ¡°I didn''t know I was supposed to have a limit and mana investment is really, really boring.¡± Greg explained with a slight grin.


    The Archmage did not look amused. ¡°It is imperative that you both learn and make full use of your mana investment limit. Any time you don''t hit your limit wastes an opportunity for growth. And I did not think I needed to mention that you should read the beginner''s guide.¡±


    ¡°I- You''re right, sorry, I''ll make sure to do that before our next meeting.¡± Greg apologized.


    The Archmage gave him a sharp nod. ¡°Good. Then let us begin with the nature of force.¡±


    *


    After the lesson, Greg spent the next two hours practicing converting his smoke into force, sending blasts at an impact plate to gauge his progress. The mages had a unique unit to measure the power of an attack called epm, or effect per mana, which was the ratio between the amount of mana used and the effect it created. Weirdly, spells could have values over one epm, which apparently happened when mana was used to create secondary effects that went beyond what the mana could do on its own, but that wasn''t Greg''s concern at the moment. His focus was getting his force blasts epm as close to one as possible, which¡­ Well, he was only managing about point four at the moment, but it was his first spell. He was still working on focusing his intent in the first place, not to mention the mental hoops he had to jump through to convert his smoke into force.


    Greg sighed as he sent a final force blast at the plate, getting a pathetic point two in the process. ¡°Alright, that''s enough of that. Time for lunch.¡± He grunted, stretching slightly as he made his way towards the cafeteria. He sat down at a random table after getting his food and let out a sigh. ¡°I miss having lunch with Tessa.¡± He paused. ¡°Wait, why am I not having lunch with Tessa?¡± There was no reason she couldn''t meet him at the cafeteria, right? It was a little late now, but he was definitely going to insist she join him tomorrow. He was almost starting to miss hanging out with her. Maybe he could get Lapodala to sync their schedules a little? If Tessa had training at the same time as him, it''d be a lot easier to get there on time. Plus, there was no reason she couldn''t help study his smoke, right?


    He quickly finished eating and headed to the lab for another session with Lapodala, after which he''d have his second challenge with the squad, then another hour of mana investment to complete his schedule. Then tomorrow he''d repeat his schedule from yesterday, which he had started thinking of as a training day, and the day after he''d repeat today, or a challenge day. Then he''d have a break day before starting another four days of switching back and forth, except this time he''d start with a challenge day, ending in another break day that he still had to complete a challenge on before it all started over again.


    ¡°So, what do we have for today?¡± Greg asked as he arrived.


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    Lapodala gestured to a line of cages and plants. ¡°Today we''re testing the resistance living being''s have to your smoke, and attempting to determine what factor influences it the most.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°So I''m just killing things today?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t matter what you do, as long as it''s repeatable and living being''s resist it.¡± Lapodala shrugged. ¡°This analysis is going to be primarily focused on you, not them.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Alright, cool, I can do that.¡± Greg agreed. Lapodala got him set up in a chair covered in runes with some kind of halo covering his head, before directing him to the first test subject, a small frog-like creature. Greg took some smoke and pushed it through the frog creature with a little bit of effort, before turning to Lapodala. ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°Can you do something a bit more substantial?¡± Lapodala asked as she examined her network device.


    Greg frowned, turning back to the frog thing. What could he do that was more substantial? He supposed he could convert it to smoke, but he did try to avoid killing things when he didn''t have to. There wasn''t much else he could do though¡­ He paused. Unless¡­ Did attaching his smoke to a creature take extra effort? He moved his smoke back into the creature and tried it, grinning slightly as he had to put that bit of extra effort in, slowly filling the frog up with smoke until¡­ ¡°Huh.¡± Greg grunted as he suddenly felt a very familiar connection to the frog. He narrowed his eyes, trying to move his consciousness into it, but- ¡°Nope, that''s a no go.¡± He muttered, trying instead to direct the frog to hop to the left, and¡­ the frog let out a panicked croak, scrambling wildly. ¡°Well, that didn''t work.¡± Greg sighed.


    ¡°What are you doing to it?!?¡± Lapodala asked incredulously, looking between him and the terrified creature that was doing everything it could to break out of the cage.


    ¡°Nothing? All I did was connect my smoke to it and tell it to hop left. It- didn''t appreciate that.¡± Greg explained. ¡°Apparently connecting to another creature with my smoke lets me connect to them like my other bodies, except I can''t control them.¡±


    Lapodala blinked. ¡°What- what does it let you do?¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°Share their senses and maybe communicate? It isn''t exactly smart enough to tell on that one¡­ not sure if it does anything else.¡±


    Lapodala tapped her lips with a finger. ¡°Greg, what is the most fundamental capability of your smoke?¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Transformation and conversion?¡± Lapodala stared at him expectantly. ¡°What about it?¡±


    Lapodala sighed. ¡°If those are the fundamental qualities of your smoke, then would it not make sense for anything your smoke can do to be related to those qualities? In particular, could you transform something connected to your smoke?¡±


    Greg blinked, turning back to the frog. Could he transform it? Into what? It wasn''t like he had a ton of forms that were close to its size¡­ even his tiny person form was a good bit larger. Still, it didn''t hurt to try, right? He focused for a moment, trying to get the frog creature to transform. Slowly it began to shift, some of Greg''s smoke getting drawn in to make up for the missing mass, its croak shifting to a scream as it, somewhat predictably, freaked the fuck out over what was happening to it. ¡°Huh.¡± Greg grunted. ¡°Well, that''s pretty cool, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is ¡®pretty cool¡¯.¡± Lapodala agreed, studying the transformed creature thoughtfully for a moment before scanning it with her network device. ¡°Ah, unfortunate.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Greg asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°The transformation is merely superficial, unlike your own. It still has the same natural mana as before.¡± Lapodala explained.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Well shit, that would have been really cool, huh?¡± Being able to change people''s abilities into whatever they needed for the situation would have been awesome. Though he guessed that''d fuck up any spells they learned, since they''d need a whole new conversion process for the new mana type¡­ not that it mattered, since he couldn''t do it anyway. ¡°Should I do something about him?¡± Greg asked, gesturing to the still screaming clone of himself.


    ¡°Change him back?¡± Lapodala offered. ¡°Unless you would prefer having a random creature running around looking just like you.¡±


    ¡°Ah, no. No I would not.¡± Greg muttered, transforming the creature back into the frog-like thing it was before. ¡°So, on to the next?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but don''t remove your smoke.¡± Lapodala replied. ¡°We will need to test for any additional uses, and I would like to see how the creature responds to long-term exposure to your smoke.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Lapodala had Greg connect his smoke to several other creatures and a few plants, analyzing the amount of effort it took each time to try and pin down exactly what factor was resisting his smoke. The results were confusing to say the least. A physically powerful creature would resist his smoke just as much as a magically powerful one, but a physically sturdy plant was much less resistant than a plant infused with mana. Additionally, more intelligent creatures seemed to be more resistant to his smoke on average, but it wasn''t a very consistent factor, with some dumber creatures being incredibly resistant, while some smarter creatures barely resisted his smoke at all. In general, stronger and smarter creatures resisted Greg''s smoke the most, but Lapodala couldn''t figure out why. Why would physical power and magical power have the same effect? Why was intelligence so inconsistent? It didn''t make any sense!


    ¡°I think I need to stop there, or I''m going to have too much strain for the challenge later.¡± Greg finally announced.


    Lapodala raised an eyebrow. ¡°Strain?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, using my smoke doesn''t make me tired, it just gets harder and harder to actually do anything with it the more I push it, so I call it strain.¡± Greg explained. ¡°Like a rubber band getting less stretchy the more you use it, you know?¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Lapodala muttered. ¡°What increases your strain?¡±


    ¡°Anything that takes effort?¡± Greg offered hesitantly. ¡°You know, walking, fighting, doing this stuff, all that. And the more effort it takes, the more the strain builds.¡±


    Lapodala paused. ¡°That- should have been obvious, shouldn''t it?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Kinda, but honestly, nothing about my smoke seems to make sense, so I can''t exactly judge you for making sure.¡±


    Lapodala sighed. ¡°Yes, well, I suppose we''ll stop here for today then. Unless you have any ideas that wouldn''t affect your strain?¡±


    Greg thought about it for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°Nope, I got nothing. Oh! I did want to talk to you about the training for my girlfriend. Do you think you could teach her from eight to ten in the morning?¡±


    Lapodala raised an eyebrow. ¡°That should be fine. Why that specific time though?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ that''s when I have my lessons with the Archmage, and I figured it might be nice to sync our schedules? Oh, and I was wondering if you''d mind if she helped out with studying my smoke, cause¡­ Well, why not, you know?¡± Greg explained.


    ¡°Having another person here to see how utterly ridiculous you are would be somewhat gratifying.¡± Lapodala muttered. ¡°Very well, if that is what she wishes, then I see no reason not to go along with it. Though if you would provide me with her contact information, it would be much easier to coordinate.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit, right.¡± Greg scrambled for his network device, sending Tessa''s contact information to Lapodala. ¡°And I don''t actually know if she''ll go along with it yet. I just had the idea at lunch, so I haven''t talked to her.¡±


    Lapodala frowned. ¡°It seems¡­ unwise to make plans for another without consulting them first.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°I- wouldn''t call this making plans¡­ I''m just seeing if the plans are possible before I bring them up, you know? Ultimately whatever training you give her is between the two of you, I just think it''d be nice to be on the same schedule.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Lapodala hummed slightly. ¡°Is that all then?¡±


    ¡°I think so?¡± Greg nodded hesitantly, trying to think of anything else he might want to bring up. ¡°Yeah, I think that''s it. See you tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Hopefully with a more solid direction of experimentation.¡± Lapodala agreed with a slight sigh. ¡°Making sense of your smoke is proving more difficult than I initially thought.¡±


    ¡°Hey, at least we''re making progress, right?¡± Greg offered. ¡°I mean, without this, I wouldn''t have figured out how to convert things into smoke or that I can transform others.¡±


    Lapodala groaned. ¡°Yes, and that is good, but until we figure out why your smoke can do what it does, then we haven''t gotten any closer to understanding what it is, and if we don''t understand what it is, then it doesn''t have any use for anyone but you! And even for you, if you can''t understand what your smoke is, then you''ll never become an archmage!¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Wait, really? I need to understand my smoke to become an archmage?¡±


    Lapodala nodded. ¡°Yes, because in order to become an archmage, you need to create an intent that counters your natural mana, allowing you to create pure mana, which requires a deep understanding of who you are and the effect your natural mana produces.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Well, shit.¡±

 Smoke: 34 - Frustration

    ¡°Fuuuuck!¡± Victor groaned as the squad completed their second challenge. This time they''d chosen an offense challenge that had them fighting a giant bear-like creature covered in thick, chitinous plates that got bigger and bigger the longer they fought it, the goal being to last as long as possible, just like the defense challenge. ¡°Why do we keep choosing challenges that force us to keep going until we die? Are we masochists?¡±


    ¡°I still feel like it''s kicking me out early.¡± Greg grumbled. ¡°And I thought we already established that you''re a masochist.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure we established that I wasn''t.¡± Victor retorted. ¡°I do not appreciate pain.¡±


    ¡°You guys were amazing!¡± Sarah cheered as she rushed over to them from beyond the range of the challenge.


    ¡°I don''t feel amazing.¡± Casey muttered. ¡°I feel like a ten ton dinosaur bear just stepped on me.¡±


    ¡°Well, I got crushed by an eleven ton dinosaur bear, so ha.¡± Victor stuck his tongue out at her.


    ¡°That''s because you just hid for the entire fight!¡± Casey exclaimed.


    ¡°I didn''t just hide! I was on its back stabbing in-between the plates until it rolled over on me.¡± Victor countered.


    ¡°I was wondering why it did that.¡± Carlos sighed. ¡°How the hell was I supposed to stop something like that?¡±


    ¡°I think the point of it was that you weren''t.¡± Brittany pointed out. ¡°Something that large isn''t something we can stop. At that point we should have focused on mobility, not defense.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, can I say that Tina did a freaking fantastic job?¡± Greg commented. ¡°Jennifer too, for that matter. Honestly, if we''d made better use of them, I think we could have gone another four minutes at least.¡±


    ¡°I think we all need to train more together.¡± Tessa sighed. ¡°The squad has changed a lot recently and we need to get used to working together again.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Not like we have anything else to do.¡± Victor agreed. ¡°Well, except for Greg¡­¡±


    ¡°I can train in the evenings if that works for you guys?¡± Greg offered. ¡°Though we probably don''t want to train after a challenge¡­ So every other day then?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it''s your free time we''re eating into, so whatever works for you is best.¡± Casey pointed out. ¡°These challenges are the only thing the rest of us even do.¡±


    ¡°The only thing you do so far.¡± Greg countered. ¡°Once you start getting spells, you''re going to need time to research and train them, possibly even more than I do, cause the Archmage has already done most of the research for me. In fact, you guys probably want to start looking for subjects you can branch your mana into now. The spell will give you a framework for the conversion, but it all ultimately depends on your understanding of the subject. Hell, if you understand it well enough, you won''t even need the spell, since you can create your own framework.¡±


    ¡°We can make our own spells?¡± Carlos asked somewhat skeptically.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah? A spell is just visualizing the process of transforming your natural mana into something else. The aliens definitely have a better handle on the process, for sure, but it isn''t like you can''t start figuring it out on your own.¡± Greg explained. ¡°I mean, Casey could probably turn her fire into heat or light pretty easily. Emily could probably figure out how to make barriers and Carlos could probably figure out how to make projectiles even easier, since they''re both using force constructs. Brittany¡­ lasers maybe? I don''t know, but you guys get my point, right? You probably won''t be able to do it well, but you can at least get started, particularly when it comes to focusing your intent, cause that is a bitch.¡±


    ¡°Man, why wasn''t that in the beginner''s guide?¡± Victor muttered.


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Probably to keep people from ignoring spells? You know there are people who''d refuse to buy them just because they think they know better, and the whole point of all this is for us to get stronger, which spells are a pretty important part of.¡±


    ¡°Didn''t you just say we could make our own spells?¡± Carlos pointed out.


    ¡°Well, sure, but for easy shit, you know? Like taking your force construct mana and turning it into a different type of force construct, or separating fire into heat and light. And even then, the aliens definitely have a better understanding of heat and light than we do, and that''s pretty important for maximizing your epm.¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°Epm?¡± Brittany asked.


    ¡°Effect per mana. Basically how much of your mana you''re converting into the effect you''re trying to create.¡± Greg explained. ¡°You want to get it as close to one as possible for pure effects.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now I don''t feel like I have enough time for extra training.¡± Victor commented after a moment of silence.


    ¡°Ugh, I just realized magic is for nerds.¡± Casey complained, sticking out her tongue.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, come on, let''s get back to the base. Apparently we have a lot of work to do.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, I talked to Lalamama and she''s willing to train you eight to ten if you''re interested. Or any time that works for the both of you, I just thought it''d be a good time since that''s when I train with the Archmage.¡± Greg mentioned to Tessa as they started making their way back to the base. ¡°I also thought it''d be nice if you joined us while we studied my smoke, but now that I''m thinking about it, it''s probably better to spend that time working on your own stuff¡­¡±


    Tessa blinked. ¡°She actually agreed to train me?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Did- I not mention that yesterday?¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°No, you didn''t.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ Well, she did.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Actually, she kind of agreed to train a bunch of people if I wanted, but I think she was exaggerating. I gave her your contact info, so she should be talking to you soon.¡±


    ¡°And why didn''t she contact me yesterday?¡± Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Greg coughed awkwardly. ¡°Because I only gave her your contact info today?¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°You''re a dork.¡±


    *


    Greg retreated to an isolated room once they got to the base to focus on his mana investment, taking a moment to find his mana pool again, making sure he was focusing on the right area before taking a mana pill. A grueling fifteen minutes later he finished, taking a moment to shake off the mental fog from struggling to maintain his focus like that, before moving onto his mental construct, which took closer to twenty-five minutes this time as Greg became more comfortable with the process. Then he grimaced as he once again turned to his mana pool and took another pill, hoping he''d hit his limit sooner rather than later. Unfortunately he wasn''t that lucky as another fifteen minutes passed before the pill was completely used up.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Greg cursed. How high was his fucking limit?!? He paused. ¡°Probably not something I should be complaining about¡­ but mana pool strengthening is so boring!¡±  He sighed, shaking his head as he took another pill and started working on his mental construct again. At least this part wasn''t so bad. He frowned as he once again used the entire pill. ¡°Okay, this is starting to get ridiculous.¡± He muttered. He considered just stopping there, but¡­ ¡°One more round.¡± He sighed. And he did, in fact, complete one more round.


    Greg grimaced as he stared down at his seventh mana pill. ¡°I- fuck, I can''t!¡± He groaned, pulling at his hair in frustration, literally on the verge of tears at the idea of spending another fifteen minutes struggling to focus on strengthening his mana pool. ¡°I can''t, I can''t, I can''t!¡±


    Greg''s head snapped up as a soft knock came from the door. ¡°Greg? Are you doing alright?¡± Tessa asked, cracking the door open. It''d been two hours since he left, and she was starting to get worried.


    ¡°Y-yeah, I''m-¡± Greg coughed to fix his voice, wiping at his eyes. ¡°I''m fine.¡±


    Tessa hesitated, noticing the tremor in his voice. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Greg sighed, feeling ridiculous. ¡°Yeah, I''m sure. Just- being dumb.¡±


    Tessa frowned for a moment, before pushing into the room, closing the door, and staring down at Greg as she crossed her arms. ¡°Greg, I didn''t think this was a conversation I needed to have with you, but we are not going to have a relationship where you hide things from me, particularly not things that are clearly bothering you! Now tell me what''s wrong!¡±


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    Greg stared up at her helplessly. ¡°I- hate mana investment.¡±


    Tessa froze. ¡°You- what?¡±


    ¡°I hate mana investment!¡± Greg repeated with a groan. ¡°I mean, not the mental stuff, that''s fine, but strengthening my mana pool is hell! And I''ve already done it three times! I just- I can''t keep going, I can''t!¡±


    ¡°You- three- what- what is your limit?!?¡± Tessa asked incredulously.


    Greg slumped in defeat. ¡°At least six.¡± Tessa''s eyes bulged. She''d thought she was doing well at two and a half! ¡°See? Told you I was being dumb.¡±


    Tessa blinked. ¡°Greg- no, you''re not being dumb.¡± She sighed, sitting down next to him and taking his hand. ¡°As insane it is that your limit is that high, the fact that you hate doing it is still valid. Just because you can do more doesn''t mean you should do more. Particularly not if it''s making you this miserable.¡±


    ¡°But I have to do more.¡± Greg grimaced. ¡°According to the Archmage, I need to hit my limit so I can grow it.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°Then- why not focus on your mental stuff, if that''s easier?¡±


    ¡°I''m supposed to put at least half of my mana investment into my mana pool.¡± Greg sighed.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg, I''m pretty sure that advice doesn''t account for your limit being over six! You can talk to the Archmage tomorrow, but you are not strengthening your mana pool any more, so if you need to hit your limit, you better do something else.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± Greg began.


    ¡°No buts!¡± Tessa snapped. ¡°You are not going to torture yourself for this!¡±


    Greg hesitated. ¡°But- I feel like I''m being a bitch.¡±


    Tessa glared at him. ¡°Knowing your limits is not being a bitch. Not pushing yourself at all is being a bitch. And you''ve pushed yourself enough today.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Greg agreed noncommittally.


    ¡°Okay, now you''re being a bitch.¡± Tessa growled, digging her finger into his side.


    ¡°Alright, alright, I won''t strengthen my mana pool anymore!¡± Greg relented as he squirmed away from her, unable to keep himself from smiling.


    ¡°You better not.¡± Tessa grumbled, pulling her finger back. ¡°Now chop chop! Let''s see what that limit is!¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± Greg saluted, smirking slightly as he popped his seventh mana pill and began working on his mental construct. Tessa just shook her head, smiling to herself as she watched this ridiculous man she was growing more and more attached to. Finally, about fifteen minutes later, Greg went to attach the latest piece of his mental construct, only for it to bounce off. He frowned, confused for a moment as he tried again, then his eyes snapped open as a huge grin spread across his face. ¡°I did it! I hit my limit!¡± He exclaimed ecstatically.


    Tessa couldn''t help but burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of someone celebrating over hitting their limit. Greg flushed, wilting slightly, only for Tessa to slide into his lap and give him a long, deep kiss. She pulled away, slightly out of breath. ¡°I love you.¡±


    Greg froze. ¡°You- what?¡±


    Tessa bit her lip nervously as she realized what she''d said. ¡°I- I love you? I know we haven''t been together long, but- mmmph!¡± She cut off as Greg kissed her.


    ¡°I love you too.¡± Greg muttered as he pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers, meaning it completely. Anyone who could see him being that stupid and still be there for him was someone he never wanted to let go of.


    Tessa couldn''t help but kiss Greg again as warmth bloomed in her chest, feeling almost light headed as she pressed herself against him. They made out like that for a good five minutes before she managed to pull away. ¡°We- we should probably get back to the others.¡± She gulped.


    Greg sighed. ¡°I suppose.¡±


    A glint flashed in Tessa''s eye as she leaned in to whisper in his ear. ¡°But you better bring your A-game tonight.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°I''m insulted you think I ever bring anything less.¡±


    *


    Greg slipped over to the feral side of the ship, even switching bodies failing to diminish his warm fuzzy feelings. Tessa loved him! Of course, he''d already been basically assuming that, but that had been a false assumption to account for his innate discomfort with not knowing how to tell how Tessa actually felt about him, and on some level he hadn''t really believed it, he just felt more comfortable acting like he did. Greg paused for a moment as he went back over that train of thought and let out a sigh. His brain was kinda fucked, wasn''t it? Then he grinned as he remembered that Tessa loved him anyway, feeling another surge of warm fuzzies.


    ¡°Hey, y''all!¡± Greg greeted the ferals cheerfully as he arrived, hopping into his seat at the end of the table. ¡°How''s it hanging? Figured out whether you want me on your team yet?¡±


    The ferals blinked at him. ¡°We- have, yes.¡± Henrietta replied, giving him a weird look. ¡°We would like to formally invite you to join our challenge team.¡±


    Greg grinned, giving her a thumbs up. ¡°Cool beans! Let me just pick up some more smoke, and I should be good to go.¡± He paused. ¡°I wonder if I need to go through the awakening process again¡­¡± He certainly hoped not. That seemed like it''d be a pain.


    ¡°How much time would you need?¡± Henrietta asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ depends?¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°If we''re heading to the mountains or forest, I can probably get it done on the way. Otherwise¡­ half an hour?¡±


    ¡°The challenge we wish to face is in the forest, so that should not be an issue.¡± Henrietta nodded, getting to her feet. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Greg agreed, getting up along with the rest, following them out. ¡°So¡­ how do y''all know each other anyway?¡±


    ¡°We have been working together to keep our people safe for a while now.¡± Henrietta replied.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Oh really? What have you been doing?¡±


    ¡°We started by trying to bring everyone together, to create a safe environment through cooperation, but¡­ the unformed did not appreciate that.¡± Henrietta explained. ¡°After that failure, we tried again, attempting to remain hidden, but the unformed would always find us whenever we gathered in number. And so we began to organize without gathering, creating isolated groups that operated largely independently, mimicking the natural groupings that those who were less¡­ aware would form. This is when Bianca became integral to our cause, her web allowing us to maintain contact with even the most remote groups. This method seemed to be working rather well, until the overseers arrived.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but what about all the assholes?¡± Greg retorted. ¡°I mean, they seemed to be running pretty wild out there.¡±


    Henrietta grimaced. ¡°That- was a point of contention. The question was whether their actions hurt us more than their power deterred the unformed. Since the unformed would endeavor to avoid territories containing stronger individuals, even these assholes would unknowingly create a bubble where dozens could find safety.¡±


    ¡°But then these assholes would prey on the very people they were providing safety too.¡± Bianca grumbled. ¡°What is the difference between being hunted by one of us, and being hunted by the unformed?!? Either way, you are simply prey!¡±


    ¡°But they hunt the unformed as well!¡± Brutus countered.


    Greg coughed. ¡°Pretty sure any unformed they would hunt wouldn''t be coming after you in the first place.¡± He paused. ¡°Though I guess they could fight some people off? I don''t know, I honestly never saw what the unformed were doing, since I doubt they were all that active at night.¡±


    ¡°They were, but the hunters avoided the areas you operated in.¡± Bianca explained. ¡°They were more active near the other unformed hives.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Is that so.¡±


    Brutus sneered slightly. ¡°Surprised that your precious unformed aren''t as perfect as you thought?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°What? No, I was just disappointed I didn''t notice. Particularly since it means they''re still somewhere over with the unformed, and the aliens probably won''t let me kill them.¡±


    Bianca smirked. ¡°I told you. He does not favor the unformed, he just doesn''t care one way or the other.¡± Brutus just grunted noncommittally, the conversation dying there.


    As they reached the forest, Greg turned to smoke and flew up a tree, converting a chunk off the top and continuing down until he''d converted the entire tree. He flew over to rejoin the group, materializing next to Bianca and solidifying his form into reality. ¡°Ugh, fuck, now I''m hungry.¡± Greg groaned, pausing as an idea occurred to him. ¡°Can I?¡± He muttered, picking up a stick and connecting his smoke to it, considering his options for a moment before focusing on turning it into a hotdog. ¡°Ha! I can!¡± Greg cheered, taking a bite. ¡°Hm. Needs ketchup. Can I make ketchup?¡± He reached down to pick up some dirt, putting some smoke on it before sprinkling it on his hotdog and attempting to transform it into ketchup. ¡°Fuck yeah.¡± He grinned as he took another bite, this time with ketchup. ¡°Now all I need is a bun¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?!?¡± Bianca asked incredulously.


    Greg looked at the hotdog, then at her. ¡°Eating? You know what eating is, right?¡±


    Bianca frowned. ¡°Yes, the overseers made it very clear how important food is now. My question is why you are turning sticks and dirt into food?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Because I can?¡±


    ¡°Why do you not just turn your smoke into food?¡± Bianca rolled her eyes.


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°What good would that do? If I eat my smoke, I''m just adding more smoke to my system, and that doesn''t solve anything, because my system is already full of smoke. I need to eat real food.¡±


    Bianca cocked her head. ¡°What makes a stick you transformed any more real than your smoke?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°That¡­ is a good question. The fact that it''s made of particles, not smoke?¡±


    ¡°Can your smoke not create particles?¡± Bianca asked curiously.


    ¡°It can simulate particles¡­¡± Greg muttered. ¡°But I''m not sure if that''s the same thing.¡±


    Bianca raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I honestly have no idea.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°But I''m still fairly certain eating something made of smoke wouldn''t help, because if it would, then I wouldn''t need to eat at all. My body would already have everything it needs, because my body is made of smoke in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Bianca grunted thoughtfully. ¡°You are a strange existence.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°You don''t know the half of it.¡±


    ¡°We have arrived.¡± Henrietta announced as they reached the challenge. ¡°Is there anything anyone needs to prepare before we begin? Bianca, your web?¡± Bianca nodded, closing her eyes as she began to wander around the area, setting up connections to her subspace.


    Greg paused for a moment, reaching for his mana, smiling as he created a puff of smoke. ¡°I''m good. What''s our strategy?¡±


    They all turned to stare at him. ¡°Strategy?¡± Henrietta asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Uh¡­ you know, our plan of attack? Like, who''s in charge of doing damage, who''s on defense, do we need to distract or make traps, that kind of thing.¡± Greg explained.


    ¡°We- will attack it until we cannot attack it anymore.¡± Henrietta replied, looking confused.


    Greg stared at her for a moment. ¡°Okay¡­ this is going to take some work.¡±

 Smoke: 35 - Daunting future

    Greg spent what had to have been a full hour explaining what strategy was and why it was a good idea to use it to the ferals before he was able to get them to agree to think of anything beyond ¡®hit it till it dies¡¯ level shit. Admittedly some of their power sets didn''t lend themselves to much else, but for Gregory and Bianca in particular, they could do a lot more to support the group. Gregory could push and pull the others out of danger, while everyone could duck in and out of Bianca¡¯s subspace to avoid attacks and reposition as long as she was there to open portals for them. Eventually he managed to get them to settle on making Brutus the main damage dealer, while Henrietta and Gigi distracted and otherwise hindered the enemy, since they were facing a challenge similar to the one he''d taken with the squad earlier. Gregory would focus on keeping Henrietta safe, Bianca would team up with Gigi to enhance her mobility, and Greg would use Meredith''s form to heal Brutus, keeping him in the fight as long as possible.


    The end result was¡­ decent? Eventually they lost, obviously, but they ended up lasting a good bit longer than Greg had thought they would with an entirely novel approach, as despite their initial resistance, once they got into the fight, the ferals dedicated themselves to their roles, Gregory keeping Henrietta mobile as she sent stunning blasts of electricity into the creature, Bianca sending Gigi all over the battlefield to dart in and jab at any weak point the creature showed, while Brutus just beat on the thing and Greg took more of a back seat role, focusing on healing and using his smoke to alter the battlefield, only occasionally throwing in a telekinetic attack if he saw a good opening. It was honestly kind of weird for him to not be the most physically powerful person on the battlefield. Brutus was a freaking beast and Henrietta and Gregory were both at least as strong as his scorpocroc form, so there was no need for him to put himself on the front lines, which was¡­ interesting. It definitely gave him a new perspective on how he could make use of his abilities.


    After a brief discussion on how the challenge had gone and what they might be able to do better in the future, Bianca stored Greg''s body in her subspace and he moved his focus back to the squad¡¯s base, spending the rest of the night putting the finishing touches on the underground section and starting on the alternate escape routes before getting some sleep. Then, after a brief period of catching up with Tessa, the two of them made their way to the training complex together, since she and Lapodala had talked and agreed on having their training at the same time as Greg''s. Which, of course, meant that for the first time Greg was comfortably early to his lesson with the Archmage.


    The Archmage raised an eyebrow as she appeared in the room to find Greg getting some practice in with his force spell. ¡°I see you took my advice.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Advice?¡±


    ¡°To give yourself a task to complete before our lesson?¡± The Archmage elaborated.


    ¡°Oh¡­ no, I talked to my girlfriend about doing her training at the same time, and she''s a lot better at keeping track of time than I am.¡± Greg explained.


    The Archmage cocked her head. ¡°If that works best for you, then I suppose I won''t argue. In any case, did you remember to hit your mana limit?¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Yeah, it was rough.¡±


    ¡°Rough?¡± The Archmage asked curiously.


    Greg grimaced slightly. ¡°Strengthening my mana pool is¡­ difficult, for me. I did it three times and I just-¡± Greg cut off with a shudder.


    ¡°Three times?¡± The Archmage frowned, knowing he didn''t focus solely on strengthening his mana pool. ¡°How- what is your mana limit?¡±


    ¡°Six and a half? Maybe a little over? I don''t know, figuring out how much of a mana pill you used is hard.¡± Greg replied with a shrug.


    The Archmage''s eyes widened. ¡°Your mana limit is six and a half?!?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Yes? Is that weird?¡±


    ¡°Is that- of course it''s weird! The largest initial mana limit I''ve ever even heard of was three! Six and half is- is- do you even understand what this means?!?¡± The Archmage exclaimed, looking shaken for the first time since Greg had met her.


    ¡°I- no?¡± Greg answered tentatively.


    The Archmage took a deep breath to calm herself. ¡°Right, of course you wouldn''t. Allow me to explain. A mage''s mana limit can always be grown, but the rate at which it grows is determined by their initial mana limit. In general, a mage can expect to double their mana limit within a year, but it would take ten more years to double it again, and a hundred years further to double it once more, and so on. Having a mana limit above two is enough to receive a scholarship to almost any university, and those with mana limits close to three are fought over! If anyone ever heard of your mana limit¡­ deans from across the galaxy would personally hunt you down and offer you their entire female lineage to get a hold of you!¡±


    Greg looked pale. ¡°I-I''m going to have to use thirteen mana pills a day?!?¡±


    The Archmage scowled at him. ¡°I believe you are focusing on the wrong thing. Your starting point is more than what our most gifted mages would reach in a year. The average mage could take decades to reach your initial mana limit!¡±


    ¡°Which means I can grow stronger faster than anyone else, I get it, but¡­ I can''t, and I mean I can''t do any more mana pool strengthening.¡± Greg shuddered. ¡°I can make constructs all day, but strengthening my mana pool even three times drove me to my limit. I was in tears! Keeping my focus up for that long is just- I just can''t.¡± He deflated slightly, starting to feel pathetic again. Here he was with gifts other people couldn''t even dream of having, and all he could think about was the fact that focusing was hard.


    The Archmage paused, noticing his obvious distress. ¡°Hm, yes, I suppose that would be an issue. Normally by the time anyone reaches the level you have, they would have invested in enhancing their mind and creating multiple constructs to ease the burden of the investment process. For example, my personal investment can take up to four hours, but by switching between my various mental constructs, no part of me has to spend more than an hour focusing on it, and I could comfortably reduce that to half an hour if I liked. It is rare for an individual to be able to focus on such a single minded task for a significant length of time, and I never expected that you would be in a position that required so much of you.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°I mean¡­ My mana limit is pretty ridiculous, apparently. I can''t really blame you for not expecting it.¡±


    The Archmage smiled slightly. ¡°I appreciate your forbearance, but in any regard I have failed to adequately equip you for the difficulties you are facing, and that must be corrected. First, you claim you have little difficulty with constructs?¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Yeah, they''re actually kind of fun. Like a puzzle or something, you know?¡±


    ¡°I suppose I could see that¡­¡± The Archmage muttered. ¡°In that case, there are two ways we could handle this issue. Since you have a¡­ surplus of mana to work with, I will only require you to spend two mana pills on strengthening your mana pool for now, while you dedicate the rest to creating constructs. I would also suggest a minimum of two go to your mental clone, as that will eventually solve your mana investment issues itself, but for the remaining two and a half mana pills, we can either double down on your mental clone, which is in my opinion the best long-term solution, or you can work to create a second construct that will surround your mana pool, so that all you will have to do is feed mana into it and it will strengthen your mana pool for you. The problem with this is that the construct would only be as efficient as you were when you first constructed it, which would force you to regularly dedicate mana to improving it, which is only feasible due to your, as you say, ridiculous mana limit, but given the level of distress you appear to have towards the subject, it is worth considering for your own mental health.¡±


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    Greg hesitated for a moment. ¡°I- think I can handle just doing two, so I think I''ll focus on my mental construct for now. Though¡­ I wouldn''t mind learning about the mana strengthening construct, just in case?¡±


    The Archmage nodded. ¡°Of course. You''ll need to learn this eventually anyway, in order to create your spells.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°I will?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The final step of a spell, once you have gotten the intent to a level you are satisfied with, is to create a mana construct infused with that intent, so that you can simply pass your mana through it to cast the spell.¡± The Archmage explained. ¡°This way you can create increasingly complex effects step by step, instead of trying to create it all at once. But we will explore that once you''ve finished your primary conversion spells. Now, let us start with the basic structure of a mana construct.¡±


    *


    ¡°And now I''m just going to focus on finishing my mental construct so I can split my mana investment between two minds.¡± Greg shrugged as he finished explaining his conversation with the Archmage to Tessa while they ate lunch.


    Tessa just stared at him for a moment. ¡°You realize you''re the most ridiculous man to ever exist, right?¡±


    ¡°So far.¡± Greg retorted with a slight grin. ¡°Aaand that we know of. Cause, you know, the universe is a big place and there could be who even knows how many people out there with abilities even more ridiculous than mine. Hell, there could be an entire intergalactic empire full of people like me out there!¡± His eyes widened and he gasped. ¡°Maybe that''s where I''m from! Some smoke alien from beyond the observable universe could have come to Earth hundreds of years ago and had a few kids, because smoke alien, leaving some latent DNA that activated when mana came!¡±


    Tessa scowled. ¡°I cannot even begin to express how much I hate the fact that that is possibly the most reasonable explanation I''ve heard for why you''re capable of everything you are.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°Of course, it still doesn''t explain where the smoke alien came from.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°If it''s anything like you, it could have existed since the beginning of the universe.¡± She paused. ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°Sorry, it just kind of hit me that- you are, most likely, legitimately immortal. And I''m- not.¡±


    Greg froze. ¡°Oh. That.¡± He''d pretty much been avoiding thinking of the implications of his immortality for a while now. ¡°I- guess it kinda sucks, but¡­ there''s not much we can do about it? I don''t know, it feels more important to focus on the time we do have than to worry about the time we won''t, particularly since I''m fairly certain mages live a lot longer than normal. Though I guess it could be an alien thing too¡­ something to ask the Archmage, I guess.¡±


    Tessa smiled, though her smile had a sad edge to it. ¡°You''re right, we should focus on the time we have. It''s just¡­ you do remember that you''re terrible at being single, right?¡±


    ¡°What? I''m great at being single!¡± Greg protested.


    Tessa gave him a flat look. ¡°Greg, you could barely resist sleeping with Meredith.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, huh.¡± Greg muttered, frowning slightly. ¡°Would you count that as terrible at being single though?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, because only single you would be tempted by her. As long as you have someone to be loyal to, you''re good, but when you don''t have anyone to be loyal to¡­ I''m worried.¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°That is unfortunately a very reasonable worry¡­ I feel like I''d do better now? But that could just be because I can''t imagine sleeping with anyone other than you at the moment.¡±


    Tessa froze. ¡°You- can''t?¡±


    Greg grinned at her. ¡°Nope. There are some benefits to this all or nothing thing.¡±


    Tessa flushed. ¡°Oh. Um, but still, we- should probably talk about what you should do if- that ends.¡±


    Greg sighed again. ¡°I guess. But what even can I do? Because it isn''t like I''m going to jump into a new relationship the moment you''re gone. I''ll be in like¡­ mourning and shit. Probably wish I was dead for a bit, honestly¡­¡±


    Tessa grimaced. ¡°That''s- you''re right, that wouldn''t work. I don''t think I would want it to work. I just- ugh, I don''t know. I- I don''t even know if I want you to be just fine without me! I like being important to you¡­ but I also don''t want you to suck without me.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°If it helps, I''ll only be shitty to myself? I''m pretty good at not letting my issues affect other people.¡±


    Tessa scowled at him. ¡°Why would that help?!? You''re the person I actually care about shitty things happening to!¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Oh, right, duh.¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°Maybe this was a dumb idea. Who knows how you''ll change over the years? It''s probably better to just not think about it.¡±


    Greg considered it for a moment. ¡°No¡­ I think it''s good to think about it, I just don''t think it''s a good idea to think we can solve it, because ultimately, if- when- if you go, it''s going to be a shitty, shitty time, no matter what. But by thinking about it, we can at least prepare for the shittiness, you know? It''s like the difference between having a dog randomly hit by a car, and watching an old dog slowly deteriorate over the course of a year. Yeah, it''s going to suck when the old dog dies, but it isn''t going to hit as hard as the dog that got hit by a car, because you were prepared for it. Or, probably a less insulting example, the difference between bracing and not bracing for a punch.¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°I was going to comment on the wisdom of comparing your girlfriend to a dog. Particularly given the life span comparisons you could draw as well¡­¡±


    Greg grimaced. ¡°Yeah, probably better to just not go there.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, how''d your first lesson with Lababa go?¡± Greg asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Are you even trying at this point?¡± Tessa grumbled. ¡°And it went pretty well, I think. We talked about which spells and enhancements I should focus on, and given the nature of my mana, she thought it would be best if I focused purely on strengthening my mana pool and learning spells for different physical enhancements, since the leap from changing my shape to changing my strength or speed or durability is fairly simple.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good¡­¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Though I think there''s something to be said for the permanence of an invested enhancement, you know? Like, with a spell, you have to choose between strength, durability, and speed, and maintaining it is going to drain you, while the investment is just there you know? Not that I don''t trust Lama mama, it''s just I think her focus is more on getting you to the point of increasing your maximum power, and I think survivability is an important factor to consider as well, you know, considering our previous conversation.¡±


    Tessa smirked at him. ¡°We actually did talk about that, and my shapeshifting already gives me more survivability than the majority of mages, particularly once I deepen my understanding of my own biology. The ability to fix my own organs will do more for me than years of physical enhancement. But it''s sweet that you care.¡±


    Greg coughed. ¡°Ah, well, you know¡­ I love you?¡±


    Tessa smiled. ¡°I love you too. Now, don''t you have somewhere to be?¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± Greg jumped to his feet, rushing out, only to rush back a few seconds later to give Tessa a quick kiss. ¡°Seriously, I love you.¡±


    Tessa laughed. ¡°I know. Now go!¡±

 Smoke: 36 - A draining existence

    ¡°So, what are we working on today?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°We''re going to test how effective your transformation is when it comes to others.¡± Lapodala explained. ¡°It''s clear it isn''t as effective as when you transform yourself, but if we can pin down the exact difference, it could provide significant insight into what exactly your smoke is doing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, actually, on that point, I figured out last night that I can transform other things too, like a stick into a hotdog and dirt into ketchup.¡± Greg commented. ¡°Which¡­ probably should have been obvious? I feel like transforming dead things is easier than transforming living ones.¡±


    Lapodala raised an eyebrow. ¡°I see. Very well, that gives us a simple starting point.¡± She tapped at her network device and a few boxes appeared a moment later. ¡°Let''s start simple.¡± She picked out two rocks from one of the boxes, placing them in the scanner. ¡°Transform this rock into this one.¡±


    ¡°Easy enough.¡± Greg shrugged, sending out some smoke and attaching it to the two rocks. ¡°Okay, so that rock is actually slightly larger than the other one, so I think I should transform it instead, otherwise my smoke is going to be used to make up for the missing mass. That shouldn''t be an issue, right?¡±


    ¡°No, that would be fine.¡± Lapodala agreed, and a moment later the rock transformed. Or at least, most of it did, since there was an extra bit of mass that Greg had to convert to smoke. She frowned for a moment as she studied the data. ¡°Take your smoke out?¡± Greg nodded, pulling it out. ¡°Hm¡­ well, I''m not sure what I expected, but they''re exactly the same now. Let''s move on to something a bit more complicated.¡± She pulled a small package out of one of the boxes, opening it to reveal some kind of snack bar, putting it in the scanner. ¡°Now, turn the rock into this.¡±


    Greg sent his smoke into the rock and snack bar, scanning the snack bar and transforming a chunk of the rock into a copy of it. He paused for a moment as he noticed there was just enough mass to make a second snack bar, shrugging as he decided to just do that. ¡°Heh, two for one.¡±


    Lapodala gave him a weird look. ¡°Why did you make two?¡±


    ¡°Well, the rock had enough mass for two, and there didn''t seem to be much point in converting it all to smoke, you know? I mean, I already have more than enough of the stuff, and if I want more, I can just make it with my mana.¡± Greg explained. ¡°It just seemed better to have two snack bars instead.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Lapodala grunted vaguely, refocusing on the data from the scanner, her eyes widening slightly as she noticed something. ¡°Greg, how did you separate the snack bars?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The rock was one solid piece, right?¡± Lapodala elaborated. ¡°But now it''s in two pieces, a few finger widths apart. If it was pure conversion, then it would have turned into a rock shaped ration bar. Instead you shaped it as well, creating an exact copy of the ration bar. The question is how.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ my smoke is telekinetic.¡± Greg pointed out. He''d never actually tried moving his smoke while it was attached to something, but there shouldn''t be any reason why he couldn''t, right?


    Lapodala hesitated. ¡°Yes¡­ it is. And it clearly has effects that occur on the molecular level¡­¡± She tapped her chin thoughtfully for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°Let''s move on.¡± She pulled out a small plant and another rock. ¡°I assume you know what to do by this point.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got you.¡± Greg chuckled, transforming the rock into a copy of the plant.


    Lapodala frowned as the plant began to wilt the moment Greg pulled his smoke out. ¡°Strange¡­¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Is it? I mean, transforming a rock into a plant isn''t that much different than turning smoke into a plant.¡±


    Lapodala shook her head. ¡°When you created a plant out of smoke, you created it without any nutrients, so it dying made sense. But here¡­ you copied the plant exactly, including all the nutrients. By all accounts, the plant should be perfectly healthy! But instead¡­ it''s dead.¡±


    ¡°That is weird.¡± Greg agreed.


    ¡°Yes¡­ let''s try this.¡± Lapodala muttered, pulling out another insectoid rat thing and a rock.


    Greg shrugged, doing his thing, aaaand¡­ ¡°It''s a dead rat-thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes it is.¡± Lapodala scowled at her network device. ¡°But it''s an exact copy, right down to its natural mana.¡± She shook her head, grumbling under her breath. ¡°Every time I think your smoke is about to make sense¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Okay, now for some more significant tests.¡± She waved him over to the cages from yesterday, which were now sitting in a larger scanning circle. ¡°Alright, transform this one into that one.¡±


    ¡°Done.¡± Greg nodded. His smoke was already attached to these creatures, so transforming them didn''t take more than a thought.


    Lapodala glanced at her network device, taking note of the changes, before raising a hand and sending a beam of energy through the transformed creature''s head, then glancing back at her network device. ¡°That- makes no sense!?!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Greg asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°You transformed the creature, making it an exact physical copy of the other, except with a different natural mana, but the moment it died, its natural mana shifted to match the other''s!¡± Lapodala growled.


    Greg blinked. ¡°How- how does that work?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know!¡± Lapodala exclaimed, throwing her hands up in frustration. ¡°Some aspect of life somehow resists your smoke, obviously, but how?!?¡± She scowled at the dead creature for a moment, before letting out a grunt. ¡°Okay, let''s try this with the plants and see if we get the same results.¡± She grumbled, gesturing to a plant. ¡°Transform that one into¡­ any of them, it doesn''t matter.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Greg agreed, transforming the plant Lapodala indicated into a copy of the one next to it.


    ¡°It''s maintaining its original natural mana, and-¡± Lapodala paused as she stared at the plant, not actually sure what her next step was. ¡°I suppose we''ll have to wait for it to die?¡±


    ¡°Maybe I could try pulling out all the nutrients?¡± Greg offered. ¡°That sounds like something I might be able to do.¡±


    Lapodala waved her hand in defeated acceptance. ¡°Do whatever you want. If you mess up, we have plenty of other plants.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Greg agreed, focusing on the plant, considering how he could pull this off, since he wasn''t sure if ¡®nutrients¡¯ was broad enough to take care of everything keeping the plant alive. Then again, his smoke seemed to work somewhat unconsciously, so maybe the intent behind trying to take the nutrients would be enough? It wasn''t like he ever told his smoke exactly how to turn into something, he just told it to do it, and it did. He was sure there was some kind of inherent database of everything he''d dissolved some- Greg blinked as he was suddenly made aware of just such a database, before promptly electing to ignore it for now as he returned his focus to killing the plant. He paused at the thought. Why not just go for that? He focused on the plant, sending the intent to kill at his smoke, and¡­ it caught on fire.


    ¡°Do I even want to know?¡± Lapodala sighed as Greg gaped at the burning plant, tapping at her network device to make a suppression field around the plant so the fire would quickly burn itself out.


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    ¡°I- don''t think I could even tell you?¡± Greg replied hesitantly. ¡°I just kinda told my smoke to kill it, and¡­ well, fwoosh.¡±


    ¡°You- told your smoke to kill it?¡± Lapodala asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah? I mean, that''s how I do everything with my smoke. It isn''t like I know how to make a person, or even a rock, it''s all the smoke. I just give it¡­ direction?¡± Greg explained, trying to make sense of his experience with the smoke.


    Lapodala stared at him. ¡°But¡­ you are the smoke?¡±


    ¡°Well, sure, but¡­ okay, it''s like- you don''t tell your body how to pump your blood or digest your food, right? Hell, even stuff like walking or punching is largely unconscious¡­ oh, or talking! You don''t tell your vocal cords how to vibrate, it just happens when you want to talk. And that''s kinda how my smoke is. I don''t really know how I do anything, I just want it to happen, and it does.¡± Greg finished with a shrug.


    Lapodala nodded slowly. ¡°That makes a certain sort of sense¡­ I suppose I''ve never considered making fire as something a body can naturally do. Unless you could create some kind of spray¡­ hm, maybe it''s more that the discontinuous aspect of your existence still has exactly clicked, since from a certain perspective, you are in essence simply managing your internal temperature.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Okay, now that is a trippy way to look at my smoke.¡±


    Lapodala rolled her eyes. ¡°Every way of looking at your smoke is ¡®trippy¡¯. Now, since you have ruined our previous experiment, shall we try again?¡±


    ¡°Right, yeah.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°Which one?¡±


    ¡°Any of them.¡± Lapodala sighed.


    Greg nodded, picking a random plant and transforming it into the one next to it again, frowning as he thought through how he wanted to try this again. Trying to kill the plant had worked, just not in the way he intended. He didn''t want it destroyed, just wanted to¡­ drain it? Could that work? Greg looked around. They still had plenty of plants to work with, so why not give it a shot? Greg focused on the plant, telling his smoke to drain it this time, and- Greg froze as he felt something flow out of the plant and into his smoke. Something¡­ delicious. Like he''d gone his entire life not even knowing what food was, then someone had just handed him a french fry, and now all he wanted was more.


    ¡°There, it just changed.¡± Lapodala announced, shaking Greg out of his thoughts.


    Greg blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The plant. It''s dead. Or at least, its natural mana has changed, which I assume means it''s died¡­ though it may be wise to leave it to see if it recovers and grows as the other plant or if its natural mana reverts.¡± Lapodala replied.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Greg muttered, seriously considering whether it was worth ignoring that comment to finish draining the oh so delicious plant, before letting out a sigh and pulling out his smoke to remove the temptation. Then he paused as he noticed all the other things he still had his smoke connected to. ¡°So¡­ how many of these things do you need to be alive?¡±


    Lapodala eyed him cautiously. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ okay, so I ended up draining the plant, not entirely sure of what, but it was super fucking delicious, like holy fucking damn! Like better than the best meal I''ve ever had! So¡­ I kinda want to drain the rest. Because, you know, it''s delicious.¡± Greg explained.


    Lapodala glared at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°I want to see if there are any long-term effects from your transformation, so transform these four plants and these four creatures and keep the originals around. Also keep these four and these four so we can make sure there aren''t any long-term effects from being connected to your smoke. Otherwise¡­ as long as I can get a scan of what''s happening, you can do what you like.¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Outstanding.¡± He quickly did what she asked, getting everything set before turning his focus to one of the remaining plants. ¡°I''ll start with this one.¡±


    Lapodala nodded, setting things up with her network device. ¡°Okay, go.¡± Greg immediately began to drain the plant, letting out a satisfied sigh as he did, and Lapodala watched as the plant began to wilt and brown then crumble and crack, breaking into smaller and smaller pieces until there was nothing but hard chunks and dust. She quickly checked the results of her scan. ¡°You- it''s- petrified?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Greg muttered, examining the remains of the plant with his smoke. He couldn''t even tell it used to be a plant anymore!


    Lapodala shook her head incredulously. ¡°It''s as if you drained it of everything that could support life.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ checks out?¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°Maybe that''s what my smoke does? It somehow interacts with whatever it is that let''s things live? Which could explain why living things resist my smoke?¡±


    Lapodala frowned. ¡°But why would that allow you to interact with inorganics?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°I- have no idea.¡±


    Lapodala let out an exasperated sigh. ¡°I would expect nothing less.¡± There wasn''t much to say to that, so they simply moved on, draining a few more plants before Lapodala spoke up again. ¡°Are you going to see what happens when you drain a creature?¡±


    Greg blinked, looking between her and one of the desiccated plants. ¡°You- want me to do that to something that can actually feel? I mean, I suppose I don''t care, but that seems like the sort of thing that would verge on torture, and I''m pretty sure I''m supposed to avoid that.¡±


    ¡°That is true, and I agree that torture should be avoided whenever possible. However, if we wish to understand the nature of your smoke, it is imperative that we understand how it interacts with creatures that can feel.¡± Lapodala retorted. ¡°The complexity of an animal can provide data that relatively simplistic plants cannot.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°If you say so¡­ which one?¡± Lapodala pointed to a random creature, setting things up for him. He hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh and starting the drain, letting out a grunt as he did. ¡°Fuck that''s good.¡± This creature tasted ten times better than a plant! He quickly shook himself out of the slight daze the rush had pushed him into, focusing on the creature he was draining, raising an eyebrow as he realized something. The creature¡­ didn''t actually seem to be suffering? Actually, he knew it wasn''t suffering. Through the connection his smoke formed between the two of them, he knew everything the creature was feeling, and right now all it felt was tired and a little hungry. Both feelings continued to grow until the creature fell unconscious, well before the feeling of hunger grew to starvation levels, and it stopped feeling anything at all until it finally died. ¡°Huh¡­ that might actually be the nicest way I''ve ever killed anything.¡± Greg commented. ¡°Almost peaceful even.¡±


    Lapodala raised an eyebrow. ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I can connect to their senses with my smoke, remember?¡± Greg replied. ¡°All it felt was tired and a little hungry.¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Lapodala muttered. ¡°That almost sounds like a natural death.¡±


    ¡°Does that tell you anything?¡± Greg asked.


    Lapodala considered it for a moment, before shaking her head. ¡°Not particularly, no. But it''s at least another data point in the web of confusion that is your smoke.¡±


    Greg snorted. ¡°Fair. Want to do a few more then? Cause I gotta say, animals taste so much better than plants.¡± He paused. ¡°Which is pretty much how I feel about food too¡­ Do you think the two might be related somehow?¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Lapodala retorted. ¡°All I can tell you is what your smoke is actually doing. You are the only one who can evaluate what you experience.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Well¡­ I guess it''s because whatever I''m getting from animals, or at least from this one, feels more¡­ substantial? Which is a part of why I prefer meat over vegetables as well. I like my food to be filling. Which, of course, is why I was fat. Oh, shit, is draining animals unhealthy?¡±


    Lapodala gave him a bland glare. ¡°I don''t think health is something you need to concern yourself with.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I may be a smoke cloud, but I don''t want to be a fat smoke cloud.¡± Greg protested with a slight smirk. ¡°Just rolling around, barely capable of getting off the ground¡­ huh, is that what fog is? Just fat clouds?¡±


    ¡°It seems we''ve reached the end of our session for the day.¡± Lapodala announced, completely ignoring his comment. ¡°You don''t want to be late for your combat lesson.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I''ll see you tomorrow. Have a nice day.¡±


    ¡°You as well.¡± Lapodala sighed. ¡°You utterly incomprehensible smoke being.¡±

 Smoke: 37 - Factions

    Life slowly began to settle into a routine for Greg. Every morning, the Archmage would teach him something new as he delved deeper and deeper into the intricacies of being a mage, planning out his next decade of training. He could ask some questions to clarify whatever he was struggling with, but most of the time was spent focusing on things Greg wouldn''t get to for months or even years as the Archmage taught him the steps he''d need to take to create some of her signature spells, which¡­ honestly started to get a little scary. The Archmage was primarily a projection mage, and a lot of her spells involved projecting things into other people. Some were more benign, like making an illusion that only that person could see or hear, but others involved things like putting thoughts in other people''s heads or even little force packets that would go off if a certain trigger occurred. The more Greg learned, the more he realized this woman was utterly fucking terrifying. No wonder she wanted him as an apprentice.


    Then he''d take two hours to practice his spells, or spell since he was still struggling with converting his smoke into force, before getting lunch with Tessa. Afterwards he''d spend another two hours studying his smoke with Lapodala, which¡­ Well, it''d sort of stalled after learning about Greg''s drain, but it was still good practice as Lapodala forced him to push the limits of his smoke, hoping that they''d eventually find something that would make sense of what Greg was capable of. Then he''d either have a combat lesson or face a challenge with the squad before taking some time to hangout or practice with the squad, pushing his mana investment to after everyone went to bed, since it took close to three damn hours now. Thankfully, as much as he enjoyed sleep, he still didn''t need it, so he wasn''t hurting because of it. Finally, he''d take an hour or two to practice or do a challenge with the ferals before getting to any miscellaneous activities he might need to deal with for the day. It was a pretty punishing schedule, but thankfully every fifth day gave him a break he could use to unwind.


    Then, ten days after the aliens abducted them, the ranking awards came in. Greg had been doing well on the offensive and defensive rankings, maintaining a spot in the forties for each, but when it came to the survival rankings¡­ Well, if there was one thing Greg excelled at, it was staying alive. He barely even had to try to reach first place on the ranking, which ended up placing him as the top ranked individual within the entire section, and that came with¡­ benefits. First, the top ten of each ranking would receive one hundred challenge points, and the top hundred would receive fifty, so right off the bat he got an extra two hundred challenge points. Well, two hundred and six, since he also got six points for his basically nonexistent position on the development rankings. Basically the rankings halved the point reward for each magnitude of ten, so the top thousand got twenty-five points, the top ten thousand got twelve, and the rest got six, so the minimum amount of challenge points a person would receive every ten days was twenty-four.


    Those were the rewards for the basic rankings, but the aliens also kept track of the people who did the best across all the rankings to create a top hundred list. This list didn''t grant any challenge points, but it did grant certain privileges. First, everyone on the list was granted access to the scanning and teleportation functions of their network device, though they could only teleport within their section. Second, they were all given a building on the strip for their personal use and they could use their challenge points to buy things like crafting stations or training aids for it, which made Greg feel pretty dumb for putting all that work into their underground base. And the third and final benefit was the ability to sponsor a number of people based on your rank.


    There were three levels of sponsorship, limited, partial, and full. A limited sponsorship would grant the individual a spell, two hours of instruction from one of the alien specialists, or ten hours in one of the specialized crafting suites, divided over the next ten days. A partial sponsorship granted a spell and an hour of guidance from an alien who''d already mastered it, four hours of instruction, or twenty hours in a crafting suite, and you could choose two or double up on one. A full sponsorship granted a spell with two hours of guidance, six hours of instruction, or thirty hours in a crafting suite, and you could pick three, doubling or tripling as you wished. Everyone in the top hundred had thirty-three sponsorships, except for number one, who had thirty-four. One hundred had thirty-three limited sponsorships, while ninety-nine had one partial and thirty-two limited, and so on, until number one, who had thirty-four full sponsorships.


    ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do with all these things?¡± Greg wondered, staring at the thirty-four full sponsorships he had to assign. He could give nine to the squad, but that still left twenty-five he had no idea what to do with! He couldn''t even take one himself, because he legitimately didn''t have the time or need to take advantage of it. All his spells and teaching were provided by the Archmage, and he had no need for a crafting suite. He turned to Tessa. ¡°Should I hold a lottery or something?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°How about you ask the Archmage? It isn''t like you can do anything until after your lesson anyway.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Should probably wait until my free day, too¡­¡±


    ¡°Or the squad can handle it.¡± Tessa offered. ¡°I can think of a few people who might be worth investing in¡­ though I''m not sure if they''ve already been sponsored or not, since they''re probably associated with my father and Patrick managed to reach the top hundred too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but my sponsorships are better.¡± Greg pointed out.


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Yes, but they can only accept one, and if they already have¡­¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°So send Patrick a message to let him know to hold off?¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°I''d rather not. It''s one thing to approach people involved with my dad individually, but if we start coordinating our sponsorships with them, then we''d be telling everyone that despite the fact that we''ve distanced ourselves, we''re still a part of their group, which would make us a target for any of their enemies, ones we may or may not be ready to face. In fact, I''d say we should limit any sponsorships we send their way to four or five max.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°That still leaves twenty to deal with.¡±


    ¡°It does.¡± Tessa muttered. ¡°Maybe we can find some other isolationists? People who deserve sponsorships, but wouldn''t normally be able to get them because they aren''t a part of a larger group?¡±


    ¡°I could go for that.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°After I see what the Archmage suggests, of course.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tessa nodded. ¡°Speaking of, we should get going.¡±


    *


    ¡°Congratulations on your ranking.¡± The Archmage announced as she arrived for Greg''s lesson. ¡°Though I''m surprised you didn''t manage to reach the top ten in offense or defense as well.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°I- didn''t really see the need for it? It seems more important to support my friends than to push to do better myself, since I''m already doing fine, particularly with me being your apprentice and all. As long as I have enough points to cover my mana pills, I''m good. Hell, I''m not sure I even have the time to spend more points¡­ I mean, I can''t even make use of the sponsorships I got!¡±


    The Archmage raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wouldn''t you be able to do more to help your friends if you raised your rank? An extra hundred challenge points could go a long way towards supporting your friends and building your faction.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°My faction?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your faction.¡± The Archmage gave him a look. ¡°You are building a faction, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Greg replied hesitantly. ¡°Should I be?¡±


    The Archmage frowned at him. ¡°How do you expect to survive on your new world without a faction to support you? As powerful as you are, you cannot expect to face the challenges of taming a wild planet all on your own.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ okay, fair, but couldn''t I just join whatever faction ends up coming out on top later?¡± Greg asked tentatively.


    ¡°That is an option, but not an ideal one.¡± The Archmage replied. ¡°There is no guarantee that the faction that eventually gains dominance will align with your goals and beliefs. Not that your involvement would guarantee that either, but it would significantly increase the likelihood of it. But to have the power and opportunity you have and simply allow others to determine your future without a fight is¡­ negligent.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°But¡­ politics?¡±


    The Archmage sighed. ¡°You do not need to personally develop the faction, and I would not suggest it in any case, as your personality is¡­ ill suited to the task. But what you can, and should, do is give others the tools and resources they need to develop a faction you can be proud of, particularly now, when your people are still struggling to build a foundation. With the sponsorships and points at your disposal, you have the power to create the elites of the future, and it would be a shame if you wasted it.¡±


    Greg grimaced slightly. ¡°I guess you have a point¡­ I''m just not sure I''m the person who should be doing it. Reading people is not my strong suit and I don''t want to help someone out only for them to turn around and become an asshole on me, you know?¡±


    The Archmage smiled slightly. ¡°Then don''t. Find someone you do trust to make those decisions. Just because you have the resources, doesn''t mean you need to be the one in charge of distributing them.¡±


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    Greg paused. ¡°Then what do I do?¡±


    The Archmage shook her head. ¡°You earn the resources. Is that not enough? In fact, it would be counterproductive for you to focus on anything but growing your power and earning more resources, for that is what you are uniquely suited to do. Let others worry about what to actually do with it.¡±


    ¡°I- guess that makes sense?¡± Greg agreed tentatively. ¡°So¡­ training?¡±


    The Archmage nodded. ¡°Training.¡±


    *


    ¡°The Archmage wants us to build a faction?¡± Tessa repeated after Greg finished telling her about his conversation with the Archmage.


    ¡°Or at least support someone else building one, yeah.¡± Greg confirmed. ¡°It does seem a bit wasteful to have all these sponsorships and not do anything productive with them. Plus¡­ Well, we are going to need a faction at some point. Particularly once we get to this new planet. Why not make sure it''s one we actually like?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t say helping isolationists isn''t productive.¡± Tessa grumbled. ¡°But you''re right, being an isolationist isn''t a long-term strategy.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Do we support your dad or what?¡± Greg asked.


    Tessa sighed. ¡°I- don''t know. My dad is effective, but¡­ he''s almost too focused on being effective. He has goals, and anything that doesn''t fit those goals is pushed aside and ignored. And that''s important when a society is in danger, but when you''re trying to build something for people to actually live in¡­ I think it needs to be more flexible.¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Flexible?¡±


    ¡°Yes, like¡­ it isn''t about telling people what to do, it''s about making sure everyone can do what they need to.¡± Tessa elaborated. ¡°There are certain things a government needs to do, like protecting its citizens, but beyond that, the focus should be on making sure everyone can work together, not on telling them what to do. In my opinion, at least¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that makes sense.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Particularly since I don''t want to tell anyone what to do¡­ but how do we set that up?¡±


    Tessa frowned thoughtfully. ¡°What if¡­ what if we just focused on protecting people? On creating someplace for those who have no interest in the larger group conflicts to congregate? Make it clear we have no interest in fighting over resources and just focus on keeping our own people safe.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°So essentially what we''ve been doing, just with a larger group?¡±


    Tessa blinked. ¡°Yes?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Sounds good to me. How do we find these people, though?¡±


    Tessa paused. ¡°Have you chosen your building yet?¡±


    ¡°No, but I was thinking of getting one near the training complex. For convenience, you know?¡± Greg replied. As the top ranked out of the hundred, he had the first pick for buildings, so he wasn''t worried about not getting the one he wanted.


    Tessa nodded. ¡°Good. Do it. People are going to start spending their points on training, which means they''ll be walking through that area regularly, so all we''ll need to do is put up some signs to draw people in.¡±


    Greg quickly selected the largest building in the area and confirmed his choice, officially claiming their new headquarters. ¡°Done.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I guess I''ll start getting everything set up with the others?¡± Tessa replied hesitantly. ¡°It might take some work to get them all on board¡­ particularly Victor.¡±


    ¡°Nah, Victor plays the contrarian, but he''s pretty reasonable most of the time.¡± Greg assured her. ¡°Casey on the other hand¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should deal with the challenge first.¡± Tessa sighed.


    *


    ¡°Damn it, I knew something was going to end up dragging us into politics!¡± Victor groaned after Greg and Tessa explained the plan, while the squad set up in their new headquarters. ¡°Ever since Greg became the damn Archmage''s apprentice, I saw it coming!¡± He sighed, tapping at his network device, sending Tessa a message. ¡°Alright, I just sent you a list of all the people I''ve found who might be worth working with.¡±


    Tessa blinked, looking at the list of what had to be over forty people, with brief descriptions of their natural mana and personality. ¡°You- When did you do all this?!?¡±


    ¡°Oh, here and there.¡± Victor shrugged.


    ¡°I helped!¡± Tina added cheerfully.


    ¡°But- why?!?¡± Tessa asked.


    Victor raised an eyebrow. ¡°I just said I knew this was coming. Why wouldn''t I prepare for it?¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°I told you he''d be fine.¡±


    Tessa shook her head in disbelief as the two of them fist bumped, turning to the others. ¡°What do the rest of you think of all this?¡±


    ¡°I''m just not sure I see the benefit in doing this.¡± Casey grumbled. ¡°How much influence do you really think we can have? It seems like we''re just going to be painting targets on our backs for no good reason.¡±


    ¡°We already have targets on our backs, because Greg is the top ranked individual in the entire damn section. Even if he hasn''t made it public yet, people are going to figure it out at some point, particularly since we have the largest building in the busiest area of the ship.¡± Brittany pointed out. ¡°There''s really not much we can do to avoid it at this point. People are going to start paying attention to us, no matter what. We might as well do something with it.¡±


    ¡°Plus, I kinda feel like protecting people is something we should do anyway, if we can.¡± Carlos pointed out. ¡°Leaving people to suffer when there''s something you can do about it is almost as bad as hurting them yourself.¡±


    Casey groaned. ¡°Damn it, I didn''t sign up for this shit!¡±


    ¡°None of us did.¡± Victor pointed out. ¡°Except Meredith. But you don''t always get to sign up for the shit you have to deal with. Sometimes you just get assigned shit detail, and that''s life.¡±


    ¡°How did I sign up for this?!?¡± Meredith protested. ¡°All I wanted was to be close to someone who can keep me safe!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, which gets you drawn into politics because only people with power and influence can keep you safe.¡± Victor retorted. ¡°That''s just how shit works.¡±


    Meredith glared at him for a moment, before turning away with a huff. ¡°So, what are we going to do to keep ourselves safe while we protect others?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''ve been thinking about that!¡± Greg exclaimed. ¡°So, I have access to a form that can do something with a subspace to connect areas together, so what I was thinking was that we''d keep the underground base and connect it to our headquarters here. In fact, it probably wouldn''t be a terrible idea to make a few more underground bases¡­ oh, and if I can make the portals permanent-¡±


    ¡°Greg, you''re getting ahead of yourself.¡± Tessa cut him off.


    Greg coughed. ¡°Right, uh¡­ My point is we can always run and hide if we need to. Plus we can get a bunch of defenses for this place, too.¡±


    Meredith shook her head. ¡°I''m not concerned about being safe here, I''m worried about being safe out there! I can''t throw fire or grow claws or even disappear! What if someone targets me while I''m going about my day?!? What if someone tries to kidnap me!?!¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Wristband?¡± He offered, forming a thin paper band using smoke. ¡°I can use it to keep track of you, and if you want to get my attention, all you need to do is snap it. Honestly, I probably should have handed these out a while ago¡­ Oh, and with my new privileges, I can teleport right to you!¡±


    ¡°Are you planning on wandering around alone?¡± Brittany asked skeptically. ¡°You can''t exactly blame people for not keeping you safe if you go off on your own. Stick with the group if you want to stay safe.¡±


    Meredith scowled. ¡°That is what I''m trying to say! We need a system for figuring out who stays with who so we don''t leave anyone vulnerable!¡±


    Greg turned to Tessa. ¡°Did they not hear me when I told them about the wristbands?¡±


    ¡°The wristband would only help after I''ve been attacked.¡± Meredith grumbled. ¡°I want to avoid being attacked in the first place!¡±


    ¡°No, the wristbands mean we only need to prepare to delay anyone who threatens us, instead of preparing to fight them off.¡± Tessa interjected. ¡°As long as there''s at least one person in the group who is capable of warning Greg, then it''s practically the same as having him there as well.¡±


    Victor cocked his head. ¡°So me, Carlos, you, Casey, Emily¡­ Tina? Brittany maybe¡­ Jennifer too? Hell, even Meredith should be able to keep herself up long enough to warn Greg! The only person who can''t is Sarah, and she has the aliens watching out for her!¡±


    Meredith scowled. ¡°Again, I don''t want to be attacked in the first place! The group is meant to deter, not just to take care of the attack afterwards!¡±


    Victor rolled his eyes. ¡°So what do you think we should do?¡±


    ¡°I think we should make sure there are always two combatants with every non-combatant.¡± Meredith replied simply.


    ¡°And the combatants would be?¡± Victor asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Greg, Tessa, Carlos, Casey, Emily, Jennifer, and you.¡± Meredith listed. ¡°Brittany, Sarah, and I would be the non-combatants.¡±


    ¡°Hey, what about me!?!¡± Tina exclaimed.


    ¡°No one is going to notice you either way, so you don''t matter.¡± Meredith waved dismissively, yelping as she was suddenly teleported a few feet up and backwards, landing hard on her ass. ¡°I didn''t mean it as an insult!¡± Meredith protested. ¡°People literally won''t take you into account when they see us as a group!¡±


    ¡°She''s not wrong.¡± Victor agreed. ¡°However, once you start to build a reputation¡­ the ability to teleport people wherever you want is pretty freaking terrifying.¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Alright, I think that will work for now. Anyone else have anything they want to address?¡± Everyone shook their heads. ¡°Then let''s get to work. We have a lot to set up before we can get started.¡±

 Smoke: 38 - Connecting the sections

    While the others began to organize their new home, figuring out where everyone was going to sleep and assigning purposes to various areas, Greg got to work connecting it to the underground base. ¡°Alright, let''s see¡­¡± Greg muttered, transforming into Bianca and reaching for her mana, trying to figure out how it actually worked. He wasn''t exactly sure what he was doing, but he felt something happening as he channeled the mana, keeping it going until something clicked and he felt some kind of node form. ¡°Okay, now all I need to do is¡­¡± Greg trailed off as he suddenly felt something happen to the node and a moment later a portal opened to reveal a decidedly displeased looking Bianca.


    Bianca narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°Greg?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Greg replied.


    Bianca let out a vaguely exasperated sigh. ¡°Why are you expanding my web?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°The same reason you do? To connect two points through a subspace? I just didn''t realize it''d connect to your subspace¡­ though now that I''m thinking about it, why wouldn''t it? I''m using the same exact mana, so it only makes sense that it''d have the same effect.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Bianca frowned, not sure how she felt about Greg having unfettered access to her subspace. That was her private space! Even though she was letting Greg store his other body in there, there was a difference between having a guest and suddenly discovering it had another owner. ¡°Why are you connecting these two points?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know how the ranking rewards just came through?¡± Greg asked, Bianca nodding along. ¡°Well, I''m sort of the top ranked over on the unformed side, and one of the rewards was my own building. However, I just spent the last week or so building and reinforcing an underground base, so I''d rather not just give up on it, you know? I figured I could use it as a bolt hole or something, but for that I need a way for people to get there, so¡­¡±


    ¡°You decided to use my mana.¡± Bianca nodded in understanding, before pausing as she realized something. ¡°Then¡­ this is the unformed section of the ship?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Greg confirmed. ¡°That isn''t going to be a problem for you, is it?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Bianca denied. ¡°But¡­ I don''t think we should tell Brutus you now have the ability to deposit an army of unformed in our midst.¡±


    ¡°Ha! Yeah, that probably wouldn''t go over well.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Not that there are a whole lot of people over here who would appreciate knowing that ferals have access to the unformed section either¡­ Anyway, I wanted to ask you, is there any way to make these portals permanent? If that isn''t an issue for you, of course.¡±


    Bianca stared at him, then glanced at the portal that they were currently talking through, then back at him. ¡°Yes? Portals remain open until closed. Though I would appreciate it if you positioned the portal so others would not be able to enter my subspace¡­¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°How do I do that?¡±


    Bianca sighed. ¡°Let me show you.¡±


    *


    Bianca spent the next half hour teaching Greg how to manipulate her subspace, including how to locate the various nodes she''d created, which led to an interesting revelation. ¡°Wait, you still have access to Earth?!?¡± Greg asked incredulously.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Bianca confirmed tentatively. ¡°Is that strange?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°I wouldn''t say it''s strange¡­ it''s just- surprising? I mean, I can''t even begin to explain how far we are from Earth at this point. The fact that you can connect to it from this far away is honestly kind of impressive. Though I can still connect to my smoke on Earth too¡­ so maybe not that impressive. It is magic, after all.¡± He frowned. ¡°I suppose the better question is how your nodes-¡±


    ¡°Anchor points.¡± Bianca corrected.


    ¡°Anchor points, sure, how they actually stay stable on a ship moving at what has to be a significant percentage of the speed of light.¡± Greg continued. ¡°Unless¡­ maybe it''s that warp idea where the ship isn''t moving itself, it''s moving the universe around it?¡± Greg cocked his head curiously as he pondered the question for a moment, wondering at the nature of space travel and magic in general. His mind then turned to what kind of spells Bianca¡¯s mana would be suited for. He''d mostly been focusing on helping the ferals think tactically, so he hadn''t given any thought to how they''d develop beyond that yet, and Bianca¡¯s mana could offer some interesting possibilities. Something to do with creating persistent effects, maybe? Her nodes never went away, after all¡­ Greg blinked as an idea occurred to him. ¡°Hey¡­ would you like a sponsorship?¡±


    Bianca frowned. ¡°Is that possible? Your ranking is from the unformed section. I''m not sure your sponsorships would apply to me.¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing to say they won''t and there''s no harm in trying.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°So again, do you want a scholarship?¡±


    Bianca hesitated. ¡°What would you want in exchange?¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Nothing? Or¡­ well, okay, so in general my friends and I have been staying out of the faction conflicts, but that isn''t something we can maintain forever, you know? At some point we''ll reach whatever planet the aliens are going to dump us on, a which point we''ll need a faction for support, and we''d really prefer to end up with one that isn''t going to fuck us over, you know? So, I guess what I''d want in exchange is your help building a faction we can all be proud of? One that supports people without trying to control them and all that idealistic crap that will probably end up crumbling under the pressure of reality. Though we can probably at least work to get the ferals and the unformed working together¡­¡±


    Bianca eyed him strangely. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Why not you?¡± Greg replied. ¡°You have a useful ability, you''re competent, we work well together, and you already have a history of dedicating yourself to making the lives of the people around you better. I think you''re pretty much exactly the type of person I''m looking for.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡± Bianca asked.


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I suppose I could give them sponsorships as well¡­ the only one I''d really be worried about would be Brutus, since he''s still pretty vocally against the unformed. But then again, he has still worked with me, so he clearly isn''t unreasonable about it¡­ and if we make him actually work with the unformed, maybe he''ll see they aren''t so bad?¡±


    Bianca got an odd look on her face. ¡°You wish to force Brutus to work with the unformed?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Well not force¡­ more like heavily incentivize?¡±


    Bianca frowned. ¡°Would you condition your sponsorship on his cooperation?¡±


    ¡°No, but if the two groups end up working together on challenges, then if he refuses to cooperate, he''ll either miss out on a challenge or have to attempt one on his own.¡± Greg replied. ¡°If things go well, he may end up not being a part of the group at all, as we would always be doing challenges together, you know? Obviously we wouldn''t want that, but since our goal is for ferals and unformed to work together, if he''s that resistant to working with them, then it wasn''t going to work out anyway.¡±


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    ¡°I suppose that makes sense¡­¡± Bianca agreed tentatively.


    ¡°Of course, all this hinges on whether or not I can actually give you my sponsorships.¡± Greg added, tapping at his network device, and attempting to assign a sponsorship to Bianca. ¡°Ha! It worked!¡±


    ¡°What- I haven''t agreed yet!¡± Bianca exclaimed, checking her network device to see that she did indeed have a full sponsorship available to her.


    ¡°Oh¡­ well, too late now, huh?¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Don''t worry, I''m not going to hold it over you. In fact¡­¡± He pulled up his network device and assigned sponsorships to the rest of the feral team as well. ¡°There, now you all have sponsorships! No strings attached, cause despite any disagreements we have, you all seem like good people to me, and I want to see good people get stronger.¡±


    Bianca scowled at him for a moment, then shook her head in a mix of frustration and incredulity. ¡°You are a ridiculous man. Now, what can I do to help?¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°Just focus on getting stronger, like you would be anyway. This whole thing falls apart if we can''t defend what we build, you know?¡±


    Bianca paused. ¡°Then I think I know exactly how we can help you. After all, we have plenty of experience keeping our people safe from those who would wish them harm.¡±


    *


    Over the next few days, Greg slowly watched his new faction grow, through no fault of his own, as once Greg introduced Tessa to Bianca, the whole thing was pretty much out of his hands. Bianca immediately began to reestablish contact with the network of ferals she''d developed back on Earth, using them to lay the foundation of their new faction on the feral side of the ship, which met little resistance due to the relatively undeveloped nature of the ferals. On the unformed side, Tessa contacted the people Victor had identified, the main hurdle there being convincing them that they actually needed a faction. They were all isolationists like the squad, not wanting to get involved with politics if they could help it, so the idea of joining any faction didn''t sit well with them. It took work just to convince them to accept Greg''s sponsorships for fear that Greg would come back with ¡®expectations¡¯ later! Thankfully, they weren''t asking much of them, just maintaining contact and a basic level of mutual defense to start, so they weren''t too resistant.


    That wasn''t to say Greg didn''t have any part to play in all this, though. First was, of course, his sponsorships. He still had twenty to hand out after the fourteen he''d assigned to the squad and the feral team, so they decided to split them equally between the two sides, using them to pull people over to their faction. Second, he was in charge of expanding their defensive options. In particular, Bianca and Tessa insisted he create a secret base back on Earth as the ultimate hideaway for people they absolutely needed to keep safe and a last resort escape option in case the worst happened, such as the aliens turning on them all or something. Something Greg really wished wasn''t a legitimate possibility, considering how much he was growing to appreciate the aliens he regularly interacted with¡­ a part of him honestly just wanted to ask the Archmage why they would kill all the non-mages, because a part of him couldn''t fathom that she would agree to something like that without a good reason. But of course, he didn''t, because he was well aware that just because the Archmage was good to him, it didn''t mean that the Archmage was actually good. There were plenty of people out there who were only good selectively.


    Other than that, Greg started making little hidden bases for their new allies as well. Nothing to the level of the underground base he''d made for the squad, but since giving someone a roof and a bed was practically nothing for him, he figured it could be one of the basic perks of joining their faction. If nothing else, being on their side was going to be comfortable. He also used his challenge points to buy an epm sensor so that the squad could test the efficiency of their spells and an advanced illusion device that could simulate practically anything and had so many extra features that Greg didn''t even read them all before buying it, all of which basically amounted to it being the ultimate training aid, to the point where he had to wonder why it was only two hundred challenge points. It could even fit ten people at once! He just could not fathom why it was so cheap, so much so that he had to ask the Archmage about it.


    ¡°Are you averse to reading?¡± The Archmage asked seriously.


    ¡°What? No, I love reading.¡± Greg replied, confused.


    ¡°Then why do you fail to read the most basic information packets we offer to any degree of thoroughness?!?¡± The Archmage retorted, pulling up a page on her network device and showing it to him.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Greg quickly scanned the page, which detailed the privileges owning a building on the strip granted him. He had read it before, or at least skimmed it, so he wasn''t sure what the Archmage was referring to. The Archmage sighed in defeat and pointed to a small section in the section on the building development store that Greg had thought only dealt with what was in the store. ¡°All members of the top one hundred receive a percent discount which is equal to one hundred minus their position¡­¡± Greg awkwardly read aloud.


    ¡°These are the things you miss when you only read enough to get a basic understanding of the text.¡± The Archmage grumbled, dismissing the page. ¡°You are lucky that a basic understanding is all you have needed so far, but you will need to learn to notice the details at some point. You won''t always have a teacher to explain things to you when you miss them.¡± She paused. ¡°Maybe that should be a focus for one of your minds in the future. Though you would need to understand what it means to be detail-oriented to produce such a mind¡­ which may be difficult for you, but would be a necessary step on your path to becoming an archmage.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°It would?¡±


    The Archmage paused. ¡°I suppose I''ve never explained what it takes to become an Archmage, have I?¡±


    ¡°No, but Lapodala said something about needing to understand my smoke so I can create an intent that counters it and produce pure mana.¡± Greg explained.


    The Archmage nodded. ¡°That is true, yes, but it isn''t simply understanding your smoke that is necessary. Otherwise anyone with a simple natural mana like heat would easily become an archmage. No, what you must do to purify your natural mana is understand yourself. Your natural mana is, in essence, mana''s expression of who you are, and even if you remove the major effect of producing smoke, your mana would still be full of your personal intent, and in order to produce pure mana, you must create an intent that perfectly counters you. In essence, you must fully conceptualize your polar opposite.¡±


    ¡°Which, for me, would include being detail-oriented.¡± Greg muttered, nodding slowly, pausing as a thought occurred to him. ¡°Wait, if I make a mind that''s detail-oriented, wouldn''t that make me detail oriented, changing my natural mana?¡±


    The Archmage shook her head. ¡°Your natural mana is a product of your innate self, of who you would be with no outside influences. Otherwise it would constantly change over time as a person grew and matured, which would make becoming, and even more remaining, an archmage an excruciating endeavor. This does however present its own challenge in discovering this innate self, as many people are warped by their experiences throughout their lives, for good or for ill. I don''t believe this is an issue you face, however. One of the reasons I was drawn to take you as my apprentice is that you at least seem to be very clear about who you are.¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Not that who I am isn''t a contradictory mess sometimes, but I know my issues.¡±


    The Archmage smiled. ¡°The realization that the complexities of an individual rarely align in a perfectly coherent manner is also an important step on the path to becoming an archmage. Many people have gotten lost trying to make sense of something that merely needed to be accepted. Of course, the converse is also true, but if understanding one''s self was that easy, archmage''s wouldn''t be so rare.¡±


    ¡°How rare are archmages?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°The average is close to one in one thousand, though this varies based on species and community.¡± The Archmage replied. ¡°Some of the older and more powerful species and civilizations can reach one in one hundred, and certain communities within them even reach one in ten, though I imagine there are¡­ costs to such a ratio.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I''m just imagining slug people with barely any personality.¡± Greg chuckled.


    ¡°Their rate is actually one of the lowest.¡± The Archmage waved dismissively. ¡°It''s hard to discover a variation that barely exists. No, the more effective method is to breed for extreme personalities, but extreme personalities can be¡­ unreasonable.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°The slug people actually exist?¡±


    The Archmage cocked her head. ¡°I am unclear on what a ¡®slug¡¯ is, but there are races that experience little to no variation in personality. They are very stable, but as I said, they fail to produce many archmages. Though the archmages they do produce are generally exceptional.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Tradeoffs to everything, I guess.¡± Greg shrugged.


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Archmage agreed. ¡°Now, I believe we have spent enough time on this subject. Let us proceed to our lesson for the day.¡±

 Smoke: 39 - Team building

    ¡°So, since tomorrow is going to be our first group challenge, I figured it might be nice to take the day to get to know each other better.¡± Greg announced, looking between the squad and the feral team. Today was his free day, so he could be there to make sure the two groups got along. Or at least didn''t kill each other¡­


    ¡°We''re doing a group challenge?¡± Meredith asked hesitantly. ¡°With these people? Why? Who are they?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°They''re my team from the feral side of the ship? You know, the one we''re working with to develop a faction that accepts both ferals and unformed equally? Did no one tell you about that?¡± Meredith just stared back at him, eyes wide in shock. ¡°I''m- going to take that as a no¡­¡±


    ¡°There are ferals on the ship?!?¡± Meredith hissed, glancing at the feral team with a mix of fear and incredulity.


    ¡°Bitch, there are ferals on our squad.¡± Victor snorted.


    ¡°What?!?¡± Meredith exclaimed. ¡°Who!?!¡±


    ¡°Me!¡± Tina replied cheerfully.


    ¡°And me.¡± Jennifer added.


    ¡°How did you miss that?¡± Carlos asked, sounding genuinely curious.


    ¡°I thought they were mutated! No one told me they were feral!¡± Meredith retorted.


    ¡°The difference is kinda meaningless at this point.¡± Greg commented. ¡°I mean at this point, the only difference between a feral and someone who''s mutated is whether or not they remember the time before¡­ all this crap. Otherwise they''re both just people with extra parts.¡±


    Meredith scowled at him. ¡°I don''t care what they look like, I care that they''ve spent the past two years trying to kill us!¡±


    ¡°That is bullshit!¡± Brutus growled. ¡°You''ve spent the last two years trying to kill us!¡±


    ¡°Guys, guys, we were all trying to kill each other.¡± Victor chuckled.


    ¡°I never tried to kill anyone.¡± Jennifer grumbled. ¡°Everyone was just trying to kill me.¡±


    ¡°I was put in a cage!¡± Tina added.


    ¡°I was- not treated very well either.¡± Sarah muttered.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Victor barked out a laugh. ¡°Understatement.¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Okay, but the point is that we don''t need to fight currently. The aliens abducted all of us, and they''re going to dump us on a wild planet warped by mana, which we will need to create a home on, something that will be a lot easier if we work together. So would you all please shut the fuck up about all this feral unformed crap?!?¡± He was so tired of having this same argument over and over.


    ¡°I''m just offended that no one seems to tell me anything.¡± Meredith grumbled awkwardly, while Brutus just grunted and crossed his arms.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Alright, well, it just so happens that a few of the groups in our section have decided to start a market by the central platform, so I was thinking it''d be nice to check it out together.¡±


    ¡°A market?¡± Gigi asked curiously.


    ¡°A space for people to trade goods and services.¡± Tessa explained. ¡°They will be selling weapons, armor, clothing, furniture¡­ plenty of things that will either help in challenges or make your lives more comfortable, for presumably less than you would spend to get the same from the aliens.¡±


    ¡°It would be interesting to see what the unformed can create.¡± Henrietta muttered.


    ¡°Are you sure it''s the best idea to parade them around in front of everyone?¡± Brittany asked hesitantly. ¡°I agree that people shouldn''t have an issue with them being ferals, but that doesn''t mean they won''t.¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°No one here is going to expect to see a feral, so all they''ll see are mutated people.¡± She paused. ¡°Though we may want to get you all some clothes first¡­¡±


    ¡°Also, I could transform them if we really needed to keep them hidden.¡± Greg added. ¡°Though it might take some effort to connect my smoke to them¡­ they are pretty strong.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you can transform other people?!?¡± Victor asked. ¡°Does it work like yours?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t change your natural mana, if that''s what you''re asking, but otherwise yes.¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°Damn, I got excited for a second there.¡± Victor sighed.


    ¡°I think it''s better to get people used to seeing them as themselves in any case.¡± Tessa interjected. ¡°Our goal is to bring the two groups together, so it''s better to get people used to them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, true.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Welp, let''s get you guys some clothes and get going!¡±


    *


    The group was a little large for all of them to stick together, so they ended up splitting into three. Greg grouped up with Tessa, Henrietta, Gigi, Sarah, and Meredith, then the second group was Carlos, Jennifer, Gregory, Casey, and Emily, and the third was Victor, Tina, Brutus, Bianca, and Brittany. They were going to put Brutus in Greg''s group, but any time he got close to Sarah his network device would start yelling at him, so they ended up switching him with Gigi.


    ¡°So, where should we head first?¡± Greg asked, looking around the market that was slowly filling with people.


    ¡°I don''t need anything in particular, so I wouldn''t mind just wandering around.¡± Tessa replied.


    ¡°I''d like to see if anyone has managed to make some decent clothing yet, but otherwise I don''t mind wandering either.¡± Meredith agreed.


    ¡°We would like to see everything we can.¡± Henrietta added.


    ¡°Alright, sounds like we''re wandering.¡± Greg shrugged, making his way towards the first stand that caught his eye.


    ¡°So, what have the two of you been up to since the aliens took everyone?¡± Tessa asked Henrietta and Gigi.


    The two of them shared a look before turning back to Tessa. ¡°We have primarily been focused on the lessons the overseers have been teaching us.¡± Henrietta replied.


    ¡°Oh? What sort of things have they been teaching you?¡± Tessa asked.


    ¡°How to read and write, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and social engineering.¡± Henrietta replied.


    Tessa blinked. ¡°Social engineering?¡±


    Henrietta nodded. ¡°Yes, the nature of communities and the importance of cooperation, as well as the struggles one might face in forming and navigating such a community.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ they''re teaching you how to work together?¡± Tessa confirmed tentatively.


    Henrietta cocked her head. ¡°I believe it would be more accurately stated that they are giving us the tools we need to learn how to work together. To create our own structure, not imposing theirs.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ they''re pretty much teaching you everything you forgot when mana came.¡± Greg commented.


    Henrietta raised an eyebrow. ¡°Possibly? I wouldn''t know.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Right¡­ Well, basically we had an educational system that taught everyone the basic skills we thought everyone should have, which included reading, writing, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology. And then social engineering is probably just getting you back to the understanding of group dynamics that most people picked up through their childhood.¡± He paused, glancing at Sarah. ¡°Actually, now that I think about it, what are we doing about your education?¡±


    Sarah''s eyes widened. ¡°Nothing? Please?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, don''t you want to be a useful member of society?¡± Greg grinned. ¡°Also, magic draws pretty heavily on your understanding of the world, so the more developed that understanding the better. And, you know, you learn better when you''re young. Supposedly. Though we do have magic now, which may change things¡­ mental investment and all that. Still, you''re going to have to learn at some point, so why not start now?¡±


    Sarah shifted uncomfortably. ¡°I- what would I learn? Who would teach me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m pretty sure there were some textbooks in the library back in the safe zone. Not sure how I''d find them though, considering I dissolved the entire thing. It isn''t like I have a data-¡± Greg cut off, suddenly remembering that yes, he did have a database of everything he''d dissolved. ¡°Huh¡­ completely forgot about that.¡± He muttered to himself, turning his focus to his database and searching for the textbooks. ¡°Hmmm¡­ where do you stand on algebra?¡±


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    ¡°I- feel that I should mention that I was a teacher before.¡± Meredith interjected. ¡°I could handle her education.¡±


    Tessa gave Meredith a look. ¡°You were a teacher?¡±


    Meredith crossed her arms. ¡°Is that so surprising?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Tessa stated blandly.


    Greg frowned. ¡°How old are you?¡±


    Meredith blinked. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Greg repeated. ¡°I''ve just kinda been assuming you were our age¡­ does healing magic make you look younger? Wait, magic in general does that¡­¡±


    Meredith scowled at him. ¡°I''m twenty-six. Young teachers exist, you know.¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but I thought you were like¡­ twenty-two, max.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Not that I''m the best judge of age¡­¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Meredith grumbled.


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°He thinks you look younger. Why are you complaining?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone thinks youth is the ultimate standard a woman should aspire to.¡± Meredith sniffed.


    ¡°Personally, I aspire to power.¡± Henrietta offered.


    Gigi cocked her head. ¡°I think I aspire to community¡­ there''s not much point in having anything if there''s no one around to share it with.¡±


    ¡°I- think you misunderstood my point.¡± Meredith replied.


    ¡°And ended up making a better one.¡± Tessa smirked. ¡°Also, it looks like we''ve found clothes.¡±


    Meredith turned to the stand displaying various outfits, examining it with a critical eye. ¡°Not a bad style¡­¡± She muttered, reaching out to rub the fabric, her expression twisting slightly. ¡°The fabric could use work though.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately this is the highest quality fabric the development challenge provides.¡± An attendant commented as she approached them. ¡°However, the effects more than make up for it! This dress here will enhance your charm, this one changes color based on your mood, and for our more combat minded customers, these pants will even enhance your speed! Of course, this is just a taste of what we can offer at the Church of the Redeemed! Would you like to see our full catalog?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Greg agreed, wondering what other effects their clothing could have. Though he supposed the better question was what effects couldn''t they have¡­


    The attendant beamed at him. ¡°Great! I''ll just need your contact information so I can send you the link!¡±


    ¡°That won''t be necessary.¡± Tessa interjected, glaring at the attendant as she stopped Greg from sending her his contact info. ¡°Come on, let''s go.¡±


    Greg frowned as Tessa pulled him away, wondering why she''d stopped him. ¡°Wait¡­ was she flirting with me?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°No, she was scamming you. She wanted your contact so her organization could spam you with propaganda. I should have caught it earlier. Patrick warned me about some cult getting a hold of the tailoring development challenge.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Couldn''t I just block her if she did that?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but then she''ll just share your contact with someone else, and they''ll start messaging you, and they''ll just keep doing that until you give in or you''ve blocked everyone in their entire organization.¡± Tessa sighed.


    Henrietta frowned. ¡°Would that not be counterproductive? Why would anyone join an organization that would pester them to that level?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea, but people do.¡± Tessa shook her head. ¡°Before all this, companies invested millions in telemarketing to pull in customers like this. And it worked.¡±


    ¡°How strange¡­¡± Henrietta muttered.


    ¡°But I wanted the pants that would make me faster¡­¡± Gigi grumbled.


    ¡°You don''t want the strings that would come with them.¡± Tessa replied. ¡°Come on, let''s see if we can find Dad''s stall. They have some kind of accessory related development challenge that might be able to produce similar effects. They also managed to get a carpentry development point, and I''m curious what magic furniture will look like.¡±


    ¡°They got two points?¡± Greg asked, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°They actually control three at the moment, but the third is about metallurgy, so it doesn''t produce finished products, it just allows them to make better metal.¡± Tessa explained. ¡°Apparently the materials they get from the crafting development challenges are somewhat mediocre, like the fabric the cult used to make their clothing. In order to get a better fabric, they''d need access to a textile development challenge or something.¡±


    Gigi shook her head. ¡°Your section is way more complicated than ours. All our development challenges are in a single complex that anyone can use!¡±


    ¡°Of course they are.¡± Tessa sighed, before pausing as she fully processed that statement. ¡°Wait¡­ they are?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Gigi confirmed, giving her a weird look.


    ¡°So¡­ your people can produce anything?¡± Tessa continued, almost talking to herself at this point. ¡°And even more, we can bring artisans from this section and allow them to use your development challenges?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ pretty ridiculous, isn''t it?¡± Greg commented. ¡°I wonder if that''s part of the aliens plan¡­ incentivizing people to work with the ferals for access to their development challenges? Though that would require them to be able to get to the ferals¡­¡±


    ¡°That would have to happen at some point anyway.¡± Tessa pointed out.


    ¡°True.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°But it obviously isn''t supposed to happen this early.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn''t.¡± Tessa muttered, slowly processing the position they were in, and wondered just what the hell they were going to do with it. She was going to need to give this some serious thought.


    Gigi shook her head. ¡°I''m beginning to think it''s you unformed that make things complicated.¡±


    Greg laughed. ¡°Yeah, there''s a bit of that. If we didn''t form all these factions, it wouldn''t matter where the development challenges were, because it wouldn''t matter who controlled them.¡± He paused. ¡°Man, could you even imagine how hard people would fight if all our development challenges were in a single complex?¡±


    Tessa shuddered. ¡°Yes, and we should be incredibly grateful the aliens created an environment that suits our complicated nature.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Well now I feel like a zoo animal.¡± He waited expectantly for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°I miss Victor.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Meredith asked, her expression twisting distastefully.


    ¡°Because he would have pointed out that we pretty much are zoo animals.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Y''all didn''t even comment on it.¡±


    ¡°In my defense, I don''t know what a zoo animal is.¡± Gigi pointed out.


    ¡°I was thinking it, but it seemed too depressing.¡± Tessa sighed.


    ¡°But that''s what makes it funny.¡± Greg retorted.


    Tessa snorted, rolling her eyes. ¡°Dork.¡±


    ¡°What is a zoo animal?¡± Henrietta asked, frowning slightly.


    ¡°Oh, it''s an animal in captivity that''s kept in an environment designed to suit their needs. Well, ideally in a suitable environment¡­ mostly it''s just an animal in captivity.¡± Greg explained.


    ¡°You think we''re in captivity?¡± Henrietta asked skeptically.


    ¡°Well¡­ yeah? We didn''t choose to be here, we can''t leave, and we aren''t in charge of where we''re going. I mean, the aliens are treating us well, but we have no power here and they have all of it, which is like¡­ the definition of captivity.¡± Greg paused. ¡°Though I guess we are sort of choosing to be here now, since we could go back to Earth with Bianca¡¯s ability¡­¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t say that means we aren''t captives, though.¡± Tessa muttered. ¡°The aliens didn''t intend for us to still have access to Earth, and they clearly want us to remain here, so all it really means is that we can escape.¡±


    ¡°To a planet that will likely become a hell pit over the next few years.¡± Meredith rolled her eyes.


    ¡°According to the aliens, at least.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°They could have lied.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but why would they?¡± Meredith retorted. ¡°As you said, they already have all the power! They wouldn''t need to lie to us!¡±


    Greg hesitated. ¡°Yes¡­ but by that same logic, there''s no reason for them not to lie to us either, particularly if they want us to cooperate with them. A willing servant is better than a rebellious slave.¡±


    Meredith''s expression twisted. ¡°But- then what should we do about it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, nothing.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°I mean, evil or not, the aliens are treating us well. Why not take advantage of it?¡±


    Meredith raised a finger and opened her mouth, only to find she had no response. ¡°Damnit, I don''t want to worry about whether the aliens are evil or not!¡± She finally groaned.


    ¡°So just assume they are?¡± Greg offered.


    Meredith scowled at him. ¡°That''s worse.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°Then assume they aren''t? It isn''t like you can do anything about it either way. Unless you want to try your luck back on Earth?¡±


    Meredith grimaced. ¡°No.¡±


    Tessa snickered, shaking her head. ¡°Greg, I love you, but literally everything you say makes the situation sound worse.¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Then why are you laughing?¡±


    ¡°Depression is funny, remember?¡± Tessa retorted with a grin of her own.


    Gigi and Henrietta shared a look. ¡°And they call us feral.¡± Henrietta muttered.


    Greg chuckled evilly. ¡°Oh, trust me, I know I''m feral. But I wasn''t around to choose the terminology.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, the term fit when it was created.¡± Tessa commented. ¡°How were we supposed to know you''d get smarter? I¡¯m sure you encountered some who were little better than beasts. That is who we named feral, not what you''ve become.¡±


    Henrietta grunted noncommittally. ¡°I understand, but it seems insulting to continue calling us feral when we clearly are no longer.¡±


    ¡°That''s fair.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°The aliens call you uncivilized¡­ that isn''t exactly better though. I suppose we could use mutated? But that lumps you in with the people who mutated but didn''t go feral. Changed, maybe? And then we could call the others unchanged? Though then you''d have the weirdness of a mutated unchanged¡­¡±


    ¡°Why not formed and unformed?¡± Gigi offered.


    Greg shook his head. ¡°Unformed has negative connotations too. It''s like calling them undeveloped, you know?¡±


    Henrietta hummed. ¡°Changed and unchanged seems appropriate? We are those who were changed by the arrival of mana, while you are those who remained unchanged.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°I can agree to that.¡±


    ¡°It seems a little¡­ clunky, to me.¡± Meredith muttered. ¡°But I suppose I can''t think of a better option at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Oo, what about am humans and bm humans?¡± Greg exclaimed. ¡°After mana and before mana!¡±


    Tessa raised an eyebrow. ¡°You want to call us bowel movement humans?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°More now, yeah.¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°You are such a dork.¡±

 Smoke: 40 - Jake and friends

    ¡°Tessa!¡± Patrick yelled, waving her down as they walked over to his group''s stall.


    ¡°Hey, Patrick.¡± Tessa greeted him with a smile. ¡°Dad has you managing the stall?¡±


    Patrick coughed awkwardly. ¡°Actually, I''m more of a¡­ mascot. You know, showing off that our group has someone in the top hundred and all that, to go along with the resources we can provide.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we''re supposed to advertise that?¡± Greg asked.


    Patrick snorted. ¡°You don''t need to advertise anything. All you''d need to do is make your profile public and people would be begging to join you. The only reason anyone would know about me is if they''re amused by the number sixty-nine.¡±


    ¡°What is amusing about sixty-nine?¡± Gigi asked curiously.


    Patrick gave her a weird look. ¡°You don''t-¡± He cut off as he noticed Henrietta as well, his eyes widening. ¡°Uh, Greg? Tessa? Could I- talk to you over here? Privately?¡± He asked nervously, gulping slightly.


    Greg and Tessa shared a confused look. ¡°Sure?¡± Tessa agreed for them, turning to the others. ¡°How about you guys check out the stall? See if you can find anything for speed enhancement?¡± The others nodded, eyeing Patrick weirdly as they left to check out the stall.


    Patrick then led Tessa and Greg to a more secluded area before whirling on them. ¡°What the fuck are the two of your doing with the Lightning God!?!¡± He hissed, sounding almost panicked. ¡°Where did you even find them?!?¡±


    ¡°The Lightning God?¡± Greg frowned. ¡°Henrietta?¡±


    ¡°If that''s the dragon lady who can control people with lightning, then yeah, Henrietta.¡± Patrick growled.


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°But that''s the thing, I don''t think she can? I mean, yeah, she can blast someone with a shit ton of electricity, but I''ve never seen her control someone with it¡­¡±


    Patrick frowned. ¡°I''ve had to personally destroy the hordes she''s created. She can definitely control others.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Wait¡­ did you find a bunch of ferals all grouped together and just assume someone had to be controlling them?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡± Patrick began, trailing off as he thought back to what he''d seen. ¡°Uh¡­ shit, you might have a point. But she''s still dangerous!¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but so are you?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°I mean, you pretty much just admitted to destroying their home. That sounds pretty dangerous to me.¡±


    ¡°Also, have you seen the thing''s Greg can do?¡± Tessa added. ¡°If we''re talking about people being dangerous, I think Greg has everyone beat.¡±


    Patrick grimaced. ¡°Yes, but she''s feral!¡±


    ¡°Actually, we''re calling them changed now.¡± Greg corrected him. ¡°And how does being changed make them any more or less dangerous than one of us? I mean-¡± He gestured to Henrietta and Gigi peacefully talking with the attendants about what the stall had to offer. ¡°-do they look like they want to hurt anyone?¡±


    Patrick hesitated. ¡°No, but- what if something sets them off?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°What if something sets you off?¡± She paused. ¡°Or Greg, for that matter¡­ He isn''t exactly hesitant to kill when he feels it''s called for.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I''ve been itching for an excuse to get my claws into someone.¡± Greg muttered, stretching his fingers slightly. ¡°These freaking illusions just aren''t as satisfying.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Tessa smirked. ¡°Way more dangerous than Henrietta and Gigi.¡±


    ¡°I think that just makes me more concerned about Greg, not less concerned about the ferals.¡± Patrick grumbled, eyeing Greg cautiously.


    ¡°Changed.¡± Greg corrected.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Patrick sighed, glancing over at Henrietta and Gigi again. ¡°Fine, I see your point. But where did you even find these fer-er, changed?¡±


    ¡°In the other section of the ship.¡± Greg shrugged.


    Patrick blinked. ¡°There''s another section of the ship?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°One for the unchanged, and one for the changed.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Patrick grunted, turning to Tessa. ¡°I- don''t think we should tell Dad.¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°Of course we shouldn''t tell Dad! I didn''t even want you to know! You¡¯ve both spent too much time seeing the changed as the ultimate threat to our existence. I figured you would need at least a few months to get out of that mindset.¡±


    Patrick grunted. ¡°That''s- fair.¡± Even if he accepted Tessa and Greg''s arguments, he still wasn''t comfortable with the idea of a bunch of ferals on the ship with them. Even if they weren''t unstable, they could still hate them¡­ possibly for good reason, considering the amount of ferals he''d personally slaughtered. ¡°There''s probably a need for time on both sides.¡±


    ¡°Well, the good news is I know the aliens have a plan to bring the two sides back together.¡± Greg commented. ¡°And I doubt this is their first time dealing with it, so they probably know what they''re doing.¡±


    Patrick nodded at that. ¡°Right, the aliens wouldn''t have brought them if we couldn''t work with them. Not much point in saving us just to have us tear each other apart.¡±


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Greg agreed with a grin. ¡°So, do you guys offer any accessories that improve someone''s movement speed?¡±


    Patrick paused for a moment, then let out a small chuckle. ¡°Yes, I believe we do.¡±


    *


    The rest of their time at the market was fairly bland, though Greg saw some promising developments for later. Since everyone was still just getting started with their crafts, no one had made anything too impressive yet, but Greg could see the potential the current offerings showed. Just like all magic, crafting was a matter of intent, though with the added difficulty of molding the intent to the material you used. You couldn''t just infuse fire mana into a sword to make it hot, you had to convince yourself that the fire mana should make the sword hot, which admittedly wasn''t that difficult, but the more complex the idea, the harder it got, much like spells. Which meant that although the current crafts were a bit lackluster, only offering minor boosts and effects that Greg didn''t see much point in, once the crafters developed their intents, the results would be much more impressive.


    Then, as they were waiting for the others by the strip¡­ ¡°Oof!¡± Greg grunted as a woman flew out of the crowd and slammed into him, stumbling and almost falling before Greg caught her. ¡°Whoa there, what''s your hurry?¡±


    ¡°Let- Let me go!¡± The woman exclaimed, trying to pull out of Greg''s grip, which didn''t quite work as he was still helping her stand.


    ¡°Sophia, wait!¡± A man cried out, pushing through the crowd.


    ¡°Leave me alone, Travis!¡± The woman, presumably Sophia, screeched in response, finally managing to get to her feet and yank herself free of Greg.


    ¡°Please, just tell me what''s wrong!¡± Travis begged.


    Sophia froze, staring at him incredulously. ¡°How can you not know?!?¡±


    ¡°Travis, Sophia, you can''t just-!¡± Another voice cried out as someone else pushed through the crowd, revealing Jake of all people, who froze the moment he caught sight of Greg. ¡°You!¡± He snarled.


    ¡°Who?¡± A new woman asked, pushing out of the crowd along with two others.


    ¡°Jake!¡± Greg greeted him with a smile. ¡°How have you been, buddy?¡±


    ¡°I am not your buddy!¡± Jake growled.


    ¡°Close, but it''s supposed to go ¡®not your buddy, guy¡¯.¡± Greg corrected him. ¡°Without the guy, it just sounds mean.¡±


    ¡°I''m not doing your stupid joke!¡± Jake retorted. ¡°I''m not your friend!¡±


    ¡°It''s ¡®I''m not your friend, buddy¡¯.¡± Greg corrected with a slight smirk.


    ¡°Gah!¡± Jake exclaimed in frustration.


    ¡°Jake, who is this person?¡± The new woman asked, eyeing Greg with a mix of caution and¡­ intrigue?


    ¡°Oh, I''m Greg.¡± Greg introduced himself. ¡°We used to be on a squad together, but now he hates me because I stole his not girlfriend. I''m still cool with him though, cause, you know, I get it. Obsessions are a bitch.¡±


    ¡°That is- none of that is true!¡± Jake protested. ¡°I don''t like him because he''s an evil, manipulative bastard!¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hey now, I am not manipulative.¡± Greg insisted. ¡°Or a bastard. I''ll give you evil though.¡±


    Henrietta snorted. ¡°You are the least evil person I have ever met.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Sarah agreed. ¡°You''re just really, really, really weird.¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Really?¡±


    Sarah nodded. ¡°Really.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Tessa smirked.


    ¡°Weird.¡± Greg snickered, turning back to Jake. ¡°Anyway, how have you been, man? Who are you new friends?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg, I don''t think he''s interested in catching up.¡±


    ¡°I''m not.¡± Jake growled.


    Greg sighed. ¡°Fine, suit yourself.¡± He turned to Travis. ¡°So, how did you meet up with Jake?¡±


    Travis looked a little lost, glancing between him and Sophia. ¡°I''m- kinda busy right now?¡±


    Sophia huffed and crossed her arm, looking away from him. ¡°I have nothing to say to you!¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Aw, don''t be like that. How can he fix whatever he did to piss you off if you don''t talk about it?¡± Greg commented. ¡°I mean, look at him, he''s obviously trying, so he can''t have meant to hurt you. Don''t mistake ignorance for malice. Some people are just that dumb.¡±


    Sophia blinked at him. ¡°What- why do you even care?!?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°I don''t really, but we''re waiting here anyway, you''re friends with Jake, and you literally ran into me, so why not help a little? Almost seems like fate, you know?¡±


    Sophia stared at him for a moment. ¡°You really are weird.¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°So what''s up? What''s got you so mad at¡­ Trent?¡±


    Sophia scowled at him. ¡°Okay, even if I am going to have that conversation, I''m not going to do it in the middle of a huge crowd of people!¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°That''s fair.¡± Then smoke burst out of him, blanketing the area in darkness for a moment as a few yelps echoed out, until everything cleared to reveal Sophia, Travis, Greg, and Tessa sitting in a small circle of chairs with everyone else sitting on couches off to the side, surrounded by rock walls with a candles for light. ¡°There, how''s that?¡± Greg asked, smirking at the wide eyed Sophia.


    ¡°How did- what did- you- you-¡± Travis stammered, looking around with an almost terrified look on his face. ¡°You didn''t use mana!¡± He finally managed to hiss, as if the idea of something happening without mana was some kind of crime against nature.


    Greg raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Yeah? What about it?¡±


    Travis stared at him incredulously. ¡°You- You created a building out of nothing!¡±


    ¡°Not nothing. I made it out of smoke.¡± Greg explained, waving dismissively. ¡°That''s just what smoke does.¡±


    ¡°That- that doesn''t explain anything!¡± Travis retorted.


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°It doesn''t, does it? Honestly, I have no idea why my smoke does what it does, it just¡­ does it.¡±


    Travis hesitated. ¡°But- how?!?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Greg frowned. ¡°Didn''t I just say that?¡± He turned to Tessa. ¡°I just said that, didn''t I?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, you just said that, but that doesn''t mean it helped. It''s even hard for me to wrap my head around what your smoke is capable of sometimes, and I''ve been dealing with it for¡­ a month.¡± She frowned. ¡°Has it really only been a month since we met?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°It has, hasn''t it? Pretty eventful month though.¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°Greg, parades are eventful. This month has been distilled chaos! We were abducted by aliens for god''s sake!¡±


    ¡°Heh, yeah.¡± Greg grinned. ¡°But everyone seems to be taking it well at least.¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Greg, we just went through the collapse of everything we''ve ever known. If we didn''t know how to roll with the punches, we wouldn''t even be here.¡±


    ¡°Hm, fair.¡± Greg agreed.


    ¡°Would the two of you please focus and explain what the hell this smoke shit is?!?¡± Travis growled.


    Greg frowned at him. ¡°Dude, I think I''ve made it pretty clear that I have no freaking idea what my smoke is. I mean, I''m working on it, but the data is confusing to say the least. Like, it seems to work on a physical level, but there''s something about things being alive that fucks with it, and it lets me copy people''s natural mana for some reason, plus there''s that weird draining thing I can do¡­ I don''t know, it''s a freaking mess. But why do you care? It isn''t like understanding it is going to change anything I can do.¡±


    ¡°Because I can''t see it!¡± Travis exclaimed. ¡°How would you feel if some invisible force started pushing you around!?!¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Like Jake was pulling a prank on me? You know telekinesis is a thing, right? And I think my smoke is pretty much the opposite of invisible. It''s like¡­ really black.¡±


    ¡°Travis is blind.¡± Sophia interjected. ¡°His ability lets him see mana, but otherwise¡­ if your smoke isn''t mana, then it might as well be invisible to him.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Oh shit, really?¡± He paused, glancing at Travis. ¡°He doesn''t seem blind¡­¡±


    Travis rolled his eyes, kind of emphasizing Greg''s point in the process. ¡°I''m not blind. I just see mana instead of light. If anything I''m less blind than other people! Mana reveals the true nature of reality, not just what reflects light!¡±


    ¡°Well, except for my smoke, apparently.¡± Greg pointed out.


    Travis froze, gritting his teeth. ¡°Yes, except for that.¡±


    ¡°I still don''t see why it''s that big a deal, though.¡± Greg continued. ¡°So you can''t see my smoke, big deal. I can''t see Jake''s telekinesis, but you don''t see me whining about it.¡±


    ¡°In his defense, it doesn''t actually matter if you can see Jake''s telekinesis, because Jake can''t actually do anything to you. And even for other people, Jake has to at least be around to use his telekinesis on you.¡± Tessa commented. ¡°You, on the other hand, are a legitimate threat that he can''t even see coming and all you need to do is send a bit of smoke after him.¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Well yeah, if you''re gonna put it that way, sure, but I think not being able to see me coming is pretty low on the list of things that should make someone terrified of me.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t wrong, but people have an instinctive fear of the unknown.¡± Tessa replied. ¡°That''s why horror movies that never show the monster are scarier.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°They are? I just find them frustrating¡­ like what''s the point of having this cool monster killing everyone if I never get to see it? It''s like a strip tease where the girl never actually takes off any clothes. Just a waste of my time.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg, not the point.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, but it isn''t like I can actually do anything about him not being able to see my smoke.¡± Greg sighed, pausing as he realized that wasn''t entirely true. ¡°Actually, I might be able to fix his eyes¡­ but I''d need to get my smoke into him, and that''s way more terrifying than just not being able to see it coming. Once my smoke is attached to you, I can end your existence with a snap of my fingers. Or transform you into a frog. Make you go seduce a princess or something to turn back. And then it''d turn out you were a poison frog.¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°Ah, tragedy.¡±


    ¡°Mphh!¡± Jake grunted in frustration, gesticulating wildly as he tried to say something, but his mouth was literally frozen shut.


    Greg blinked, looking over at him. ¡°Who gagged Jake?¡±


    ¡°Georgia.¡± One of the women on Travis''s team replied, gesturing to the woman Greg assumed was Georgia. ¡°We figured we didn''t need him freaking out and distracting everyone while Travis and Sophia sorted things out. Of course, then Travis freaked out¡­¡±


    Greg snapped his fingers. ¡°Right, that''s what we''re doing here! Totally spaced that.¡± He turned back to Travis and Sophia. ¡°Are you two ready to talk?¡±


    Sophia glanced at Travis, who was staring at Greg like he was some sort of cryptid. ¡°I- don''t think now is a good time.¡±


    ¡°Oh come off it, Sophia!¡± Georgia growled. ¡°It''s never going to be a good time and you can''t keep getting pissed off at Travis every other day! Just fucking say it, or I''ll do it for you!¡±


    Travis blinked out of his daze, looking between Sophia and Georgia. ¡°Say what?¡±


    Sophia hesitated, letting out a groan as she relented under Georgia¡¯s glare. ¡°I- I think we should break up.¡± Sophia finally admitted, much to Greg''s surprise. He thought he was helping fix a relationship, not ending one.


    Travis froze. ¡°What?¡±


    Sophia grimaced. ¡°Travis, we barely even talk anymore, and when we do, it''s either something to do with the team or it''s a fucking argument! We never just spend time together, because you spend all your time training! Today was supposed to be a rest day and you spent it studying how people made their crafts! And then all you wanted to do was go home to see if you could replicate them!¡± She let out a sigh, deflating. ¡°It- it isn''t that I don''t still care about you, it''s just¡­ I can''t be with someone who refuses to make me a priority.¡±


    ¡°I- I don''t understand.¡± Travis muttered numbly. ¡°I thought- I know things have been rough, but- I can- I can do better!¡±


    Sophia shook her head. ¡°Travis¡­ I don''t want you to do better. You need to focus on training! You have so much potential, and we only have so much time for you to develop it! I just- I wish I could handle being put on the back burner, but¡­ I can''t. I tried. I just- can''t.¡±


    Greg leaned over to whisper to Tessa. ¡°Am I neglecting you?¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°You''re fine, Greg. The only thing you''re neglecting is sleep.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, I know.¡± Greg groaned. ¡°I can''t wait until I finish my second mind. I''m going to sleep for days.¡±


    Tessa snorted. ¡°No you won''t.¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°No I won''t. But I''ll at least sleep more.¡±


    ¡°What- are you still going to be on the team?¡± Travis asked Sophia hesitantly after taking a moment to process things.


    ¡°Yes, but¡­ I think I need to find somewhere else to stay for a while.¡± Sophia replied. ¡°Just- to get some distance.¡±


    ¡°Jen and I will go with her.¡± Georgia added, gesturing to the woman who''d explained why Jake was gagged.


    ¡°We can help with that, if you like.¡± Greg offered. ¡°I mean, obviously I can make you something anywhere you like, cause-¡± He waved vaguely to the building around them. ¡°-smoke, but we also have this huge building on the strip and we''re barely using even half of it.¡±


    All of Travis''s team turned to stare at him. ¡°You''re- on the top hundred?¡± Sophia asked hesitantly.


    Greg grinned. ¡°I''m at the top of the top hundred.¡±


    ¡°What?!? How!?!¡± Travis exclaimed.


    Greg shrugged. ¡°There are a few reasons, but mostly it''s because of my smoke. Particularly the survival rankings¡­ I''m really good at staying alive.¡±


    Tessa gave him a weird look. ¡°Greg, you''re immortal.¡±


    ¡°Yes, which means I''m really, really good at staying alive.¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°But I was also referring to my ability to make basically endless amounts of food and shelter.¡±


    The last unnamed member of Travis''s group coughed. ¡°Would I be able to stay with you? I happen to be an ability researcher, and I would love to take a closer look at this smoke of yours.¡± She glanced at Travis. ¡°I would of course still remain on your team, but if we''re splitting up anyway, I''d rather not be the only woman living with two boys.¡±


    Travis nodded in understanding, seeming pretty numb to everything going on at this point, while Jake tried to protest, but his mouth was still covered in ice. Greg briefly wondered whether he''d need to get Meredith to heal him, but it weirdly didn''t seem to be causing him any problems other than the obvious effect of keeping him from talking. Greg glanced at Tessa. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°I don''t see any issues with it? It isn''t like we don''t have the room. Though you do realize we''re basically inviting four random strangers into our home, right?¡±


    ¡°They aren''t random strangers, they''re Jake¡¯s friends! That basically makes them our friends too.¡± Greg retorted.


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Why do you refuse to accept that he hates you?¡±


    Greg grinned slightly, leaning in to whisper so Jake wouldn''t hear. ¡°Because he hates it and I find that hilarious. Also, I really have nothing against the guy. I know what it''s like to get weird ideas in your head and how hard it is to get them out sometimes. Plus, giving him actual reasons to believe those ideas will only make things worse.¡±


    Tessa gave him a skeptical look. ¡°I think you might be giving Jake more credit than he deserves. Or at least more sympathy¡­ but you¡¯re the one he hates, so do what you want.¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Eh, in any case, there''s no reason not to be nice, you know? Sure, he yells a lot, but he hasn''t actually done anything.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Tessa muttered.


    ¡°So, we''ll let them stay with us?¡± Greg asked, just to confirm.


    Tessa nodded. ¡°Yeah, if they want to.¡±

 Smoke: 41 - Entrapment

    Sophia and the other girls on Travis''s team agreed to at least come by and see the place before deciding if they were interested or not, though Narita, the last woman, was already fully on board. Greg wasn''t sure why all of them weren''t fully on board, but apparently living with a bunch of strangers made some people nervous. It was like they''d never been to college or something. Still, even being nervous, the idea of living in an actual building with bathrooms and showers was significantly more appealing than trying to find a cave to camp out in somewhere. Roughing it in the wilderness was getting old fast. So, after letting the rest of the squad know what was going on, they all returned to the headquarters and Greg and Tessa gave the four of them a tour.


    ¡°This is entrapment.¡± Georgia grumbled, practically melting into a couch and refusing to get up. ¡°How am I supposed to go back to sitting on rocks after this?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I can make couches anywhere.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°If you want, I can build you a place to stay somewhere else.¡±


    Georgia rolled her eyes. ¡°We''ve seen what your smoke can do. Living in a place you''ve built out of it would be worse than living here.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have to build it out of smoke.¡± Greg replied. ¡°I can use my smoke to transform other materials, so I wouldn''t have to leave any around. Though honestly, if I actually was going to try anything, it wouldn''t actually matter if I made it out of smoke, since all I''d really need to know is where you are.¡±


    ¡°Which means that if we want a couch, we have to deal with you, and if we have to deal with you, we might as well just live here.¡± Georgia summed up. ¡°Therefore, entrapment.¡±


    ¡°This place is ridiculously nice.¡± Jen muttered. ¡°Though you probably could have won me over with a shower, and not even a hot one. I haven''t felt clean in weeks.¡±


    Sophia nodded in agreement. ¡°I''m looking forward to having an actual bed for a change. The only question is, what''s the cost?¡± She asked, turning to Greg and Tessa.


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Nothing? I mean, I guess we could charge you challenge points or something for rent if that makes you more comfortable, but honestly I just want to help. Particularly since I kinda pushed things along, you know? It seems rude to cause a mess and not help clean up after.¡±


    Georgia frowned at him. ¡°You didn''t cause anything. The mess was already there, Travis and Sophia were just ignoring it. And they needed a push. If anything they should be thanking you! You don''t need to feel obligated to help us out because you finally did what none of us had the guts to do and sat the two of them down so they could finally talk.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°I suppose that''s fair¡­ I don''t know, I guess I just don''t see a reason not to help you guys out. Plus, that''s kind of the point of what we''re trying to do here, isn''t it?¡± He asked, turning to Tessa. ¡°Creating a place where people can feel safe? That''s what we''re doing, right? There''s not much point to it if the only people we ever protect are our friends.¡±


    Tessa nodded slowly. ¡°True¡­ though I think we should transition this building into more of an advanced training complex, filling it with more training aids like that illusion device, then create our own complex elsewhere for people to live. Because as nice as this building is, there''s no way it can house the amount of people we''re going to need it to as we grow. Plus, it would allow us to protect the things that are actually valuable, while still being able to let in random strangers.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Is that something I should start working on?¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°No, we''re still working on establishing relationships with the other groups, and it''s going to take us time to build up a significant amount of training aids anyway, so there''s no reason not to live here for now. It shouldn''t be that complicated a project for you anyway, since it''s all going to be above ground.¡±


    ¡°Ah, gotcha.¡± Greg nodded, turning back to Sophia. ¡°So yeah, don''t worry about the cost. You''re just the first people our faction is going to help.¡±


    Georgia eyed him cautiously. ¡°Your faction?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, see, my teacher made a really good point about the fact that we''re going to need a faction at some point, since trying to tame a wild planet on our own wouldn''t work out too well, and since I have the resources available to me, why not work to make a faction I can actually be proud to be a part of?¡± Greg explained. ¡°We''re not planning on getting involved with all the fighting over resources the other factions are doing, we just want to make a place where people can feel safe and work together peacefully.¡±


    Georgia stared at him for a moment, before turning to Narita. ¡°Is he serious?¡±


    ¡°He hasn''t spoken a single lie as far as I can tell.¡± Narita replied.


    Georgia shook her head. ¡°Unbelievable.¡±


    ¡°Literally.¡± Jen muttered. ¡°I feel like a kid being offered candy to get in a van.¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°I get that, I really do. If I was in your position, I probably wouldn''t have even come here. But I swear, all we''re trying to do is help. I know everything that happened back on Earth has made trusting people¡­ difficult, particularly people with power, but Greg''s one of the good ones, and he''s done more than enough to prove it.¡±


    Jen glanced at Narita, who nodded, and let out a sigh. ¡°Sorry. I guess I''ve heard a few too many horror stories about factions luring pretty young girls into their base only to lock them up and use them as ¡®rewards¡¯ for their men.¡±


    Greg''s eyes hardened. ¡°Is that so. You wouldn''t happen to know anyone who''s actually doing that, would you?¡±


    Jen hesitated, giving him a weird look. ¡°No? It''s- just one of those rumors that goes around. The sort of thing you hear happened to the friend of a friend of a friend of a friend, which may be true or may just be the product of everyone''s subconscious fear. A lot of people are worried about getting screwed over by the factions.¡±


    Greg clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn.¡±


    ¡°Damn? Really?¡± Georgia asked skeptically.


    Greg shrugged. ¡°A problem I know about is a problem I can fix. I can''t do anything about a problem that may or may not even exist. So, damn.¡±


    Georgia blinked. ¡°You think you can fix factions kidnapping people?¡±


    ¡°Well, if I can''t, I can at least make their lives incredibly inconvenient.¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°Like maybe covering whatever development challenge they control in a solid block of steel, or turning any structures they''ve built into smoke.¡±


    Georgia frowned. ¡°And what about when they start targeting you? What if they go after your friends or your faction?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Then we fight? Maybe we lose? Maybe things get bad for a bit? But the other option is letting assholes control our lives, and that isn''t something I''m going to accept if there''s anything I can do about it.¡±


    Georgia eyed him strangely for a moment, before turning to Sophia. ¡°Okay, I think we can stay here.¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    *


    After everyone got settled, Narita approached Greg. ¡°Would you be interested in discussing your smoke now?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°That depends. How serious are you about wanting to study my smoke? Because if it''s just a casual interest, we can talk about it now, but if you really want to get into it, I have dedicated lab time every day from one to three specifically for trying to figure out more about my smoke, and you''re welcome to join if you like.¡±


    Narita paused. ¡°You have dedicated lab time specifically for studying your ability? How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m the Archmage''s apprentice.¡± Greg explained. ¡°She set it up so I can learn more about my natural mana, which is apparently pretty important if I want to become an archmage myself one day.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Narita muttered, giving him an odd look. ¡°I must admit, I don''t think I''d be very helpful in a lab setting. My ability isn''t technical, it simply gives me hints of something''s true nature, and the more complex the subject, the harder it is for me to see it clearly. The most I could do would be to provide potential avenues for improvement. For example, I helped Georgia discover that her ice doesn''t necessarily need to be cold. Ice is simply solid water, after all, which in nature happens when water gets cold, but since she is producing it via magic, temperature shouldn''t be a factor, should it? There are others who can produce liquid metal that isn''t blazing hot, so why shouldn''t she be able to produce ice that isn''t freezing cold?¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°And you don''t think that''s helpful in a lab? We don''t even have a direction for figuring out my smoke''s true nature yet. Just giving us a hint would be immensely helpful.¡±


    ¡°I''m sure, but a lab is for collecting data, is it not?¡± Narita pointed out. ¡°I don''t provide any data, nor do I analyze it. All I can do is use my ability and tell you what I see, which I can do right here, then you can study it in the lab yourself.¡±


    ¡°Ah, gotcha, okay that makes sense.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°Okay, so what do you need to get started?¡±


    ¡°First, I need to know more about your smoke, as the more information I have the better my ability works.¡± Narita replied, holding up a hand as Greg was about to retort. ¡°I don''t need any specific data, just knowledge of your smoke''s nature. I don''t need to know how much force your smoke can exert, I just need to know that it can exert force. Knowing specific values wouldn''t do anything for my ability.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha. Well, then I guess we''ll start from the basics.¡± Greg replied. ¡°As far as I can tell, my smoke is indestructible. The biggest effect I''ve seen anything have on it is moving it. In fact, the past few sessions with Lapodala, that''s the alien helping me study my smoke, don''t tell Tessa I actually know her name, we''ve been working on trying everything we can to have some effect on it. We''ve tried acids, bases, lasers, disintegration beams, you name it, and all of it has turned up bupkis. That''s only in its base form though. When it''s simulating something, it takes damage just like that thing would, except that if that thing would be destroyed, it turns into smoke instead.


    ¡°Which brings us to the second feature, which is the fact that my smoke can simulate anything it''s interacted with. Which basically just means anything it''s disintegrated or connected to. It can disintegrate things by simulating something in the same space as something else, and it can connect to anything¡­ it shares a space with. Honestly it might just be the same mechanism¡­ Because once the smoke is connected to something, it can convert it to smoke, which is what I actually mean when I say disintegrate. It can also transform anything it''s connected to into anything it can simulate, and if what it''s connected to is alive, it can drain it of I don''t know what, but it ends up turning it into basically a rock. And finally, it can exert force and get hotter or colder.¡± Greg finished, pausing as he realized he forgot something. ¡°Oh, and living things resist it for some reason that seems to be tied to strength and intelligence, though the intelligence one is a bit iffy.¡±


    Narita just stared at him for a moment as she processed all that. ¡°Okay, I''m starting to see why you''re having trouble making sense of it. I''m not sure I can even pin down the unifying theme behind it from all that.¡±


    ¡°Right?¡± Greg agreed. ¡°I mean, it''s definitely predominantly focused on the physical, since I can''t connect to or simulate mana, but other than that it''s all over the place. What we really can''t figure out is why being strong matters. It doesn''t even care whether you''re magically strong or physically strong! As long as you have strength, the smoke will have trouble interacting with you.¡±


    Narita frowned. ¡°Very strange¡­ Is that everything then?¡±


    Greg cocked his head, then gave her a single nod. ¡°Everything I can think of at least.¡±


    ¡°May I take your hand?¡± Narita asked, holding out her own. ¡°It helps focus my ability.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Greg agreed, giving her his hand.


    Narita took a deep breath, closing her eyes and focusing, using her ability to feel for the true nature of his smoke. A few seconds passed, then a minute, then two, Narita grimacing as she pushed her ability to the limit, trying to find even a glimpse of the smoke''s true nature. Finally, around the four minute mark, when she was just about to give up, her ability caught something, the barest hint of a trail. Eagerly Narita pursued it, following the trail as it became clearer and clearer until suddenly she wasn''t, and the trail was drawing her along it. A feeling of panic welled up within her as she instinctively tried to cut off her ability, but she couldn''t, her ability not even responding as she was dragged deeper down the trail, until she suddenly found herself in what she could only comprehend as a pitch black abyss, which only caused her panic to surge because that wasn''t how her ability worked! A shudder passed through her as she felt something focus on her, something massive and ancient, yet also somehow young and¡­ light? It gave her the impression of a tiger with the demeanor of a kitten. She hesitantly reached for her last resort, her ultimate failsafe, not planning on using it just yet but wanting to prepare just in case, only to freeze as she realized even that was cut off from her, going pale as she struggled to comprehend how that was even possible.


    Narita flinched as the presence shifted, sending the softest breath at her, which even still caused her entire existence to shudder, and suddenly she was aware. She knew why her ability hadn''t been working, because this wasn''t an existence that could be described by words. Not fully. Not truly. But the existence wanted to be known. To be understood. And to understand. And so it drew her to the here that was not. Used her ability to show itself to her¡­ and now she had to tell it what she learned.


    Narita returned to herself with a gasp, stumbling backwards. ¡°Whoa, hey, you okay?¡± Greg asked, going to help steady her.


    ¡°Don''t!¡± Narita exclaimed, flinching away from him.


    Greg paused. ¡°Well¡­ that''s not a good sign, is it?¡± Narita took a few deep breaths, struggling to calm herself down from the existential threat she felt from the existence and the idea that Greg was somehow connected to it. Intimately. Thankfully the vast majority of its power was locked in whatever that place was, and hopefully Greg was its only connection to the outside. ¡°Shit, how bad is it?¡± Greg asked, starting to get worried.


    Narita shuddered. ¡°I- I don''t even know how to explain it. You- your smoke is- you are wielding the essence of- of- it''s- it''s the force that makes physical existence possible! The potential behind every action! The medium through which reality expresses itself! The vitality that makes life possible! It''s- It''s- everything! Everything that exists is made from it!¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Really?¡±


    Narita scowled at him. ¡°Do I look like I''m joking?!?¡±


    ¡°Well no, but¡­ that seems a bit much?¡± Greg replied, scratching his head. ¡°I mean, I guess I can see how my smoke would relate to physical stuff cause I can make pretty much anything. And then the telekinesis would be the potential, I guess? And I suppose you could call the crap I drain out of living things vitality¡­ but how does that turn it into the basis for everything? It isn''t like everyone is made of smoke, right?¡±


    Narita gave him a serious look. ¡°It is exactly like that.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Huh¡­ so I''m sentient proto-matter?¡±


    Narita frowned. ¡°It isn''t proto-¡± She froze. ¡°What do you mean ¡®I''m¡¯!?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m made of smoke. Well, I guess everyone is? But my base form is just a cloud of smoke. See?¡± Greg raised a finger, turning it to smoke then back again.


    Narita gaped at him. ¡°But- how?!?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°No idea. I got knocked unconscious when the apocalypse hit, and two years later I woke up as a smoke person. Or more of a smoke person¡­ shit, this whole idea is really fucking with my sense of self. How can I be the smoke guy if everyone is smoke?!?¡±


    ¡°But- no, if you''re connected to it, then it should be-¡± Narita stammered, struggling to figure out how Greg could have a connection to that existence and still be his smoke. That existence should be his smoke! How else would it have been able to draw her to itself through it? Narita froze, going pale as that thought hit her. What if that existence was the smoke? What if- what if Greg was that existence? Or at least, a piece of it. A bit of consciousness thrown into this reality. The question was¡­ what was she going to do about it?

 Smoke: 42 - Potential

    ¡°So¡­ is that it?¡± Greg asked hesitantly as Narita stared at him intently, starting to feel a bit weirded out.


    Narita sighed. ¡°I don''t know. When I used my ability- I saw something. Something ancient and powerful. The source- the sovereign of all physicality! And you- you are intimately connected to it. And you are pure physicality. Which means¡­ that existence must have sovereignty over you. But- It doesn''t. And the only explanation I can think of for why is that you and that existence are one and the same, making its sovereignty meaningless, because of course one would have authority over themselves.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Okay¡­ but wouldn''t that mean I have sovereignty over ¡®physicality¡¯? Which I can''t say I actually do¡­¡±


    Narita raised an eyebrow. ¡°Don''t you? Has anything been able to resist your smoke once it''s connected to it?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Huh¡­ shit, that''s a good point.¡± He cocked his head. ¡°So does that make me a smoke god?¡±


    ¡°A piece of one, at least.¡± Narita muttered. ¡°If your full self was here, all the physicality in this reality would be within your grasp. As it is, you can only connect to what you can touch.¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Same difference, isn''t it? A limited god is still a god. The real question is how I got here¡­¡±


    Narita frowned. ¡°I believe you were simply tossed into the void and this is where you landed. Your full self doesn''t have access to anything beyond its own realm, so I can''t see how it would have chosen your destination.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that''s as good an explanation as any other¡­¡± Greg agreed. ¡°But how did I become human?¡±


    ¡°You were born as one?¡± Narita replied, as if that should be obvious.


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°Okay¡­ but how would that work? I mean, I have parents. Did I like¡­ replace their baby in the womb? Or did I replace the original Greg when mana showed up?¡±


    Narita shook her head. ¡°That''s not how it works. You are their baby. There would be no other way for you to enter this reality. Not without consciously forcing your way in, which you would have noticed. And then you would have had to consciously usurp your current body¡­ and I''m not sure you would be capable of retaining the previous occupants mind. It- I don''t think that falls under your realm of authority.¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°My realm of authority?¡±


    Narita nodded. ¡°You''re physicality. You may support mentality, maybe influence it in some ways, but it isn''t something you can control or subsume.¡±


    ¡°That''s fair, I guess.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°I''m still not getting how I turned into a baby though¡­¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°For that, you need to understand how the Multiverse works.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°The Multiverse.¡± Narita repeated.


    Greg just stared at her for a moment. ¡°I have questions.¡±


    Narita nodded. ¡°I would expect nothing less. Would you like me to start with me or the Multiverse?¡±


    Greg hesitated for a moment. ¡°Let''s start with you.¡±


    ¡°I''m a traveler of sorts.¡± Narita began. ¡°I jump between different realities, finding unique individuals like you and Travis, lending them a helping hand and watching them grow, in hope that they will one day become travelers like me.¡±


    ¡°Travis?¡± Greg asked curiously.


    Narita smirked. ¡°His ability allows him control over all mana within his domain. He''s still refining it, but once he reaches a certain level of proficiency, he will become a true terror.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ and how does that turn into jumping between realities?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Or, more importantly, how does controlling physicality turn into jumping realities?¡±


    ¡°Because every reality can create a traveler. Once an individual becomes significant enough, they have a chance to merge with their reality, granting them immortality and a connection to the rest of the Multiverse, as well as certain authorities over the reality, making them nigh omnipotent within it.¡± Narita explained.


    Greg paused. ¡°How immortal?¡±


    ¡°As long as your reality continues to exist, so will you.¡± Narita replied. ¡°And I''ve never heard of a reality being destroyed.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ pretty damn immortal.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Now how do I make Tessa significant enough to qualify?¡±


    Narita snorted. ¡°You can''t. Believe me, I''ve tried. But if you''re the one making someone significant, then you''re the one who''s actually significant, so you will be the one offered the opportunity to connect to the reality. That isn''t to say she can''t become significant enough to have the opportunity, but she can''t be significant because of you. Which, I might add, includes killing or otherwise hindering anyone who might oppose her. So no going after Travis.¡±


    Greg clicked his tongue. ¡°Well, shit.¡± He paused. ¡°If I became the traveler, could I make her immortal?¡±


    Narita hesitated. ¡°You could¡­ if you''re even capable of doing so.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°A brush with your true self threatened to tear my entire reality apart, and this reality is much weaker than my own. If you fully connected with it¡­ I can''t guarantee it would destroy this reality, but I would say there''s a significant chance of it.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°But¡­ I thought they were indestructible?¡±


    Narita grimaced. ¡°So did I.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Is there any way to check?¡±


    Narita snorted. ¡°You could try to connect to a different reality and see if you destroy that one. But you would first have to find a way to leave this reality, then spend years or even centuries working to become significant enough to connect to it. Time does pass differently in different realities, but even so, it would require you to basically abandon this reality, and Tessa, for a significant period of time, while developing connections with who knows how many other people in that reality, which you will then risk the destruction of.¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°So no making Tessa immortal. Shit.¡±


    ¡°If it helps, I''ve seen more than a few travelers set up their friends and family as gods in their reality, and it rarely ends well. Time and power have a tendency to warp even the most upright of individuals.¡± Narita replied.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Anyway, how does any of this explain how I got here?¡±


    Narita nodded. ¡°Right, let me explain how travelers cross realities. First, we can enter a reality with permission from the traveler connected to it. Second, if your reality is significantly stronger than another, you can force your way in. In both these methods, you materialize in the body of your choice, fully formed. However, we have a third method we can use, which is the method I believe you used, which involves tossing ourselves into the void, the non-space between realities, and entering a random reality as a new birth. It isn''t that uncommon for beings to become detached from their reality upon death, not physically of course but spiritually, and other realities take them in for various reasons, so we can slip in naturally and grow like a native, as you did. I believe your full self would be more than capable of forcing you into a reality, but it takes effort and I believe you would be aware if you had. It makes more sense to believe you entered through the void.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that makes sense.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Not that I know anything about any of this¡­ but I guess ultimately it doesn''t particularly matter how I got here, does it? Since in the end, I am here, and nothing is going to change that.¡± He paused. ¡°So what''s up with the Multiverse then? Or more, does it particularly matter, since I can''t actually see leaving this reality any time soon?¡±


    ¡°It matters because there are certain principles that govern how realities are created and operate, which may become an¡­ issue for you.¡± Narita explained. ¡°In particular, it has been well documented that unique individuals lead¡­ eventful lives. It''s likely that the very awakening of Earth and the arrival of the aliens were precipitated by your birth.¡±


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Really? Why?¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°Because realities seem to be utterly opposed to unique individuals leading boring lives.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Huh¡­ I don''t feel like my life has been particularly exciting, though?¡±


    Narita stared at him. ¡°You- are the Archmage''s apprentice. You were abducted by aliens!¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, but none of that was particularly exciting.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°It just kinda¡­ happened.¡±


    Narita shook her head. ¡°I don''t even know what to say to that. But it isn''t about everything being exciting for you. It''s more about things being interesting, and even then, it only deals in what''s actually possible. Reality won''t manifest a dragon in front of you just to keep things interesting. It just means that if it is possible for something interesting to happen in your life, the odds are that it will. For example, ending up on the same ship as a traveler and having a random encounter that resulted in her living in your home for the foreseeable future.¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°I guess that''s vaguely interesting¡­¡±


    Narita scowled at him. ¡°Just- be aware of it. You don''t want to get caught off guard and end up losing someone because your reality thought it would be neat if you wandered into the middle of an apex predator''s territory at the peak of its mating season.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°That seems like a very specific example, and honestly more like the result of poor planning.¡±


    ¡°We were charting an unknown territory! You can''t plan for the unknown!¡± Narita retorted.


    ¡°Well, that''s fair.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Is that all then?¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°Yes, that''s all.¡±


    *


    Later that night, after dealing with his mana investment, Greg took some time to consider his conversation with Narita. Being a smoke god was¡­ neat? He honestly wasn''t sure what to make of it, since it didn''t exactly feel real. Like yeah, Narita had freaked out about it, but he didn''t feel like a smoke god, he just felt like¡­ him. Plus, it didn''t change anything about what he could actually do, right? He frowned, thinking about his smoke from the perspective of being some kind of physicality god. His smoke could simulate anything, manipulate matter, create force and heat, and drain vitality¡­ all of which related to physicality somehow. Simulating and manipulating matter made sense, obviously, while force and heat seemed a bit more iffy. Though, if he thought of physicality as physics¡­ that actually made a lot more sense. He still had no idea what was going on with vitality, though. Of course he knew there was a physical basis for life, but wasn''t it all DNA and proteins interacting in complex ways, with some chemicals added in for flavor? Why did there need to be some extra factor pushing things along?


    His thoughts turned back to his smoke, thinking about where vitality could fit in, wondering what he was missing. It didn''t increase what he could make, because he could make anything- Greg paused. That wasn''t actually true, was it? His could only be so dense¡­ and he could only exert so much force. Then there was the strain¡­ was vitality involved in all that? Greg cocked his head thoughtfully. What if vitality was what determined the power behind something? The¡­ Greg smacked his head. The potential! Narita had literally told him that! Which implied that in order for his smoke to get stronger¡­ he was going to need to drain vitality. Greg grinned, suddenly very glad he still had smoke on Earth.


    *


    Greg filled Tessa in on his new godly status the next day at lunch, which she took surprisingly well, muttering about knowing it had to be something utterly ridiculous. She was a bit more thrown by the whole Multiverse thing, and the idea that things would happen just because Greg was unique made her incredibly nervous. He elected not to tell the Archmage or Lapodala though. They''d been great so far, but he wasn''t sure it''d be the best idea to tell them he was some kind of smoke god. He still hadn''t forgotten the fact that they''d slaughtered half the population, after all. He wasn''t sure what he was actually going to do about that, but if he didn''t have to tell the aliens something, he saw no reason to volunteer the information.


    Then later that day they had their first combined challenge with the feral team, which went about as well as could be expected. They''d picked a challenge that required them to take down a small herd of goat-like creatures, which thankfully they didn''t have to die to complete, the biggest issue being that the herd was designed to run, scatter, and otherwise make themselves a bitch to get at and if they crossed the boundary of the challenge, they''d disappear, reducing their evaluation. So, of course, the first thing Greg did was put up a wall around them. Then, as the goat things frantically struggled to break down the wall, the melee''s used Bianca¡¯s portals to jump in and out of the ring, avoiding the charging herd and taking out the stragglers, while those with ranged attacks caused chaos within the herd, creating the stragglers. With all the abilities they had on board, they made quick work of the challenge, Brutus bashing down the final goat barely fifteen minutes after they started the challenge.


    ¡°You know, I''m beginning to think the aliens don''t like my ability.¡± Victor grumbled. ¡°Where are the assassination challenges? Why is it always fight this big fuck-off creature I can barely even fucking damage?!?¡±


    ¡°Because that''s what we''re going to be doing.¡± Brittany pointed out with a sigh. ¡°Hunting for food, defending our homes, surviving inhospitable environments, and creating the tools we need to do all that. The aliens don''t care if you could be the greatest assassin the universe has ever seen, all they care about is if you can help our species survive the next decade.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know.¡± Victor waved dismissively. ¡°Just let me bitch for a bit, alright? Getting run over by a fucking one ton goat hurts.¡±


    ¡°They did not weigh a ton.¡± Casey retorted, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°I was exaggerating!¡± Victor snapped back. ¡°Can''t anyone let a dude vent around here, god damn!¡±


    ¡°I''ll let you vent, buddy.¡± Greg assured him with a thumbs up.


    Victor glanced over at him, then let out a weary sigh, shaking his head. ¡°Sorry dude, I''m just not feeling it today. I feel fucking useless.¡±


    ¡°Just because you aren''t what the aliens are looking for doesn''t mean you''re useless.¡± Tessa immediately interjected, giving him a hard look. ¡°You kept us alive more times than I can count back on Earth! Some of us might not even be here if it wasn''t for you. You are the best scout anyone could ever ask for, and don''t let the fact that the aliens aren''t measuring that let you forget it.¡±


    Victor blinked at her, then snorted. ¡°Right, fuck the rankings. I just gotta focus on what I do best, right?¡± He stood, stretching a bit before turning and walking off. ¡°I''ll see you guys back home.¡±


    The rest of the squad froze as they watched Victor walk off. ¡°That- is going to be a problem.¡± Brittany muttered.


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Casey agreed. ¡°But not for him.¡±


    Tessa groaned. ¡°I should have let him stay depressed.¡±


    ¡°Should I bring him back?¡± Gigi asked curiously. ¡°I can still catch him.¡±


    ¡°No. As much as I hate to admit it, I trust Victor. If he''s causing problems, then problems deserve to be caused.¡± Tessa sighed, shaking her head as she turned to focus on the ferals. ¡°Nevermind him for now, what did all of you think of the challenge?¡±


    Henrietta frowned. ¡°I hope you don''t take this the wrong way, but the challenge felt almost too easy. Which, I believe, shows the necessity and effectiveness of strategy and cooperation, but I can''t help but think it lacks the true purpose of the challenge. There seems to be little point in doing something we know we can do. I think it would behoove us to attempt¡­ riskier challenges. Something that pushes us beyond what we are capable of. And- I think it would be a disservice to become overly reliant on working in such a large group.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°So you don''t want to do challenges together?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. Instead, I think we should do more challenges together, but in smaller groups, like we did at the market.¡± Henrietta replied. ¡°And I don''t think we should abandon the larger group, either. I simply think we should utilize it more sparingly, perhaps once in a ranking period? And it should be used in a challenge that will force us to our limits, not something like¡­ this.¡± She waved distastefully at the challenge they''d just completed.


    ¡°She has a point.¡± Brittany muttered. ¡°There''s no guarantee we''re always going to be together. In fact, I would even say there might be a benefit in reserving a day for solo challenges. Something to highlight where we''re lacking and what we need to work on the most.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck am I supposed to do in a solo challenge!?!¡± Meredith protested.


    ¡°Pull a Greg and heal yourself while beating the shit out of whatever you''re facing.¡± Tessa retorted. ¡°Or learn how to reverse your healing so it hurts instead. You all have options, particularly after getting the sponsorships from Greg. There''s no excuse to not expand what you''re capable of.¡±


    ¡°I just wish the spells didn''t read like freaking research papers.¡± Carlos sighed. ¡°I take one look and I start getting a headache.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°It reads like a research paper because it is a research paper. The whole point of it is to give you an in-depth understanding of the subject so you can transform your mana into it.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but it doesn''t change the fact that it makes me feel like someone is scraping my eye socket with a rusty spoon.¡± Carlos grumbled.


    ¡°Might be a good idea to spend some time focusing on mental enhancement then.¡± Greg offered. ¡°I mean, it may not be your ideal investment plan, but it''s worth it if it can help you get a better handle on spells.¡±


    Carlos paused. ¡°That- is a good point, yeah, I''ll do that.¡±


    ¡°Wow, okay, it just hit me how crazy mana investment is.¡± Casey muttered. ¡°Like, you want to become smarter? Throw some mana at your brain. You want to be stronger? Get some mana in those muscles! You want bigger ti-¡±


    ¡°Casey!¡± Emily cut her off. ¡°Don''t be gross!¡±


    Casey coughed. ¡°I''m just saying, with mana investment, there''s no excuse to not be exactly who you want to be, and that''s- pretty crazy.¡±


    ¡°There are some things mana can''t improve.¡± Greg commented. ¡°But yeah, in general, mana investment can turn you into whoever you want to be. That''s why archmages are so important, because without them, there''s no pure mana for people to use. Which¡­ could be a problem once we reach the new planet.¡±


    ¡°Everything is going to be a problem once we reach the new planet.¡± Brittany sighed. ¡°That''s kind of the point of all this, right? To prepare us to face those problems.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Tessa nodded. ¡°So let''s make the most of it. Starting with figuring out how to make the most of these challenges.¡±

 Smoke: 43 - Doubling up

    ¡°I''m back!¡± Victor announced as he returned home. ¡°And I brought presents!¡±


    ¡°Oooh, what''d you get?¡± Greg asked, jumping to his feet and walking into the entryway, Tessa following not far behind, only to pause as he found Victor standing there with four nervous looking women. ¡°I don''t think you can legally call people presents, buddy.¡±


    Victor snorted, hefting a bag. ¡°The presents are in the sack, dipshit. These are new recruits. After all, how can we call ourselves a proper faction without any crafters?¡±


    Tessa narrowed her eyes. ¡°You couldn''t find any male crafters?¡±


    Victor shook his head. ¡°Nope. None that would come with me, at least. But you know how cults are, women always get the shaft first.¡±


    Tessa gave him a weird look. ¡°I see. Well then, how about we get the four of you set up somewhere. You look like you could use some rest.¡± The women nodded gratefully, and Tessa quickly handed them off to Brittany to get settled, before pulling Victor off to the side. ¡°You went after a cult?!?¡±


    Victor grinned. ¡°Indeed I did. I also managed to raid a hefty stockpile of mana pills, because fuck ¡®em. And tomorrow I''m going to hit them again to see if I can pull any more people out.¡±


    Tessa sighed, rubbing her temple. ¡°Why are you going after this cult in particular?¡±


    Victor shrugged. ¡°Because they suck. It''s a bunch of greedy asshats preying on people''s desperation. They make everyone turn in all their challenge points to the guys on top, ¡®for the collective good¡¯, then hand out mana pills like they''re freaking gold or something. These girls were barely earning a mana pill a day! Freaking criminal. And of course, there are ¡®rewards¡¯ for doing the guys in charge ¡®favors¡¯, and penalties for resisting. Just an utter clusterfuck that I''m more than happy to fuck with until it collapses in on itself.¡±


    ¡°Need any help?¡± Greg asked, almost a little too eagerly.


    Victor chuckled. ¡°No, I got this, but don''t worry, I have something for you too. Or at least, I will. The whole reason the cult even has the power it does over people is because of these bandit groups running around and terrorizing people. Without that, no one would even put up with their bullshit. Of course, I can''t do anything about them, but once I manage to pin down where they camp out, well¡­ it wouldn''t be a bad idea to pay them a visit, right?¡±


    Tessa scowled at the both of them. ¡°Would you both stop and think for a moment?!? Do either of you think we''re actually in a position where we can face these people right now?!? We are barely fifteen people strong! We don''t even have a base we can defend! Yes, these are people we absolutely need to do something about, but now is not the time!¡±


    Victor shook his head. ¡°Tessa, our core group may be fifteen people strong, but we have almost a hundred prospective members, all of which are strong fighters. Additionally, we may not have a base here, but we can absolutely pull people over to the feral side of the ship, or even back to Earth if we need to. We''re far from defenseless. Sure, there are risks, but our position is solid right now, and if we don''t start putting our money where our mouth is, then we''re just people who talk about helping people, not people who actually do it. I mean, I''ll do a lot of horrible things, but I refuse to be that kind of hypocrite.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°You aren''t wrong, but I think there are a few things we need to prepare before we really get into things. First, like Tessa said, we need to set up a base here, not necessarily because we need it for defense, but because we need a place people can actually go. Someplace to actually gather those hundred prospective members, you know? Second, we need to actually get those hundred members on board and figure out what our faction is going to look like, because bringing in a bunch of people to protect without having a system in place to actually protect them is kinda negligent. And third, it''d probably be a good idea to wait for my mental clone to finish, because right now I honestly just don''t have the time to help with all this. But I should be done within a week, so that shouldn''t be a major hold up.¡±


    ¡°I guess I can agree to that.¡± Victor muttered. ¡°Though I''m still going back to steal all their mana pills.¡±


    ¡°I- guess I can live with that as well.¡± Tessa grumbled.


    Greg grinned. ¡°So then, how do we set up our faction?¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Let''s talk to the others. This isn''t something we can decide for ourselves.¡±


    *


    Over the next week, the squad worked to figure out what their faction was actually going to look like. They decided to take inspiration from the aliens and create four divisions, focusing on the roles they''d take when they eventually reached their new planet. First were the Hunters, which would be the people in charge of dealing with things outside the faction, like hunting down dangerous creatures. Then they''d have the Security Force, which would be in charge of handling things within the faction, making sure no one was using whatever power they ended up having to abuse anyone else. They''d also be in charge of coordinating with the Hunters to defend the faction if they ever came under attack. The next division would be the Vitalists, which would be the people in charge of keeping everyone alive, making sure everyone had food, shelter, and all the basic necessities people needed to live. And finally, the Resource Bureau, which would be in charge of collecting and distributing the resources the others needed to do their jobs.


    Figuring out the divisions was fairly simple, but what complicated it all was figuring out who would actually be in charge of it all. For some reason, everyone (except Greg) agreed that Greg should be the de facto leader of the faction, if only in name, purely because of the draw his ranking would have, but other than that, no one had any idea who should be in charge of anything, or even how to choose who to be in charge. A few people thought they should wait until they had enough people in each division to vote for who their leader would be, while others thought they should at least have a leader in place to start, and others (Meredith) thought they needed to make sure their group was in charge. Eventually they decided to place someone in charge just to keep things in order, then once each group reached ten members, they''d have a vote to see who''d be in charge. They''d probably have to set up something more complicated once the faction grew, but none of them particularly wanted to deal with it right now, if ever, and it was good enough for the hundred or so people they''d be managing. And so they ended up putting Henrietta in charge of the Hunters, Brittany in charge of the Security Force, Tessa in charge of the Vitalists, and Bianca in charge of the Resource Bureau.


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    Other than that, they started splitting into smaller groups to attempt challenges, Henrietta and Brittany working together to design the groups for each challenge with an¡­ interesting ideology. They purposefully designed less than ideal groupings to force everyone to try new things to make up for whatever they were missing, like putting Casey and Emily in a group with Victor, Brittany, and Gigi, so they couldn''t depend on the others to keep them protected, forcing them to figure out how to stay mobile while they attacked, while also avoiding hitting their hard to keep track of teammates. It was a pain, but it did wonders for everyone''s rankings. By the end of the week, everyone was in the top thousand on at least one ranking, some even two, and a few of them were even getting close to the top hundred, though no one had actually made it yet.


    Speaking of rankings, the next round of rewards had come in mid-way through the week, and Greg had managed to cinch fourth place on the defense rankings, though his offense ranking had actually gone down a few places. Which wasn''t to say he''d gotten weaker, it was just that he didn''t have quite the same versatility in offense as he did with defense and survival, pretty much just relying on turning into the scorpocroc and tearing into whatever he was facing with heated claws, and as the newly awakened figured out their abilities, they began to surpass him. Still, he easily maintained the top spot on the rankings, granting him another thirty-four full sponsorships to hand out. Since the squad was still struggling to work through the first sponsorship he''d given them, Greg used seven to help out the crafters Victor had picked up, which had grown to seven because for some reason Victor couldn''t seem to resist picking up at least one person every time he visited the cult, and an equal number to the crafters Bianca had recruited on the other side, before using the rest to lure in some more fighters for their faction.


    Speaking of the crafters, Tessa and Bianca had started cycling the crafters on their side over to the changed side, running them through the development challenges there, and bringing them back with a hefty load of resources. And, since they had access to all the development challenges, they made sure to hit the full supply chain, so all their goods would be top quality. So far they were only dealing with fabrics, which were thankfully largely neglected by the changed since they still didn''t see much point in clothes, but as their faction grew, they could expand into any industry they wanted, as long as they maintained a good relationship with the changed side.


    Other than that, with the changed attempting challenges with the rest of the squad now, Greg''s nights freed up, and he promptly filled them with searching for things to drain back on Earth. The first thing to note was that draining vitality did make his smoke stronger. However, it didn''t do it particularly fast. When he started, the force he could exert through the smoke was sitting at a little under seven of the units the aliens used to measure the power of an attack, and by the end of the week, after draining over a hundred different plants and animals back on Earth, he''d only gotten it up to a little over eight. Admittedly he hadn''t tried to drain anything particularly strong, so he wouldn''t have to deal with the strain, but still, he''d drained a lot of vitality. Improving his smoke was going to take a while.


    Thankfully, on the magic side, Greg had had a breakthrough thanks to his talk with Narita. Before then, he could barely get his force spell over point six epm, since the idea that his smoke could exert force just wasn''t enough for him to fully convert his mana. However, the moment he started to think of his smoke as the essence of physics, he immediately got his epm over a point eight! After all, force was physics. It wasn''t hard to fathom the idea of physics creating force. By the end of the week, he had his epm over a point nine. He still had some work to do, but it wouldn''t be long before could make his first spell construct.


    Unfortunately, he also realized there would eventually be a massive hurdle he''d have to overcome in order to become an archmage, because what the hell was the opposite of physicality?!? The only thing he could even think of that wasn''t physicality was magic and that didn''t make sense as an opposite, because the two cooperated constantly. Sure, they were different, but that didn''t make them opposites anymore than apples were the opposite of oranges. So where did that leave him? What was the opposite of physics? Anti-physics? Liberal arts? Politics? Nothing? Greg didn''t even know where to start. He did have the option of trying to counter the mana of one of his other forms, like the scorpocroc, but the problem with that was while he could create a counter intent for heat, he had no idea how to counter the scorpocroc¡¯s innate self, particularly since he had no idea who the scorpocroc was. The only person he thought he might be able to pull it off with was Tessa, but even then, he didn''t see much hope in it.


    Then finally, a full seven days after their first challenge with the changed, the final piece of Greg''s mental construct fell into place. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Greg blinked as he suddenly felt his mind expand, two strings of thought rolling through his mind simultaneously, both echoing each other''s amazement at being able to hold two strings of thought simultaneously. He jumped to his feet, ready to rush over to tell Tessa the good news, only to pause as he remembered she was dead asleep by this point. ¡°This is what I get for doing my mana investment at midnight.¡± Greg sighed, sitting back down. ¡°Now, what to do with you four¡­¡± He muttered, glancing at the four mana pills he still had to use for the night. Now that he had a mental construct, he could start to allocate more mana pills to his mana pool, getting back to the ideal ratio of four out of the current seven he was capable of, with the rest going towards creating a second mental construct. Which would mean that three of these pills had to go towards his mana pool¡­ both his thought streams shuddered. Two would have to do. He''d try for four tomorrow. Thankfully with two thought streams he could do two mana investments at once, completing it in half the time.


    Once he finished his mana investment, Greg climbed into bed with Tessa and sent his consciousness to Earth, pausing for a moment at the weirdness of no longer having two thought streams, before shaking the feeling away and focusing on hunting down more vitality. Then he spent an hour or so expanding the underground base there, before slipping back into his body to sleep. A few hours later, he woke up to Tessa gently shaking him awake, using his smoke to force away his exhaustion. ¡°Good morning.¡± He greeted her with a grin.


    ¡°And good morning.¡± A newly formed Greg greeted her from behind, giving her a kiss on the neck and eliciting a yelp from Tessa as she stabbed him with a sharpened elbow, causing both of them to burst out laughing.


    ¡°You-!¡± Tessa began angrily. ¡°Why is it that the first thing you think to do after gaining the ability to be in multiple places at once is play a prank on me!?!¡±


    ¡°Because you''re adorable when you get all stabby.¡± Greg grinned as he dissolved his other self, earning himself a glare. ¡°And that wasn''t the first thing I thought of¡­ the first thing I thought of has to wait until tonight.¡± He added with a wink.


    Tessa blinked, then flushed as she realized what he was talking about. ¡°So you''re going to start on the base today?¡± She coughed, changing the subject.


    Greg nodded. ¡°That''s the plan. You already have a location picked out, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, since we don''t need to actually be near anything thanks to Bianca, we''re going to put the base on the far end of the mountainous zone.¡± Tessa replied. ¡°Hopefully that will discourage any of the other factions from taking issue with us, but it will at least make it more difficult for them to actually get at us.¡±


    ¡°Hm, good idea.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°I assume Bianca already has the specific location marked?¡±


    Tessa grinned. ¡°Of course.¡±


    Greg stretched then hopped out of bed. ¡°Alright then, let''s get to it.¡±

 Smoke: 44 - Attack (1)

    Greg stepped out of one of Bianca¡¯s portals, looking over the area they''d found for the location of their new base, right up against the wall of the section. ¡°So, where do you guys want the walls?¡± Greg asked, turning to Brittany and Henrietta, the two of them following him out of the portal. They were nominally in charge of defending the faction, so he figured they should have a say in what their defenses would look like. Also¡­ he could use the help, cause all he could think to do was make a square.


    Brittany surveyed the area. ¡°I think¡­ let''s set up along that ridge there. We can use the wall and the ridge to defend two fronts, allowing us to focus on the other two. Of course, we''d need to make sure no one got up on the ridge and attacked us from up there¡­ but if we set up a wall along that slope, we could probably defend it with a handful of people. Plus, we could build a fort into the ridge as a fallback position.¡±


    ¡°That might take a bit, but it sounds doable.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Henrietta, any other ideas?¡±


    ¡°That all sounds acceptable.¡± Henrietta shrugged. ¡°The only experience I have with defenses is recognizing them well enough to avoid the unchanged.¡±


    Brittany sighed. ¡°Yeah, all my experiences basically come from history books, so I wouldn''t call myself an expert either. But having two walls at our backs sounds like a good idea, right?¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard good things about putting forts on hills.¡± Greg offered. ¡°Maybe we could build on that one over there?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Brittany muttered. ¡°Will we have enough space though?¡±


    ¡°I mean, no matter what I was going to start expanding underground.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°And there should be enough space for the hundred or so people we''ll have to start, so I''ll have time to work on all that.¡±


    Brittany considered it for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Alright, let''s do that then.¡±


    And so Greg got to work setting up a wall around a large hill. Since it was all made out of smoke, he decided to keep it simple to start, just making a solid stone wall that surrounded the crest. He didn''t make it too large though, since it needed to actually be defendable by the hundred or so combatants they''d have to start, so he only made it about a hundred feet long on each side. Then, after the wall was up, he spent a while smoothing the crest out before getting started on the building they''d all be living in. The first floor he reserved as a community area, planning on filling it with couches and games so people could hang out. He then started on the second floor, and¡­ ¡°Shit.¡± Greg frowned, as his smoke refused to form into the next section of wall. ¡°That- is going to be a problem.¡±


    Greg considered the issue for a moment. Clearly he was hitting some sort of limit again, one that would probably rise as he gained more vitality, but not fast enough to actually make a difference here. He hopped off the building and sent some smoke into the ground, briefly manipulating it and nodding in satisfaction. He could still use the smoke he had to manipulate matter, there was just a limit to the amount of smoke he could have materialized. Which meant¡­ creating this building was going to take a lot more work than he''d thought. Greg waved, turning the rest of the building back to smoke with a sigh. ¡°I''m going to need some rock.¡±


    *


    ¡°This seems like a bad idea.¡± Bianca muttered.


    ¡°Would you rather try to haul several tons of rock up a hill?¡± Greg retorted.


    ¡°No, but- you''re collapsing a mountain!¡± Bianca hissed.


    ¡°Just a small one.¡± Greg grinned, taking a look at his handiwork. He''d basically created a shoot at the bottom of a mountain slope that led straight into one of Bianca¡¯s portals, leading to the hill he was building on. Then he''d threaded his smoke through the top of the mountain, getting ready to dissolve thin lines through the entire thing that would turn the majority of it little, roughly spherical shapes, so hopefully the whole thing would collapse down the shoot and into the portal. ¡°If it works we''ll try something larger.¡±


    Bianca scowled at him. ¡°I''m beginning to regret my curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, this is gonna be fun!¡± Greg chuckled, snapping his fingers. ¡°Ah, shit, I should have invited Victor.¡± He muttered as the mountain shook. ¡°And Tessa.¡±


    ¡°We have to move!¡± Bianca hissed, tugging on his arm. They were standing directly behind the portal, which meant that if something went wrong¡­


    Greg just rolled his eyes, grabbing Bianca with his smoke and flying them both up a few dozen feet. ¡°There, we''re safe. Happy?¡±


    Bianca eyed the incoming rockslide nervously. ¡°I''d be happier if you hadn''t decided to collapse a mountain!¡±


    ¡°Psh, it''s fine.¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Look, it''s working!¡±


    Bianca glanced down, having to begrudgingly admit that Greg''s set up was working, the crumbling mountain getting funneled into the portal and deposited at the new base location. ¡°That doesn''t change the fact that it was a stupidly reckless thing to do.¡± She grumbled.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Greg wiggled his hand. ¡°Who''s even around to get hurt?¡±


    ¡°Me!¡± Bianca retorted.


    ¡°And as you can see, I have that perfectly under control, so we''re good.¡± Greg countered.


    Bianca grunted noncommittally as they continued to watch the mountain collapse, the rumbling slowly dying down as the rock slide spent itself, until it settled into a low hum. Or at least, she thought it had settled into a low hum until she realized the rocks weren''t moving anymore. ¡°Do you hear that humming?¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°I do¡­ where is that coming from?¡± He slowly floated towards the noise, rising higher until he reached the ceiling, placing a hand on it and feeling a vibration through it. ¡°That''s weird¡­ is something broken?¡±


    ¡°Did you break something?¡± Bianca asked, looking at him judgmentally.


    ¡°How would I have broken anything?!? The rockslide was all the way down there!¡± Greg protested.


    ¡°But the humming only started after the rockslide!¡± Bianca pointed out.


    ¡°Correlation doesn''t equal causation!¡± Greg retorted.


    Bianca blinked. ¡°What does that even mean?!?¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°It means-¡± He cut off as suddenly something burst through the ceiling, shooting past them and burying itself in the ground. ¡°Huh¡­ see, I told you it wasn''t my fault.¡±


    ¡°What is that thing?!?¡± Bianca exclaimed.


    ¡°I dunno. Let''s check it out.¡± Greg shrugged, floating them down towards it.


    ¡°Don''t- what if it''s dangerous!?!¡± Bianca protested.


    Greg paused. ¡°Okay, I''ll check it out. You go wait by the portal.¡± He replied, maneuvering her towards the portal instead as he continued towards whatever had come out of the ceiling. As he got closer, he realized it was some sort of drill, which explained the humming but raised a whole lot more questions, like why the hell someone was drilling through the ceiling! It wasn''t the aliens, since the drill clearly wasn''t one of theirs. Too mechanical looking. Which meant some idiot human had decided to make a drill and send it careening through the ship. What if they''d breached the hull and sent everyone flying into space! Who was stupid enough to even try something like this?!? Greg grimaced as he realized plenty of people were probably stupid enough to try something like this. And now he was going to have to hunt them down and do something about it.


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    ¡°Freaking morons trying to get everyone killed.¡± Greg grumbled as he picked up the drill to try and figure out who''d made it. ¡°I wonder if the Archmage has a spell for thi-¡± Greg cut off as the drill began to flash, Bianca immediately diving through the portal and closing it behind her, and Greg bracing himself for what he assumed was going to be an explosion, turning to smoke to avoid the pain, only to freeze as instead of a boom, he was suddenly surrounded by a group of heavily armed, dangerous looking individuals wearing what had to be power armor as they fell into a defensive formation around the drill. Greg frantically searched his mind for the appropriate response to suddenly being surrounded by futuristic soldiers, only to realize they- actually hadn''t noticed him yet. And so, like any responsible individual in an unfamiliar situation, he decided to sit back and wait until a clear course of action presented itself. Aaand had his other self send a message to the Archmage explaining the situation, because it never hurt to ask for help.


    Greg squished his smoke down into a little black disk and flattened himself against the top of one of the soldiers¡¯ helmets. His smoke didn''t exactly blend in, but he figured people didn''t take that close a look at the top of other people''s heads. Plus, even if they did see him, what were they going to do, shoot him? He also left a bit of smoke with the drill, figuring it''d be a good thing to keep track of. Not long after he got into position, the soldiers began to move eerily quietly, making their way towards the section wall, their power armor shimmering as it began to blend in with the environment.


    Back with his other body, he''d been having lunch with Tessa when all this went down, suddenly getting a nudge from his other mind and quickly sending the message to the Archmage. ¡°Well¡­ things may be happening.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°What-¡±


    ¡°Where are they!?!¡± The Archmage cut her off as she appeared next to them.


    ¡°Uh¡­ about four miles that way?¡± Greg pointed. ¡°Near a collapsed mountain, heading towards the wall.¡±


    The Archmage immediately disappeared and Tessa turned to Greg wide-eyed. ¡°Greg-¡± She cut off again as alarms began to blare out all around them and the whole ship shuddered.


    ¡°Do not panic! The ship is under attack! Find a safe place to shelter and wait until the attack has been dealt with! Details are available on the Network!¡± The Archmage''s voice echoed out along with the alarms.


    Greg and Tessa shared a look. ¡°I- think we should start moving people to Earth.¡± Greg announced.


    ¡°I think you''re right.¡± Tessa agreed. Both of them getting up and heading to the base. ¡°How much space do we have?¡±


    ¡°The underground base can fit about a hundred people at this point, but we still have the safe zone if we need it. I don''t know when Earth is supposed to go wild, but currently it''s still pretty tame. Particularly behind a big ass wall.¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°Right, that should be good for thousands if we need it.¡± Tessa muttered. ¡°Alright, first we''ll get the squad safe, then the rest of the faction, and we''ll work on saving anyone else who needs it as we go.¡±


    ¡°Correction, I''ll run around saving anyone who needs it. You''ll be safe on Earth, organizing all the people I send over.¡± Greg retorted.


    Tessa scowled at him. ¡°I can help save people too!¡±


    ¡°I mean, not really?¡± Greg replied tentatively. ¡°You can''t make the portals, you can''t fly, you aren''t fast, you can''t teleport, and you aren''t immortal. You''d spend more time running around than actually helping anyone.¡±


    Tessa grimaced. ¡°That is- a factual argument.¡±


    ¡°So we''re agreed?¡± Greg asked.


    Tessa sighed. ¡°Yes, I''ll organize things on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Greg relaxed slightly. He''d feel a lot more comfortable with Tessa out of danger. This whole ship could explode for all he cared, as long as she was safe.


    Meanwhile, back with his other self, the moment the alarms had gone off, the soldiers had immediately begun sprinting towards the wall, giving up on stealth as back at the drill more power armored soldiers began to teleport in, some staying back to protect the drill while the rest followed the original team towards the wall. None of them seemed particularly interested in heading towards the strip, hence Greg''s relative lack of concern at the moment. He was more worried about the ship exploding if these soldiers accomplished their goal. He''d do something about it, but their armor resisted his smoke just like the section walls and his hardest telekinetic blast hadn''t even moved the head he was sitting on, though it did force the team to hunker down and scan their surroundings for who attacked them, wasting some time before they had to move again.


    Suddenly the wall they were heading towards shifted, changing into a series of battlements as aliens appeared along them. The soldiers were still cloaked, so the aliens simply readied their attacks, at least until Greg rather helpfully decided to put little plumes of smoke over each of their heads. Beams of magic shot towards each of the soldiers, flickering off their armor as they raised their rifles and shot back their own glowing beams, which were blocked by the mages¡¯ shields. They dove for cover, but Greg quickly dissolved any rocks or outcroppings they managed to hide behind, to the point where they started to target him, not that it did much for them.


    Once it became clear they weren''t going to be able to get a foothold closer to the battlements, the soldiers fell back, regrouping with their incoming allies to form a coordinated assault, which Greg decided was a good opportunity to check with the aliens to see what was actually going on. His other self had looked at the ¡®details¡¯ they''d sent everyone, and all it basically said was that an enemy force was attempting to cripple the ship and showed them a picture of the soldiers so they''d know to avoid them. They had been very clear that they were absolutely not strong enough to actually face the soldiers at this point, something which Greg more than agreed with. The fuckers had tanked a barrage from the aliens, who had been strengthening themselves for years, at least, while they had learned about magic less than a month ago!


    Greg couldn''t find the Archmage, but he did see a grim looking Lapodala standing on the battlements, flying over and materializing next to her. ¡°Yo! How''s it going?¡± Greg asked cheerfully.


    Lapodala stared at him incredulously. ¡°You- the ship is under attack! How do you think it''s going?!?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Sure, but like, how bad actually is it, you know? Are they space pirates who just want to steal some shit and bounce? Or are they rogue biologists who want to kidnap the new species and see what their insides look like? Should I be worried about being low on resources or getting preserved in a pickle jar?¡±


    Lapodala scowled at him for a moment before letting out a huff. ¡°They''re the United Technocracy, a conglomerate of species which reject mana and seek to eradicate it from our galaxy. Their mission is to destroy anyone and anything that has ever been exposed to it then quarantine the mana that remains so that it cannot affect the rest of the galaxy.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°So, no chance to negotiate then.¡±


    ¡°None.¡± Lapodala growled.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°Do we need to worry about them turning around and assaulting the others?¡± The squad was debating whether or not they actually needed to evacuate to Earth or if they could just wait things out here, since the soldiers didn''t seem to have any interest in heading towards the strip.


    Lapodala shook her head. ¡°No, their goal will be to get to the ship''s mana core and destroy it to prevent our escape. Then they will kill us all.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh¡­ and why aren''t we using the mana core to escape?¡± Greg asked.


    Lapodala rolled her eyes. ¡°We are but you can''t move something as large as a ship from one point in space to another easily or cheaply. The Archmage is currently doing everything she can to activate the emergency jump as soon as possible, but it could take hours before it''s ready.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°You know, if you have an emergency measure, it should probably take less than an hour to pull off¡­¡±


    ¡°It takes time to overload a mana core, and keeping the mana core even close to that state for any significant amount of time would be¡­ irresponsible.¡± Lapodala sighed. ¡°And unfortunately, we aren''t important enough to merit a better option. There are thousands of ships just like ours transporting your species, and the Republic would be happy even if only half of them made it to your new planet.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Greg grunted. ¡°So, keep the Technophiles from reaching the core?¡±


    Lapodala nodded. ¡°Yes. And hope their government values them as little as ours values us.¡±

 Smoke: 45 - Attack (2)

    Greg watched the Technos form up a good distance away, wondering what he could do to help. His first idea was manipulating the battlefield, adding pitfalls and whatnot, but he''d already done a lot with his smoke today, and he wasn''t sure he was up to do anything significant enough to actually make a difference. Maybe collapsing that mountain was a dumb idea¡­ No, no, that was brilliant. The timing was just off. But what else could he do? The Technos barely even noticed his attacks! Greg paused. Maybe if he covered the entire battlefield in little balls? Get the Technos tripping all over the place? That''d at least help a little, right?


    Greg sighed, turning to Lapodala. ¡°What do you think I can do to help?¡±


    ¡°When we break their shields, eat them.¡± Lapodala growled vehemently.


    Greg blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ kay? I''m not sure how effective that will actually be though?¡±


    Lapodala grinned. ¡°Oh, trust me, it will be very effective. Their shields may be able to keep your smoke out, but underneath is simple metal which your smoke can convert easily.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Though it might be smart to only attack key areas to conserve your strain.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°And those key areas would be?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know¡­ the head, maybe?¡± Lapodala offered tentatively.


    ¡°Alright¡­ guess I''ll see what I can do.¡± Greg muttered. He was beginning to think this wasn''t his fight. Or at least, not one he could have a major effect on.


    They didn''t have any more time to talk as a moment later the Technos began to charge, rushing towards the battlements in a silent sprint, firing their weapons towards them while the aliens sent spells flying back at them. Greg flew out as he transformed into a cloud of smoke, blanketing the area in front of the battlements, creating a field of steel balls underneath it. However, the moment the Technos reached the smoke, their boots began to glow and they leapt over it, walking on air to avoid the potential pitfalls hidden underneath. Damn clever bastards.


    Greg grimaced, switching to plan B, moving to surround the Technos with his smoke, individually so the aliens could still target them. He figured it might at least do something to interfere with the Technos'' aim, but they didn''t even hesitate. Thankfully, that wasn''t the main point. It didn''t take long before one of the Technos shields flickered underneath the aliens¡¯ assault and his smoke immediately surged inside, seeping into the power armor and searching for something he could convert without too much effort, pausing as he found its power supply. He couldn''t get his smoke into it, but Greg felt something¡­ delicious lurking within, a part of him wanting to disregard everything else and focus on getting to whatever it was hiding inside it. But that wasn''t reasonable, so instead he just dissolved a small space around it and yanked it out of the now dead power armor, tossing it towards Lapodala for safekeeping.


    All across the battlefield power armors started to fail as power supplies flew through the air, Greg collecting as many of the delicious looking orbs as he could, getting close to four dozen of them over the next ten or so minutes as the Technos struggled to break through the aliens¡¯ defenses. Of course, the aliens were doing work as well, killing ten times that number, but the Technos just kept coming. A seemingly endless horde continued to flow from the drill, replenishing the Technos ranks almost as quickly as they were taking them out, and the aliens were starting to get worn out.


    ¡°Fall back!¡± An order came from the rear of their defenses, the aliens abandoning the front and retreating behind a second set of defenses, where a fresh force was waiting to meet the Technos.


    ¡°Wait, my orbs!¡± Greg exclaimed, pausing for a moment as he realized he''d talked in his smoke form, before scrambling to collect the power sources, going to toss them deeper in, only to pause as he had a better idea, covering them in a dome of steel. ¡°There, safe.¡± He announced in satisfaction, only for the Techno sprinting past him to flinch and whirl towards him. ¡°What, never seen a talking cloud before?¡± A blade whipped out of the Technos arm as they swiped at him. ¡°I''ll take that as a no.¡± A small group of Technos split off, surrounding him and holding out their hands, a net of electricity surging between them, covering the entire area. ¡°Hm, tingly.¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°Can you guys not see me?¡± The Technos adjusted the net, so that it completely missed his cloud. ¡°I''ll take that as a no¡­ can I use this?¡± Greg muttered as he flew towards where the fighting had resumed.


    Greg spread his smoke out, covering the Technos again, but this time he started making random sounds to try and freak them out, which¡­ kinda worked? The first few Technos reacted much like the ones from earlier, breaking off and trying to find whoever was talking, but the more he did it, the less of a reaction he got as they began to realize he wasn''t actually a threat. He wasn''t sure how much he''d actually done to help either. Sighing to himself, he went back to taking power sources, since he knew that at least took someone out of the fight, though he wasn''t sure how much longer he could keep doing it as the strain started to get to him.


    And so the battle continued to grind on, the aliens retreating deeper and deeper into the ship while the Technos continued to throw themselves at them, Greg doing everything he could to help out, little as that might be. As they retreated deeper, the space became thinner so fewer aliens were needed to defend it, but they also had fewer aliens to defend it, losing people to injury, death, and exhaustion as the battle wore on. At some point, Greg was relegated to the role of a mere observer, his strain building to the point where he could barely move, let alone dissolve the Technos¡¯ armor. He watched as the aliens'' defense grew weaker and weaker, while the Technos continued their assault with the same silent determination they''d had since the beginning, a grim feeling settling in his chest.


    ¡°I- think we need to start evacuating people to Earth.¡± Greg announced to the squad as they hunkered down in the strip building. ¡°Everyone we can. Cause I''m not sure the ship is going to make it.¡±


    Tessa sighed, having had a feeling it would come to this. Greg had been keeping them up to date on what was happening and it hadn''t painted a pretty picture. ¡°Okay, Bianca, you and Henrietta head to the fer- changed side, Greg, you handle the unchanged, the rest of us will head to Earth to get things set up. Bianca, can you open a portal for us first?¡±


    Bianca nodded, going to open a portal to Earth, except¡­ nothing happened. Bianca went pale, trying again, but the result was the same. She opened a portal to her subspace, rushing inside. ¡°They''re gone! My anchor points to Earth are gone!¡±


    Greg frowned, turning his attention to his smoke on Earth. He quickly materialized a copy of Bianca, making it real and reaching for her mana, finding one of the anchor points they''d put down and opening a portal to the subspace and finding all the anchor points on the ship gone. ¡°No, they''re still there¡­ but they''ve split the subspace somehow.¡± Greg grimaced. ¡°We''re stuck here.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Meredith exclaimed. ¡°We can''t be trapped here! We can''t!¡±


    Victor literally began to cackle. ¡°Ah, we''re so fucked. I love it.¡±


    ¡°You- what?!?¡± Meredith growled at him. ¡°We''re going to die!¡±


    ¡°I mean, yeah, but like¡­ so?¡± Victor shrugged. ¡°The hell are we going to do about it? It''s like the icing on the ¡®how fucked can we get¡¯ cake that''s been baking for the last two years! First our technology gets taken away, then our society, then even our freaking planet, and now, finally, they''re coming for our lives, and just like the rest, there''s nothing we can do about it. Might as well just assume the position and enjoy the ride, you know?¡±


    ¡°Fuck that!¡± Casey cursed. ¡°And fuck the Technos! Let''s go fuck them up! I don''t care how strong they are, if we all attack together-¡±


    ¡°You''d all die.¡± Greg shook his head. ¡°Believe me, if I thought we''d stand a chance, I''d get you there, but it takes multiple aliens attacking at once to even disrupt their shields, and their weapons would vaporize you in an instant. They wouldn''t even have to pause to destroy you. They wouldn''t even have to acknowledge you! They could literally walk through you and you wouldn''t be able to do anything about it! This fight is so far beyond our capabilities it isn''t even funny.¡±


    ¡°Could- could we do something to support the aliens? Healing? Illusions?¡± Brittany offered.


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I''m- not sure. I can ask? Fuck, I hope Lapodala is still alive¡­¡±


    Greg''s other self searched the battlefield for Lapodala, finding her huddled a good distance away from the frontlines, looking utterly exhausted and missing an arm. ¡°Hey, so, I''ve noticed things aren''t going particularly well at the moment¡­ is there anything we can do to help? Like healing?¡± Greg asked as he flew over and materialized next to her, gesturing to Lapodala''s arm. ¡°Cause if we''re all going to die anyway, we might as well give it our all, right?¡±


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    Lapodala just stared at him blankly for a moment. ¡°I don''t- no, there''s- they don''t stop. They just- don''t.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Okay, so you''re out of it. Can you point me towards someone who might have a better handle on things?¡± Lapodala waved vaguely towards a knot of people deep in conversation and Greg turned to smoke, flying over to them before materializing again, not up to walking at the moment. ¡°So- Oh, hey, Indresta!¡± Greg greeted his combat instructor.


    Indresta frowned at him. ¡°What is it, Greg?¡±


    ¡°We want to help. The humans. But we don''t know what we can do, because we certainly can''t fight.¡± Greg explained. ¡°We can heal though. Support you in whatever you do. We just need to know what that is.¡±


    Indresta sighed. ¡°We know, but there''s nothing you can do. We don''t need healing, we need mana, and the amount of mana you can exert is insignificant in this conflict. I wish I could tell you differently, but this isn''t a fight you can participate in. At least, those of you who aren''t immortal.¡±


    Greg sighed, nodding along, having expected that answer, only the pause as the immortal comment tickled something in his mind, reminding him of the other immortal on the ship. She had to have some idea of how to help in this situation, right? Plus, wasn''t what''s-his-face supposed to have some kind of special ability too? If there was any time to put up or shut up, it was now.


    The Greg back with the squad pulled up his network device, giving Tessa a quick explanation as he found Narita''s contact info and teleported to her location. ¡°Hey-¡± He froze as he found himself in the middle of some kind of stand-off, a group of¡­ let''s call them unsavory individuals surrounding Travis''s group, only a wall of ice keeping them at bay, while Jake had an arm around Sophia''s neck, a shiv in his other hand, threatening to drive it into her throat. ¡°Oh, god damn it, we do not have time for this shit.¡± Greg groaned. ¡°The fuck are you guys doing?!?¡±


    ¡°Don''t move, or I''ll kill her!¡± Jake snarled.


    ¡°Why?!?¡± Greg asked incredulously. ¡°What possible reason could you have to kill anyone!?! Fucking- ugh, fuck it, I''m not dealing with this crap right now. Anyone still being an asshole in five seconds dies. Five.¡±


    ¡°I''m serious, I''ll kill her!¡± Jake yelled.


    ¡°Sure you will.¡± Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°Three.¡± He growled as he began to shift into Gigi. For this he needed speed.


    ¡°You-¡± Jake began, eyes widening as the wisp of smoke Greg had snuck over dissolved his shiv. ¡°Wait-!¡± He cut off as Greg flashed towards him, the same shiv appearing in his hand as he drove it through Jake''s eye.


    ¡°Zero.¡± Greg spat. ¡°If you''re going to kill someone, be decisive.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit!¡± One of the men outside cursed, turning to run, but Greg was having none of it as he leapt over the ice wall, creating a rock in mid-air and whipping it at the runner¡¯s back, the rock smashing into his spine with a sickening crack.


    ¡°Get him!¡± Another yelled, shooting some kind of bone spike at him, only for a sheet of ice to appear between them.


    Greg shot Georgia a thumbs up as he moved to his next target, materializing a sledgehammer and slamming it through a dude''s face, literally. Gigi may not be strong for a changed, but any changed was at least two or three times stronger than the average adult man. Georgia continued to keep the attacks off him as he mowed through the rest of the group as fast as he could, which with Gigi''s ability, meant it didn''t take much more than a minute before the entire group was down.


    ¡°Alright, now that that''s done, let''s get to the real issues, eh?¡± Greg commented as he transformed back into himself. ¡°The aliens are fighting off the Technos, but it isn''t exactly going well, so, since I''d rather not have everyone I know and love die, I was thinking we''d try and figure out some way to help them. Specifically Todd and Narita. No offense to the rest of you, just¡­ not exactly your ballpark.¡±


    ¡°What- you just- you killed Jake!¡± Travis exclaimed.


    Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Yeah, yeah, come on, focus! We''re all going to die if the Technos get to the mana core.¡±


    ¡°What is the situation?¡± Narita asked seriously.


    ¡°Well, the Technos are at least as strong as your average alien, and they seem to have an endless amount of reinforcements.¡± Greg explained. ¡°I mean, obviously they don''t, but there''s a shit ton of them and the aliens are struggling. They''re exhausted and injuries are starting to pile up. But apparently the biggest issue is mana. They''ve been casting for ages now and I''m not sure how much further they can push their mana pools. Not sure what we can do about all that, but hey, that''s why I''m here. So come on, people, brainstorm!¡±


    ¡°Wait, why Narita?¡± Georgia asked.


    ¡°Guys! Death. Is. Coming! No stupid questions!¡± Greg snapped.


    Narita frowned. ¡°I- don''t know if this is something we can change. A force this powerful is beyond our reach. It- may just be something we have to accept.¡±


    Greg scowled at her. ¡°Bad. That''s a bad answer. No treat for you.¡±


    Travis hesitated. ¡°If- If we can gather enough mages with similar mana types, there might be something I can do¡­¡±


    ¡°Now that''s a good answer!¡± Greg announced. ¡°One treat for you. Later. When we aren''t all dead. Motivation, you know?¡±


    Travis gave him a weird look as Narita gave Travis a concerned one. ¡°Travis, the amount of mana you''d have to control to have any effect could cripple, if not kill you!¡±


    ¡°If he''s right, we''re going to die anyway!¡± Travis retorted. ¡°This is something I can do! I have to at least try!¡±


    ¡°What''s the issue?¡± Greg asked.


    Narita grimaced. ¡°When Travis channels foreign mana, he takes in¡­ impurities that he has to expel or risk being corrupted by them. If he takes in the amount of mana he''s considering, the impurities could destroy him completely!¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Greg pressed.


    Travis sighed. ¡°Sometimes they make me mutate, sometimes they affect my mental state, and sometimes they start to actually attack my organs, shutting them down. I can flush them out, given time, but if they progress too far¡­¡±


    Greg nodded slowly. ¡°I see. Do you trust me?¡±


    Travis blinked at him. ¡°Not really, no?¡±


    Greg snorted. ¡°Fair. Do you at least not want to die?¡±


    Travis frowned. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Cool! So, here''s my idea.¡± Greg announced. ¡°If I can get my smoke into you, I can take care of at least two of your three problems, possibly all three if the mental thing is a mutation too, but in any case, I can keep you alive for whatever you''re doing, and then after I can use your ability for you to flush out any of the remaining impurities! Of course, being connected to my smoke means I can kill you or make your life miserable in an innumerable amount of ways, but hey, what''s life without a little risk, eh?¡±


    Travis froze, glancing at Narita. ¡°Could that work?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Narita frowned. ¡°Possibly? He is- uh, his smoke does give him a ridiculous amount of control over¡­ physical objects. It''s conceivable that he would be able to keep you from mutating and keep your organs working with it¡­ but by that same note, he could do the opposite just as easily.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, if I wanted you dead, I''d just use a hammer or something.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°It''d be a lot less effort for me. Connecting someone to my smoke is hard. Honestly not even sure I''m up for it right now¡­ but hey, not a lotta options at the moment.¡±


    Travis hesitated for a moment as he considered the idea, before letting out a frustrated groan. ¡°Fine! Put your damn smoke in me!¡±


    ¡°No homo.¡± Greg chuckled as his smoke surged towards Travis, meeting some brief resistance as Travis shot a glare at him, before it slipped in surprisingly easily. ¡°Huh¡­ are you actually really weak, or do I not get how this smoke shit works at all?¡±


    ¡°What- did you do it?¡± Travis asked nervously.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, it''s done. See?¡± Greg replied, snickering to himself as he replaced Travis''s eyes with some working models.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Travis cursed, immediately covering his eyes.


    ¡°What? Don''t like puns?¡± Greg asked, cocking his head.


    Travis carefully peeked through his fingers, blinking a few times as his mind slowly made sense of the new sensory information. Thankfully the majority of his mana investment was mental, so it didn''t take him too much time. ¡°You- fixed my eyes?¡± Travis asked numbly.


    ¡°Well, more like replaced, but yeah, essentially.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Do you not like it? I can put them back.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Travis flinched away, as if somehow distance would keep Greg from taking his eyes. ¡°I- I mean no, it''s fine.¡± He coughed awkwardly, glancing at Sophia and freezing. ¡°Beautiful.¡± He muttered thoughtlessly.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Greg wiggled his hand. ¡°I mean, she''s pretty, but- wait, what am I doing, people are dying.¡± He suddenly shook himself as his other self gave him a mental flick and he transformed into Bianca, creating an anchor point as quickly as possible and opening a portal to the battlefield. ¡°Alright, let''s go! We got a ship to save!¡±

 Smoke: 46 - Attack (3)

    ¡°Woo! We have a plan and I am manic as fucking hell, let''s do this thing!¡± Greg whooped as he dragged Travis through the portal. ¡°Triskaidekaphobia, we need all the¡­ fire? Yes, all the fire mages we can get! Chop chop!¡±


    Indresta and the other aliens looked between each other, confused. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±


    ¡°You! Come on, fire mages, on the double, stat, asap, right fucking now!¡± Greg urged them on with a clap.


    Other Greg sighed. ¡°Sorry, we''re still processing the fact that Tessa might die, and we aren''t doing very well with it.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, I''m doing perfectly!¡± Greg retorted.


    ¡°Fuck you, I am you!¡± Other Greg countered.


    ¡°Would one of you please explain what you want before I throw you in a holding cell for disrupting the chain of command!¡± Indresta growled.


    Greg nodded. ¡°Right, so, this dude here can make use of the mana in his environment, no idea how it works, but if he has a shit ton of people with the same type of mana around, he can use it to¡­ do something which will probably help? I don''t know, but any port in a storm, am I right? So, get me those fire mages!¡±


    Indestra stared at him for a moment, before pulling up her network device, and a few seconds later a few hundred people appeared behind them. ¡°They''re all yours.¡±


    Greg grinned, turning to the nervous crowd that was still trying to process why their surroundings had just changed. ¡°Alright, people! As you know, the ship is under attack, and it''s¡­ not going as well as we''d hope. But! There''s something y''all can do to help!¡± He paused. ¡°But I don''t know what that is. Ted?¡± He waited for a moment, then turned to Travis, giving him a nudge. ¡°Come on, buddy, this is your thing.¡±


    ¡°What- my name is Travis!¡± Travis snapped.


    Greg sighed. ¡°Not the point, Tom! Come on, we''ve got Technos to kill!¡±


    ¡°You- fuck!¡± Travis cursed, turning to the crowd. ¡°Just- release your fucking mana towards me! Don''t attack me, just the mana!¡±


    The crowd looked confused, until Greg clapped. ¡°Come on people, send your mana at the dude with no intention to actually make fire! It isn''t that hard! Now!¡±


    The crowd shifted nervously, but slowly people began to send mana over to Travis. There were a few spurts of flame as some people took a bit to figure out the trick of releasing their mana without actually doing anything with it. Travis took a deep breath and began to gather the released mana, condensing it inside him, grimacing as the pressure began to build and holding it all became harder and harder. He gritted his teeth, pushing himself to his limit before letting out a savage roar as a ball of energy burst out of him, arcing over the battlements.


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°That''s it? Not very- fuck!¡± Greg cursed as the ball of energy exploded, causing a pressure wave that shook the battlements! ¡°Woo! That had to have done some work!¡± Greg cackled, patting Travis on the back, only for him to hack out a bloody cough. ¡°Oh, right, you''re dying, shit.¡± Greg muttered as he quickly got to work fixing all the damage caused by whatever Travis had done, struggling against the forces still actively trying to tear Travis''s body apart, or at least warp it into something unrecognizable.


    ¡°Can he do that again!?!¡± Indresta demanded, rushing over to them.


    Greg glanced down at Travis, who was currently curled up in a ball muttering incoherently to himself. ¡°Maybe? Depends on how long it takes him to stabilize from the backlash. Give me a minute, then we''ll see where we''re at?¡±


    Indresta nodded. ¡°I can give you ten. Just get him up!¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°I''ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Greg, what the hell is going on?!?¡± Casey asked, pushing out of the crowd.


    ¡°Casey?¡± Greg blinked. ¡°Oh, right, fire¡­ Well, Travis here can use other people''s mana to make devastating attacks, apparently, and I figured fire would be a good option, so¡­ here you are.¡±


    ¡°You- used my name.¡± Travis muttered.


    ¡°What was that, Timmy? I couldn''t hear you.¡± Greg grinned as Travis shot him a weak scowl.


    ¡°You''re an ass.¡± Travis grumbled.


    Greg chuckled. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Like something chewed me up and spit me out.¡± Travis groaned.


    ¡°Well, seeing as I don''t think you were capable of even stringing a thought together a few moments ago, I''m going to call that progress.¡± Greg shrugged.


    Travis grunted. ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, you blew those Technos to smithereens!¡± Greg replied excitedly, giving him a thumbs up. ¡°Presumably¡­ I haven''t actually checked, but Indresta wants you to do it again in another¡­ nine minutes? Something like that, so it must have been pretty effective.¡±


    Travis grimaced. ¡°Again?!? Just one almost killed me!¡±


    ¡°Ah, but it didn''t, and look at you! You''re practically glowing!¡± Greg retorted. ¡°Actually, you are glowing¡­ let me fix that.¡±


    Travis scowled. ¡°That''s because the impurities are still running wild through my body, and now you want me to add more! I''m going to need a week to flush all this crap out!¡±


    ¡°Would you rather be dead?¡± Greg asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    Travis froze, then let out a frustrated groan. ¡°God damn it. Fine. Just- ugh, I need some time to prepare myself.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Greg agreed with a slight smirk. ¡°You have eight minutes.¡±


    Travis glared at him. ¡°I hate you. So much.¡±


    *


    ¡°Ready? Brace!¡± Indresta yelled as Travis shot another fireball over the battlements, the aliens hunkering down as it exploded in the midst of the Technos, sending them flying, the aliens popping back up to finish them off and prepare for the reinforcements.


    Travis paused, not feeling any worse than he did before. ¡°Huh¡­ I''m fine?¡±


    ¡°All the changes seem to have stopped too¡­¡± Greg commented. ¡°Why would- oh, duh, you hit your mana investment limit!¡±


    Travis blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking in mana, right? So everything warping your body is mana related, which means there has to be a limit to the amount of changes it can make, right?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°It made a lot of changes though¡­ Are impurities more effective than pure mana?¡±


    Travis frowned. ¡°Should I keep going or not?¡±


    ¡°Do I need to remind you about the whole dying thing again?¡± Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°If anything, you should start pumping out as many fireballs as you can! Who cares if it takes you months to recover, at least you''ll be alive.¡±


    Travis grimaced. ¡°Right. Okay, let''s do this.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, let''s check with Indresta first.¡± Greg held up a hand to stop him as he waved her down. ¡°Hey, so, it turns out Travis doesn''t need to recover, so when do you want the next fireball?¡±


    Indresta paused. ¡°I- see¡­ Wait for my signal.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± Greg agreed, giving her a thumbs up.


    Indresta returned to the battlements, signaling them to fire every few minutes, beating back the Technos and giving the aliens a moment to recover and switch off with each other. It was¡­ honestly kinda boring, but at least they were actually helping now. And then¡­ ¡°Fire! Fire now!¡± Indresta suddenly yelled in an almost panicked tone. Travis condensed another fireball as quickly as he could, throwing it over the battlements, just as a Techno in the largest power armor Greg had seen so far vaulted over the battlements. ¡°RUN!¡± Indresta roared as the Techno raised their rifle towards Travis, literally throwing herself at them, only to get batted away with a dismissive wave of the Techno''s arm.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Travis went pale as the rifle glowed, feeling his life flash before his eyes, when a wall of steel appeared between them, a small, red dot the only sign that the attack had taken place. ¡°What-¡±


    ¡°Everyone in the fucking portal!¡± Greg roared, transforming into Bianca as he opened a portal back to where he''d found Travis, thickening the steel wall between them and the Techno. He got about half the people out before the Techno literally jumped through his wall, phasing through it like it wasn''t even there, and¡­ ignored them, charging deeper into the ship. ¡°Oh, that''s not good.¡± Greg grimaced, dropping the wall and pulling the smoke after him, charging after the Techno, shifting into Gigi as he did to try and keep up.


    He sprinted past a few more sets of battlements before arriving at the core of the ship, a circular room surrounding a giant, glowing crystal. There was a forcefield blocking the crystal off with the Archmage sitting inside with her hand on it, the Techno already firing their rifle at the forcefield in a sustained beam to try and take it down as he arrived. And so, Greg did the only thing he could think of and started surrounding the forcefield in steel, transforming back into himself and pushing his mana pool to the limit to produce as much smoke as he could to cover the forcefield as thoroughly as possible.


    The Techno whirled on Greg, putting a blast through his chest, and Greg chuckled as he coughed up blood. ¡°That''s not gonna help. That steel isn''t going anywhere. Though I guess you can just phase through it¡­¡± The Techno cocked their head at him, then put another bolt through his head. Greg sighed as he reformed. ¡°Damn it, you killed my other self. That thing took me three weeks to make!¡± A few more bolts pounded into him. ¡°Shouldn''t you be focusing on the forcefield?¡± A wall of energy blasted into him. ¡°I''ll take that as a no, I guess.¡±


    Suddenly the ship shuddered and everything went dark for a moment before a dull glow returned to their surroundings. The Techno whirled towards the dome of steel and charged, no longer caring about it now that the forcefield was down. Greg cursed, turning the steel back to smoke and filling the space between the Techno and the Archmage with it, ready to turn it back to steel the moment the Techn went to fire anything at her. The Techno phased back into reality and raised their weapon towards the Archmage, Greg immediately turning his smoke to steel, and¡­


    ¡°Where''d they go?¡± Greg asked tentatively, expecting the Techno to erupt out of the steel at any moment. He slowly turned the steel back to smoke until¡­ A naked alien woman dropped out of the steel, taking in a gasping, coughing breath, a large power supply dropping out next to her. ¡°Huh¡­ how''d I do that?¡± Greg muttered, scratching his head.


    ¡°Thank mana you did.¡± The Archmage let out a sigh of relief. ¡°I wouldn''t be able to face someone in tier two armor at the moment. Not if I wanted to survive the encounter, at least.¡± She groaned, taking a meditative pose as her force clones began to form around her and rush off. ¡°Watch her. I must deal with the rest of our infestation, and I won''t have the mental leeway to attend to her as well.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± Greg agreed, making himself a chair and sitting down, putting some clothes on the Techno as he did before building a cage around her. ¡°So¡­ you speak English?¡± The Techno just stared at him. ¡°Guess not¡­ not that you''d want to talk to me anyway, considering we were just trying to kill each other. Not exactly a great foundation for communication, that. Admittedly, the fact that you just went from wrecking my shit to utterly powerless does make me feel a bit more chatty. Though I''m not sure what we''d actually talk about¡­ I mean, what''s there to say? You want to end magic, so you want all of us dead. Not sure why you want to end magic though¡­ I mean, I guess it''d fuck with your technology, but then you''d be able to do magic! Not a bad tradeoff in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°We do not care about our technology.¡± The Techno spat. ¡°We care about all the people who will die as mana spreads!¡±


    ¡°Hey, you do speak English!¡± Greg grinned. ¡°But how though?¡±


    The Techno grunted. ¡°Our implants have decoded your language from the conversations we picked up during our assault.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ that''s kinda neat, actually.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°So, people die from mana?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± The Techno growled. ¡°The filth your kind spreads causes nothing but chaos! Every society it touches collapses! Not even a tenth of the population of any species it touches survives, and that''s with the help of an established galactic civilization helping them! Without that help, not even a tenth of the species survive at all! How could anyone possibly consider it a good thing?!?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Not gonna lie, that''s a pretty good point. Then again, if your response to people dying is to kill the survivors, you don''t exactly have the moral high ground either.¡±


    The Techno sniffed. ¡°If you would simply remain in your sector, we would have no problem with you, but you insist on spreading yourselves across the galaxy! You are an invasive species we must eradicate at all costs before you consume us all!¡±


    The Archmage snorted. ¡°Mana spreads itself and your futile attempts to stop it only creates more death and destruction. We are forced to spread to save those we can, and your continued insistence on stopping us only makes things worse!¡±


    ¡°Mana didn''t even exist until your people brought it into our reality!¡± The Techno retorted.


    ¡°How is that even relevant?!?¡± The Archmage countered. ¡°Just because we started it, doesn''t mean we''re perpetuating it!¡±


    ¡°But you aren''t doing anything to stop it either!¡± The Techno growled. ¡°We''ve proven you can contain mana, and you refuse to help us do so!¡±


    ¡°Because mana is good for the universe! It propagates itself infinitely! It breathes life into dying systems! While all your technology does is consume!¡± The Archmage snarled back.


    ¡°At least our technology doesn''t kill ninety percent of our people!¡± The Techno snapped.


    ¡°No, it will just kill all of them when your precious resources finally run out.¡± The Archmage sneered.


    ¡°That will take billions of years!¡± The Techno exclaimed. ¡°If that! We could learn how to reverse entropy by then!¡±


    ¡°We''re already reversing entropy! With magic!¡± The Archmage retorted.


    ¡°You know, as someone who will probably end up being billions of years old, I kinda like the idea of things still being around then.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°It''d kinda suck to end up spending an eternity floating in a dark void. That sounds super boring. Of course, whoever the traveler ends up being might be able to fix that¡­ Oh, shit, I can just get them to make Tessa immortal! Why didn''t I think of that earlier?¡±


    Both the Archmage and the Techno turned to stare at him. ¡°Greg¡­ what is a traveler?¡± The Archmage asked tentatively.


    Greg paused. ¡°Well¡­ I didn''t really want to tell you this, but it''s the immortal ruler of a reality. Apparently. I mean, it could be a lie, I suppose¡­¡±


    The Archmage blinked. ¡°And you know about this because¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh, someone on the ship supposedly is one, though not of ours.¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°And before you ask, I''m not telling you who it is. Not that you probably can''t figure it out on your own, but I''ve dropped the ball on this one enough already.¡±


    The Archmage shook her head. ¡°You are lucky I have larger concerns at the moment, but we are revisiting this subject in the future.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that''s fair.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°So, what are we doing with her? Execution? Interrogation? Imprisonment? All three? Not in that order, of course.¡±


    The Archmage paused. ¡°I''m not sure¡­ I''ve never been in a conflict with the Technocracy that didn''t end in either the escape or the complete eradication of the other side. Any Technocracy soldier that even comes close to being captured triggers the destruction of their armor, denying us any potential information from either the individual or their armor. A situation like this is¡­ unprecedented.¡±


    The Techno snorted. ¡°Just kill me. I would rather die than be corrupted by mana!¡±


    The Archmage nodded. ¡°That does seem like the most prudent option, particularly given our situation.¡±


    ¡°What is our situation?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°We are now stuck on the planet your species will eventually tame, with no access to the rest of the Republic, and only the most basic functions of the ship.¡± The Archmage sighed. ¡°We have to survive on our own until the rest of the preservation fleet arrives, without any support, and a barely trained population with little to no access to mana pills. I can''t provide a quarter million population with enough mana pills on my own.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°You know a quarter million is two hundred and fifty thousand, right? We only have fifty thousand people, don''t we?¡±


    ¡°No, we have two hundred and fifty thousand. The ship has ten sections, each with twenty-five thousand people.¡± The Archmage explained wearily.


    Greg paused. ¡°Huh¡­ I mean, at that point, what''s one more person?¡±


    The Archmage rolled her eyes. ¡°It isn''t about having to take care of one more person, the problem is that we can''t afford anything that distracts us from our survival. And this is a woman who would gladly see us all dead. Keeping her alive and giving her the opportunity to sabotage us is a risk I don''t think we can afford to take.¡±


    ¡°Hm. Fair.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Just seems wrong to kill someone who can''t fight back, you know?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± The Archmage grunted noncommittally. ¡°Do you have any way to keep her under control?¡±


    Greg blinked, trying to catch up with the conversation after the sudden trip he''d just had, three figures forming around him. ¡°I think I just might.¡± He grinned. ¡°Let me introduce you to Chris.¡±

 Points: 1 - [Run: 0%]

    Thomas stumbled into the classroom, breathing heavily. It was his first semester of college, and according to what he''d thought was a brilliant plan, he''d stacked all his classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from eight to two, with only ten minutes between each class, giving him Tuesday and Thursday completely off. However, he''d forgotten to account for the locations of all these classes, so he ended up having to go from one end of campus to the other, then back again, over and over, which his life of sitting on the couch, playing video games, and watching TV had not prepared him for. And since this was his last class of the day, by the time he got here he was beat. He should have at least given himself a lunch break or something, but at this point it was too late to change, so he was stuck.


    "Alright class, today we''ll be continuing¡­" The professor began droning on, quickly lulling Thomas into a dazed stupor which his tired body was more than happy to take advantage of. His eyelids grew heavy as he struggled to stay focused on the lesson, but just ten minutes in his face was already planted on his desk, a soft snore emanating from him. The person next to him poked him slightly, causing him to jerk awake, which thankfully only drew a few amused glances since he''d sat in the back. He gave the guy next to him a grateful nod and went back to trying to listen.


    The adrenaline from his slight panic helped him stay awake, but he still had trouble staying focused. Something about the professor''s cadence just hit Thomas''s ears wrong, turning it into a droning mess that went in one ear and out the other. Everytime he tried to focus, he''d find his attention pulled away not even half a minute later, by his own thoughts, by the window or the clock, or, particularly, by the cute girl sitting a few rows down from him, a little to the right. Thomas didn''t know her name, but he thought they should be in the same major, since she was in about half his classes. Well, sharing Calculus and Physics probably wasn''t particularly telling, but since she was in his Intro to Computer Science class, he figured it was a safe bet.


    So, of course, despite knowing pretty much absolutely nothing about the girl, Thomas had a crush. He''d gone through this shit in high school too. Find a pretty girl, like her for little to no reason, do absolutely nothing about it, and get severely depressed when you see her talking with another guy. Honest to god, Thomas hated being a teenager. At this point, a crush was just a source of frustration caused by raging hormones. If he had a choice, he''d just rather not. Of course, he could actually try talking to the girl, maybe even ask her out, but again, he didn''t actually know her, he just thought she was cute, and what was the point in putting all that effort into getting to know someone only to realize they were boring? Dates cost money, damn it! Not that he didn''t have money, he supposed, but it was the principle of the thing. He needed something more substantial than ¡®girl cute¡¯ to actually pursue anything.


    Finally the class finished, and Thomas climbed to his still aching feet. *I need to run.* Thomas groaned internally. *Just a mile a day, until I''m in better shape.*


    [Run: 0%]


    Thomas stared blankly at the strange notification that had popped up in the upper right corner of his vision. He looked down at his hands, which appeared normal. He looked at the clock, looked away, then looked back, and it was acting normal as well. *So I''m not dreaming?* He frowned, not entirely convinced that was true as he studied the strange notification.


    "Do you have a question?" The professor asked, noticing him standing there staring off into space with a frown.


    "Uh¡­ no? Just- uh, nothing." Thomas stammered, shaking his head as he quickly made his way out of the classroom. Dreaming or not, he wasn''t going to talk to the professor about it. Particularly since he got the distinct impression that the professor didn''t like him very much¡­ probably something to do with him sleeping through his class all the time.


    Thomas headed to the cafeteria in a daze, still not quite sure what to make of the mysterious notification. It wasn''t particularly obtrusive, just a faint bar in the upper right corner of his vision, almost like a mission in a video game. *If this is how I figure out the world is actually just a simulation, I''m going to be a little miffed. Couldn''t it be a little more spectacular than a task bar?* Thomas grumbled as he got his food. Since he wasn''t about to run right this minute, he decided to ignore the notification for now and focus on enjoying his meal, pulling out his phone and pulling up some manga to read.


    "Mind if I sit with you?" A guy asked, walking up to Thomas''s table with a full tray.


    "Go for it." Thomas agreed with a shrug. The cafeteria tended to fill up around this time, so it wasn''t that unusual for someone to join him.


    The guy sat down across from him. "I''m Henry, by the way."


    "Thomas." Thomas replied simply before returning to his reading.


    Henry nodded as he started to eat his food. "So¡­ what''s your major?" He asked after a short period of silence.


    "Computer Science." Thomas answered.


    "Ah, cool. I''m going for Psychology." Henry offered.


    "Fun." Thomas nodded back.


    "Do you enjoy Computer Science?" Henry pressed, trying to move the conversation along.


    Thomas shrugged. "I''m a freshman, so I haven''t really gotten into it yet."


    "Gotcha¡­" Henry trailed off awkwardly, before simply shaking his head and returning to his meal. They both continued to sit there silently, Thomas focusing on reading, while Henry simply ate his meal, before standing and leaving with a quick goodbye.


    Thomas continued to waste time in the cafeteria, enjoying his reading as he kept refilling his drink. This was generally how he spent his afternoons, just sitting somewhere and reading whatever happened to catch his interest that day. He supposed he could head back to his dorm room to read, but he actually did enjoy talking to people every now and then. He just wasn''t interested in talking to someone like Henry who was clearly just trying to be polite because they happened to be sharing a table. The people he talked to had to be genuinely interested in getting to know him, or what was the point?


    After about two hours, he headed back to his dorm, throwing on the TV while he did some homework. His roommate wasn''t there, but it was a Friday night, so he didn''t expect to see his roommate again until Sunday evening. Once he''d finished his homework, he just relaxed on the bed, watching TV, until his attention was caught by the little window again. He stared at it for a second, before sighing and grabbing some exercise clothes.


    "Fuck it, let''s see what happens." He muttered to himself as he headed towards the campus gym. He soon arrived, and after changing, he climbed onto a treadmill and started a light jog. In the corner of his vision, the notification started to slowly change.


    [Run: 1%]


    By the time the progress hit ten percent, Thomas was already breathing hard, but every time he wanted to give up, he''d see the little progress notification tick up, and he just couldn''t, something within him urging him to keep going, like he needed to complete this task. Finally, after about twenty minutes, though it felt more like an hour, the progress ticked up to one hundred and Thomas collapsed against the support bars of the treadmill, gasping for air as he focused on the notification.


    [Run: 100% - Reward granted. Progress reset]


    [Run: 0%]


    Thomas suddenly felt a surge of¡­ something enter his body. Whatever the stuff was, it didn''t really seem to do anything, but then again, it didn''t seem like there was a whole lot of it either, so maybe he needed to get more of it? Which meant more running? He still had the task¡­ Was it permanent? Could he get more tasks? Maybe different, less physical tasks? He wouldn''t mind having one for playing video games or reading or something. But that was a consideration for later. Right now he needed water. Thomas stumbled his way over to the water fountain and began gulping down as much water as he could.


    "Whoa there, slow down!" A voice suddenly interrupted him. "You''re going to make yourself sick!"


    "Huh?" Thomas grunted dumbly, pausing as he glanced up at the athletic girl lecturing him.


    "Just drink normally." The girl continued. "Otherwise you''ll make yourself sick and throw up, which wouldn''t be pleasant for any of us."


    "But¡­ this is how I normally drink." Thomas muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The girl froze slightly, not sure how to respond to that, before shaking her head and sticking out her hand. "Sorry, I''m Amber."


    "Thomas." He responded, shaking her hand loosely.


    "Are you new? I haven''t seen you around before." Amber continued.


    "This is my first time at the gym." Thomas confirmed with a short nod.


    "I meant to campus." Amber snickered slightly. "I could already tell you''re not exactly a regular here. Quick tip, get a nice bottle for water. Much better than running to the water fountain whenever you''re thirsty, plus you can drink as you go. Or you could just buy a bottle from the vending machine, but if you plan on being a regular, that''ll get pretty expensive.¡±


    Thomas considered her advice for a moment. Did he want to be a regular? The only reason he''d come today was because of the task, but he was pretty out of shape¡­ Some regular exercise would probably be good for him, right? Maybe he could get more tasks for it even.


    "So, are you a freshman?" Amber asked.


    "Huh? Oh, yeah." Thomas nodded.


    "What''s your major?" Amber continued.


    "Computer Science." He replied.


    "So that''s why you''re hitting the gym." Amber nodded as if she''d suddenly understood something. "Sick of spending every day crouched over a keyboard?"


    "Not¡­ really. We haven''t really gotten into programming yet. The last few classes focused on flow charts." Thomas explained.


    "Flow charts?" Amber asked, scrunching her brow in confusion.


    "Yeah. Basically, programming is just about figuring out what you need to tell the computer in order to get it to do what you want it to do. The key is breaking a task down into detailed steps, which is why we use flow charts, to help think through each step in detail. Other than that, programming is just learning how to talk in a way the computer understands¡­ and math. Lots of math." Thomas explained.


    Amber just blinked at him blankly. "I see¡­ I take it you like computers then?"


    "Less and less each day." Thomas sighed. "See, I am quickly learning that computers are very, very stupid. Lots of tedious work for minimally satisfactory results."


    Amber raised an eyebrow at him. "So are you thinking of changing your major then?"


    "Not particularly at the moment. Just because the job isn''t particularly satisfying, doesn''t mean it isn''t profitable." Thomas answered with a shrug.


    "You know, you''re a difficult person to talk to." Amber replied, frowning at him.


    "I''m sorry?" Thomas answered, sounding vaguely confused. "You don''t have to if you don''t want to. I don''t mind."


    "I can''t just not talk to you. That isn''t how things work!" Amber countered.


    "Why not? If it''s uncomfortable talking to someone, why do you have to force yourself to do it? I mean, there''s something to be said for being accepting of everyone, but it isn''t like everyone has to be friends, right? Some people just don''t mix well. It''s natural." Thomas retorted with a shrug. "If all we ever do is wave at each other when we pass by, that''s fine. Also, wouldn''t it be kind of selfish to force someone to be your friend just to make yourself feel better?"


    "You aren''t forcing me to be your friend." Amber responded in a consoling tone.


    "Actually, I was talking about you¡­" Thomas replied.


    "I-I''m not forcing you to be my friend!" Amber exclaimed.


    "So then, I could¡­" Thomas gestured away, taking a step towards the locker room.


    "Wait! Just- What is wrong with you?!?" Amber complained.


    "I''m weird. I''m used to it. Why make a big deal out of it? Every now and then I find one of my people, and I make a friend. Otherwise, why force things?" Thomas explained, before continuing to the locker rooms to change, leaving a baffled Amber standing there.


    After a quick shower and change, Thomas headed towards the cafeteria for dinner. A few minutes after he sat down and started to eat, someone plopped down into the seat beside him.


    "What if we just didn''t pick the right topic to talk about?" Amber asked.


    "Did- did you follow me?" Thomas asked incredulously.


    "Only a little. Not the point. Do you have any hobbies?" Amber continued.


    "You-" Thomas began, before sighing and shaking his head. "I like reading, watching TV, playing video games, stuff like that."


    "What have you been reading?" Amber asked.


    "Well, there''s this manga- well, actually it''s a manhwa from Korea¡­ Anyways, it''s about this skeleton who dies trying to protect his master then gets sent back to when he was first summoned. He figures out he keeps his stats every time he dies, so using his knowledge and this bonus, he tries to do better each life, protecting the people around him." Thomas answered. "Though¡­ I suppose the skeleton doesn''t have to be male¡­ I mean, everyone around talks like he''s a he, but it''s possible he could be a she. Though actually, I suspect he''s actually the skeleton of this Kevin Edaulbaum guy, which is not the actual name but I don''t quite remember it right now. He keeps finding books written by him, and there''s some background conspiracy type thing going on related to his identity, but I''m not entirely sure."


    "How about politics?" Amber groaned.


    "I don''t really pay attention to politics. Too depressing." Thomas shrugged.


    "Fashion?" She asked, sounding slightly desperate.


    "No." Thomas said definitively. "Why are you pushing this? We tried talking, it didn''t work out, no big deal."


    "Because I am a sociable person! I don''t believe there''s someone who I can''t talk to!" Amber exclaimed in frustration.


    Thomas was about to retort, when he noticed Declan walking by and waved him over. "Hey." Declan said with a nod as he sat down and started digging into his food.


    "Hi, I''m Amber." Amber quickly introduced herself, sticking out her hand.


    "Declan." Declan responded, ignoring her hand in favor of his food. "Did you do the calc homework already?"


    "Yeah. Why?" Thomas responded.


    "What''d you get for number seven?" He asked.


    "Uh¡­ 17 and some fraction I think. Why?" Thomas asked again.


    "Thought I might have done something wrong there. I got the same though, so probably not." Declan explained shortly. "Did you hear about the signal they supposedly picked up from outside the solar system?"


    "It''s probably nothing." Thomas scoffed. "This happens every few years, something weird happens, everyone freaks out about it, and ten years later it''s only referenced by alien seeding conspiracy nuts."


    "But what if it actually is something?" Declan continued. "Who do you think would start the war first?"


    "Definitely us." Thomas answered. "We''d go on about how peaceful we are, how progressive and blah, blah, blah, then we''d figure out they''re extremely sexually dimorphic and their women are treated essentially like animals, and we''d try and ''liberate them'' which wouldn''t work out very well since their women are essentially animals. They may throw the first punch, but it''ll be our fault."


    Declan rolled his eyes. "What kind of situation would produce that severe a difference? The two sexes would have to experience two completely different environments while still living together."


    "Not necessarily. Maybe they''re like anglerfish, except reversed. Oh, or possibly there''s an extreme bias in breeding and there''s like a hundred men born for every woman, so there''s an extreme competition among men to breed, while the women essentially just have to exist." Thomas countered.


    Declan nodded. "I could see that¡­ they''d probably have one of those super toxic alpha male cultures too. At least ninety-nine percent of the males would be second class citizens, to reduce competition for mates."


    "Castration would have to be a regular practice." Thomas agreed. "Can''t take the chance your kids are actually some subpar beta''s."


    "Man, institutionalized castration, classism, and sexism¡­ fuck those guys, they deserve to be wiped out." Declan declared.


    Amber looked between the two of them with a slightly horrified expression. "What the hell just happened?"


    Thomas frowned at her. "Humanity, fuck yeah?"


    "Dude, I totally have to catch up on Jenkinsverse. It''s been ages since I read it." Declan interjected.


    "How far have you gotten?" Thomas asked.


    "Uh¡­ I think what''s his face just went to boot camp?" Declan answered.


    "Man that was old when I last read it and that was a while ago. I''m pretty sure they had a major time jump pretty soon after that¡­ wait, no, that is the major time jump." Thomas continued.


    "Right, his training years and all that, before, I assume, being the ultimate space badass." Declan confirmed.


    "Essentially, but he does have that healing crap helping him out." Thomas told him.


    "Right. Wouldn''t that be awesome though? I''d be down to work out if I could just patch myself up right after." Declan replied.


    "I''m not exactly down for the whole ''tear myself apart just to put myself back together'' thing. Seems a little masochistic." Thomas countered.


    "Isn''t exercise in general kinda masochistic? I think the healing would actually make it less so." Declan retorted.


    "Gym rats do like to talk about their aching muscles with a weird sort of pride¡­" Thomas commented in a thoughtful tone.


    "Maybe all that exercise is compensating for the fact that they''re too manly to get a dominatrix. ''I want to be spanked, but I have too many muscles''." Declan mimicked with a bad German accent.


    "Okay, seriously, how did that just happen?!?" Amber exclaimed. "You were talking about a book, and now suddenly you''re on to kinky weightlifters?"


    "Don''t judge them, we all have our own little eccentricities." Thomas commented in a judgmental tone.


    "Yeah, like the fact that Thomas likes milk." Declan added, making a disgusted expression.


    "You and your brittle bones can go suck on a garden hose." Thomas retorted.


    "The bones thing is false, you know." Declan responded.


    "Really? Man, they really played fast and loose with facts back in the day. Milk helps bones, carrots help eyesight, fatty foods are the problem, not sugar. Can''t imagine Popeye helped either." Thomas sighed.


    "Are we any better with our ''superfoods''? Cause putting chia seeds on your muffin totally makes it healthy." Declan responded, rolling his eyes.


    "Ugh!" Amber grunted in frustration, burying her face in her arms.


    "What''s up with her?" Declan asked.


    "She''s not very good at conversation." Thomas responded, as a faint sob came from Amber''s huddled form.

 Points: 2 - A short one

    The next day, after lunch, Thomas went out to buy a nice water bottle, deciding that yes, he did want to be a regular at the gym. He was honestly kinda sick of being out of shape. Plus, more tasks, right? Maybe at least. Though he still wasn''t sure what the ¡®reward¡¯ he''d gotten actually did. It was as if it was just sitting there, waiting. Thomas couldn''t figure it out though, so he just ignored it. Maybe once he''d completed a few more tasks and gathered some more of it, it''d reach some sort of critical mass and something would happen? One could only hope.


    Since it was the weekend, Thomas didn''t really have much to do, so he decided to head to the gym to try running again. Equipped with his new water bottle, he found a treadmill and began his long, stationary trek. Much like yesterday, the notification tracked his progress, and just like yesterday, Thomas was in shambles before he''d even gotten ten percent of the way there. *I wish I was in better shape.* Thomas grumbled internally as he ran, when he felt the substance inside him disappear, and suddenly, the exercise wasn''t so bad. It was as if from one second to the next, he''d gone from the laziest of couch potatoes, to¡­ well, an average person on a jog. He even felt comfortable increasing his speed a bit.


    Thomas was astounded by the progress, but then he noticed something¡­ odd. The task''s progress had stopped increasing, and as he watched it, it even went down! *What the- Why?!?* Thomas wondered incredulously. He was running, wasn''t he!?! The only difference was- Thomas froze, his eyes widening. The only difference was that it was easier¡­ Did- did the task need him to struggle? He frowned, increasing the speed of the treadmill until he started to struggle again, and¡­ The progress slowly began to tick up again, only giving him his reward once he was back in the same utterly wrecked state he''d been in yesterday. If anything, he felt worse than he had yesterday. Thomas grimaced as he dragged himself to the locker room and got cleaned up before heading back to his dorm room. As soon as he got back, he got out a notebook and started writing down what he knew so far.


    First - Tasks appear in the upper right corner of vision. Once completed, a reward is given. Related questions: What creates a task? What determines the amount of reward? Are there different amounts of reward? Why do the tasks require you to push yourself so hard?


    Second - The reward can be consumed to enhance fitness. Can it enhance more than fitness? How much does the reward enhance something? How is the reward quantified?


    Thomas pondered these questions seriously, tapping the end of his pencil on the notebook. "If I''m getting video game style tasks, why don''t I have a status page, with my strength, or fitness, or something, along with the amount of whatever that stuff is?" Thomas wondered. Suddenly, a screen appeared in his vision, which had four entries: Strength, Fitness, Something, and Whatever That Stuff Is. Each entry had a value of one. "I think I sense sarcasm¡­" Thomas muttered as he stared at the nonsensical screen with a frown. "What am I supposed to do with this? It doesn''t mean anything! None of this is defined! Fuck, this is like¡­" Suddenly Thomas''s face fell and he buried his face in his arms. "Like a fucking computer." He finished with a groan.


    He then sat up with a sigh. "Okay then, if it''s like a computer, then we just need to define things. Let''s start with fitness." He muttered as he turned back to the notebook. "Alright, how do we define fitness¡­ Strength, stamina, and agility? Strength would be the amount of force you can exert, stamina is how long you can keep using that force, and agility is how much control you have over that force¡­ Yeah that makes sense." Thomas nodded to himself as he scribbled in his notebook.


    "Now for intelligence¡­ Well, there''s memory, problem solving, comprehension, creativity, willpower¡­ Hell, agility might be a part of intelligence too. Anyway, memory controls how well you can retain information, obviously. Problem solving would be¡­ logic, right? The ability to form the most appropriate conclusion using a collection of facts. Comprehension would be the ability to understand information and how it relates to other things. Creativity is¡­ induction? Using disparate facts to come to a unique conclusion? Kinda just seems like problem solving¡­ let''s forget that for now. Willpower would be the ability to control yourself and resist outside influence. Of course, that could just be stubbornness too¡­ Actually, let''s forget anything that might alter personality. That seems¡­ dangerous. Just focus on pure function, so¡­ Memory, problem solving, and comprehension?¡± Thomas continued.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Then¡­ it''s just like senses, right? The ability to take in information from your surroundings and make sense of it. Lets see¡­ perception will be the ability to take in information from your surroundings, while observation would be the ability to com- wait, why would I separate these? Just make it all one big awareness stat." Thomas finished, shaking his head.


    The status screen now had eight entries: Strength, Stamina, Agility, Memory, Problem Solving, Comprehension, Awareness, and Whatever That Stuff Is. However, all the values were still one. Thomas looked over the screen, somewhat satisfied. "Alright then, let''s define these values then¡­ okay, let''s set my current strength as ten, then, the amount of¡­ okay, let''s call it points. The amount of points needed to raise my current strength by ten percent is equal to one point, then the value of each stat is equal to the amount of points needed to double their current effect." The changes took effect and the status page currently looked like this.


    Strength: 10


    Stamina: 11.28


    Agility: 7.83


    Memory: 11.1


    Problem Solving: 12.45


    Comprehension: 14.62


    Awareness: 17.03


    Points: 4.44


    "Oh, god, decimal points." Thomas groaned in geek born frustration. "Okay, round everything to the nearest whole number. Except for points¡­ just keep points like that." He ordered and the status page quickly rearranged itself.


    Strength: 10


    Stamina: 11


    Agility: 8


    Memory: 11


    Problem Solving: 12


    Comprehension: 15


    Awareness: 17


    Points: 4.44


    Thomas breathed a sigh of relief. "Much better. Now, why is my Awareness so high?" He pretty much understood all the other values, but¡­ he was oblivious as hell. It wasn''t even funny. "Wait. Right, it''s doing both sensitivity and processing, that explains it. Plus there are a lot of senses¡­" Thomas paused, thinking about it for a moment. "In all honesty, the stat value is probably less of an evaluation of ability, and more of an evaluation of the complexity of the different stats."


    Thomas then went back to the notebook, looking over his questions. "The reward is pretty much figured out, so the main question now is where do these tasks actually come from? Based on the two tasks I''ve received so far, it should be related to self improvement, but¡­ who would care enough about me to give me something like this? And if that''s really the case, shouldn''t there be tasks related to push-ups, or studying, or something? Running is like the bare minimum I can do to improve myself." Thomas pondered all this with a frown. "Also, if this came from someone else, why was none of this set up? No points, no stats, no nothing besides the task window. It''s like someone just threw it at me and said figure it out your-"


    Thomas paused, as an idea occurred to him. The task to run was created when he decided he should do so to improve his health, wasn''t it? And his experience with the status page made it clear that whatever was happening responded to his will, even if that will was an idle comment made out of frustration¡­ Did he just need to decide he wanted another task? Thomas stared at the task window thoughtfully. "I should do push-ups.¡± He suddenly declared. And then¡­


    [Push-ups: 0%]

 Points: 3 - Pointless

    Over the next week, Thomas experimented more with his new ability, figuring out a few more things. The main thing he learned was about how the tasks worked. As long as he decided he should do something, he''d receive a task for it, and once he completed it, he''d get a reward. However, it had to be something he needed to push for. For example, he could make a task to beat a boss or accomplish a mission in a video game, but he wouldn''t get the reward until he''d done it in the most difficult way possible, to the point where it wasn''t even fun anymore. Though, admittedly, the dopamine hit from finally doing everything just right was very satisfying. More satisfying than running or doing push-ups, at least. Unfortunately, those types of tasks weren''t as repeatable, since once he''d beaten a boss in the most difficult way possible, doing it again wasn''t that hard. Well, it was still hard, but he didn''t need to push himself to the point where he would earn points. Which was how he learned that if a task didn''t reach a certain threshold, he wouldn''t even get a notification for it. It made him wonder how long he''d had this ability, and if he''d really led a life where he''d never decided to push himself¡­ Which wasn''t to say he''d never pushed himself, but he was beginning to realize it''d never been his decision. When it was his choice, he chose to be comfortable¡­ And he was beginning to wonder if that was a problem.


    He also figured out, after a particularly strenuous day, that the points could be used to recover as well, though it wasn''t exactly cheap. Not at first, at least. The cost decreased as time passed, presumably following his natural recovery, and usually by the next morning he only needed to spend a point or two to get rid of all his minor aches and pains before doing it all again. The cost was actually around that level at night as well, but¡­ well, he tried it once and he''d spent the entire night staring at the ceiling. Apparently the recovery took care of everything, not just his aches and pains. Of course, it was nice that no matter how well he slept the previous night, once he used recovery, he was completely refreshed and ready for the day.


    Currently, most of his tasks were related to the gym, since those tasks seemed to be able to be repeated as often as he was willing to practically kill himself every day, so he''d become quite the regular there, not that he was particularly happy about that. He''d still add in a video game task or something similar every now and then, but that would only get him five or so points and leave his brain too fried to do any more, while at the gym he could target different muscle groups, allowing him to complete several different tasks in a relatively short period of time. So, even though exercise made him miserable, it was just too efficient to not do it.


    Once he''d been at the gym a few days in a row, trying to figure out how to maximize his point gain, people started to approach him to give him advice. In particular, Amber was around pretty often, always trying to be helpful, though thankfully she seemed to have given up on trying to make conversation with him. The biggest piece of advice they kept trying to give him, which Thomas was increasingly getting annoyed at hearing, was that he should space his workouts out more. Apparently it wasn''t good to do everything, everyday. Of course, they didn''t know about his recovery ability, so Thomas understood and even somewhat appreciated their concern for his health, but he did wish they wouldn''t bring it up every time he showed up.


    However, as he gained more and more points, Thomas began to notice a small¡­ issue. As he gained points, his stats kept increasing. Ten points would increase all his stats by one. Well, except for awareness, which would increase by two. Even if he didn''t spend his points, he kept getting stronger, making it harder and harder to earn them, at least, not without making some sort of scene. It was getting to the point where he was thinking he might need to start working out at night or something, so he wouldn''t have to deal with people wondering how he was able to improve so fast. Even worse, he couldn''t quite figure out what to actually do with all this newfound power.


    "Man, I almost want to become a supervillain, just to have a reason to punch someone." Thomas grumbled to himself.


    [Become a Supervillain: 0%]


    "I said almost!" Thomas scolded the task window, making the new task go away. He laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he pondered the problem. "What exactly is it that I actually want out of life? Maybe if I know that, I''ll know what to do with all this." Thomas muttered, getting up and heading to his desk, pulling out his notebook.


    Thomas considered his life and the things that had felt truly fulfilling to him. To be honest, there wasn''t much. He enjoyed a challenge, but when the end result was simply the pride of having accomplished something, well, he didn''t particularly value that, so he wasn''t particularly interested. He''d entered a few competitions with cash prizes, which had been fun, even when he lost, but those sorts of competitions were few and far between, plus he wasn''t particularly skilled enough in any one area to actually accomplish anything in such a competition. Though¡­ well, that had probably changed at this point.


    His talents were primarily in learning. Even when he didn''t put much effort in, he just seemed to get things. As long as he showed up to class and did the homework, he was pretty much guaranteed an A. Hell, if it weren''t for the fact homework was a part of his grade, he probably wouldn''t even need to do that. However, while learning was useful, it didn''t particularly make him happy, and any job that he considered just seemed¡­ tedious. It was just a daily grind, and as long as he performed adequately, he was rewarded. It wasn''t that he had an issue with the rewards, he actually enjoyed them, but rewards for rewards sake got boring fairly quickly. It was similar to the situation he found himself in now. Yes, he could continue doing tasks to gather more and more points, but if he had nothing to actually do with them, what was the point? Work day and night for a paycheck, but if you have nothing you really want to spend it on, why did you put in so much effort?


    Thomas recognized things such as money and points as potential, the means by which he could obtain the things he wanted. But all he really wanted was to be¡­ satisfied? That sounded about right. But he really wasn''t that hard to keep satisfied. He was fairly good at keeping himself entertained, with books, manga, video games, TV¡­ honestly, with the amount of resources out there to keep people entertained, how was anyone ever bored? Socially he was a bit of an outcast, but he had enough close relationships that he didn''t really feel lonely. Mostly with his family, but he had friends too, like Declan. He was confident that there were people out there who would appreciate him, and eventually he''d find them. Now physically he was a bit less than satisfied with himself, but the points were rapidly changing that, along with the significant amount of exercise he was doing. But what else were they doing for him? What use did he have for being stronger and smarter than everyone else? He could become famous, but that just seemed¡­ annoying. Everyone becomes so involved in your life, and for what? Thomas couldn''t see any tangible benefits in it. Despotic rule on the other hand¡­ morally he was against it, but he could actually see the allure in that. Being able to make people do-


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Thomas suddenly paused, coming out of the rambling mess that was his thought process, as an idea suddenly occurred to him. Could he make tasks for other people? The main issue he was facing was the fact that if his points kept increasing, life would get too easy. Who could compete with someone with inhuman levels of strength and intelligence? However, what if he spread his ability around a bit? Give others the same advantage, and see what they do with it? Wouldn''t that be more interesting? Slowly a grin began to spread across Thomas''s face as he grew more and more attached to the idea. Obviously he needed to perform a few tests, make sure he could actually do it, see if the others would interact with his ability differently than he did, but he couldn''t help but get excited. The only question was where to start.


    Thomas leaned back in his chair, considering the issue. "What I need is a play tester." He muttered thoughtfully, going over in his head the people he could ask to do this for him. He considered his roommate, for ease of access, but the guy was never around and he probably wouldn''t believe him in the first place. Declan was an option, but they rarely saw each other besides class and occasionally in the cafeteria, so he''d probably have to wait until Monday if he wanted to start. The only other option he could think of, unfortunately, was Amber. She was usually at the gym, so she was easy to find. She was accepting to an almost fanatical degree, so even if she didn''t believe him, she''d probably just go along with it. If it didn''t work, she already didn''t particularly get him, so he could probably just play it off as a weird joke and she''d ignore it. All in all, she seemed like the ideal option. The only problem was that they seemed to communicate on two entirely different wavelengths. If it purely focused on experimentation, it shouldn''t be an issue, but he just knew she''d find a way to complicate everything.


    *


    "Hey Amber, I was wondering if you could help me with something." Thomas said as he walked up to her. Just as he''d expected, she was at the gym when he walked in. They''d apparently picked similar times to work out, as she was always arriving around the same time he did.


    "Uh, sure, what is it?" Amber asked curiously.


    Thomas immediately got a dumb look on his face as he actually had no idea how to explain what he was asking. Amber stared at him, raising an eyebrow while he thought. "Okay, first, what''s your next workout?" He asked finally.


    "I was about to do squats." Amber answered, looking at him weirdly.


    Thomas nodded. "Okay, I''m going to try something, and I need you to let me know if anything happens, okay?" Amber furrowed her brows, but nodded. Thomas focused on her. *Amber should do squats.* Thomas issued the task mentally. "Anything?"


    "You''re just standing there¡­" Amber answered, the furrow in her brow deepening. Thomas frowned, before reaching out his hand and placing it on her shoulder. Amber still looked like she had no idea what he was doing, when Thomas tried to issue the task again, and her eyes immediately widened.


    "I''m guessing it worked this time, right?" He asked, watching Amber wave her hand vaguely at something in the upper right corner of her vision.


    "What is that?!?" Amber asked in a panicked tone.


    "Well, I''ve been calling it the task window. It''s actually why I started working out. Essentially, every time you do something it tells you to do, it rewards you with this stuff I''ve been calling points, which can be used to make you stronger and smarter." Thomas explained, keeping things pretty basic. "Now, go do your workout."


    Amber still looked confused, but complied. Thomas decided to start on a few of his tasks as well. He finished his run and was about to start on the bench press, which had replaced pushups, when Amber returned. "I finished." She panted, looking exhausted. ¡°I think that was the toughest set I''ve ever done.¡±


    "Alright, how many points did you get?" Thomas asked.


    "How do I check that?" She asked.


    "Oh, right, try thinking about pulling up the status page." Thomas responded, remembering he hadn''t really explained anything yet.


    Amber frowned. "Nothing is happening."


    "Try saying it out loud?" Thomas suggested tentatively.


    "Pull up the status page." Amber muttered softly under her breath, before shaking her head. "Still nothing."


    Thomas frowned, wondering why she wouldn''t be able to bring it up. "That''s¡­ wait." Thomas remembered how he had to create the status screen himself. Maybe, since all he''d given her was a task, she needed to be given the status screen as well? Thomas focused on Amber again. *Give Amber the status screen.*


    Immediately Amber yelped as a screen appeared in her vision. "I-I see it now!" Amber exclaimed, looking over the screen. "It says I have four point seven six points."


    Thomas nodded. "Okay, try putting a point into a stat."


    Amber stared intently into space for a moment, then shook her head. "It isn''t working."


    Thomas cocked his head. "Why¡­ wait, Amber, can you feel the points you gained? Like sense them sitting there, waiting to be used?"


    Amber gave him a weird look. "No? Should I?"


    "There isn''t really a should or shouldn''t here." Thomas shrugged. "I think the problem is that you aren''t connected to the points in the same way I am, so you can only interact with them in prescribed ways. You completed the task, so you get points, but there''s no set way to use them, so without a way to actually connect with the points, you can''t."


    Thomas considered this problem as he pulled up his own status page. With a thought, he created a plus sign next to each stat and created the rule that when the plus sign is ''pressed'', one point is put into the related stat. He tried it on his, and it worked fine, so he sent the change to Amber. "Do you see the plus signs next to the stats?" He asked, and Amber nodded. "Focus on the one next to the stat you want to raise, and think about pressing it."


    "It worked!" Amber exclaimed excitedly, hopping slightly in excitement as Thomas sighed in relief. "Uh, Thomas?" Amber asked after a bit. "How do I make this screen go away?"

 Points: 4 - A long one

    Over the next few days, Thomas continued to work with Amber to perfect this new ''system'' he was creating. The first hurdle was the fact that anything he wanted people to be able to do needed a button. By the task window, he created the status button, which would open and close the status screen. The plus buttons next to the stats would increase the stats to the next whole number. It turned out, other people had to spend their points for them to have an effect, unlike with Thomas, so without the buttons, it''d be pointless. Additionally, he created a recovery button in the status page, with the cost in points displayed next to it.


    The next issue was the problem with tasks. People other than him couldn''t create their own tasks, so if he wanted them to have any, he needed to give it to them himself, which¡­ wouldn''t work. While he did learn that besides the first task, he didn''t need to touch Amber again to issue tasks, it wasn''t like he could spend his days micromanaging the actions of everyone he decided to give the system to. Therefore, he decided to see if he could figure out a way to automate task creation. Through some experimentation with Amber, he created four rules.


    First, tasks would be created in line with the user''s desires. For example, if a person wanted to be a famous scientist, the system would issue tasks related to performing research, solving problems, or publishing papers. He wanted to set it up so that people could just give themselves any task they wanted, but he couldn''t get the system to accept open-ended inputs like that. He could create a way for people to type things into the system, but he couldn''t get the system to actually recognize what was typed.


    Second, the system would always make sure users had a set amount of tasks available to complete, as determined by the user.


    Third, tasks must be able to be completed in a reasonable amount of time, as determined by the user.


    Fourth, tasks must have a clear objective.


    After creating these rules, Thomas made a few more changes. First, he created a settings page. It separated tasks into daily, minor, and major tasks, then allowed the users to determine the maximum amount of time and the amount of tasks available for each one. He then created a task page which kept track of how many points people earned for each task and allowed them to dismiss tasks they no longer wanted to complete. Finally, he created a [Gift System] option, because why should he have to spread it all himself?


    As he sent the latest version to Amber, he looked at his own task window and sighed. With the automatic task creation update, he''d been getting new tasks of his own, and they all seemed to revolve around a single issue.


    [Talk to your crush: 0%]


    [Hang out with your crush: 0%]


    [Take your crush out on a date: 0%]


    Apparently, his desires currently revolved around the cute girl he shared three classes with, and he wasn''t very happy about it. Thomas recognized he had a crush, but he also recognized it was only based on the most superficial details, mainly that she was cute. He didn''t even know her name! It didn''t feel appropriate to approach a girl based on something like that. Thankfully, Thomas could always make his own tasks, so he didn''t need to worry about it too much.


    *I wonder what sort of tasks Amber is getting.* Thomas wondered, chuckling to himself. The moment he thought this, a page appeared in front of him, showing a list of tasks. *Well¡­ that is awkward.*


    *


    "So, guess what I learned today." Thomas announced as he and Amber were working out together later that day. "Apparently, I can view other people''s pages, including the task screen."


    Immediately Amber stopped what she was doing, flushing as she turned to him. "So you saw¡­?"


    "Indeed I did." Thomas confirmed with a nod. "What''s up with that?"


    "Well¡­ it''s just, I''m always so disciplined, you know? Here every day working out, getting my homework done early, and¡­ Well, sometimes you just want to let loose and do something crazy." Amber explained sheepishly.


    "I guess." Thomas replied noncommittally.


    "Well¡­ since you know about it¡­ would you mind helping me complete it?" Amber asked, looking up at him with a combination of hopefulness and nervousness.


    Thomas was about to reject her, when a new task appeared.


    [Help Amber complete her task: 0%]


    Immediately Thomas became conflicted. Of course, the task wasn''t exactly distasteful, but he was somewhat worried about the aftereffects. He went back and forth on it for a bit, before finally sighing. "Alright, yeah, let''s do it."


    "Thank you!" Amber exclaimed happily, before grabbing his wrist and leading him towards a back room.


    "Okay, before we start, I just want to make sure you''ve thought this through and you''re not going to get all emotional once we''re done." Thomas explained carefully, as Amber closed the door behind them.


    "Don''t worry, once we''re done, we can forget it ever happened. I''m not going to hold anything against you." Amber assured him.


    Thomas sighed again, still slightly hesitant. "Alright, let''s just get it over with then." He finally announced, and Amber lept at him.


    A short while later, they were both lying on the floor, covered in sweat, and panting heavily. "Fuck, that was intense." Thomas groaned.


    "And incredibly satisfying." Amber added.


    Thomas scoffed. "Maybe for you. I''m pretty sure you bit me at some point."


    "Like you''re one to talk." Amber shot back. "I can''t even count the amount of times you pulled my hair!"


    "Hey, I needed leverage, and that ponytail of yours is like a natural handle." Thomas retorted, groaning as he climbed to his feet. "Man, we sure made a mess in here." He commented as he helped Amber up as well.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll clean it up. It was my idea in the first place." Amber waved dismissively, glancing at him hesitantly. "You¡­ wouldn''t happen to want to go another round, would you?" She asked, slightly hopefully.


    "I am drained, woman! Are you really that insatiable? The task is done and so am I." Thomas immediately rejected her, shaking his head incredulously.


    "Yeah, yeah." Amber rolled her eyes. "I''ll see you tomorrow?"


    "Ostensibly." Thomas shot over his shoulder, exiting the room, shaking his head as he did. "''Fight someone for real.'' I''ll never get that woman." He muttered to himself, rubbing his eye, already feeling it start to swell. "Man, I hope the recovery button works on bruises."


    *


    The next morning, Thomas rested with his head on his desk, very much not happy. It turns out, legitimate injuries are just a bit more expensive to recover than exhaustion. By the next morning, it still cost over seven points, which considering he only got four points for the fight, would make the whole ordeal a complete waste. So he had to go to class with all his aches and pains intact while he waited for the cost to decrease.


    "Are you okay?" He heard someone ask him as they sat in the seat next to him.


    "Not particularly, but I''m sure I''ll manage." Thomas grumbled, raising his head slightly, before quickly straightening as he noticed it was actually his crush sitting there, looking at him with a concerned expression.


    "Oh my¡­ did you get into a fight?" She asked as she took in the damage on Thomas''s face, particularly the swollen eye.


    "Uh, yeah¡­ but I should be better in a few days." Thomas explained, slightly nervously. He wasn''t exactly used to receiving this amount of attention from someone he liked.


    The girl clicked her tongue. "How could someone do this to you? I swear, this world is getting worse and worse every day." She grumbled.


    Thomas flushed awkwardly. "Actually, this was more¡­ self inflicted. See, I''ve been going to the gym recently, and I''ve been hanging out with this one girl. Apparently, something she''s always wanted to do is get into a real, actual fight with someone, and compared to the rest of the gym regulars, I''m more on her level, so¡­" Thomas gestured vaguely to his face.


    The girl gave him a weird look. "I can''t tell whether you''re a good friend, or an absolute idiot."


    "Little column A, little column B¡­ though I''m really feeling like column B right now." Thomas sighed.


    The girl let out a short laugh, shaking her head. "I''m Jessica, by the way." She introduced herself with a smile.


    [Talk to your crush: 100% - 4 pts.]


    "Thomas." Thomas replied. "So, how are you enjoying the class?"


    "It''s- different than I thought it''d be." Jessica replied vaguely.


    "Yeah, I get that." Thomas nodded. "I always thought programming would be more¡­ effective. It seems like we put in a whole lot of effort for minimal results."


    "Right!?!" Jessica agreed. "I mean, I don''t particularly mind all the functions, but all the little rules like brackets and semicolons¡­ I mostly worked with Python before this, so it just throws me."


    "What were you doing with Python?" Thomas asked curiously.


    "Just small math problems that didn''t go into a calculator well or I had a lot of variables for." Jessica shrugged. "Oh, I also made a random outfit generator. Essentially, I just take pictures of myself in all my tops and bottoms, and upload them to a top folder and a bottom folder. Then the program randomly selects a picture from each folder and displays them one over the other, giving me a general idea of what I''d look like wearing those clothes."


    Thomas raised his eyebrows appreciatively. "Outstanding. I''ve never even touched programming before this. Though¡­ I don''t have much of an issue picking out clothes. All my pants look the same, and I just cycle through seven shirts every week, or eight actually, cause laundry day, and a few of those are doubles."


    "So that''s what it is!" Jessica exclaimed. "I was wondering why you seem to wear the same thing every day, but you don''t have that ''I never wash myself and don''t even notice'' smell."


    "Yeah, I just have an incredibly boring fashion sense. Primary colors and cargo pants." Thomas nodded.


    "It isn''t like you''re the only one." Jessica pointed out, gesturing at the various similar outfits around the room. "You guys are so lucky to have avoided the rigmarole that is fashion." She sighed, before noticing the teacher arrive. "Well, I hope you feel better soon. You''re in my calc class at one, right?"


    "And Physics at eleven." Thomas nodded.


    "Really?" Jessica asked, looking confused. "I never see you there."


    "Well, I always sit in the back, plus I have other classes before and after, so I''m always getting there right before it starts and I have to rush out right after." Thomas explained. "I packed all my classes between eight and two, Monday, Wednesday, Friday¡­ it seemed like a good idea at the time."


    She gave him a weird look. "You just don''t have a good grasp on consequences, do you?" Thomas was about to retort, but before he could, the teacher began the class, so he had to quiet down, Jessica shooting him a quick grin before turning to pay attention herself.


    *


    "So you are here!" Jessica exclaimed, sitting down next to Thomas in their Physics class. "I thought you said you were always late to this class."


    "Not late, more like right on time." Thomas replied. "And apparently my English professor is sick today, so she canceled class¡­ kinda wish I''d checked my emails before I sat there for fifteen minutes."


    "Gotcha." Jessica nodded. "Whatcha doing?" She asked, looking over at his phone.


    "It''s this game called ball sort puzzle." Thomas answered, showing it to her. "You can only place the balls on top of the same color, or in an empty tube, and you try and get all the balls of the same color together. It''s¡­ well, I''m not sure if I''d say it''s exactly entertaining, but it kinda draws you in. Pretty much just a way to waste time while waiting, you know?¡±


    Jessica nodded, but before she could reply a guy wandered over and sat next to them. "So we''re sitting back here today?" He asked, sitting down on the other side of her, shooting Thomas a slightly wary glance.


    "Hey! Thomas, this is Mark. Mark, this is Thomas. He''s another computer science major." Jessica introduced the two.


    "Nice to meet you." Thomas greeted him with a wave.


    Mark just nodded back, before focusing on Jessica. "What''d you think of the homework?"


    "It wasn''t bad. I mean, we''re pretty much just reviewing high school at this point, right?" She answered.


    "Seriously." Thomas agreed. "I kinda feel like my intelligence is being called into question with some of these classes."


    "Oh my god, right?" Jessica agreed. "It''s like they assumed we forgot everything in the three months between high school and now."


    "Isn''t it nice to have a refresher though?" Mark interjected. "It''s kinda like getting into a pool. Sure you could jump right in, but it''s more comfortable to go slow."


    Thomas frowned. "I don''t know¡­ to me it feels more like being forced to use training wheels after spending years riding a bike without them. I mean, we pay to be here, to actually learn. Being forced to attend classes that progress at a snail''s pace is literally wasting our money."


    "Yeah!" Jessica agreed. "I mean, I get it wouldn''t be for everyone, but couldn''t they at least offer an accelerated program?"


    "I mean, not for everything, but I''d totally be down for a class that did Physics one and two in a single semester." Thomas nodded. "Also, why limit us to eighteen credits? If we can take more, why not let us?"


    "It''s all because of money." Jessica sighed. "The longer we spend here, the more money they get."


    "Ugh, money." Thomas sneered in disgust. "I almost wish we could live without it. Of course, I also recognize that without money, I''d pretty much lose all motivation to do pretty much anything, so¡­ a necessary evil."


    "What, are you saying that without some form of compensation, you''d just do nothing?" Mark questioned him.


    "My interests are reading, playing video games, and watching TV¡­ that''s pretty much it." Thomas explained, raising his fingers. "None of that is particularly expensive. If I didn''t need money to survive, I''d probably just get by working part-time at some fast-food joint or something and be perfectly happy."


    "Isn''t that just lazy?" Mark retorted.


    "Not doing things you''re supposed to do is lazy." Thomas countered. "Not doing things you don''t want to do is just life. If you have no inclination to do something, and there''s no reward for doing it, forcing yourself to do it just because is essentially masochism."


    Mark frowned at him, while Jessica had a thoughtful expression on her face. "So what you''re saying is that money provides the motivation for people to do things that they normally wouldn''t do? Wait¡­ Nevermind, that''s just obvious." Jessica commented.


    "Well, yeah." Thomas grinned. "But it''s more that people will do whatever they feel benefits them the most. Of course, there''s a special emphasis on feel, because some things feel beneficial when they really aren''t. Like being famous. It feels like something you should want, but really you just get a bunch of people poking into your private life for little to no benefit. I bet Zuckerberg wished he just had the money and people would stop making memes suggesting he isn''t human."


    Mark shook his head. "I disagree. People aren''t just cost and benefit analysis machines. Besides there''s plenty of examples of people doing incredibly selfless things for no reward, like that guy who created the polio vaccine."


    "Well, no, what we view as selfless is actually just valuing a different form of benefit. I couldn''t say exactly what the polio guy got out of it, but he absolutely valued more people having access to the vaccine over personal gain. If you consider it this way, then what he did is absolutely the most beneficial act he could have taken for himself. Whether it was for fame, or for helping people, or whatever, his greatest benefit lied in making sure that the largest number of people got the vaccine, not in making a ton of money." Thomas countered. "The very fact that those people actually received the vaccine was his reward."


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Mark scoffed. "Using that logic, anything can be a benefit."


    Thomas frowned. "Yeah? Is there a problem with that?"


    Mark was about to retort, when Jessica cut him off. "Guys, class." She muttered, pointing towards the front, and they both quieted down to listen to the professor. "Ugh, I can barely read the slides." She grumbled, squinting towards the front of the class as she took notes. She turned to look at Thomas, whose head was bobbing up and down as he struggled not to fall asleep. He hadn''t been able to use the recovery button that morning, plus he hadn''t slept well due to his injuries, so he was back to his usual tired self. She poked him with the end of her pencil, jolting him awake. He turned to her with a slightly embarrassed grin, and she raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you actually learning from back here?" She asked skeptically in a low murmur, leaning in close to him.


    Thomas nodded with a yawn. "I''m an auditory learner. As long as I hear it, I get what I need to know. Especially since he repeats himself every fifteen minutes."


    "And you don''t take notes?" She asked.


    "It just distracts me." Thomas answered with a shrug. Jessica gave him an evaluating look, before returning her attention to the professor. The class progressed and the moment the teacher finished, Thomas got up, waved a quick goodbye, and shot off towards his next class, Jessica watching him go with a strange look.


    "What''s up with you?" Mark asked as he got up and started packing up his things, noticing she was just sitting there with a thoughtful expression.


    "Oh, nothing." Jessica shook her head, getting up and gathering her stuff as well. "He was an interesting guy, wasn''t he?" She commented a short bit later.


    "He was definitely strange." Mark grumbled back. "You heading to lunch now?"


    Jessica started to nod, before pausing as something occurred to her. "Actually, no¡­ I think I''ll go after my calc class."


    *


    Thomas made it to Calculus around twelve fifty-nine, right before the class was about to start. As he walked in, he was about to head towards his usual seat, when he noticed Jessica waving him down, gesturing towards an empty seat beside her. Thomas hesitated slightly because the seat was in the front row, but he couldn''t actually think of a reasonable objection to her invitation so he took the seat. They nodded at each other, but before they could start talking, the professor began the class.


    Thomas immediately regretted his decision to sit up front. See, when you''re nodding off towards the back of the class, professor''s don''t seem to particularly mind. However, as Thomas propped his head up, staring at the professor with a dazed look, right in front of him, the professor couldn''t help but shoot him a few disappointed glances, though Thomas swore there were traces of contempt there too. Honestly, Thomas did better than usual, actually maintaining consciousness throughout the entire class, though there were a few close calls, but he could tell he''d made a bad impression.


    "Alright, we''ll stop here." The professor finally announced. "Remember, there''s a test on Friday, so make sure you''re prepared." He warned, with a particularly focused glance towards Thomas.


    "I''m beginning to suspect he doesn''t think very highly of you." Jessica muttered cheekily as they gathered up their stuff.


    Thomas sighed. "I just can''t help it. Something about the way he talks just knocks me out. It doesn''t help that he''s the sixth class of the day either."


    "Then how do you explain Physics?" Jessica asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Comfy seats." Thomas responded immediately. He then noticed Declan about to leave, and waved him down.


    "What''s up?" Declan asked, heading over.


    "Not much, I was just wondering if you had gotten lunch yet. I have a thing I want to talk to you about." Thomas explained, thinking it was about the right time to add a new user to the system.


    "I got lunch before class and I have another right after this." Declan explained with a shrug. "What''s the thing?"


    "It''s a kind of beta test type thing. I''m not in any particular hurry though, so whenever you''re free." Thomas responded.


    Declan nodded thoughtfully. "Sounds interesting. Let me get your number, and I''ll text you." They quickly exchanged numbers, and Declan headed off towards his next class.


    "So, a beta test?" Jessica asked him as they walked out of the class together. "Are you making a game or something?"


    "Something like that." Thomas nodded.


    "Could I help?" She asked, giving him a sidelong glance, trying not to look too interested.


    Thomas paused. "I- don''t see why not¡­" He muttered somewhat noncommittally.


    "You don''t have to include me if you don''t want to." Jessica quickly assured him, noticing Thomas''s hesitation, though she did feel a bit hurt by it.


    Thomas shook his head. "It isn''t that, it''s just it''s a little¡­ weird. I''m not sure how comfortable you''d be with it."


    Jessica raised an eyebrow. "What, are you working on some anime dating sim or something?"


    "Huh? No! Nothing like that. It''s more¡­ well, you probably won''t believe me until you see it for yourself." Thomas sighed.


    Jessica gave him a weird look. "Just to let you know, if you want to actually market whatever this thing is in the future, you''re going to have to get better at explaining it."


    "Oh, don''t worry. Demand will not be an issue with this product." Thomas grinned. "I just want to make sure all the bugs are worked out before I spread it."


    Jessica frowned again. "This is beginning to sound like a virus."


    Thomas paused thoughtfully. "Well, it is spread through touch¡­"


    Jessica glared at him. "Are you purposefully trying to confuse me?"


    "No, it''s just¡­" He tried to think of a reasonable way to explain the system, without literally just giving it to her now. He then noticed they were pretty close to the cafeteria, and she was still following him. "Are you getting lunch too?"


    "Yup. Is that a problem?" Jessica asked, giving him another sidelong glance.


    "No. Actually, I can probably explain this while we eat, so it works out pretty well." Thomas replied. They entered the cafeteria and began filling their plates, before finding a table.


    "So, have you figured out how to explain your¡­ apparently touch based thing that requires a beta test?" Jessica asked after they got situated.


    Thomas sighed. "Yeah, but¡­ you''re probably going to think I''m crazy until you actually experience it."


    "I''ll try to keep an open mind." Jessica responded, rolling her eyes.


    Thomas frowned as he tried to psych himself up for the explanation. "Okay, so- well, essentially- Okay, about a week ago, I figured out I could- Well, I actually didn''t really figure it out until a bit later, but I- Well, there''s these tasks, and if I complete these tasks, I get points, which I can use to make myself stronger, smarter, heal myself, stuff like that¡­"


    Jessica frowned at him. "If you can heal yourself, then why¡­" She gestured at his swollen eye.


    "Oh, I''m just leaving that cause it costs like seven points to heal, and I only received four points for the fight¡­ just doesn''t seem worth it." Thomas explained. "Anyway, I figured out I can make the tasks and other things, like a status window, settings, stuff like that, and give it to other people. So¡­ I''m asking people to try it out before I go and make it widely available. You know, make sure there aren''t any glaring flaws that would make it unusable."


    Jessica pursed her lips and nodded at him. "You were right¡­ I don''t believe you."


    "Yeah, I figured." Thomas sighed. "I can literally give it to you right now, I just need to be touching you first."


    Jessica gave him a suspicious look as she held out her hand. "Do it then." She challenged. Thomas eyed her hand nervously for a moment, before taking hold of it and transferring the system to her. "You know, you didn''t have to make up some weird story just to- Holy shit fuck!" Jessica exclaimed as the system popped up, her eyes widening and jaw dropping.


    "Told you." Thomas grinned, watching her astonished expression. "Actually, the way the system takes commands is a lot like programming, so you could probably be pretty helpful."


    Jessica didn''t even bother to respond as she looked through the few pages the system had, staring at them in disbelief. That is, until she got to the tasks page, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You said you''re the one who makes the tasks, right?"


    "Kinda." Thomas shrugged. "Actually, that''s the main thing I need tested. See, I figured I wouldn''t have time to give everyone their own personal tasks, so I''ve been working on getting the system to issue tasks automatically. It does, but we''re still working out the kinks in how appropriate the tasks actually are, hence why me and Amber got in a fight yesterday. In the settings page, you can adjust how many you get and how long they should take to complete, the default being four of each with the time being set to an hour for daily, a week for minor, and a month for major. Then the tasks are supposed to be based around what you actually want to do. So far it seems to be more in line with repressed desires, which¡­ well, if we have a bunch of people who are suddenly motivated to do things they want to do, but aren''t exactly comfortable doing for whatever reason, we''ll probably have some issues."


    Jessica furrowed her brow. "So, any task I receive should be something I actually want to do?"


    "That''s the idea." Thomas nodded, before noticing they were still holding hands. "Uh, you can let go, by the way."


    Jessica quickly snapped her hand back, looking flustered. "Ahem¡­ sorry about that." She glanced back at the task window, before shaking her head. "A-anyway, you''re worried about task creation?"


    ¡°Yeah. Essentially, right now, as long as the user wants something, a task is created to push them towards whatever that something is. It works, and as far as I''ve noticed the tasks aren''t horrible, but I still feel like it could be better, you know?" Thomas explained.


    Jessica paused thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "Remember what you said earlier, about people wanting things that seem beneficial, but aren''t? Like being famous. What if you included a qualifier that judged whether a task was actually beneficial to the user or not?"


    Thomas nodded. "That seems like a good idea, but how? Just to warn you, the system is pretty dumb, like a computer. Complex judgment calls might be out of its ballpark."


    Jessica frowned. "Huh¡­ wait, so the system can read people''s desires, right?"


    Thomas nodded. "Apparently."


    "Well, can it read their morality as well? If you can set it up so that any task that conflicts with the user''s morality is ignored, that should help right?" Jessica suggested.


    Thomas raised his eyebrows, nodding in appreciation as he considered her suggestion. "That could work¡­" He pulled up the rules governing the automatic task creation and added a fifth: If a task conflicts with the user''s sense of morality, the task will not be created, despite their desire. He then sent the update to both Jessica and Amber. "There, we''ll see how that works." Thomas nodded in satisfaction. "Any other ideas?"


    "What about the converse? If there''s something they feel they should do, but they don''t actually have any desire to actually do it, shouldn''t a task be created?" Amber offered again.


    Thomas grinned and added the sixth rule: If a user believes something should be done, a task will be created, even if their desire to actually do it is lacking. "You''re pretty good at this." Thomas complemented her.


    Jessica grinned back, before pausing and getting a weird look on her face as she studied her hands intently. "Okay, so, I''m not dreaming, right? Because this feels a bit surreal."


    Thomas shrugged. "I couldn''t say if you were or not, seeing as if you were, I''d just be part of the dream¡­ but from my perspective, this is absolutely real."


    Jessica pressed her palms into her temples. "Ugh, this is making my head feel fuzzy." She groaned. "It''s like my mind was on one track, then the world suddenly shifted ninety degrees straight up and my mental train is struggling to keep going."


    "Sorry?" Thomas apologized hesitantly, not sure what else to say.


    "Oh, god, reality is a simulation and I''ve just been handed a cheat console!" Jessica hissed in a horrified tone.


    "You know, I''ve never really gotten the issue people have with the idea that our world might be a simulation. I mean, it''s real enough, isn''t it?" Thomas pointed out with a frown. "Honestly, if the world was just a simulation, what would it really change? It isn''t like we can change anything and our actions still have an effect on our environment. It''d essentially just be a kinda neat fact that has little to no bearing on our actual lives."


    Jessica looked at him with wide eyes, before frowning and looking down at the table in thought. "I''ve never thought of it that way before." She muttered.


    Thomas grinned at her. "You know, you''re pretty easily distracted by stuff like that."


    She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"


    "I''m just saying, you seem to forget everything else once you have a problem to think through." Thomas elaborated. "It''s kinda cute." He commented absently, before freezing as he realized what he''d just said. "A-anyway, do you have any more ideas for the task generator?" He quickly added, slightly flustered.


    Jessica flashed an amused grin at him before considering the question. "You could have the system consider the other users'' desires and morality as well when issuing tasks. For example, say user A wants to¡­ I don''t know, win a dancing competition or something, but they don''t have a partner. User two doesn''t particularly want to dance, but they would like to help user one. The system could issue a task to user two to help user one win the competition."


    Thomas frowned. "I think it might already sort of do that¡­ remember the fighting thing? My task was to help Amber complete her task. I had little to no desire to actually fight someone."


    Jessica cocked her head. "What about conflicting tasks? Where two people want two totally different things?"


    "Well, one would win, and the other would lose¡­ I don''t really see a problem with that." Thomas replied.


    Jessica frowned. "Okay, how about if one person wanted something to change, while another wanted things to stay the same. The first would be issued a task but the second wouldn''t, even though a task to stop the other would be in line with their morals or desires."


    Thomas considered this. "That would be a good idea¡­ how about this. If another user''s task would affect a user in a way that goes against the user''s desires or morality, a counter task will be issued to the user."


    Jessica thought about it for a moment. "I would probably add ''would affect a user or something they care about''. Not all things you want to stop personally affect you."


    Thomas nodded in agreement, and added the rule. "You know, I never would have thought that getting beat up would lead to you helping me design my system¡­ It''s a weird world we live in."


    Jessica rolled her eyes. "The weird part is that you even have a system to design! People being concerned about the wellbeing of others is just normal."


    "So you say, but you were the only one in any of my classes to actually talk to me about it." Thomas countered. "Even your friend Mark just kinda looked at me weird."


    "With how much you rush around campus, does anyone else even have time to comment?" Jessica pointed out. "If you get to class right before it starts every time, no one is going to try and start a lengthy conversation with you. Plus, for Mark, we were already talking, and it would have been rude of him to change the subject."


    Thomas frowned. "Wasn''t that the first thing he did though? He came up and asked you about the homework."


    "Oh yeah¡­" Jessica remembered, frowning herself. "Still, Mark aside, you can''t say everyone ignores you when you''re in a situation where they don''t even particularly have an opportunity to approach you."


    "That''s fair I suppose." Thomas shrugged. "I still think you''re the weird one though. It''s fairly normal for people to dismiss anything that happens outside their usual sphere of interaction, probably because it''s hard to properly judge the situation if you lack information. Unpredictable situations make most people pretty nervous."


    "Again, you literally have a system in your head." Jessica stated emphatically. "You do realize that isn''t normal, right?"


    "It isn''t normal yet. Just give it a few years." Thomas replied with a grin.


    Jessica frowned. "Why are you trying to spread this?"


    "Honestly? It just seems like it''d make life more exciting." Thomas shrugged. "Wouldn''t it be pretty boring to be stronger and smarter than everyone else? Like¡­ what would you do with that?"


    Jessica cocked her head thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense¡­ It''s like a video game. If you cheat so that there''s no more difficulty, it gets boring."


    "Exactly." Thomas nodded. "Plus, what''s the world going to look like once it becomes common for a dude to be able to lift a car over his head, run for days without breaking a sweat, or do complex calculations off the top of their head? Wouldn''t that be an interesting world to live in?"


    *


    *Well, I didn''t expect to complete those tasks this soon.* Thomas thought to himself as he walked out of the cafeteria after saying goodbye to Jessica. She was surprisingly easy to talk to and they''d ended up hanging out for almost two hours, long after they''d finished their food, allowing him to easily complete the task to hang out with her. Which¡­ kinda spat in the face of the whole idea that tasks needed to be challenging, huh? He''d even gotten six point five four points for it, which was one of the highest point rewards he''d ever gotten! But why? He¡¯d barely even done anything! Jessica had been the one to push everything along! Thomas sighed, shaking his head. More kinks to work out before he started spreading the system.


    Thomas frowned as he checked the recovery button. It''d only decreased by about half a point, which meant he was probably going to need to wait until next week to use the recovery button again. "Damnit, why can''t I heal individual- fuck, I can totally do that, can''t I?" Thomas facepalmed. "Ugh, how do I tell the point cost before I use it though¡­" Thomas wondered as he walked.


    *Okay, first, create a new page listing each injury. Next to each listed item, list the cost in points to heal that injury and a heal button, which when pressed, will heal the injury. List the injuries from smallest cost to greatest. At the bottom, put a heal all button, which will heal all injuries.* Thomas directed, creating a new system window. *Next to the recovery button in the status page, place a plus icon, which when pressed, opens the detailed healing page.* He finished, including it in the system package and sending it out to Amber and Jessica. He then took care of his muscle aches and fatigue, leaving the injuries from his fight with Amber alone.


    "I really need to spend some time experimenting with my points." Thomas muttered. "I''ve definitely only scratched the surface of their utility."


    Once he got back to the dorm, he sat down at his desk and pulled out his notebook again. He actually rarely wrote in it, but he found the setting of sitting at his desk with a notebook and pencil helped him think. Then he pulled up his status page and studied it for a moment, considering what he could try to do with the points next.


    "So far, all it seems to do is enhance what''s already there, but¡­ I haven''t really tried to do anything else with it, have I?" Thomas muttered to himself. "Let''s see¡­" First, he added height as a stat on the page, then had the system display the cost to increase his height by one inch. "About twenty points¡­ which probably means it''ll work. Neat." He then tried out a few more stats. Weight cost about four and a half points per pound to change, for both increasing and decreasing, which made him go back and check whether he could decrease his height as well, which he could. He glanced over at the stats, considering whether he should make a minus sign for them as well, before shaking his head. Who would want to decrease their stats? He created a few more variables and found that minor cosmetic changes barely cost anything. Apparently hair was cheap. As for changing his gender¡­ "I don''t know what''s more disturbing. The fact that it''s possible, or that it costs sixty-nine points." Thomas muttered, staring at his status screen with a grimace.


    "This is all superficial, though¡­ literally just a point sink for little to no real benefit. What if¡­ what if you could spend points to increase the processes that led to changes?" Thomas muttered thoughtfully. "Let''s see¡­ we could enhance the metabolism for weight¡­ is it possible to increase the rate at which muscle is built? There''s recovery speed for both stamina and healing. The mental stats already have long-term effects. Agility¡­ maybe comprehension can help with that? No idea. Nothing for awareness either." Thomas muttered to himself, thinking all this through.


    Suddenly, a new idea occurred to Thomas. "If the system can increase height and weight, then that means it can create something out of nothing, or at least out of whatever points are, so, it may be possible to create objects as well, yes? How many points would it take to create a sandwich?" Thomas pondered. A new page appeared, containing a solitary entry.


    [Sandwich: ?]


    "Huh¡­ interesting." Thomas muttered, pondering the new window. "Is the problem that it doesn''t actually know what a sandwich is? Or at least, not the composition of one. I''d imagine that in order to create something, you''d need to understand its composition. It can add height, because all it''s doing is making more of what''s already there, but there is no sandwich in the system, so it can''t be made." Thomas shrugged. "Ah well."


    He got rid of the new window, and studied the status page again, but no new ideas were occurring to him, so he decided to make a few aesthetic changes. He split the page in two, putting the appearance stats on the left and the original stats on the right. In the upper left corner, he placed a box which would contain the image of the user''s face and placed a spot for the user''s name directly underneath. The new appearance stats were just gender, height, weight, eye color, and hair color for now. He then added it to the system and sent it out. Finally, he made a new page which included metabolism, recovery speed, and physical development, setting them up like the other stats, before adding a few points to raise his recovery speed. Even with his points giving him an all around boost, with his current points, that only amounted to about twice what he was at previously on average, so he decided to spend the points to increase his recovery rate by five times. He didn''t add the extra stats to the system just yet, deciding to keep these long-term gain stats to himself for now, to see how they worked. With all that done, he checked the time and headed to the gym.

 Points: 5 - Party people

    After another week of Amber, Declan, and Jessica using the system, Thomas decided it was time to begin spreading it for real. First, he set it so that when he transferred the system, it wouldn''t activate until the next morning, so people wouldn''t be able to tell where they got it from. He included this as an option that could be turned on and off in the system as well. The only difficulty he had after that was finding an excuse to actually touch people. He kept having to find excuses to introduce himself to people, so he could go in for a handshake, tap them on the shoulder to ask a question, or just blatantly bump into them if he really couldn''t think of anything.


    "So, how many users are we at?" Jessica asked one Monday morning, sitting next to him.


    Thomas checked the system. "We just went over three hundred."


    "Woo!" Jessica cheered. "I guess that means we can stop working on spreading it, huh?"


    "Yeah, it''ll probably spread on its own now." Thomas agreed.


    Jessica grinned. ¡°Just in time for Fall break too!¡±


    Thomas frowned. "Fall break?"


    "You know, the long weekend? In like two days? There''s going to be parties and dances and all that?" Jessica explained.


    ¡°Huh¡­ no one told me.¡± Thomas shrugged.


    "So I guess that means you don''t have any plans then, right?" Jessica asked tentatively.


    "Not unless you count sitting in my room and reading. I was thinking of reading up on artificial intelligence, so this might be a good time to get started. See if I can figure out how to make the system smarter, you know?¡± Thomas replied.


    Jessica rolled her eyes. "Well, if you don''t want to do something completely boring, me and a few friends are going to check out some of the events people are throwing. It should be fun!"


    Thomas thought about it. "I don''t know¡­ I''ve never seen much point in parties and stuff like that. It just seems like all the goals parties are meant to accomplish can be better met in different environments. In fact, it seems like parties only accomplish their goals superficially, while actively inhibiting them on a deeper level.¡±


    Jessica scowled at him. ¡°Do you want to hang out with me or not?¡±


    Thomas blinked. ¡°I- do?¡±


    ¡°Then you''re coming to the party.¡± Jessica declared firmly.


    *


    "You remember Mark, and this is Stacy, Luke, George, and Casey." Jessica introduced Thomas to her friends as they met up. "Guys, this is Thomas."


    "So you''re the Thomas she keeps abandoning us to hang out with." Stacy commented, giving him an evaluating look. Then she turned to Jessica, raising an eyebrow. "Does he¡­?" She trailed off, tapping her temple.


    "Yes, Thomas has the system." Jessica sighed, rolling her eyes. "And I told you guys, it isn''t some big secret or anything! In fact, you''re encouraged to spread it!¡±


    "Kinda defeats the purpose of making it if you don''t." Thomas added.


    "How would you know what the person who made it was thinking?" Mark sneered. "Could you even begin to comprehend the thoughts of a being capable of making such a miraculous tool?!?"


    Thomas raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, first, there''s literally a button for sharing the system. Kinda seems like a dumb addition if they didn''t want it to be shared. Secondly, well, I''m the one who made it, so¡­ I''m pretty sure I know what I was thinking when I did it, yeah."


    "You made the system?!?" George immediately exclaimed, all of them eyeing him skeptically.


    Jessica nodded. "He did, and I helped too. Though, I thought we were keeping that a secret, right?"


    "Well, from the general public, yeah. I don''t need to be the focus of the entire population of Earth. I don''t mind if your friends know though." Thomas shrugged.


    "Wait, hold on." Mark interrupted. "How is it even possible for you to make something like this? It''s¡­ it literally breaks the laws of reality!"


    Thomas paused. "Well, to start, I didn''t make all of it. One day I figured out I could make tasks and be rewarded for completing them. I don''t know where the points come from, and I don''t control how rewarding any particular task is. All I did was design a system for actually using the points and rules for how tasks are made, which really wasn''t that complicated."


    "But why though?" Casey asked.


    "Don''t ask him that." Jessica immediately interjected. "The answer is very unsatisfying."


    "I just thought it''d be boring if I didn''t." Thomas answered, causing Jessica to sigh in exasperation.


    "That is kind of a weak reason." Luke commented.


    "Though arguably better than many mythological reasons. Like turning someone into a spider because they weave better than you do. Kinda shitty considering you''re immortal and they''ll be dead in a couple decades." George added.


    "I''m not sure I appreciate being compared to the Greek gods¡­" Thomas muttered.


    "Alright, enough!" Stacy clapped. "We came to party! Let''s go!" She insisted, ushering them towards the campus event center which already had loud, pounding music echoing from it. The moment they stepped inside, Thomas immediately felt uncomfortable. There were people everywhere, bumping into each other, jumping around, waving their hands, drinking whatever happened to be available. A good portion of the crowd was already drunk or high and the event had just started! Thomas felt the urge to bail on this whole, pointless mess, but then a task popped up.


    [Stay at the party: 0%]


    With a sigh, Thomas grudgingly entered the crowd, sticking close to Jessica. They wove through the crowd until they reached a spot along the edge of the wall with a few tables and chairs. There were a few refreshments available here as well, but most people appeared to have brought in their own, so they were largely ignored. As they found a place to set up, out of the press of the crowd, Jessica turned back to look at Thomas and suddenly let out a laugh, though it was mostly drowned out by the music. "You look pissed!" She exclaimed, leaning in close to him.


    "I''m not exactly a ''party person''." Thomas explained. He looked out over the crowd of people obviously enjoying themselves just jumping and bumping into each other and shook his head. "I just don''t get it." He muttered, low enough that no one could hear it over the cacophony.


    "Come on!" Jessica grinned, grabbing his wrist and leading him into the crowd. She led him deeper and deeper, until they were practically in the middle of the crowd before she stopped and started moving with the crowd, hopping and swaying, still keeping a hold of Thomas''s wrist. She turned to look at Thomas and laughed again. "You can''t just stand there!" She exclaimed. "Move a little!" Thomas tried to move a bit, but the jumping felt weird, and swaying didn''t make much sense to him. He kept getting out of sync with the crowd and bumping into people. Jessica shook her head. "Follow me!" She moved in front of him and pressed her back into his chest, starting to sway with the crowd. Then she used her grip on his wrist to hold his hand up and wave it around, slowly getting him used to the rhythm of the party. Every now and then she''d lead him off to the side for a break, often finding someone she vaguely knew to introduce Thomas to, though there wasn''t much they could actually do to talk with how loud the music was. He still didn''t get the point of it all, but seeing the way Jessica got swept up in it all, he started to get an idea. It wasn''t particularly about anything that was happening, but the energy that everyone was giving off. It was like the very fact that people were out here having fun made more people have fun, which then made even more people have fun, and so on. Unfortunately, Thomas didn''t seem to be able to tap into it himself, but he did enjoy being around Jessica and seeing her enjoy herself, so he guessed it wasn''t that bad. Still seemed pretty pointless overall, though.


    A few hours later the party wound down and people began making their way out, some heading home but most people looking for somewhere to keep partying. Jessica somehow managed to get an invite to a house party nearby, so of course she dragged Thomas along. Thomas expected the rest of her friends to join them as well, but they''d seemed to have disappeared at some point, so it ended up just being the two of them. The house party was just as crowded as the previous one, but instead of everyone forming a crowd to ¡®dance¡¯ to music, people formed clumps to mix and mingle with each other. There was also a lot more alcohol available, though both Thomas and Jessica avoided it.


    Again Thomas had to rely on Jessica. Without her, he probably would have spent his time hanging out on the fringes, having no idea how to insert himself into the bubbles of conversation that formed, or at least not in a way that would lead to anything of substance, but Jessica was just good at talking to people. People Thomas could only exchange a few words with would become animated the moment Jessica began to talk. She even found ways to keep Thomas involved in the conversation, acting almost like a buffer or translator, keeping everyone in the conversation. Thomas had no idea how she did it, but because she did, for the first time, he actually enjoyed himself at a party.


    "Hey, everyone, there''s some dude out here picking up cars!" Someone ran into the house shouting and everyone rushed out after them. Thomas and Jessica shared a knowing glance before following everyone out. In the front yard of the house were a couple guys standing around with their shirts off, taking turns picking up the rear end of a truck and laughing.


    "Are they?" Jessica asked Thomas, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yes they are." Thomas confirmed, pulling up the guys¡¯ status pages. "I''m guessing they''re some of Amber''s derivatives."


    "Ah, yes, the gym rat crowd." Jessica nodded.


    "Hey, watch this." Thomas grinned as the latest dude bro picked up the truck. He went to the option for hair color and tried to change the color to bright pink. However, the moment he went to spend the points, there was a sort of¡­ resistance. The dude bro suddenly froze, dropping the truck as he began to look around, confused. "Huh¡­" Thomas grunted, cocking his head, considering what just happened. When he''d tried to spend the points, they''d resisted him, like¡­ like he didn''t have complete control over them. He sensed he could have tried to force it, to make the points be spent, but he didn''t actually care, so they didn''t. Was it because it was the dude bro who earned the points? Did that give him some sort of ownership over them, so Thomas couldn''t just mess with them?


    Jessica looked at him, confused. "What''d you do?"


    "I tried to turn his hair pink." Thomas coughed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He''d thought it might get a laugh out of Jessica, but now that he was thinking about it, it seemed dumb and pointless. "Turns out I can''t just spend other people''s points. Which, I suppose, is a good thing. The power to turn anyone into a girl would probably be a bit too much."


    "Wait, what?" Jessica asked, widening her eyes. "How would you turn someone into a girl?!?"


    "Did you not see that option?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow. "It''s a little expensive, but yeah, the system does gender changes. Well, it says it does¡­ I haven''t exactly tried it."


    "I thought that was just informative! I didn''t realize it was a changeable option!" Jessica exclaimed.


    "Yeah, you have to click on it to pull that option up¡­ I thought things might get weird if it was too obvious." Thomas explained.


    "Seriously, what can''t the system do?" Jessica muttered, shaking her head.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "I honestly don''t know." Thomas sighed. "I feel like I''m severely underutilizing this thing sometimes."


    "I mean, you''ve only had it for like what, a month? I''m sure you''ll get better at it." Jessica assured him.


    "Yeah¡­ I''m hoping the AI will help a lot, once I can figure it out. Once the system can understand other people the way it understands me, development can really take off." Thomas replied.


    "Why can''t it understand other people? I mean, it can study our morals and desires, but it can''t respond to our commands? How does that make sense?" Jessica added.


    "I honestly have no idea where the disconnect is." Thomas shrugged. "Unless I prescribe a method of interaction, it can''t seem to handle it. For the tasks, it just looks for the presence of something, then makes something out of it. It''s just an if this, then that function. For commands¡­ I just don''t know. Also, for the tasks, a lot of the generated tasks are thrown out after going through the rules. You can''t really do that for commands, and if the system started responding to idle thoughts, things could get¡­ chaotic."


    "That''s fair I suppose." Jessica agreed tentatively.


    The dude bros had recovered by this point and were back to messing with the truck. Two of them had picked up one end each and were swinging it back and forth. "See, now that can''t be good for it." Thomas pointed out.


    "You know¡­ You could go show them some real strength." Jessica suggested, bumping into him slightly.


    "Is that what you''re into? Big strong men holding trucks over their heads?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    "No, it''s just¡­ They''re getting all this attention just for picking it up a little bit." Jessica muttered sheepishly. "You could blow them out of the water, and everyone just ignores you!¡±


    Thomas frowned. ¡°I don''t think I really want the type of attention that comes with lifting a truck over my head¡­¡±


    "I know." Jessica sighed. "It''s just¡­ I don''t like how people just dismiss you cause you''re a little strange! You''re literally standing right next to them, and they just¡­ gloss over you, like you''re not even a person to them! If I didn''t force them to pay attention to you, they''d never even acknowledge you! If you did something like that, maybe- maybe they''d at least give you a chance¡­¡±


    "So?" Thomas shrugged. "I came to the conclusion that a large majority of the population is not compatible with me a long time ago. It isn''t necessarily their fault or mine, it''s just the way it is. We''re like oil and water. I mean, I look around this party, and I don''t understand why anyone would want to be involved with this. It''s too crowded, people are being drunk and obnoxious, and no one is even really doing anything. The conversations are shallow at best, there''s no games, and the most entertaining thing happening is two dudes swinging around a truck. It''s nonsensical, and everyone seems to love it. It''s going to be hard for me to connect with these people, because I don''t even understand why they want to be here."


    Jessica sighed. "I know you may not be their best friend, and they may not even like you, but they should at least acknowledge your existence. It''s just- there''s so many amazing things about you, and no one even takes the time to figure out they''re there!"


    "Yes, but people who don''t take the time to actually understand a person aren''t worth hanging out with." Thomas countered. "Lifting a truck over my head isn''t going to change that."


    Jessica frowned thoughtfully for a moment before shaking her head. "You want to get out of here?"


    "Eh, sure." Thomas agreed and they headed out.


    "I''m sorry you didn''t have fun tonight." Jessica apologized once they were a good distance away from the party.


    "Whoa, hey, I never said I didn''t have fun.¡± Thomas quickly corrected her. ¡°I mean, I didn''t get any of that, but¡­ I get you, so it wasn''t so bad."


    Jessica glanced at him with a slight smile. "Really?"


    "Well¡­ Yeah? Honestly, I don''t think I could ever be bored when you''re paying that much attention to me. Plus¡­ well, I still couldn''t quite get it, but seeing you enjoy yourself kinda made me enjoy myself. Like a contact high or something." Thomas explained.


    "Well, I''m glad you enjoyed yourself then." Jessica replied with a grin, bumping into him slightly. "How about we do something you enjoy tomorrow, to even things out?"


    "I mean, unless you want to sit in my room watching dumb TV shows while playing video games, I don''t really do much." Thomas answered with an awkward shrug.


    "It''s a date then!" Jessica immediately replied. "I''ll buy us a pizza. How about around 7?"


    "That should be fine¡­ are you sure though? Aren''t there other parties going on?" Thomas asked hesitantly.


    "Eh, I''m a little partied out after tonight." Jessica replied dismissively. "It just didn''t seem as fun as it used to."


    "To be fair, you were essentially babysitting me the entire time. I mean, I appreciate it, but it probably wasn''t the most fun thing you could have been doing." Thomas pointed out.


    "Thomas, trust me, you were not the problem tonight." Jessica assured him, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze.


    Suddenly they began to hear screams coming from the backyard of one of the nearby houses, a crowd frantically struggling to get through the narrow gate as fast as they could, a few even jumping the fence and scrambling away in a panic.


    [Stop the two system users from harming civilians: 0%]


    Thomas froze for a moment as he read the task notification before rushing towards the back yard. To avoid the crowd, he leapt up and flipped onto the roof, running across it to reach the backyard, pausing for a moment to take everything in. An above ground pool had a hole in it, flooding the yard and turning it into a swampy mess, people scrambling through the mud to hide behind overturned tables or in the vegetation, or trying to push through the crowd to get out the gate, and a couple dozen were trapped in the now empty pool, the twisted wreck of the ladder lying next to the hole. So far, it didn''t look like anyone had been seriously injured, but that was liable to change soon as two idiots were tossing each other back and forth, breaking tables and chairs as they wrestled with each other.


    Thomas jumped into the yard, stomping over to the two bozos who were now rolling around in the mud like children. Just as one pinned the other, pulling his arm back for a heavy blow, Thomas grabbed his wrist and squeezed, causing him to let out a pained scream. The other began to struggle to his feet, looking at Thomas thankfully, before Thomas fixed him with a withering glare. "Sit!" Thomas commanded, and the guy immediately froze. "What the fuck do you two idiots think you''re doing!" Thomas growled. "I don''t care if you want to fight, hell, you can kill each other for all I care, but you do not fight in the middle of a giant crowd of civilians! You do not wreck other people''s homes over your own bullshit!" Thomas glared at the both of them as he opened up their systems and turned everything off, making it so they couldn''t spend points or receive tasks, setting it to turn back on in a week. The points may be theirs, but the interface was his. "If I catch either of you doing something like this again, I''ll take your system away permanently!" He warned, making the two look at him in absolute horror. The system announced his completion of the task, but when he felt the point reward appear, it felt much¡­ larger than normal. He quickly checked how much he''d gotten, and¡­


    [Stop the two system users from harming civilians: 21.39 pts.]


    *Now why would it be that high?* Thomas wondered, scratching his head. He''d never seen anything over seven before this!


    By this point, Jessica had reached the backyard as well, approaching him from behind. "Are you alright?" She asked, placing a hand on his back.


    "Hm? Oh! Yeah, I''m fine." Thomas answered. "These guys were pushovers. Actually, do you think you could watch them while I get the people out of the pool? Maybe call the cops as well?"


    "Sure." Jessica nodded, turning to watch at the two offenders with a serious expression as she pulled out her phone.


    Thomas left her to it and walked towards the pool, casually leaping to the top of the six foot high rim. The crowd of people pressed away from him, looking up in fear, giving him a nice empty area to jump into, which he immediately regretted, as there was still a good six inches of water left in the pool. He grimaced at his now soaked shoes, before sighing and turning to the frightened crowd. "Alright, who wants to get out of this pool? Don''t worry, the two who caused all this have been taken care of, so it''s perfectly safe out there." The crowd looked at him blankly, no one stepping forward. "Uh, guys?" Thomas gave them a little wave. "Come on, do you guys really want to be stuck in here until the cops show up?"


    At the mention of the cops, several in the crowd began to look nervous, and eventually, one girl hesitantly moved forward. "H-how will you get us out?" She asked nervously.


    Thomas shrugged. "I was just going to carry you out. Like so." Thomas picked up the girl, before jumping to the edge and down again, placing the girl back on the ground. "See? Easy."


    "T-thank you!" The girl exclaimed, before rushing off to grab her things.


    Thomas then leapt back into the pool. "Alright, who''s next?" Slowly Thomas carried everyone out of the pool, though some of the guys got awkward about how he was carrying them. What was wrong with carrying them in his arms? Thomas would never understand some people. The most awkward however, were the few girls who seemed to have decided to lose their tops while they swam. He got that it was a party, but really? One of them practically leapt into his arms, wiggling weirdly the entire time he carried her and refusing to get down.She ended up taking a mud bath when he dropped her anyway, shooting him a shocked look and cursing at him, but Thomas just rolled his eyes as he went back for more people. By the time he finished, the cops had arrived, talking to Jessica as they cuffed the two trouble makers.


    "You got some good legs on ya, doncha boy?" One of the cops complimented him as he approached, clapping him on the shoulder and reaching out to shake Thomas''s hand. "It''s good to see young people doing what they can to help."


    Thomas returned the cops handshake, transferring the system to him. "Share that with the other officers. You''ll be needing it."


    The cop looked slightly stunned as the system appeared in his vision. "What?"


    "Well, there''s probably going to be other incidents like this, and I am not going to be able to take care of it myself, so you guys need to be able to handle these things." Thomas explained with a shrug.


    "What!?!" The cop reiterated incredulously.


    Thomas frowned at him. "People are using the system to get stronger. If you don''t keep up, you won''t be able to maintain peace and order for much longer. So complete tasks, get points, and increase your stats. I can''t explain it any simpler than that."


    The cop looked at him with a blank expression, thinking the boy in front of him was absolutely insane, but the symbols in the corner of his vision weren''t going away. "I- I just need a quick statement from you and you can go." The cop muttered, deciding to ignore it all for now. Thomas spent the next few minutes answering the officer¡¯s questions while Jessica waited. "Alright, that''s all we should need. We''ll call you if we need anything else." The cop finished, walking off.


    "Well, that was exciting." Jessica commented as they headed out.


    "Eh, I guess." Thomas shrugged. "You know, I knew people would be able to misuse the system, but I still have no idea what to do about it."


    "Couldn''t you add a system rule that if they misuse it, it shuts down?" Jessica asked.


    "Based on whose morality? Things I believe are wrong, aren''t necessarily universal, and if we do subjective morality again, it doesn''t really do anything. We could try hard and fast rules, like don''t hurt civilians, but what if you come across some dude forcing himself on a girl? You''re going to have to act, and you don''t deserve to lose the system for defending someone. Plus, define ''hurt''. Would you lose the system if you hurl a particularly vicious insult at someone? How about after a breakup? There''s so many variables to consider that any judgment would require an individual determination. The only solution I see is an AI for the system, which¡­ Well, I''m working on it." Thomas explained with a sigh.


    "That is a tricky problem." Jessica muttered in agreement, looking thoughtful. "Maybe I could help? I am a computer science major too, you know."


    "I would love that." Thomas agreed immediately. "I''m currently working on machine learning, but if you wanted to work on a better UI, one that would allow for more diverse inputs, I think that''d help a lot. The problem with learning algorithms is that it only optimizes the use of the available options, so the more diverse the inputs, the better it can learn. Of course, that still doesn''t really count as an AI, but¡­ Well, it''s a start. Also, remember, it doesn''t need to be code, it just needs to be a detailed list of steps, more like a flow chart."


    "I could do that." Jessica nodded thoughtfully. "Kinda like working from both ends and trying to meet in the middle. You work on helping the system understand people, while I work on helping people understand the system."


    "Exactly! I was going to try it myself but¡­ Well, things I consider intuitive don''t seem to be as intuitive to others." Thomas explained. "Also, I know the system can allow people to modify their physical appearance, but I have no idea how to design it so that people have enough options to let them get it exactly how they want it. The best I could do is maybe on the level of character creation in a video game, but¡­ that probably wouldn''t work for most people."


    "No it wouldn''t." Jessica smirked. "Any other features you want?"


    "Not off the top of my head, but feel free to experiment. I''m honestly not sure what the limitations of the system are so just assume it can do anything and if we end up being wrong, it isn''t that big a deal."


    "Statements like that make my head hurt." Jessica grumbled, shaking her head. "How can you be so cavalier about all this? I mean, I''ve been using the system for weeks now, and I still wake up some mornings thinking it was all a dream!¡±


    Thomas considered it for a second. "I honestly don''t know. I mean, I''ve never really been one to struggle with existentialism. Or more, there doesn''t seem to be much point in questioning something that''s obviously working? I mean, this could all be a dream, but even if it is, I''m in the dream, so wouldn''t that make it my reality? What''s the harm in just going with it? In any situation you find yourself in, all you can do is what you believe is best, dream or not, so why worry about it?"


    Jessica sighed. "I wish I had your brain sometimes. It seems so peaceful in there."


    "It really is." Thomas agreed. "I honestly can''t complain. Well, except for sometimes getting a little bored, but¡­ well, everyone deals with that, right?"

 Points: 6 - Task issues

    Thomas woke up around eleven the next morning, taking a quick shower before heading to the cafeteria for lunch, frowning as he noticed a few people giving him strange looks. He glanced at himself in a nearby window, to make sure he was wearing pants and all that, but he couldn''t find anything out of place, so he just shrugged it off. However, the looks didn''t stop and even got worse as he entered the cafeteria, people whispering to each other as they shot glances at him. He surreptitiously patted the back of his pants but he didn''t feel a giant hole back there or anything, and there wasn''t even a sign on his back! *Weird.* Thomas shrugged, dismissing it as he focused on getting his food and grabbing a table. He was sure the reason for the looks would reveal itself eventually, and in the meantime, he was hungry.


    "Do you mind if I sit with you?" A girl asked nervously, right as Thomas was about to bite into his burger.


    Thomas frowned, lowering the burger, glancing at the girl, then out across the fairly empty cafeteria, and finally back to the girl. "I guess not? But-" She didn''t even let him finish, quickly sliding into the seat next to him and scooting closer.


    "You probably don''t remember me, but I wanted to say thank you for last night." The girl began.


    Thomas paused, taking a moment to think of what he could have done before remembering the fight at the party, vaguely placing the girl as one of the girls in the pool. ¡°It was nothing.¡± He assured her, meaning it too. If anything, he felt like he should be apologizing since he was the one who started the mess in the first place. Without the system, those idiots wouldn''t have been able to cause the trouble they did.


    "No, it was amazing!¡± The girl protested. ¡°I would love to thank you properly, if you''re willing to come back to the house? The other girls want to thank you too!¡±


    ¡°Sure, I don''t mind swinging by real quick.¡± Thomas agreed, not really questioning it. Why wouldn''t they want to thank him for dealing with things last night?


    ¡°Great!¡± The girl beamed, pulling out her phone. ¡°I''ll let everyone know, so they can be ready when we get there!¡±


    ¡°Go for it.¡± Thomas shrugged, vaguely wondering what they had to get ready for. Were they making food? The girl didn''t have any food¡­ Should he not be eating? He considered it for a moment before dismissing the thought and taking another bite. If they needed to get ready he needed to waste some time anyway, and he wasn''t even sure if he''d like what they prepared. Plus, he''d already gotten the meal, so it''d be a waste not to eat it.


    Thomas finished eating fairly quickly, the girl perking up the moment he was done. "Are you ready?"


    "Yeah, we can go." Thomas agreed, the girl practically jumping to her feet and dragging him towards the exit.


    "Thomas?" A voice called out.


    Thomas turned and saw Jessica''s friend Stacy. "Oh, hey, what''s up?" Thomas waved at her.


    "Not much¡­ what''s up with¡­?" Stacy gestured to the girl holding his hand with her finger.


    "This? I stopped some guys from wrecking a party last night and she wants to thank me." Thomas shrugged.


    "I see¡­" Stacy muttered, giving him a strange look. "Well, have fun then." She added in a bland, somewhat dismissive tone which Thomas found weird, but then again, he and Jessica had ditched her last night, so he didn''t think it was all that unexpected. He waved goodbye to her as the girl dragged him out of the building. Stacy frowned as she watched him go, then pulled out her phone and made a call.


    The girl dragged Thomas back towards the house from last night, which he learned was actually her sorority house. ¡°Where''s everyone else?¡± Thomas asked curiously, not seeing anyone as they walked in.


    ¡°They''re upstairs, don''t worry.¡± The girl assured him with a grin.


    ¡°Ah, gotcha.¡± Thomas nodded, following her up the stairs, figuring they had some kind of event space up there. The girl led him down to the end of a hall, opening the door to reveal¡­ ¡°Why are you all naked?!?¡± Thomas exclaimed, slapping his hand over his eyes and turning away.


    The girl froze. ¡°Is- Isn''t this what you wanted?¡± She asked, looking between him and the room full of naked women posing themselves seductively.


    ¡°What- no! When- why would you even think that?!?¡± Thomas asked incredulously, glaring at her while he used his hand to block his view of the room.


    The girl stared back at him wide-eyed. ¡°But- you gave us the task!¡±


    Thomas narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°What task?¡±


    ¡°The task to have sex with you! Why would you give it to us if you didn''t want us to do it?!?¡± The girl asked, looking honestly confused and frustrated.


    Thomas groaned, rubbing his face. ¡°Fucking- I don''t personally hand out tasks to people! Do you know how tedious that would be?!? It''s automated! You get tasks based on what you want to do, so if you got a task to have sex with me, it''s because you want to do it, nothing else! I don''t want to sleep with anyone!¡±


    The girl stared at him in utter bewilderment. ¡°But- then why did you come here?!?¡±


    ¡°Because I thought you actually wanted to thank me! Maybe throw me a little party or something! With stuff like cake and cookies, not a bed full of naked women! You know, normal shit!¡± Thomas retorted.


    The girl flushed in embarrassment, the other girls already scrambling to put on clothes, or at least robes. ¡°We- we could still do that, if you wanted?¡±


    ¡°I got a task to make a cake!¡± One of the others exclaimed.


    ¡°I got cookies!¡± Another girl cheered.


    Thomas frowned at them. ¡°I really need to fix the task system.¡±


    *


    Thomas elected not to stick around while the half naked sorority girls rushed around making baked goods, telling them to just give them to him later. As for the rest of the day, it passed fairly normally, except for the fact that more and more people seemed to be giving him strange looks, and if any girl approached him, which was strange in and of itself, he just ignored them and kept doing what he was doing. Once bit, twice shy as they say. It wasn''t that Thomas exactly had a problem with casual sex, but¡­ Well, he didn''t like the fact that their interest had little to do with him. It made the whole thing feel cheap and unearned. Plus¡­ Well, while they weren''t dating, and he wasn''t entirely sure Jessica was interested, he did want to be with her, so it felt wrong to sleep with someone else.


    After his workout, which took him a bit longer than expected due to various girls getting in his way, one of which even snuck into the damn locker room to get to him, he finally made it back to his dorm. He checked the time, and he still had about fifteen minutes until seven, so he pulled out his phone and pulled up some manga. However, half an hour later, Jessica still hadn''t contacted him. Thomas frowned, but decided to give it another fifteen minutes, figuring she might just be late. However, fifteen minutes passed and he still didn''t hear from her!


    Feeling a little nervous, Thomas pulled out his phone, and shot her a text. [Hey, you said we were meeting up at seven, right? I wasn''t supposed to go to your dorm, was I?] However, ten minutes later, she still hadn''t gotten back to him. He tried giving her a call, but it just went to voicemail, which was when Thomas really started to get worried. He started to pace, wracking his brain for something he could do to figure out what was going on, his thoughts quickly turning to the system. "Show me Jessica''s location." He commanded. Immediately a little minimap appeared, showing his location and a blinking dot off towards the southeast, not moving. Thomas wasn''t sure what the measurement was, but he set off, heading towards the dot as fast as he could, practically sprinting across campus, only slowing down as he realized the dot was leading him to Jessica''s dorm. He wondered if maybe she''d just fallen asleep as he approached her door and knocked. "Jessica? It''s me, Thomas."


    The door creaked open to reveal a puffy, red-eyed Jessica who barely even glanced at him. ¡°H-Hey.¡±


    ¡°Are- are you okay? Did something happen?¡± Thomas asked nervously.


    Jessica took in a shaky breath. ¡°I''m- I''m fine. I''m sorry, I just- I don''t think I''m up to hang out tonight.¡±


    Thomas hesitated. ¡°Okay¡­ If- if there''s anything I can do to help, just let me know, alright?¡±


    Jessica nodded with a slight sniff. ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ I''ll see you tomorrow?¡± Thomas offered.


    Jessica''s expression twisted slightly. ¡°Are you sure you aren''t busy?¡±


    Thomas blinked. ¡°No? I mean, yes? I mean I know I''m not busy, yeah. I- don''t really do anything but system stuff and hang out in my dorm?¡± She knew that, didn''t she?


    Jessica scowled at him. ¡°What about this afternoon? With that sorority girl?!?¡±


    Thomas frowned. ¡°The sorority girl?¡±


    ¡°I know you slept with her and who knows how many others today.¡± Jessica tried not to growl. ¡°You don''t have to hide it.¡±


    Thomas blinked. ¡°I- haven''t slept with anyone today.¡±


    Jessica glared at him. ¡°Stacy saw you with one of them and I have dozens of tasks that say otherwise!¡±


    [Convince Jessica you didn''t have sex with anyone: 0%]


    Thomas waved the task notification away in frustration. ¡°Look, I don''t know what''s going on with these tasks, but I swear I didn''t sleep with anyone today! Fuck, I haven''t slept with anyone ever! Yes I talked to a sorority girl today, and yes she dragged me back to her sorority house with the intention of sleeping with me, along with a significant portion of the rest of the girls there, but I didn''t actually do it! The only reason I went with her was because I thought they were throwing me a thank you party! The cake and cookie kind, not the sex kind! If I''d known what she wanted, I would have told her to fuck off, which I did once I actually figured out what was going on!¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°And why should I believe you!¡± Jessica retorted. ¡°I have dozens of tasks to keep you from sleeping with all these women, and not one has been completed! If you haven''t slept with them and don''t want to sleep with them, then why haven''t they been completed?!?¡±


    ¡°How should I know!¡± Thomas threw up his hands in frustration. ¡°I have zero control over how a task gets completed! All I know is that I haven''t had sex with anyone! I- hold on.¡± Thomas raised a finger as he suddenly remembered something, looking for the sorority girls profiles and pulling up their task pages. ¡°Ah, look, see! None of their tasks to have sex with me are completed either!¡± He quickly showed Jessica the task pages.


    Jessica eyed the pages suspiciously. ¡°What if you''re faking these? Or what if the tasks reset, like an exercise task?!?¡±


    Thomas deflated with a groan. ¡°God- fucking- fine! I thought you knew me better than this, but I guess not. Just- fuck!¡± He cursed, turning to leave. How was he supposed to prove he didn''t do something?!? It was impossible!


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jessica called out, hesitating slightly before continuing. ¡°I- I want to believe you, I just- why aren''t the tasks completed, Thomas?¡± She asked, tears in her eyes.


    Thomas sighed. ¡°I don''t know. Maybe because I still could sleep with them? Maybe because you haven''t done enough to stop me? I mean, if I leave right now, are we ever going to see each other again? If I go, would there be anything to stop me? If one of those girls is persistent enough, it''s certainly possible to get me into bed. At a certain point, I might just do it to get them to leave me alone. But that doesn''t mean that''s what I want.¡± Thomas gave her a serious look. ¡°Jessica¡­ the only person I want right now is you. And clearly you feel something towards me too, or we wouldn''t even be having this conversation! I can''t prove I didn''t sleep with anyone. Hell, I went to the damn sorority house, so I don''t even have an alibi! But just trust me. Please. I- I don''t want to lose this before we''ve even figured out what it is.¡±


    The two of them stood there silently for a long moment as Jessica struggled with her feelings. She wanted to believe Thomas, but she couldn''t help but doubt. She had proof that there were dozens of women after him! Ones that he could potentially sleep with according to the tasks! Maybe he wanted her now, but what about later? Would he change his mind? Decide she wasn''t worth it? Why would he choose her when he could choose anyone? ¡°Why me?¡± She finally managed to croak out. ¡°You''re- you''re basically a god now. Why- why would you limit yourself to me?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Thomas admitted honestly. ¡°Because you''re good for me? Because you actually care about me? I just- don''t know. But I do know that it is what I want. I don''t know if that will change over time, since relationships do change, but I can promise you that I''ll never do anything to hurt you. On purpose, at least. If things change, I''ll be upfront and honest about it. I may not be the person you end up falling in love with, but I will always be a person you can trust.¡±


    Tears began to drip down Jessica''s cheeks. ¡°I-¡± She cut off as something broke inside her and she rushed out the door, slamming into Thomas and squeezing him tight. ¡°I already love you, you idiot!¡±


    Thomas froze, the surge of points that rushed into him having nothing to do with it. ¡°You- you do?¡±


    Jessica choked out a laugh. ¡°I do. I don''t know why, and I don''t know how, but¡­ I do.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Thomas admitted nervously. ¡°I know I like you, and I know I care about you, I just- I don''t know if it''s enough to qualify as love.¡±


    Jessica frowned, not exactly happy to hear something so¡­ noncommittal, but then she remembered something and she quickly checked her system, a beaming smile breaking across her face as she did. ¡°I think your system knows for you, because every single one of my tasks just completed!¡±


    ¡°I''m- not sure that''s how it works.¡± Thomas muttered.


    ¡°Well I am.¡± Jessica assured him. ¡°Now wait here, I need to get changed real quick so we can get to our date! We''re late enough as it is!¡± She exclaimed, rushing back into her dorm and slamming the door.


    *What was wrong with what she was wearing?* Thomas wondered as he stared at the door. He shook his head, turning his thoughts back to love. Did he really love Jessica? He wasn''t as confident as Jessica seemed to be, but he couldn''t say he wasn''t in love with her either. He could even say he wanted to be in love with her, he just¡­ Wasn''t sure if it was true.


    Sighing he turned his focus to a different issue, namely why had he gotten a crap ton of points when Jessica admitted she loved him? Sure, he''d convinced Jessica he hadn''t slept with anyone, but how many points was that actually worth? He checked his logs and confirmed that the task had only given him six and half points, which was significant but not enough to explain the surge. No, what explained the surge was almost a hundred points he''d gotten for causing dozens of other people to fail their own tasks! Thomas blinked. *You get points for that?*


    "Waiting for someone?" A voice called out, interrupting his thoughts.


    Thomas looked up to see an attractive woman walking over, stopping to lean against the railing next to him. "Yeah, she''s just getting changed." Thomas answered shortly. He didn''t think Jessica was going to start doubting him again, but he didn''t exactly want to test it right now, so he was hoping the woman would just move on.


    "Ah, yes, the eternal occupation of today''s modern male, waiting on a woman." The woman nodded knowingly. "Are you two heading to a party together?"


    "Nah, just hanging out at my dorm, watching stupid TV and playing games." Thomas answered with a sigh, cursing the entire female gender, except for Jessica.


    "Oh, you''re getting a girl to get changed for that? Prepare to get lucky, man." The woman replied with a knowing laugh.


    Thomas frowned at her. "Okay, look, I don''t know what your deal is, but I literally just dealt with a whole thing involving my association with other girls, and while I don''t believe she''s going to think anything happened in the short time it takes her to get changed, it''s a rather fresh wound, and I''d rather not rub salt in it, so could you just¡­ go?"


    "Oh, I''m so sorry, I''ll go right away!" The woman apologized, standing up and backing away. "I''m still not quite used to this¡­ I just wanted to thank you."


    Thomas''s frown deepened as he backed away slightly. "Thank me how?¡±


    "Like- Like this?" The woman stammered, looking severely confused. "Look, I''m a system user! You made it right?"


    "Yeah? Who told you that?" Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "What do you mean? It''s practically common knowledge by now. Everyone''s been talking about it. Someone caught your take down last night on video and it''s been going viral." She explained.


    "Wait, shit, really?" Thomas replied. "Man, no wonder people have been looking at me weird all day!"


    "Anyway, that isn''t the point. I- well, let''s just say my name used to be Stephan¡­ so, thank you." The woman stammered awkwardly, quickly leaving the moment she finished.


    Thomas watched her go with a blank look. "Man, this day just keeps throwing curveballs at me." He muttered, shaking his head.


    "What was that?" Jessica asked, as she opened her door, having barely heard him.


    "It''s been a weird day. I just got thanked by a woman who used to be named Stephan¡­ I wonder if she goes by Stephanie now? Also, does she have a roommate, and how is that working? Wait, my roommate''s name is Stephan¡­ oh she better not be, I swear to god!" Thomas quickly pulled up the minimap and had the system find his roommate Stephan, which showed a small dot quite close, slowly getting farther away. "Motherfucker! Where are you sleeping!?!" He shouted into the distance. The dot paused for a second, before moving away again, faster. Thomas turned to Jessica, who was looking extremely startled and confused. "I think I just lost my roommate. Though¡­ this does explain why he''s been gone even more than usual the last few days. Or she, I guess."


    "That¡­ I wasn''t even away for ten minutes!" Jessica exclaimed.


    "Right? It''s a weird fucking day!" Thomas groaned. "Oh, and apparently everyone knows I created the system now, which does explain about half of it."


    Jessica''s eyes widened in surprise. "Really?"


    "Yeah, apparently someone caught me on video last night, and¡­ well, looking back at what I said, it does sort of become obvious that it''s my system." Thomas sighed.


    Jessica nodded. ¡°True¡­ Anyway, shall we head over to your place?¡±


    "Yeah.¡± Thomas agreed and the two of them headed over to Thomas''s dorm.


    "So, this is your dorm¡­" Jessica commented as she walked in, doing a little twirl in the middle of the room to take it all in.


    "Indeed it is, but mostly it''s about that big screen right there. Best buy I ever made." Thomas responded, gesturing to the large TV sitting on his dresser.


    "I''m guessing this is your side of the room then?" Jessica asked, gesturing towards what was indeed his side.


    "Yup. Anything in particular you want to watch?" Thomas asked as he turned on the TV and the gaming console he used as a media player.


    "It doesn''t really matter to me." Jessica shrugged, taking a seat on his bed and moving in towards the wall, leaving him a spot beside her.


    Thomas slid in next to her, navigating to a TV show he''d been meaning to check out, but hadn''t actually started yet, hesitating for a moment before actually starting it. ¡°Should- we talk about our relationship first?¡±


    Jessica paused. ¡°I think we''ve already said everything that needs to be said? I love you, you love me. What else do we need to say?¡±


    Thomas frowned. ¡°Disregarding the fact that I''m still not sure the tasks being completed means I love you, shouldn''t we talk about what our relationship is going to look like? What are our goals? What do we want to get out of it? What roles are we willing to play? I mean, what if we jump into this then suddenly find out we want two completely different things out of life?¡±


    Jessica paused thoughtfully. ¡°Well¡­ what do you want out of life?¡±


    Thomas cocked his head. ¡°I want kids at least, but otherwise¡­ I really just want to see how far the system can go, I guess. How much it can do, how the world will change as it spreads, working to make sure there are more beneficial changes than not¡­ That''s it, really.¡±


    ¡°So basically what we were already doing?¡± Jessica pointed out.


    ¡°Pretty much, yeah.¡± Thomas agreed. ¡°How about you? What are your goals?¡±


    ¡°To help you.¡± Jessica smiled. ¡°I probably would have had a different answer before all this, but your system is literally the single most important thing to happen ever! That''s why we don''t need to talk about our relationship, because no matter what, it''s all going to revolve around your system.¡±


    ¡°You don''t want anything else?¡± Thomas asked skeptically.


    ¡°Of course that isn''t all I want, but beyond also wanting kids, nothing else I want has much relevance to our relationship, because it will always be secondary to improving the system.¡± Jessica shrugged.


    ¡°Hm.¡± Thomas grunted. ¡°I guess that makes sense¡­¡±


    Jessica grinned. ¡°Of course it does. Now come on, let''s watch some dumb TV!¡±

 Points: 7 - Those in power

    The next few weeks were a pretty interesting experience for Thomas. First, "Stephan" had never returned to the dorm, and the next Monday, after class, Thomas returned to find all their stuff moved out of the room, so Thomas essentially had his own private dorm for the rest of the semester, which, with the way things were going with Jessica, was rather nice. If it weren''t for the fact that the university wouldn''t allow students of different genders to live in the dorms together, she probably would have moved in. As it was, she spent practically all her free time there.


    Other than that, due to the video of Thomas dealing with the two idiots going viral, the existence of the system was now common knowledge and it spread like wildfire. The amount of users was increasing every day, soon exceeding the population of the college, and it just kept spreading from there. Even without him doing anything, the user count almost doubled every day.


    However, with the spread of the news that Thomas was the creator of the system, people began to treat him¡­ differently. Everywhere he went, he became the focus of attention and people would start doing things to try and get his attention. This was mostly fine, usually just people throwing minor benefits his way, but there was an almost endless horde of girls who seemed to be willing to do almost anything to get to him, to the point of ridiculousness, and since a lot of these girls were system users, their increased abilities allowed them to get good at getting to him. After the fourth time he walked into his room to find a naked woman lying seductively on his bed, he made the rule that anyone who breaks into his dorm without his permission loses the system for a week, which helped a little, but really it just made them get more creative. He''d walk through the campus with empty pockets, only to find a dozen numbers in them that night. He''d get text''s almost constantly throughout the day, almost all of which included pictures and videos of women demonstrating rather explicitly what they could offer. It got to the point where he didn''t even check his messages anymore. Thankfully, he''d figured out he could send and receive messages through the system, so he just talked to people through that, since all his friends were system users by now. Fame was just as annoying as Thomas always figured it''d be.


    As for the system itself, with Jessica working on the UI, there were some pretty useful improvements. First, point spending could be localized by bringing up a detailed menu using a button next to Strength or Agility, allowing you to put points into only your leg, arm, hand, or whatever, allowing people to hyper specialize in specific areas. Additionally, she set up an appearance editor which pulled up a model of the user and allowed them to make small changes using various tools to alter even the most minute detail of their appearance. Thomas was a little concerned as to what would happen once that update got out, seeing as it essentially meant people could shape shift into each other, but with the addition of an identification system, that worry became moot. People couldn''t change their name in the status page, so all they had to do was make it so that other system users could see each other''s status page, add a few other minor pieces of information, such as date and location of birth, and the problem was solved.


    On Thomas''s end, he added the minimap and a friend system. As long as both individuals agreed, you could see each other on the map, message each other, share images, and even communicate telepathically. With his phone essentially being unusable as a phone, he''d been making heavy use of this system to keep in contact with Jessica and the others. However, he was still having issues with the AI part, but that was mostly due to his poor understanding of AI, coupled with the sheer amount of work it''d take to make it. It wasn''t something he could implement with a few simple commands like stats or even the appearance editor. He''d have to build a brain within the system and that was a daunting task.


    Thankfully, as more people received the system, the AI seemed to become less and less important. If a user began abusing their ability to hurt people, other users would receive a task to stop that person from hurting people. It actually became quite profitable to do so, due to a new rule that Thomas had discovered. If multiple people receive the same task, then the person who completes the task receives all the available points. If ten people received a task to stop someone from stealing a diamond, the person who actually stopped the thief would receive all the points from each task, and if multiple people worked together to stop the thief, the points would be distributed based on their level of contribution. Additionally, if stealing the diamond was the thief''s task, the person who stopped him would receive those points as well. That was why Thomas had received extra points after he stopped the two idiots from fighting, and why both he and Jessica were receiving a significant influx of points every day. Apparently, there were quite a few people who didn''t want to see them together or wanted to sleep with one of them, and every time one of those tasks was generated it would automatically fail, since Thomas and Jessica were both dedicated to staying together and not sleeping with anyone else, which would funnel the points to them.


    This, however, led to a different issue, as apparently there was a limit to how many points you could spend on strengthening yourself. You could still gain points over that limit, but they could only be spent on things like healing or changing your appearance. Which meant you could do something like increase your muscle mass to get stronger, but then you''d have to deal with all the issues that came with increasing your muscle mass. But, as with all things, you could increase this limit with points, something that became pretty obvious when they learned Jessica''s limit was a little over four hundred, while Thomas''s was over six hundred and fifty. However, the higher your limit, the more points it took to raise it. At the four hundred level, it only took about half a point to raise the limit by one, while at the six fifty level it was close to a one to one ratio, and by the time it hit a thousand it took three points just to raise it by one.


    They also learned that this limit affected how many points you could earn per task. The minimum point reward was always four, but the maximum was one percent of your point limit, so at six fifty the most you could get from a single task was six point five points, while at a thousand it went up to ten. Unfortunately they weren''t really able to take advantage of it due to the fact that they''d reached a level where exercise just wasn''t enough of a challenge to give them points, at least not with the resources they had available, and they didn''t want anything badly enough to create a task for it, since¡­ Well honestly they were a little too focused on each other.


    Now that the two of them were spending nearly every waking moment together, their relationship was developing fast, in no small part due to the system. Jessica saw every failed task notification as an affirmation of their love, which Thomas still wasn''t entirely sure he agreed with, so that was a major part of it, but even beyond that the tasks the system did give seemed designed to push the limits of their relationship. Stuff like spending significant amounts of time together doing nothing but talking or playing co-op puzzle game without talking. And of course, the most frustrating task of all.


    [Wait to have sex: 94%]


    Thomas was about ready to kill whoever planted the idea that waiting to have sex makes relationships stronger in the cultural unconscious.


    ¡°You know, we don''t have~ to complete every task.¡± Jessica hummed as she and Thomas cuddled on his bed.


    Thomas frowned. ¡°But¡­ it''s a task? And we''re so close! Just a few more days, and we''ll have it!¡±


    Jessica rolled her eyes. ¡°Thomas, we get over a hundred points a day at the moment. Even if we get the maximum amount of points from completing it, it''s barely even a drop in the bucket for us!¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Thomas agreed. ¡°But- it just feels like we''d be giving up if we don''t do it, you know? As long as we can keep going, it just seems wrong not to.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Jessica huffed, climbing into his lap. ¡°Then I guess I just have to rub your zipper raw until you can''t keep going~¡± She purred, Thomas letting out a muffled groan as she pressed her lips against his, not even sure whether he wanted to stop her or not. He did want to complete the task, but having Jessica in his lap felt good. Slowly Thomas began to inch towards ¡®fuck it¡¯ territory, but before things could progress any further, there was a heavy knock on the door. "Just ignore it." Jessica muttered, but the knocking continued, preventing them from actually doing anything. "Ugh, fine! But if it''s some slut, you better take her system away!"


    "Deal." Thomas grumbled. Timely intervention or not, he did not appreciate anyone interrupting his time with Jessica. "What?!?" He asked as he yanked the door open to glare at the person knocking.


    "Would you be Thomas Jefferson?" A man in a clean black suit asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    Thomas sighed. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    "The same Thomas Jefferson who created and spread the ''System''?" The man continued.


    "No, I''m the one who wrote the Declaration of Independence." Thomas rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what do you want? You''re kind of interrupting something."


    "Sir, I represent the President of the United States." The man announced, flashing a badge and ID. "We have been attempting to get in contact with you, but you seem to not like to answer your phone or email."


    Thomas paused. ¡°The President? Sorry, I literally can''t get phone calls at the moment, and my email account is just dead.¡± He quickly explained, pulling out his phone which was literally ringing as they spoke. ¡°People call me constantly, and I have so many emails coming in every day that my account literally crashed. Otherwise, yeah, I would have gotten back to you, because who ignores the freaking President?¡±


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    "Ah, I see¡­ forgive me for the accusatory tone." The man apologized. "I am here to extend an invitation from the President to meet with him to discuss matters of National Security."


    ¡°National Security?¡± Thomas repeated skeptically. ¡°Look, if you want to give your soldiers the system, you can just do it. You don''t need my permission or anything. And I''m not giving anyone preferential treatment, even if they are the President.¡±


    "I''m not privy to the specific matters the President wishes to discuss with you, I''m simply here to extend the invitation." The man explained. "If you''re willing, we have a plane waiting at the airport for your arrival."


    Thomas eyed him cautiously for a moment. "Fuck it, I guess there''s no harm in hearing him out, and if you want to put a bullet through my head, it doesn''t particularly matter where I am, does it?" He glanced at Jessica, who''d been observing their exchange in wide-eyed shock. "Do you want to go see the President?"


    "Can I change first?" She asked hesitantly, picking at the less than formal skirt she was currently wearing.


    The corners of the man''s lips twitched. ¡°That should be fine, ma''am. I would recommend you both change.¡±


    ¡°Well, you''re shit out of luck with me.¡± Thomas shrugged. ¡°These are the nicest clothes I own.¡±


    ¡°Those are the only clothes you own.¡± Jessica grumbled. ¡°I''ll be right back.¡± She added, quickly rushing out of the room and heading back to her own dorm to change. A few minutes later she returned in a simple red dress with a pair of matching high heels. ¡°Okay, I''m ready.¡± She announced, soothing down her dress nervously, and the three of them made their way down to a waiting car. The journey itself was relatively uneventful, just a quick flight to the capital and another car ride to the White House, where, after a quick security check, they were led to the Oval Office.


    "Mr. Jefferson! It''s good to finally meet you." The President greeted him with a wide grin, grabbing Thomas''s hand with both of his.


    "Uh, yeah, thanks." Thomas returned the handshake awkwardly, not particularly appreciating his aggressive friendliness.


    "Please, have a seat. And your friend too!" The President gestured to the chairs in front of his desk, before sitting behind it. "Now, Mr. Jefferson, first I''d like to say how impressed we are with this wonderful system you''ve created. I''ve only been using it for a week and already I feel twenty years younger! I know you must have realized this for yourself, but your system is quite literally revolutionary, which¡­ Well, this is why we wanted to speak with you. We understand that you can modify the rules of the system, including denying it to people who perform certain actions. Therefore, we would like to make two proposals. First, we would request that any individual found guilty in a court of law be stripped of the system for the duration of their sentence."


    Thomas cocked his head. "I can see how that might be helpful. Of course, guilty is a subjective term. You could declare anyone guilty and they''d be powerless to resist. Maybe some kind of automated trial through the system though? Hm, I''ll think about it.¡±


    "If you could." The President replied, giving him a tight smile. "As for our second proposal. We would request that you restrict the system to only American citizens." The President continued.


    "Ha! No." Thomas immediately rejected.


    "Thomas!" Jessica exclaimed, slapping his arm.


    "What! It''s ridiculous! I''m not doing it." Thomas defended himself.


    "Yes, but you don''t have to be rude about it!" Jessica retorted, Thomas grunting noncommittally.


    The President frowned at him. "Mr. Jefferson, I don''t believe you understand the severity of these issues. If criminals obtain the system, how are we going to keep them contained? Justice would lose all meaning!"


    "Yeah, I''m with you there, I just don''t particularly trust the justice system. Well, no, actually, I do, but the potential for corruption and abuse bothers me. Plus, every government has a court of law, and I don''t trust every government¡­ and honestly, the US has been heading closer and closer to the ''do not trust'' line, no offense. You''ve all been getting into some pretty serious shenanigans lately." Thomas explained. ¡°I feel like justice needs to be impartial as much as possible, and I just don''t think you cut it anymore.¡±


    "We can table that subject for a moment, but I must insist on the second proposal. Imagine if your system got into the hands of the Russians or the Chinese! Let''s not even go that far, imagine what the Cartels could do with access to the system! It''d be chaos!" The President continued.


    Thomas frowned. "Listen, the benefits that come from everyone having access to the system far outweigh the risks. The sheer amount of people who can be saved from disease alone is worth it! How can you justify withholding such a gift simply because you''re a little scared?"


    "Your system is a weapon!" The President growled. "It cannot be allowed to circulate unregulated!"


    Thomas shrugged. "Too late, it already is. And even if I were going to regulate it, I wouldn''t do so solely based on your opinion. Get a bill passed through Congress, then we''ll talk. Though¡­ considering this is a world issue, maybe you should go through the UN."


    "I could sign an executive order-" The President began.


    "To what? Force a private citizen to obey you?" Thomas cut him off with a scoff. "Executive orders are bullshit to begin with, but even they can''t do that."


    The President glared at him. "Mr. Jefferson, I must insist you consider this a bit more carefully. If you are willing to work with us on this, we can give you our full support! You wouldn''t have to worry about anything! You could live the rest of your life in luxury! Are you really going to throw all that away?"


    "Sure." Thomas shrugged. "It isn''t that I''m not willing to work with you, but I''m not going to restrict access to the system based on something as petty as where people were born."


    The President glared at him for a moment. "Well, if that''s the case, then I suppose we have nothing more to talk about. Hansen will show you out."


    Thomas shook his head as he got up. ¡°If you want to control the system, then yeah, we don''t. Come on, Jessica.¡±


    The two of them followed Hansen out until they reached the street, Hansen turning around and giving them a nod. "Thank you for your time." He then turned and walked back into the White House.


    Thomas blinked, looking around. "Did we just get ditched?"


    "Oh my god." Jessica groaned, burying her face in her hands.


    "Man¡­ politicians are petty." Thomas sighed, shaking his head as he called his dad through the system, because obviously he''d made sure to give it to his family. Plus he''d had to introduce them to Jessica anyway. "Hey, Dad, we''re stuck in Washington and we need a way home¡­ D.C. The President wanted to talk with me¡­ About the system, yeah¡­ I''ll explain what he wanted later, okay? I''m more focused on the whole trapped in D.C. thing¡­ Alright, thanks Dad¡­ See you soon." Thomas hung up. "He''s getting us plane tickets. Shouldn''t be a problem." He explained. "Want to hit up a restaurant while we wait? I''m sure there are some good ones around here."


    Jessica glared at him. ¡°Thomas, I''m not in the mood to eat right now! We just pissed off the President! How are you not freaking out?!?¡±


    Thomas cocked his head. ¡°Because they need us more than we need them? Without me, they can''t control the system, and they can''t guarantee it''d go away if I died. As long as I''m alive, there''s a chance they can take control, while if I die, it either goes away or goes completely wild, neither of which are ideal results. So at least to start, all they''ll do is try to pressure us.¡±


    At that moment, Jessica''s phone buzzed and she opened it with a frown. "What the¡­ I''ve been expelled!" She cried, looking up at him in shock.


    "Seriously?" Thomas frowned, glancing back at the White House.


    "Yes! It says I have a week to move out of the dorms before all my stuff is confiscated!" Jessica continued, reading more of the message. "They say it''s because I failed to uphold the University standards for student conduct!"


    "I guess that means I''m probably expelled as well." Thomas muttered. "Fucking politicians. Though it isn''t like it''s the biggest loss in the world¡­ With the system, self study is much more efficient than going to class. Plus the only real reason to get a degree is to get a job and do we even want jobs at this point?¡±


    "I suppose that''s fair. It would be hard to actually work with what we can do now." However, before Jessica could calm down too much, her phone began buzzing again. "Well¡­ my bank just canceled my account, so¡­ no money. Joy."


    "That seems illegal." Thomas frowned.


    "Well, they want me to come by and pick up my money, but, you know, same thing at the moment." Jessica explained.


    "Still, can they just cancel your account arbitrarily? That just seems like it shouldn''t be possible." Thomas continued.


    "Well, they are a private company. Who they serve is entirely up to them." Jessica pointed out.


    "I guess¡­" Thomas muttered, still not convinced, pausing as he got a call back from his dad. "Hey¡­ really¡­ all of them?¡­ Well, that''s just perfect¡­ Yeah, we''ll be fine, don''t worry. Oh, I''ve also probably been expelled, so¡­ I''ll see you at home." Thomas hung up with a weary sigh. "Apparently, all my dad''s cards are no longer working and we''re now on the no-fly list. So¡­ I guess we''re running home?¡±


    "Damn it, I can''t even buy new shoes!" Jessica complained.


    ¡°Attention, interloper.¡± A voice suddenly called out, echoing across the sky with no discernable source. ¡°I know not who you are, nor do I care to know. My only concern is that you are here, and that is unacceptable. This reality is mine! And I will do everything necessary to keep it that way. Find some other reality to spread your filth.¡±


    Jessica froze. ¡°That¡­ doesn''t sound good.¡±


    ¡°No it doesn''t.¡± Thomas agreed, frowning slightly. ¡°Should we- shit!¡± He cursed as a beam of light suddenly hit the White House, vaporizing it. ¡°Run!¡± He shouted as the beam began to expand, consuming everything in its path. As they ran, more beams of light descended from the sky and began to expand. Thomas and Jessica struggled to avoid them, but no matter where they turned, all they found were more and more walls of light, slowly closing in on them. ¡°Shit- Shit!¡± Thomas growled as they found themselves in the middle of a slowly closing ring of light, scrambling to find some way to escape all this and coming up dry.


    ¡°Thomas- Thomas!¡± Jessica grabbed him, tears in her eyes. ¡°This- it''s over. There''s- there''s nothing we can do.¡±


    ¡°We can''t just give up!¡± Thomas retorted.


    ¡°Thomas¡­ please, just- hold me.¡± Jessica begged.


    Thomas froze, sighing as he pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tight. ¡°I''m- I''m sorry.¡± He whispered. ¡°This is all my fault.¡±


    Jessica sobbed. ¡°Thomas, I-¡± She cut off as the light hit them, and everything went dark.

 Points: 8 - Rude awakening

    Thomas woke up with a splitting headache, groaning as he slowly lifted his head, rubbing his temples as his mind struggled to catch up with reality. His breath caught in his throat as he remembered what he''d just experienced, his chest tightening as he shuddered. He leapt to his feet, looking around, hoping to find Jessica somewhere, anywhere, but all he found was a large, medieval looking bedroom. ¡°What- Where-¡± Thomas stammered, freezing as he heard his own voice, scrambling to look in the mirror and finding a rather attractive young woman staring back at him. ¡°How-¡±


    Suddenly a surge of memories flooded into him as he remembered what happened after he and Jessica had- Thomas flinched, shuddering slightly as he tried to push down the gnawing pain trying to claw through his chest, refocusing on remembering what had happened. Something had changed within him after he died, thousands- millions of points surging into him connecting to him in a way they never had before. As his body was destroyed, the points became his body, sustaining him as he slipped into a vast emptiness, drifting through it for an eternal instant where both all and no time had passed. At some point he''d run into- something and he''d dug into it, consuming points at a rapid rate as he tore his way inside and found himself in a sea of red, surging towards the brightest spot and¡­ then he woke up.


    "She''s really dead." Thomas choked, burying his face in his hands as he collapsed onto the bed, the pain he''d been trying to ignore burst through him as a sob clawed its way out his throat. Why?!? Why did that voice have to destroy everything?!? Why did he have to spread the system!?! Why- why couldn''t he have just been satisfied with the way things were? Been a normal fucking dude? If he''d just left things as they were, none of this would have happened!


    As Thomas was wallowing in misery and self deprecation, someone knocked on the door. [Victoria? Are you alright?] A woman''s voice called out, cautiously pushing the door open. [You missed-] The woman froze as she caught sight of a small vial lying empty on one of the dressers. [Oh, no. Nonono, Victoria!] She panicked, rushing into the room, finding Thomas lying on the bed, trying his best to ignore the woman screaming in gibberish. [What have you done!?!] The woman exclaimed, placing her hands on his forehead and stomach, closing her eyes. [You''re too weak to ha- huh? You''re fine? But¡­ it worked?]


    ¡°Leave me alone!¡± Thomas groaned, trying to push the woman away. He was not in the mood to deal with this shit right now!


    The woman froze. [What- what did you say?]


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Thomas snapped.


    [Victoria? Can- Can you understand me?] The woman pressed.


    ¡°No hablo espa?ol!¡± Thomas growled. ¡°Just go!¡±


    [Oh¡­ oh no.] The woman muttered, looking horrified as she slowly backed away, then turned and rushed out of the room.


    ¡°Finally.¡± Thomas grumbled. He''d deal with whatever was going on later. Right now he just wanted to be miserable. Something which lasted all of five minutes, as in the bubbling mess that was his mental state, several tasks began to form.


    [Find the Voice: 0%]


    [Make them pay: 0%]


    [Make sure this never happens again: 0%]


    A few related tasks began to pop up as well, such as learning the local language and finding a way to get strong enough to actually do something about the Voice, and as they did, a determination began to grow inside him. You didn''t get impossible tasks. And if he could make the Voice pay, he would make the voice pay. No matter what it took! ¡°Right.¡± He grumbled, climbing to his feet. ¡°Let''s get started.¡± He walked towards the door, yelping as he tripped on the hem of his dress. ¡°Shit, right, I''m a girl now¡­ can I- where did all my points go?!?¡± He groaned as he opened his status to find a measly four points waiting for him. ¡°Guess I''m stuck like this for a bit¡­ probably for the best, anyway. Should probably get a better idea of what''s going on before I turn back.¡± He sighed, ignoring it for now as he started to search through the dressers, looking for some pants or something. If he didn''t have any points, he was going to need to do some exercises, and that was not happening in a dress. "Let''s see¡­ dress, dress, dress¡­ they do know that dresser isn''t a literal term, right? You can put more than dresses in here." He grumbled as he tossed piles of clothing onto the bed. "Seriously? Not one pair of pants?" He complained after tossing every single article of clothing onto the bed. "This better not be one of those cultures where girls are only allowed to wear dresses." As Thomas was staring at the monotonous selection of clothing piled on his bed, the woman from before rushed back in, followed by an older man. "Oh, it''s you¡­ not that you''ll understand this, but sorry for being a pain earlier. I was going through some stuff.¡±


    [You see, she seems to be speaking in syntax, but the words she uses are complete nonsense!] The woman explained to the man. [Do you think your mental connection skill can get around it?]


    [The skill directly transmits meaning, so as long as her thoughts are ordered, it shouldn''t be an issue.] The man consoled the woman before approaching Thomas and waving his hand. *Miss Victoria? Can you hear me?*


    Thomas blinked. *Yeah, I hear you¡­ I assume I''m Victoria then?*


    The man frowned. *Miss Victoria, can you tell me what today''s date is?*


    *I have no idea.* Thomas shrugged.


    *Who is the current reigning king?*


    *We have kings?*


    *What is the first stage of cultivation?*


    *Stage of what?!?*


    *What is two plus two?*


    *Four.*


    *What is the square root of one hundred and forty-four multiplied by seven, plus nine.*


    Thomas paused as he did the calculations in his head, taking longer than he used to due to his sudden lack of points. *Ninety-three? I think.* He answered, frowning slightly. He really needed to start earning points again.


    *Do you know who this woman is?* The man finished.


    *Not particularly, but judging by the similarities between our looks and the excessive level of concern she seems to have for me, I''m guessing my mother? Possibly an aunt?* Thomas replied.


    The man turned to the woman, shaking his head. [I''m sorry Melissa, she seems to have lost all her memories. She doesn''t even remember you''re her mother. Thankfully, her reasoning seems to have remained intact. We''ll need to re-educate her, but once we do, she should be able to live a normal life. Honestly, this is probably one of the best results we could have hoped for.]


    Tears pooled in Melissa''s eyes as she pulled Thomas into a tight embrace. [Oh, you foolish, foolish girl! Why did you have to rush!?! You only needed to wait a few short years at most and you could have taken the potion safely! Now look at you, an Awoken but with no knowledge of how to build on it! What kind of path can you choose now?!?] She simultaneously scolded and comforted him, though since Thomas still couldn''t understand the language, he didn''t get any of it.


    Thomas patted Melissa''s back awkwardly. "There, there?" He consoled her awkwardly, glancing at the man hesitantly. *So¡­ Can I get some pants or something? I- kinda need to exercise and I don''t think these dresses are really appropriate for that.*


    The man looked at her strangely. *If I may ask, why do you feel the need to exercise?*


    Thomas paused. *To¡­ maintain my figure?* He offered hesitantly.


    The man raised an eyebrow at him. *Miss Victoria, dishonesty is a poor habit to develop, and a futile one to attempt through a mental bridge. Now please, tell me why you really need to exercise.*


    Thomas sighed. *To get stronger.*


    The man blinked. *And why would you need to get stronger?*


    Thomas frowned. *Because there are dangerous people out there, and if I''m not strong enough, they''ll hurt me and everyone I care about?*


    *I see¡­* The man muttered. *That is an¡­ interesting shift in mindset, but one I can''t exactly disagree with. Though simple exercise will offer little benefit, it does provide a valuable foundation for future development. Very well, you''ll find that your exercise clothes are stored in your private training yard.* The man sighed. *If only you were this dedicated to improvement before you took the Potion of Awakening.*


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    *I have a private training yard? Where?* Thomas asked, frowning as he realized he didn''t know where anything was. *Actually, I''m probably going to need to be shown where everything is¡­*


    *Hm, yes. Beatrice will need to lead you around for a while.* The man agreed.


    Thomas glanced at the woman holding him. *Beatrice?*


    The man laughed, shaking his head. *No, no, this is Melissa, your mother, as you so brilliantly deduced. Beatrice is your maid. My name is Maurice.*


    *Ah, nice to meet you.* Thomas replied. Though, on the topic of names, he supposed he should probably start thinking of himself as Victoria, shouldn''t he? At least, until he had a better understanding of this world he''d found himself in. He should probably also start thinking of himself as a she. Maybe, once she was settled, she could return to being Thomas. Not that she particularly cared what name or pronouns she used¡­ Thomas or Victoria, he/she was the same person inside, right? The only thing it really changed was how sex worked, and that- wouldn''t be an issue. Not for a while, at least.


    *Miss Victoria?* Maurice interrupted her spiraling thoughts, looking at her with concern. *Are you alright?*


    *Huh? Yeah¡­ Could- Could I go to the training yard now?* Victoria asked, shaking her head.


    *Sure.* Maurice agreed, smiling sadly, looking at her with a trace of pity in his gaze.


    Victoria extricated herself from Melissa''s embrace and followed Maurice out of the room and down the halls. They descended down two flights of stairs, before exiting onto a training field full of soldiers doing drills, Victoria catching sight of tall walls in the distance as Maurice led her away from the soldiers and into a small, enclosed courtyard. *You will find your training clothes in that chamber there. These are your private training grounds, so you won''t need to worry about being disturbed.* Maurice explained.


    *Thank you.* Victoria replied, giving him a slight nod as she headed towards the chamber he''d pointed out.


    *I''ll have Beatrice wait for you outside, to guide you to the dining hall once you''ve finished.* Maurice added, before leaving the courtyard.


    Victoria quickly changed into the form fitting outfit she found in the chamber. "This feels so very, very wrong." Victoria flushed nervously, trying to avoid looking down as she changed. Despite recent physical changes and emotional trauma, she couldn''t quite ignore the fact that she was now in the body of a rather cute young woman, emphasis on young. Victoria had to guess she was somewhere between thirteen and fifteen, which just added an extra layer of awkwardness to the act of dressing a female body that still didn''t quite feel like it was his.


    Victoria sighed in relief as she finished changing, quickly focusing on the system to get the sights she couldn''t avoid seeing out of her head. Which worked really well, since the sight of the UI he and Jessica had designed together sent a jolt of pain through her heart that erased any other thought from her mind. She took a deep breath to recompose herself before checking her tasks, finding a series of exercises she could do, all adjusted to make use of what she had available in the training yard, somewhat surprising her. It seemed a bit more¡­ intuitive than she was used to. Usually she had to adjust tasks herself to fit the equipment she had available.


    Shaking herself from her thoughts, she began performing her tasks, losing herself in the mechanical exercises, preventing her from thinking too deeply about anything. She spent hours putting herself through various exercises until she''d gained a little over forty points, breathing heavily as she collapsed onto a cushion waiting in a side room. One odd thing she''d noticed was that despite being a still developing teenage girl, her new stats were actually better than her old body''s, at least physically, and not by a little bit. This little girl was fifty percent stronger than he''d been! She glanced at her decidedly not muscular arms, wondering just how these people were built that someone that looked like her would be that strong.


    After she''d rested for a bit, she walked over to a small pool that was obviously intended for bathing after her exercise, testing the water with a toe and finding it surprisingly warm, before stripping and easing herself into the water. At first, it was fine. Washing her hair was a bit annoying, but she''d expected that. What she hadn''t expected was how awkward it was to wash the rest of her body. It wasn''t even the fact that it was a girl''s body, there was just something off about washing an entirely different body than she was used to and she kept feeling like she was somehow missing something. Of course, the girl''s body didn''t help but she was so exhausted at the moment that those thoughts were easy to dismiss.


    After drying herself off, Victoria looked between her dress and the exercise clothes in consternation as she tried to decide which one she''d rather wear. On the one hand, the dress was cleaner, less sweaty, and more appropriate for walking around in, but¡­ it was a dress. Victoria still had some instinctual resistance to wearing dresses from her previous life. However, while the exercise clothes were much closer to her former tastes¡­ they were skin tight, and rather sweaty and gross after she just exercised in them. Thinking of all those soldiers on the other side of the wall, Victoria let out an involuntary shudder, knowing exactly what would go through their minds if she walked out in that outfit.


    With a sigh, she finally began to pull on the dress, grumbling slightly as she messed with the ties along the side until she finally got everything situated and stepped out of the courtyard. Immediately she was greeted by another young woman, who seemed to have been waiting there patiently for some time, probably that Beatrice Maurice had mentioned.


    [Are you ready to head to dinner, Lady Victoria?] Beatrice asked, giving her a concerned look.


    Victoria frowned at her. "Sorry, I don''t speak ye old gibberish."


    [M-my Lady?] Beatrice stammered in confusion, not having understood Victoria''s sarcastic comment.


    Victoria let out a heavy sigh. "Just take me to the dining hall, okay? That''s what you''re supposed to do, right?"


    [I- I don''t-] Beatrice began to panic.


    "Just go!" Victoria exclaimed in frustration, throwing up her hands. She walked ahead a bit, motioning exaggeratedly for Beatrice to take the lead.


    [O-oh! Yes! Er- follow me!] Beatrice finally got the hint, rushing forward.


    Victoria followed her through another series of halls and stairways, wondering why this place had to be designed so damned complicatedly, before arriving in a small, elegant dining room with a table that could fit close to ten people around it, though currently only half that number were sitting there. As she walked in, her mother immediately jumped to her feet, rushing towards her.


    [Victoria!] Melissa exclaimed, catching her by the shoulders as she examined her. [How are you feeling? Is your memory still gone? Did anything else go wrong?]


    Victoria clicked her tongue in frustration. "Seriously, how hard is it to understand that I don''t speak your language? Stop asking me things in gibberish!"


    Melissa''s expression fell in disappointment as she turned to Maurice, who''d also climbed to his feet upon Victoria''s entrance, her eyes pleading with him for his help. With a slightly twisted grin, he performed his skill again, connecting with Victoria''s mind. *Ahem, your mother is wondering if you experienced any discomfort during your exercise.* He explained.


    *Ah, no. Well, you know, it was exercise, so obviously there was some discomfort, but nothing that you wouldn''t expect.* Victoria shrugged.


    Maurice smiled in understanding, quickly conveying her answer to Melissa, who sighed in relief. Melissa then pulled Victoria along, sitting her in the seat beside her, while Maurice sat on Victoria''s other side. Across the table from them were two boys, one in his late teens and the other looking to be around ten or eleven. At the head of the table sat an older man, around the same age as her mother. All three looked at her with different expressions. The older man frowned with a mix of disappointment and pity, while the younger boy just looked curious. However, the older boy''s look was the strangest, traces of contempt flickering in his eyes, with a hint of mockery.


    *Let me introduce you. The man sitting at the head of the table is your father, the honorable Marquis Albert Tyverus. To his left is your older brother, Albert Junior, or AJ for short, and the last is your younger brother Calvin.* Maurice introduced the three men.


    [Did you really lose your memory?] Calvin asked after a moment of awkward silence.


    Victoria nodded, after Maurice translated for her. "I don''t remember anything from before I woke up this afternoon."


    [Where did you even get a Potion of Awakening!] The Marquis growled, pounding the table in frustration. [If I ever catch the person responsible for this, I will skin them alive!]


    [It was probably one of her little boy toys.] AJ drawled. [You know how she likes to tease the young recruits. A little bit of flirting, maybe a squeeze here and there, and they''d do anything for her.]


    [AJ!] Melissa immediately interjected, giving him a harsh stare. [You know your sister does nothing of the sort!] AJ snorted and rolled his eyes, but didn''t press the issue any further, Victoria looking between the two, confused because Maurice hadn''t translated the exchange for her.


    Melissa let out an angry huff before continuing. [How she became this way is irrelevant at the moment. What matters is how we proceed. No matter what, the fact is that Victoria has awakened, and she is ready for Acquisition. The question becomes whether we should let her take the chance now, possibly acquiring a sub-par Skill Rune due to her lost memory, or have her wait to develop more and steer her towards a more powerful Initial Rune.]


    [What does it matter if she acquires a good rune or not?] AJ scoffed. [Does having a powerful rune make her a better wife?]


    [AJ, shut up.] The Marquis sighed wearily, rubbing his temple, obviously exasperated with this irreverent son of his. [However, there is something to be said for your words. This first rune doesn''t matter. As long as she''s talented, she can Comprehend and Assimilate an Initial Rune in the time it would take to retrain her. She wouldn''t lose much by acquiring one now, even if it is sub-par. If she isn''t talented, then no matter what rune she acquires, it''s irrelevant. She won''t have any future in cultivation anyways, and few people care if their wives are powerful or not.] A cold, shrewd look flashed across the Marquis''s face. [Think of this first rune as a test. If she can overcome this hurdle, then¡­ maybe we can rethink her future.]


    AJ glanced sharply at the Marquis, a flash of worry and panic crossing his face, before a thought occurred to him and a slow grin spread across his face. Melissa grimaced slightly, lowering her head and reaching over to squeeze Victoria''s hand reassuringly. Maurice just sighed and shook his head, while Calvin went back to his food, having long lost track of the conversation. Victoria just looked between everyone in confusion, completely unable to understand the heated exchange, or the impact it would have on her new life.

 Points: 9 - Shifting prospects

    Early the next morning Maurice led Victoria to a small private room in the depths of the castle. *Today you will condense your first Initial Rune.* He explained in a heavy tone, gesturing for Victoria to sit on a small cushion in the middle of the room. Scented candles provided a calm, soothing atmosphere, almost lulling Victoria to sleep as she made herself comfortable.


    *What''s an Initial Rune?* Victoria asked.


    Maurice let out a heavy sigh. *Right, you wouldn''t know¡­ First, let me explain cultivation. As an Awakened, you are one of the special people in this world who can condense Runes. Anyone can be Awakened, from the mightiest king, to the lowliest slave, and once you are, your future becomes limitless! I myself was just a lowly scribe before my Awakening and now I sit at the right hand of one of the mightiest lords in this great land!* Maurice paused as he realized he''d gotten off track, forcing a brief cough to cover his embarrassment. *But back to the subject at hand. As an Awakened, you will condense Runes in a four stage process. The first stage is Acquisition, in which you form the Skill Rune in your Runescape. As it forms, it will apply pressure upon you, struggling against your control, resisting its formation. If you lose control in this instance, the Rune will break down violently, causing injury, or even death. Once it''s fully formed, the Rune will stabilize, but the pressure will remain until you have Assimilated it.*


    *Once you have a fully formed Rune, you enter the next stage, Comprehension. In this stage, you must meditate on your Rune, learning from it as you develop an understanding of the Skill it represents. Once you have truly understood your Rune, you may move on to the next stage, Assimilation. In the Assimilation stage, you incorporate your Rune into your very being, moving it from your Runescape and imprinting it on your body. This fixes your understanding of the Rune, making its use much more instinctual, as well as opening the door of the fourth stage, Cultivation. Additionally, once you have Assimilated a Rune, the pressure will release, allowing you to condense more Runes.*


    *Finally, Cultivation is the process of using your Assimilated Rune to gather the world''s energy. The more you understand the Rune, the more powerful the Rune, the more efficient the process. There''s a few more details you''ll need to be aware of before you begin this process, but those can wait until later. The important part is that you should constantly strive to understand more and more advanced Runes, in order to better advance your cultivation.*


    *Now, there are two types of Runes: Initial Runes and Advanced Runes. Initial Runes are the most basic Runes formed based on one''s experience and knowledge. When acquiring an Initial Rune, you must remember one thing: we do not choose our Runes, our Runes choose us. Many young Awakened have run into trouble when they reject an Initial Rune they have begun to acquire, causing it to destabilize and break down. No matter what Rune you receive, you must accept it.*


    *Advanced Runes, on the other hand, are acquired based on your Assimilated Runes. These Advanced Runes provide special abilities along with the skills they encompass. For example, while an Initial Rune of Stealth will provide you with all the skills needed to move silently through the night, an Advanced Rune of Stealth may also provide you with the ability to cloak yourself in shadow. You may choose to base the acquisition of an Advanced Rune on any number of Assimilated Runes, making the resulting Rune more powerful, but be warned that the more powerful the Rune, the more pressure it will exert and the harder it will be to understand.*


    *The final aspect of being Awakened you must pay attention to is Capacity. Your Capacity is your ability to withstand the pressure of the Runes. The higher your Capacity, the more unassimilated Runes you can hold, either in quantity or quality. Capacity can be trained by advancing your cultivation and training your mind and body. If you ever exceed your Capacity, you will break down, and there is no returning from that.* Maurice stated finally, ending his explanation.


    Victoria took in all this information, nodding slowly as she organized it into her own understanding, before frowning. *If Awakening is a natural phenomenon, then what is that Potion of Awakening I took?* She asked curiously.


    Maurice''s expression twisted slightly. *That- a few decades ago, a powerful Awakened lord with a highly advanced Alchemy Rune was left with no descendants except one, who was well into his middle age with no signs of Awakening. Frustrated, he set out to design a potion which would increase his descendants chances of Awakening and succeeded magnificently, creating a potion that would guarantee an individual''s Awakening. It only had one minor flaw. The imbiber of the potion must have an outstanding constitution and willpower, or the forces of the potion would run rampant through their body, similar to a breakdown. Of course, this was only a minor flaw to many nobles, as both constitution and willpower can be trained, but Awakening can only be chanced upon. Every noble family has a few of these potions stashed away, encouraging their children to train their bodies and minds, just in case their children fail to Awaken, a rather low chance since the children of Awakened tend to Awaken and many noble lines have been Awakened for generations, but every now and then a child becomes anxious or wants to get a head start and imbibes the potion early, which almost always leads to tragedy. All things considered your circumstances are a rather minor incident. In most scenarios, you would be dead, or at least crippled for life.*


    Victoria nodded absently, remembering how many points it had taken to heal this body when she had crossed over and sighed heavily. *Thank you for explaining all this.* She thanked Maurice sincerely. *Now, how do I begin the Acquisition process?*


    Maurice smiled, admiring Victoria''s resolute attitude, before beginning to explain the process to acquire an Initial Rune. It wasn''t particularly difficult. All one had to do was calmly focus their mind on their Runescape and call for a Rune to form. Victoria took up a meditative position and followed his instructions, but ran into a slight problem. She didn''t know where this Runescape thing was¡­ *Did the points get rid of it when they healed this body?* Victoria thought to herself nervously, as she searched and searched. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down and focus on searching calmly. As soon as she calmed herself down, entering into a state of focused unconsciousness, the Runescape opened itself to her. *Oh¡­* She''d misunderstood what the Runescape was. It wasn''t an area in her body, but more like a special state of consciousness, where one feels as if they are both falling asleep and remaining awake at the same time. Her vision was suffused with a soft, blue glow as tiny motes of light flitted around in the background.


    *Okay, found the Runescape. Now¡­ Come!* She commanded and suddenly a crushing pressure descended on her mind. She gritted her teeth in determination as the motes of light began to condense in front of her, etching themselves into the fabric of the Runescape, harsh lines forming as they outlined a dominating form! The shape wasn''t in the form of any language she knew, but its meaning was immediately clear. *Design?* Victoria''s concentration lapsed for a moment as she took in this strange Rune, causing it to destabilize slightly before she quickly refocused on supporting its development. Confusion continued to threaten to tear her concentration away from the forming Rune, making the process much more stressful than it should have been, but Victoria couldn''t help it, unable to keep herself from wondering why her first Rune would be Design.


    While obviously everyone else around her didn''t think much of her chances to form a good Rune, Victoria knew she wasn''t actually a blank slate. She had all her memories from her previous life as Thomas, full of advanced knowledge and creative ideas from everything he''d consumed over the years! What kind of Rune would form from her knowledge of physics, chemistry, and biology? From the technology she knew about? Even from the various magic systems and combat theories she''d read about in manga or seen on TV? There were so many possibilities, but¡­ what had she ever designed? Maybe the system? But even that was more about defining things, not really designing. She was a programmer, not an artist!


    Eventually, even with all the distracting thoughts running through her mind, the Initial Rune of Design finally finished forming, settling into her Runescape like a rock, continually emitting its heavy pressure. Victoria shot it one last look, before exiting the strange state with a sigh.


    *Well? Did you form a Rune?* Maurice asked expectantly, holding out a bit of hope for something good, though her downcast expression was rapidly eroding it.


    *I did.* Victoria sighed morosely. *I don''t know how good it is though.*


    *It''s to be expected. It''s hard to form an outstanding Rune with such a severe lack of experience.* Maurice sighed, shaking his head. *If only they''d have allowed me to train you for a few months¡­ no, even just one month, I could have-* He let out another sigh. *But what''s done is done. What is the Rune? Running? Jumping? Lifting? It couldn''t be Eating, right?*


    *Those were options?!?* Victoria asked incredulously. *No, it''s Design.*


    Maurice frowned. *Design? that- may not be terrible, actually. How many lines does it have? Are there any curves?*


    Victoria frowned thinking back to the Rune. *Seven? It''s an ¡®S¡¯ with three separate lines in the top loop and a triangle in the bottom loop.*


    *Seven¡­ Not the most complicated, but with that S, it might be equivalent to a twelve line Rune, or even higher! You may just have a chance to turn all this around!* Maurice started getting excited only to pause, frowning thoughtfully. *But where did it come from?*


    Victoria shrugged helplessly. *I honestly don''t know.*


    Maurice sighed and shook his head. *Of course you don''t. Well¡­ let''s look on the bright side. You''ve acquired a Rune! A mental Rune at that, meaning you''ll be following my path as a Spirit Cultivator!*


    *Spirit Cultivator?* Victoria cocked her head.


    Maurice chuckled. *Right, you wouldn''t know. Well, let''s start from the basics. There are three types of cultivators: Spirit, Qi, and Essence. The major difference between them is the location where they form their core. For Spirit Cultivators, the core is formed in the head, while Qi Cultivators form the core in their chest and Essence Cultivators form one in their abdomen. Spirit Cultivators specialize in mental strength and skills, Essence Cultivators specialize in physical strength and combat, and Qi Cultivators balance both mental and physical strength, specializing in dextrous skills which require both finesse and power. Classically, Spirit Cultivators would be the cunning strategist, Qi Cultivators the tricky assassin, and Essence Cultivators the valiant warrior.* Maurice paused, before letting out a sigh. *I fear I''ve gone off topic again¡­ regardless, as a Spirit Cultivator, you will develop mental abilities, the specifics based on the Runes you have Assimilated. For example, our communication is facilitated by my Communication Rune, which grants me the ability to connect to another''s mind, though, in order for you to gain such an ability, you''ll need to Acquire an Advanced Rune. Initial Runes simply provide a foundation.*


    Victoria frowned. *Okay¡­ so what does it do for me now?*


    Maurice paused. *Er¡­ nothing. Until you assimilate it and actually begin to form your core, a Skill Rune simply allows you to gain a deeper understanding of the skill it represents. Your goal right now is to learn from it as best you can. The better your understanding of the Rune, the better your foundation for the future.*


    Victoria let out a sigh. *Okay then. How do I do that then?*


    *Simply enter your Runescape and focus on the Rune. It will teach you its secrets, though the amount you understand depends on you.* Maurice explained simply.


    Victoria nodded in understanding, standing to her feet. *Thank you for taking the time to explain all this.* She thanked him again. She''d understood that besides Melissa and Maurice, no one in the castle cared to see her advance. Without them, she probably would have gotten the basics, but not much else, leaving her to fumble about on her own. The extra information didn''t help her too much at the moment, but it gave her a clear view of her future, and she was grateful. Her first goal would need to be comprehending the Design Rune as well as possible, before using it as a springboard to acquire better and more advanced runes.


    [Develop a deep understanding of the Design Rune: 0%]


    Victoria chuckled as the new mission popped up. All this may have been difficult for someone else, but with the system, Victoria was confident she could handle any difficulty she was faced with. Even if this Rune cultivation didn''t work out, she always had another path to power. With that in mind, she headed towards her exercise courtyard. She needed more points.


    *


    Victoria relaxed in her bathing pool after a strenuous workout, letting out a relieved sigh, sinking into thought as she pulled up her status, looking it over.


    Strength: 23 (16)*


    Stamina: 20 (13)


    Agility: 25 (18)


    Memory: 18 (11)


    Problem Solving: 19 (12)


    Comprehension: 22 (15)


    Awareness: 36 (21)


    Points: 74.44


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    *Parentheses are the stats without the boost from the points.


    Her base physical stats were obviously improved from before, while her mental stats remained the same, except for her awareness. Though she supposed that stat was half physical. It seemed she truly was Thomas''s mind in Victoria''s body. She glanced over at the other side of the screen, focusing absently on the gender entry, before pushing it out of her mind with a sigh. She would like to return to being a man at some point, but¡­ now wasn''t the right time. As Victoria she had a support network she could use to get stronger, while as Thomas she wouldn''t even have clothes. A part of her felt vaguely uneasy at the idea of slotting into someone else''s life like this, but it wasn''t her fault the girl died! She wasn''t even really pretending to be the girl, she just wasn''t telling anyone she used to be someone else¡­ Which was still pretty shitty, but what other choice did she have? Plus, this way they''d at least feel like the girl was still around, right? And if everyone was happy, why not just go with it? Victoria grimaced for a moment, before shaking her head. If she was going to go down that path, then she was going to have to actually be Victoria. She couldn''t just play the role for a bit then leave the moment it was convenient. She''d have to consider these people her responsibility. Her friends. Her¡­ family. Because otherwise she should just leave right now and save everyone the heartache.


    Victoria pushed those thoughts out of her mind, turning to the next pressing issue she had to deal with: what was she supposed to do with the system? Based on what happened on Earth, spreading it to anyone and everyone again would be a bad idea. She pulled up the page listing everyone with the system and shuddered at the solitary number one staring back at her. Yeah, she was not letting that happen again. Until she was in a position where she could actually protect the people she gave the system to, spreading it was not an option. She just hoped no one would come after her for using it herself, because if there was one thing she was certain of, it was the fact that she was going to need the system''s power, and more, to face the Voice.


    Victoria shook herself from her thoughts and quickly finished up her bath before getting dressed and heading out, gesturing for Beatrice to lead her back to her room. She added ten points to Problem Solving and Comprehension as they walked, listening to the people around her talk as she walked, doing her best to parse out the language from context clues. She couldn''t use Maurice as her translator forever, after all.


    Once she got closer to her room she found her brother, AJ, leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for her. [Well, well, well, if it isn''t the memoryless maiden. I hear you acquired a Rune this morning. I don''t know what you acquired, but if you think this will help you avoid your duty, you are woefully mistaken.] AJ commented, his tone darkening towards the end. [Duke Duhallis has already made his intentions quite clear. No matter what, after your fifteenth birthday, you will be engaged, and after your sixteenth birthday, you''ll be wed. No matter how hard you struggle, this matter has already been decided. Just accept your fate and focus on preparing yourself to be a good wife.]


    Victoria stared at him with a frown, while Beatrice fidgeted nervously beside her, looking between the two nobles as she tried her best to blend into the background. "Are you stupid?" Victoria asked incredulously.


    [Eh?] AJ frowned.


    "I don''t understand the language!" Victoria exclaimed. "If you''re looking to monologue at me, at least go and grab Maurice so he can translate! Of course, you can''t understand me, so me telling you this is largely pointless as well, but¡­ well, you sound like you were being a dick, so fuck it."


    AJ glared at her. [Are you mocking me?!?]


    Victoria sighed, rubbing her temple. "How are you not getting this!?! You do get that I''m speaking a different language, yes? Why would you assume I can understand you if you can''t understand me!?!"


    [I am your elder brother and you will respect me! I will not be mocked in my own castle!] AJ growled, stepping forward to grab the front of her dress.


    A fierce glint flashed in Victoria''s eyes as suddenly points flooded into her arm and her palm struck out, landing heavily on his chest. AJ''s eyes widened, a pained wheeze escaping his lips as he flew backwards, slamming into the wall! "Don''t! Touch me!" Victoria growled as she stood over him, before stomping off towards her room, followed by a stunned Beatrice. Victoria slammed the door behind her, shutting Beatrice out of the room, before clutching her head and groaning in frustration. *What did I just do!?!* Victoria panicked, breathing heavily. It would have been fine if she just hit AJ. He was being a dick, and he deserved a little punishment, but why did her points do that?!? She wasn''t supposed to be that strong yet! If- If AJ went and told everyone else¡­ what would they think? Would they think she was an impostor? Not that they''d be wrong¡­


    Victoria stared at her arm in consternation, frustrated and angry at AJ, herself, and her points all at once. *Just¡­ Why did the points move on their own?!?* Victoria groaned, burying her face in her hands. They''d never done that before! The points hadn''t even been spent either! The boost just seemed to have¡­ focused on her arm! How was that even possible? She- she''d just wanted to hit AJ, and the points had moved to help her do that. She frowned, considering that for a moment. She''d never actually tried to interact with the points before¡­ not without the system at least. And if she could focus her points to strengthen her arm, what else could she focus her points on?


    With that thought in mind, Victoria took a seat on the bed and turned to her next task: comprehending the Initial Rune of Design. As she slipped back into the focused unconscious state, entering her Runescape, she attempted to move her points, trying to focus them in her head to increase her comprehension abilities. However, the moment she tried to move her points, she lost her hold on her Runescape, and the moment she refocused on the Runescape, she lost her hold on the points, unable to keep her focus on both things at once. ¡°Damn it.¡± Victoria grumbled, sighing and putting the idea on the backburner as she focused on her Design Rune. As she focused on the Rune, she felt something begin to interact with her mind, frowning as she realized it wasn''t exactly what she''d expected. She''d expected the Rune to feed her knowledge, specific skills and methods for designing things, but what she got was a bit more¡­ vague. She didn''t receive any new knowledge, but instead ideas began to form, the Design Rune helping her put together what she already knew. It showed her the various fabrics she''d seen around the castle that could be used to make a comfortable pair of pants, areas where plumbing could be installed so she could actually have a damn toilet, acceptable substitutes for toilet paper, a way to make deodorant¡­ Some of these may not have come from the Design Rune, but once she got on the topic, she couldn''t let go of the idea of bringing this culture''s hygiene standards into the twenty-first century. The more she concentrated on the Rune, the more ideas bloomed in her mind, until she couldn''t resist the urge to actually do something with them all.


    Victoria jumped to her feet and rushed out of her room, finding Beatrice waiting in the small sitting room attached to it, repeating Maurice''s name a few times until Beatrice got the hint and helped her search for Maurice, leading her around the castle until she finally found someone who knew where the old man was. Maurice looked up with a frown as they walked into his small office, quickly performing his skill and establishing a link with Victoria. *Is something the matter?* Maurice asked, a hint of concern in his tone as he wondered if something had gone wrong with her cultivation.


    Victoria shook her head. *No, I just need some things to get all the ideas out of my head. Some writing tools, fabric and sewing supplies, a blueprint of the castle if you have one, but I can take care of that myself if you don''t. Oh, and some soft wood, like pine¡­ actually, scratch that. I need to design a few other things before we get there.*


    Maurice¡¯s eyes widened. *You can write?*


    Victoria froze. *Is- that strange?*


    *This¡­ Come, write a few lines for me.* Maurice waved her over, pulling out a small piece of scrap parchment and handing her a quill.


    Victoria shrugged, taking the quill and quickly writing ''My name is Victoria and AJ is a dickhead.'' before handing the quill back.


    *Amazing¡­* Maurice muttered as he took in the little script. *The fact that you speak a different language is strange enough, but a completely different writing system as well? Complete with new letters?!? Just what happened during your Awakening? This- this goes beyond simple amnesia. I wonder¡­ did you perhaps receive a baptism of some foreign cultures knowledge which wiped out your own? A complete replacement of one set of knowledge with another!?! A culture rich in design, which would explain your Rune¡­ Yes, the more I think of this, the more it makes sense! Tell me, are there any other concepts you know of that seem to be missing in this world?*


    Victoria was stunned for a second before she let out a sharp laugh. While she wasn''t exactly trying to hide her weirdness from anyone, she was worried about what they would think if they found out she wasn''t the original Victoria, not just an amnesiac but a completely new personality. But this old man had gone and invented an excuse for her! It was perfect! *Sorry.* Victoria coughed awkwardly as she apologized for her outburst. *It''s just¡­ I have been feeling like my understanding of how things should be was slightly off from everyone else''s, but I didn''t know how to explain where these ideas were coming from. To hear you come up with such an answer¡­ It was relieving.*


    Maurice nodded in understanding. *Of course. I can''t imagine how frustrating this all must have been for you. Waking up with no knowledge of your surroundings, full of these strange ideas¡­ you must have been so confused! Don''t worry, I''ll do my best to make sure you can get back up to speed as quickly as possible.*


    *That would be great. Thank you.* Victoria agreed with a sigh of relief.


    Maurice and Victoria continued to talk for a while, laying out a lesson plan for her to begin reintegrating with their society, beginning with language lessons, as well as culture and etiquette. Victoria didn''t see much point in the etiquette lessons, but Maurice insisted that as a young lady of the land, it was of the utmost importance that she learn how to conduct herself properly in front of the other nobles, even if she couldn''t speak their language. Victoria didn''t quite buy his explanation, but he was the expert here.


    By the time they finished, it was time for dinner, so they headed to the dining room together, giving Beatrice a break. Everyone sat in the same places as before, almost as if they had assigned seating, AJ shooting a quick glare Victoria''s way before ignoring her completely. Everyone ate in silence for a few minutes, then the Marquis spoke up. [So, AJ. I hear you made a visit to the doctor this afternoon. Apparently it was quite a nasty injury.] He commented, glancing towards AJ. [What happened?]


    [Nothing!] AJ immediately retorted, his face going red. [It was just a training accident, no big deal.] He huffed, blatantly avoiding looking towards Victoria.


    The Marquis frowned. [What kind of training would you be doing to break several of your ribs like that?] Victoria winced slightly after Maurice translated that part for her. She hadn''t realized she''d done that much damage.


    [I- was practicing with my horse. During a maneuver, I made a mistake, falling off the back and spooking him in the process, causing him to kick. I''d rather not speak any more on the matter, as it''s rather embarrassing.] AJ explained.


    Victoria frowned. *Why is he covering for me?*


    The Marquis nodded, accepting the explanation as he turned to Victoria, a strange glint in his eye. [I hear there''s some news regarding you as well, Victoria. You actually managed to acquire a rather decent Rune on your first try, a Spirit Rune at that!]


    [What!?!] AJ looked up in shock, glancing at Victoria before looking back at the Marquis. [How is that possible?!? She''s completely lost her memory!]


    [I actually don''t believe it''s that simple.] Maurice interjected. [Earlier today, I learned that not only does Victoria have a different language, she''s also acquired a different writing system as well! This goes beyond a simple brain injury. My belief is that her memories weren''t erased, but replaced! The knowledge of an entirely different culture forced into her mind during the process of Awakening, replacing her lifetime of memories with pure knowledge! It would explain why she retains her rationality and certain areas of knowledge, while being completely ignorant of others! As long as something exists in this foreign culture, she retains her understanding of it, but if it wasn''t there, she has no knowledge of it. If I''m right, this situation may turn out to be more of a blessing than a curse!] Maurice finished excitedly, almost giddy at the idea.


    *This guy is too smart for his own good.* Victoria thought to herself, resisting the urge to laugh again.


    [Interesting¡­] The Marquis muttered, considering Maurice''s explanation thoughtfully. [How can we be sure of this, though?]


    Maurice paused, trying to think of a way, when Victoria raised her hand. "I''m not sure if this exactly proves anything, but there''s this¡­ device I seem to know about that doesn''t seem to exist around here at all. It''s called a toilet. Using pipes, you connect the toilet to the area in which you dispose of your waste, then, using a different set of pipes, you connect the toilet to a source of water. The water pipes fill a reservoir on the back of the toilet and after you¡­ do your business, the water releases, taking the waste away immediately, not letting it sit around like a chamber pot." She explained, Maurice translating for her.


    The Marquis frowned, staring at Victoria for a moment. [You know how to make this?] He asked seriously.


    "Kind of? I know the general idea at least. It should only take a bit of tinkering to make it work." Victoria replied tentatively.


    [Are there any other such inventions you can recall?] The Marquis pressed, sounding somewhat intense.


    "A few? Mostly simple stuff though. For more complex inventions, I only have a vague idea of how they work, without the specifics necessary to actually build them." Victoria admitted.


    [Interesting¡­] The Marquis muttered thoughtfully, staring at her intently, before turning to Maurice. [Teach her the language, as quickly as possible.]


    [Of course, my Lord.] Maurice bowed slightly, a small grin playing across his face. Melissa was practically bouncing in happiness as she heard the Marquis words, while AJ''s expression darkened. He gritted his teeth as he felt his plans slipping through his grasp. He could not let anything go wrong with the match between Duke Duhallis and Victoria! He was going to have to talk with the Duke. Plans needed to be made.

 Points: 10 - Exploring

    The following days all fell into a pattern for Victoria. Every morning she''d head straight to her exercise courtyard to workout and gain points before taking her daily bath. Then she''d return to her room, where Beatrice would bring her a light meal, after which she''d switch between meditating on the Design Rune and working on the projects that flooded her mind every time she did so. After a few hours of this, she''d take a break for her lessons with Maurice, focusing her points in her head to increase her learning abilities, then having dinner with her new family before returning to her room and continuing to work on her Rune until it was time to sleep.


    Victoria didn''t initially plan for her schedule to be so punishing, but with no TV, no video games, and no internet, she couldn''t find any other way to keep herself busy. The fact that she still couldn''t talk to anyone, plus the fact that she was a bit of a social recluse to begin with, meant her only options were working on her projects or staring at a wall, and the wall was painted with memories of Earth, so¡­ projects it was. Thankfully she was quickly getting the hang of this new language, thanks to the steadily increasing amount of points she could bring to bear. Already she could mostly understand what people were saying, as long as they kept it to small talk, and she could even begin asking simple questions like ''what does that mean?'' or ''what do you call this?'' Her taskbar already had her progress at about forty percent, so she figured it wouldn''t be long until she was fluent.


    Maurice was surprised by her progress at first, but quickly came to the conclusion that since she supposedly knew the language before, she already had a familiarity with it, letting her relearn it faster than normal. Victoria was beginning to like this old man. No matter what she did, he''d come up with some explanation that would make everyone nod along as if it made perfect sense. Victoria was even beginning to suspect that she could straight up transform back into Thomas right in front of him, and he''d simply explain it away as if such things were a normal occurrence around here.


    As far as her projects went, Victoria was already enjoying some limited success. Her first project, which she considered of the utmost importance, was the creation of a pair of pants that wouldn''t give every male in sight itchy hands. They were baggy, with large pockets, made with a slightly stretchy, but sturdy, fabric, just the style Victoria preferred. While she was at it, she made herself a few simple shirts as well. She''d struggled with the sewing at first, since her Rune focused more on ideas than implementation, but with the increased agility from her points, she quickly got the hang of it. She''d also drawn up a few schematics for the toilet and a water distribution system, but she needed to make a few prototypes to make sure they worked before she continued. The fabric had actually been a slight surprise for her, and as she looked into it, she realized this society''s material research was actually quite advanced. Despite being centuries behind Earth''s technology, they''d already created aluminum, rubber, plastic, and more, they just didn''t have the mass production capabilities that Earth did, so they weren''t as widespread.


    Along with this, Victoria was also shocked to find that while kingdoms were powerful, the true overlords of this world were the sects! Sects were groups dedicated solely to the pursuit of higher and higher realms of cultivation, so naturally they far outstripped the might of the kingdoms, which were more concerned with politics. However, the sects couldn''t just ignore the kingdoms, because the kingdoms had the populations necessary to actually control a territory, along with the willingness to farm and pull other resources out of it, which Cultivators felt were ¡®beneath¡¯ them. There were cases where sects directly took control of a kingdom, something Maurice referred to as an empire, but apparently there were issues with that? Maurice had only briefly mentioned the topic, dismissing it as something Victoria wouldn''t have to deal with.


    This led her to her third shocking discovery: This world was HUGE! She didn''t even have access to a complete map and the area was already ten times the size of Earth! It was insane! The kingdom she was living in, which was called Farova, was one of the smaller kingdoms, and it was at least half the size of the US! She also realized there were large swaths of undeveloped land within each kingdom as well, for seemingly no reason.


    *Maurice, why is there no one in this area of the kingdom? It''s a huge area, right in the middle of the kingdom, but there isn''t even a road through it! Why would we ignore such a large area of our kingdom?* Victoria asked with a frown, pointing to one of the undeveloped areas she''d noticed.


    Maurice chuckled. *Because of the beasts, of course.*


    *Beasts? Like animals? Why would they be an issue?* Victoria asked, confused.


    *You don''t know? Interesting¡­* Maurice gave her a thoughtful look, before answering her question. *Well, you see, much like people, beasts can also cultivate, reaching high levels of power and becoming Rune Beasts. Once a significantly large number of these Rune Beasts gather together, they create a territory which rebuffs any but the most overpowering forces. Since our kingdom lacks the power to exterminate these Rune Beasts or the funds to hire a sect to do so, all we can do is avoid the area.*


    Victoria''s eyebrows shot up. *Seriously? How in the world are animals able to comprehend Runes?!?*


    Maurice chuckled slightly again. *They don''t, at least, not the way we do. When a beast acquires a Rune, it is immediately assimilated, but unlike with us, that isn''t the end, but the beginning. As the beast uses the Rune, the Rune will evolve, becoming more complex and powerful. Even the weakest Initial Rune can become a terrifying force in the hands of a Rune Beast!*


    Victoria''s eyes widened. *That seems a little unfair, doesn''t it?*


    *Fair, unfair, does the world care?* Maurice replied with a shrug. *It''s the way things are, so we just have to get used to it.* Victoria sighed in understanding, and they returned to her lessons.


    *


    A few days later, Victoria finally graduated from needing Beatrice to lead her around everywhere. While she still wasn''t an expert in the language, she could get her point across in any conversation, so she no longer needed someone to accompany her to ask questions. As her progress was going well with the Design Rune, and her language lessons had finally shown results, Victoria decided to take the afternoon off to explore the town outside the walls of the castle.


    "Lady Victoria, may I help you?" A guard asked as she approached the gate leading out into the town.


    Victoria shook her head. "I heading out for bit. That should not be problem, yes?"


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    "Er-" The guard''s expression twisted slightly, not entirely sure how to handle the situation. "Let- let me ask my captain."


    Victoria frowned. "Am I prisoner? Why would I no go?"


    "It- it''s a matter of- of safety." The guard stammered.


    "Safety." Victoria grimaced, tone dripping with disdain. "Who is safe? No one. You worried? Come with me. Then, no problem, yes?" The guard looked at his partner, who simply shrugged, not knowing how to handle this any better than he did. Victoria rolled her eyes, before walking past them and out the gate. "Follow if you want. If not, I no care." She announced without looking back, striding into the town. The guards exchanged a look, before rushing in two different directions, one after Victoria, and the other to find their commander to report what just happened.


    "Lady Victoria, you really shouldn''t go out without a full complement of guards, with at least a third stage core strengthening expert!" The guard pleaded after he caught up.


    "What you say? My father''s town not safe?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "No! But there are precautions one must observe when-" The guard began to explain before Victoria cut him off.


    "Enough! Either it safe or it not. Yes or no. Which is it?" Victoria insisted, giving him a flat stare.


    "S-safe?" The guard answered hesitantly.


    "Good, then no problem, yes? No more complaining." Victoria announced with a smile, before continuing her journey, the guard following helplessly. Victoria knew from studying the maps that her father''s land was at the edge of the kingdom, near a few of the undeveloped areas that housed powerful Rune Beasts. As such, they lacked large tracts of farmland, barely producing enough to sustain their own population. However, they made up for this with a sizable population of Hunters, Cultivators who would venture into the Rune Beasts territory to hunt them down and bring their materials back. Simply by collecting a small tax from the sales the Marquis became one of the wealthier nobles in the kingdom.


    For this reason, many of the people walking the streets of the town carried weapons in one form or another. Just by looking at their weapons, it was easy to tell which kind of Cultivator they were. Essence Cultivators all carried large weapons, which reminded Victoria of the Monster Hunter game series, while Qi Cultivators carried weapons more in line with human proportions. Victoria didn''t see any Spirit Cultivators, but she figured they may blend in with the Qi cultivators, carrying normal weapons, or not carrying any weapons at all, like normal civilians.


    By the time she hit the main street it became obvious that the town focused on catering to its Hunter clientele. Multiple blacksmiths lined the street, as well as a few potion shops and tailors. Smack dab in the middle was a large building with Hunters streaming in and out, the signboard reading ''Hunters Guild'' across the top. The Hunters entered with large packages of materials and exited with purses full of money before heading to the various shops lining the street.


    "Lady Victoria, we should really be getting back to the castle." The guard whispered nervously, looking around at all the threatening individuals crowding the street.


    "We just left!" Victoria scoffed, ignoring him as she strode towards a nearby shop, which seemed to be selling accessories. A few Hunters wandered around the small shop, examining the wares. Victoria looked at one of the placards introducing a pair of earrings and her eyes widened.


    [Earings of Auditory Awareness: Enhances the wearer''s hearing and alerts them to unexpected noises.]


    *This¡­ am I in a video game?!?* Victoria''s mind whirled in confusion after she saw the description. She could somewhat wrap her mind around the whole cultivation thing, but accessories with special effects? That was crazy! How did they even do that?!?


    Victoria rushed to the front of the store, carrying the earrings as she waved down a clerk. "How were these made?!?" She asked excitedly.


    "Excuse me? I don''t- I''m just selling, I don''t know how to make these." The clerk stammered in confusion. Making these accessories required special skills and a high cultivation. Why would someone like that waste their time manning a shop counter?


    "Who does?" Victoria asked, losing a lot of her excitement.


    "We- we buy our wares from the guild¡­ I don''t know who makes them." The clerk explained.


    Victoria deflated with a sigh, returning the earrings to their spot. Seeing a video game concept in real life, Victoria had been overcome with the urge to figure out how it was actually possible, but it looked like she''d have to wait for any answers. Maybe Maurice would know?


    Leaving the accessory shop, Victoria visited a few other shops and found more strange features. She saw weapons with special attacks and armor that increased defense or speed. The more Victoria saw, the more she felt a strange sense of disassociation, as if the world around her wasn''t real. She paced the streets in a daze, until she wandered into the Hunters Guild.


    "Can I help you?" A receptionist asked her as she walked up to the counter.


    "Do you issue [quests]?" Victoria asked dumbly, forgetting she didn''t know the word for quests in this new language and defaulting to English.


    "Er, [quests]? I- I don''t know¡­ are you looking for a bounty?" The receptionist replied awkwardly.


    "Bounty¡­ for what?" Victoria asked, tilting her head slightly.


    The guard behind her blanched. *This is why she left the castle!?! To pick up guild bounties?!?*


    "Well, there are a few requests out there. The most expensive one at the moment is someone offering ten gold for the claws of a Rune Beast with an Advanced Attack Rune. They''ll pay extra if the Rune is related to a piercing attack. We also have someone offering seven gold for the hide of a Rune Beast with an Advanced Defense Rune. Those might be a little out of your range though¡­ uh, the guild buys all sorts of Rune Beast materials as well, even from Initial Rune Beasts¡­ especially if you can find a core¡­ oh, but you''d need a guild license first. Do- do you have a guild license?" The receptionist asked hesitantly after realizing how young the girl she was rambling at actually was. The odds of her even being Awakened were rather slim, let alone being a Cultivator. How could she have a guild license?


    "No guild license." Victoria shook her head and the receptionist let out a relieved sigh. Any Hunter who looked this young would probably be a terrifying individual of an extremely high realm. The receptionist didn''t have the confidence to deal with such an individual. "How do I get one?" Victoria continued, causing both the receptionist and the guard to freeze.


    "Well, you''d first need to be Awakened." The receptionist explained, going pale as Victoria simply nodded along. "T-then you need to have Assimilated your first Rune and condensed your core." Victoria frowned and shook her head with a sigh, causing the receptionist to let out a sigh of relief. *She''s just an early bloomer, not some old monster!* She thought to herself with a smile. "Well, then, once you''ve Assimilated your first Rune and condensed your core, you can return and we''ll test your abilities, before issuing you a guild rank, which will determine what level bounties you can take, okay?" The receptionist explained calmly, causing the guard to let out a sigh of relief.


    *Thankfully the guild isn''t that reckless.* He grinned to himself, shaking his head. He leaned in to tap Victoria on the shoulder. "Lady Victoria, isn''t it about time we returned to the castle?"


    "Hm? Probably." Victoria agreed, before turning back to the wide-eyed receptionist. "Thank you for the help." She thanked her, before heading out.


    *L-Lady Victoria?!? Why would she come here?!? Why would she be interested in bounties!?!* The receptionist''s mind whirled in confusion. A noble would never need to risk their life being a Hunter!

 Points: 11 - Exceeding expectations

    Victoria returned to the castle, much to the guard''s relief, returning to her room to ponder her little outing. A world with accessories and equipment that provide abilities, a Hunters Guild, and cultivation¡­ it was like a setting straight out of one of her manga! Hell, all it was missing was some sort of sys¡­ tem¡­ Victoria''s eyes widened as it hit her. She had a system! This- was she sure she wasn''t dead? Well no, she did die. That definitely happened, but this place wasn''t good enough to be heaven and it definitely wasn''t hell, so those were out. However, she couldn''t help but wonder why such a world would exist. All this was such a departure from the reality she used to know, but it wasn''t strange enough to be completely alien, so it threw her off. She could see her mind coming up with such a world on its own, leaving her wondering if all this was just a dream or not.


    But then, she was still essentially Thomas, so the existential crisis passed quickly. Even if this was a dream, what could she do about it? Might as well just play along, right? Best to just assume everything is real, and if she''s wrong, well, no harm done, right? Victoria nodded to herself. *Yeah, that''s the best way to deal with all this.*


    Going back to the system, Victoria considered it carefully. Ever since she started getting involved with cultivation, she''d simply been using the system as an aid. It was there to support her cultivation, rather than being its own thing, and admittedly, it''d been very helpful. Every time she meditated on her Rune, she felt closer and closer to understanding it, mostly thanks to the boost from her points, though she still couldn''t manage to concentrate on her Rune and shift her points at the same time. However, with her exposure to the true nature of this world, she couldn''t help but feel as if she was somehow misusing the system.


    Weren''t skills one of the fundamental aspects of a game system? It was a fundamental mechanic that characters in games were able to increase their skill levels to make their skills more effective and powerful or even evolve them to a higher state, granting them unique abilities! Honestly, it was pretty similar to this world''s Runes and Victoria couldn''t help but wonder if she could put something like that into her system.


    Victoria created a page and titled it ''Skills'', pausing as she wondered what exactly a skill was. She frowned as this thought rolled around in her head. *Damn it, I miss the internet.* Victoria sighed, reminiscing of a time where she would simply enter a word into a search bar and a definition would just pop up. *Alright, come on Victoria, think! What is a skill?* She scolded herself, focusing on the question. *Alright, so, basically, a skill is the ability to perform an action, right? Like jumping. Your skill in jumping is defined by how well you can actually jump. However, some skills fall under other skills¡­ like punching. Punching is a skill, but you could also categorize it under fighting, because if you''re good at fighting, naturally you''d be good at punching, right? Or would it be the other way around¡­* Victoria thought this over for a moment before nodding firmly. *Okay then, the Skill page will list the user¡¯s ability to perform an action. Any action that supports the user''s ability to perform another action will be grouped under the other action as a sub-skill.*


    The Skill page rapidly filled with a list of skills. A long list of skills. *Why is pooping a skill? Can one be skilled in pooping?!? It has sub-skills!* Currently, there was no indication of skill levels, but the page seemed to have automatically listed the skills in order of proficiency, with Design at the very top, followed by Language, which had a ton of sub-skills, starting with the two languages she knew, then reading, writing, and speaking as sub-skills under those, which all had sub-skills as well. It was truly a comprehensive list of every action Victoria could perform.


    Trying not to think about why pooping was so high in her list of skills, Victoria considered her options for a moment before adding a few points to her Design skill, just to see what would happen. Immediately, she felt the points going to work. It was a strange feeling, almost similar to the way she felt when she meditated on the Design Rune, but¡­ reversed. The Design Rune felt like it was running water over sand, etching channels or ways of thinking into her mind, showing her a new way of looking at things. With the points it was more like they were reinforcing the channels the Rune had created, making the thought processes feel more¡­ natural, a lot of the ideas that had initially confused her suddenly clicking as the points went to work.


    Victoria quickly dumped more points into the skill, but it only accepted about ten more, as if it was saturated. Victoria frowned for a moment, but quickly dismissed any concerns she had as she entered her Runescape and began to meditate, focusing on the Design Rune. A surge of Runic energy flowed through the channels of her mind and the world seemed to open before her, everything breaking down into its disparate parts, before reconnecting into a larger whole. *I get it. Design is about mapping out how the individual fits into the whole.* Victoria thought absently, almost offhandedly, not really thinking much of it, when her Rune shook. Pressure descended on her as new lines began to etch themselves into the Rune, adding nine or twelve new lines, depending on how you counted. Six more lines were added in the upper curl, creating a three by three grid, while in the lower curl, a larger triangle had encompassed the smaller, as if four small triangles were perfectly fit together to make one large triangle.


    Victoria was left gasping for air the moment it finished, her head pounding as the increased pressure crushed down on her. [What the fuck just happened!?!] She exclaimed, defaulting to English on instinct. Suddenly a sharp pain erupted from her forehead and her hand flew up to press against it, her eyes widening as she felt small ridges forming on it. She immediately rushed to the mirror to examine herself, freezing in shock at what she saw. Outlined on her forehead was her Design Rune, the old one, from before the new lines showed up. [What the fuck?!?] Victoria exclaimed again, staring at her new mark, not sure what to make of it, when it slowly began to fade, disappearing completely after just a few seconds.


    Victoria was still frowning into the mirror, when she heard a knock on the door. "Lady Victoria? Are- Are you alright? I heard shouting¡­" Beatrice asked from the other side, sounding worried.


    Victoria shot one last look into the mirror, to make sure the strange protrusions were gone, before walking over to open the door, revealing a nervous looking Beatrice. "I am fine." Victoria answered simply, giving the worried servant a light smile.


    "Thank goodness!" Beatrice exclaimed, letting out a tense breath as she patted her chest, before flushing and bowing slightly. "I- I''m sorry for disturbing you. I- I didn''t understand what you were saying and worried you might be calling for help."


    Victoria let out a light sigh. "It is fine. You had concern. This is good. It shows you care. I appreciate it." Victoria responded, patting her on the shoulder lightly.


    Beatrice''s face flushed even deeper. "T-thank y-you." She stuttered, before rushing off, escaping into her own room, which was also attached to Victoria''s sitting room, though it was much smaller.


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at her strange behavior, but she chose to ignore it, shrugging as she returned to the room. With a frown, she sat on her bed and returned to the Runescape to examine the changes to her Design Rune. *Why would it suddenly develop new lines?* She wondered, but she couldn''t think of an answer. Maurice had never mentioned anything like this happening! All he told her was to comprehend the Rune, and once she had a good understanding of it, she could Assimilate it and begin to cultivate. That''s it! Now the Rune had developed new lines, and she''d even gotten a weird tattoo on her forehead! Thankfully, it had gone away, but still, why had it happened?


    Thoughts whirled around in her mind, but they went nowhere, and Victoria had to admit defeat. If she wanted answers, she was going to have to talk to Maurice. Hopefully he knew something about all this.


    *


    "Ah, Victoria! How can I help you? I thought you weren''t coming by today?" Maurice questioned her as she entered.


    "I was not, but thing happened." Victoria explained. "Have you ever seen Rune¡­ change?"


    Maurice frowned. "Change? In what way?"


    "More lines. As if adding on to previous shape." Victoria explained simply, looking at him with an earnest expression, hoping he had answers.


    Maurice froze, then frowned. "Your Rune developed more lines?" He asked, and Victoria nodded. "How¡­ how many?"


    "Nine or twelve." Victoria answered, explaining her Rune''s new look. "The lower curl could be three big lines or six small lines with two in row. I lean towards six, as that would make nine up top, and nine below, for¡­ eh, uh¡­ [symmetry]. I do not know word for this in Callowan¡­"


    Maurice''s eyes widened. "That would be at least fifteen lines¡­ plus the S¡­ That''s an Advanced Rune!" He mumbled in shock, before fixing a stern gaze onto Victoria. "You''re sure of this? Your Rune actually changed?"


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    Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "Why would I say if not true? What benefit would that be?"


    "Right, right. Obviously." Maurice nodded absently, still caught up in his own thoughts. "This¡­ how would something like this even happen? Were you exposed to anything strange today? What was your meditation like? Did you enter a special state?"


    Victoria considered his questions for a moment before answering. She didn''t feel comfortable telling him about the system, which had definitely played a large part in whatever happened, but she could explain the rest. "There was¡­ strangeness. When I meditated, I felt¡­ I saw the world break into pieces, then form together, like puzzle, and I understood. Design is how pieces form the whole. After this thought, Rune changed." Victoria explained slowly. "Oh, yes, after Rune change, the old Rune appeared on my forehead for moment as well."


    "Through epiphany? A high level of- of-" Maurice muttered to himself before his eyes widened and he turned to look at her with an expression of absolute shock. "W-what did you say? Th-the Rune appeared on your forehead?!?"


    Victoria gave him a strange look. "Yes? Does this mean something?"


    "Did- did it look like this?" He asked, sounding almost nervous as a Rune outlined itself on his forehead, as if it was trying to break out through his skin. It didn''t quite look as sharp as hers had, but it was clearly there.


    "Yes!" Victoria immediately exclaimed excitedly. "What does this mean?"


    "J-just wait a moment¡­ try- try picturing your Rune in your head, as- as it appeared before it changed." Maurice replied, almost sweating from nervousness.


    Victoria frowned, but did as he asked, picturing the old Rune with its three lines and a simple triangle. Almost instantly, she felt the skin on her forehead stretch slightly, before a strange energy began to gather, flowing through the Rune and into her brain. With a start, she stopped, opening her eyes wide, wondering what just happened. She looked up at Maurice, about to ask, before freezing as she took in his appearance. The old man looked like he''d just seen a ghost: eyes wide, face pale, trembling slightly.


    "This- this- it- it hasn''t even been a full week! How?!?" Maurice exclaimed in bafflement. "How have you already Assimilated your Rune!?!"


    "What!?! I Assimilated it? How?!?" Victoria asked incredulously.


    "How should I know! It''s your Rune!" Maurice retorted.


    "You are expert! Your job is knowing!" Victor countered.


    "I can''t be an expert if someone keeps doing the completely unprecedented!" Maurice shot back. "Knowledge doesn''t just pop out of nowhere! You need previous examples! Research! This- this has never happened before! How could I possibly have any knowledge about it?!?"


    Victoria paused. "Okay, that fair. My bad."


    Maurice remained tense for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh and collapsing into his chair. "I don''t- to have a Rune evolve and automatically Assimilate- this- I don''t even know how this could even happen! Maybe- maybe the sects would have some knowledge of this, but I''m just an advisor in a small kingdom! This is completely out of my depth."


    "I understand." Victoria sighed. "But what does this mean for me? What do I do?"


    Maurice paused, considering her question for a moment. "Well, that''s simple, now isn''t it? You do what every person with an Assimilated Rune does: you cultivate!"


    *


    The cultivation process was rather simple. In fact, Maurice had already shown her how to do it. All she needed to do was picture her Rune in her mind, and it would automatically gather energy, slowly condensing it into her Core. This would be where she saw how good her Rune actually was, as the quality of a Rune, as well as the level of understanding, determined how much capacity the core would actually have. The more energy the Core could store, the more powerful she would be. As a Spirit Cultivator, her energy would mainly focus on boosting her mental capabilities, but that didn''t mean her physical capabilities would be completely left out. In general, a Spirit Cultivator with a full core, before they began core strengthening, would have ten times the mental capabilities of a normal person, and four times the physical capabilities. This was reversed for Essence Cultivators and Qi Cultivators evened out to seven times for both. Differences in capacity could make this higher or lower, but it stuck to the five-two ratio.


    Once Maurice finished explaining all this and giving Victoria a few more general tips, it was time for dinner, and they both headed towards the dining room. After they took their seats, the Marquis looked up, giving Victoria a look. "Victoria, I hear you took a trip into town this afternoon."


    Victoria nodded. "I did. Should I not have?"


    The Marquis shook his head. "There is nothing wrong with visiting the town, but you must remain aware of your position. As a young, noble lady, the daughter of a powerful lord, you are a target for many vicious people who would hurt you to hurt me. While your trip today was uneventful, in the future, be sure to notify me or Maurice, and we will arrange a retinue to accompany you. Is that understood?"


    "Yes." Victoria nodded, sighing lightly. She didn''t particularly enjoy the idea of being followed around everywhere she went, but after the Marquis had laid it all out like that, it was hard to argue.


    Maurice coughed slightly. "Albert, there''s one other thing you should be aware of. Victoria, show him what you accomplished today." Victoria nodded and pictured her Rune, allowing it to appear on her forehead. Immediately, both Melissa and the Marquis dropped their silverware, eyes going wide in shock, while AJ spit out a mouthful of wine.


    "Bullshit! How?!?" AJ exclaimed, sounding almost offended, before something seemed to occur to him and he began to chuckle. "Oh, I see. She must have rushed to Assimilate it after barely comprehending the Rune. Simply a waste."


    The Marquis turned to frown at AJ, before slapping him upside the head. "Idiot. Look at how crisp and defined the Rune is! Does it look like something she''s barely comprehended?"


    AJ scowled at the Marquis, before frowning and studying the Rune on Victoria''s forehead more closely. His eyes widened in shock and he went pale. "But- but that''s impossible! Even a simple Rune like Jump would take more than a week to comprehend!"


    The Marquis shook his head. "Only fools deny the reality that is staring them in the face. The proof is right in front of you! She has indeed comprehended her Rune to a high level in an extremely short amount of time¡­ what a remarkable talent." The Marquis praised Victoria with a slight grin.


    Victoria made an awkward expression, knowing it wasn''t really talent, but the system that made it possible. She''d never really enjoyed receiving praise even when she did deserve it, let alone when she felt like she didn''t.


    AJ stared off into space, lost in his own thoughts, before a determined expression came over him. Noticing this, the Marquis frowned. "AJ, don''t. Rushing to Assimilate your Rune before you''ve fully comprehended it will only weaken your own foundation."


    AJ opened his mouth to retort, before twisting it into a grimace and letting out a frustrated grunt. He pushed his plate away and got to his feet. "I''m not hungry anymore." He growled, before stomping out of the dining room.


    Melissa and the Marquis shared a look, before sighing in unison. They knew Victoria''s success wasn''t just a blow to his pride, but also yet another obstacle to his future plans. For a boy who''d been living a smooth and easy life up to this point, it was a rather heavy blow. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do to soften it for him. He simply had to learn to accept it and move on.


    *


    After dinner Maurice and the Marquis were relaxing in two comfortable looking armchairs, smoking pipes. Maurice glanced over at the Marquis, before chuckling lightly. "What''s got you looking so bitter? If I didn''t know better, I''d think you''d just gotten the news that someone painted your favorite horse green, rather than the news that your daughter is a genius Cultivator."


    The Marquis grumbled slightly, before giving Maurice a bland stare. "I''m certainly proud of her, but I can''t help but be disappointed by the fact that she''s closer to you than she is to me. I''m her father! I should have been the first person she told such good news to, not one of the people left dumbfounded around the dinner table!"


    Maurice shook his head. "Can you really blame her? Ever since the marriage with the Duke came up, you''ve been more and more distant with the girl, even before she lost her memory, let alone after. You practically abandoned the girl! Besides, she didn''t even know what had happened. She came to me as a student asking questions, not as a little girl showing off her accomplishments."


    The Marquis grumbled a bit more, before sighing and rubbing his temple. "I just don''t know how to connect with her anymore. She used to be this sweet little bundle of sunshine, but¡­" the Marquis let out another heavy sigh. "Why would she oppose this marriage so much?!? He''s a Duke! He''s young, strong, talented¡­ every girl at the capital practically drools over the boy, yet when my daughter gets set to marry him, she acts like we''re sending her to her death! There couldn''t be a more perfect match! It even helps out AJ! Our family has always been on the outskirts, far from political power, but if AJ can tie himself to the young Duke, we''d have a direct line to the heart of the kingdom! I- I just don''t understand why she can''t see all this¡­"


    Maurice sighed and shook his head. "The heart of a young girl is wild and untamable. Who are we to make sense of it?"


    The Marquis snorted. "That''s the least of my worries now. Ever since her memory loss, she''s just gone¡­ cold. I can''t even tell what she''s thinking anymore! She just looks at everything as if it''s something to be studied, even her mother and I. It''s like we aren''t her parents, but paintings on the wall, interesting to study, but ultimately unimportant."


    Maurice nodded slightly. "She has become much more¡­ analytical, since her memory loss, but you can''t hold that against her. All this is new to her now, of course she''d want to study it! Just give her time, I''m sure she''ll get better. Maybe if you''d reach out and spend some time with the girl, she''d actually start to see you as her father, rather than just the lord who sits at the head of the table. As a parent, it''s your responsibility to maintain a relationship with your children, not the other way around."


    "You''re right, as always." The Marquis sighed, before turning to raise an eyebrow at him, grinning slightly. "How is it that an old bachelor such as yourself is better at dealing with relationships than me, a father of three?"


    Maurice shrugged. "The benefits of an outside perspective and good observational skills. The tricks to maintaining good relationships aren''t all that hard, we just tend to get too caught up in our own experiences to actually see what we need to do."

 Points: 12 - Intro to daggers

    After dinner, Victoria went back to her room and took stock of her gains again. It turned out, in the middle of her epiphany, she''d missed the completion of her task to comprehend the Design Rune, as well as receiving a new task to comprehend the Advanced Design Rune and another to form her Spirit core. She debated back and forth which one to focus on first, before ultimately deciding to take Maurice''s advice and form her core, spend the rest of the night working on that before heading to bed and continuing the moment she woke up. According to Maurice, after the Assimilation it was best to condense the Core as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the more your comprehension degrades as you could no longer meditate on the Rune after you''ve Assimilated it, decreasing the quality of the Core you form. Maurice seemed to have forgotten that Victoria still had another Design Rune in her Runescape she could mediate on, but since she did want to condense her Core as quickly as possible anyway, she decided to purely focus on forming the core, only taking breaks for meals and general hygiene. However, even with that, it still took Victoria another week to finish condensing the Core and officially become a Spirit Cultivator.


    "Now that you''ve formed your Core, you have entered the Energy Gathering phase. Much like forming your core, you simply have to focus on your Rune and let it gather energy for you. Every ten percent is a level, zero to ten being level one, eleven to twenty being level two, and ninety-one to one hundred being the final level ten. After your core is completely full, you''ll be ready for Core Strengthening. In order to accomplish this, you must use the pressure from your Runes to condense your energy, expelling any impurities, after which you will again begin to gather energy until the Core is full, then repeat the process over and over to make your energy as pure as possible. This level is split into stages, each stage representing a hundred percent increase in the potency of your energy. Stage one would be one hundred to two hundred percent potency, stage two would be two hundred to three hundred percent potency, and so on, the goal being one thousand percent potency, though few ever reach it. Of course, the more advanced your Rune, the easier this process becomes, so don''t forget to continue your Rune cultivation as well." Maurice explained after Victoria told him she''d finished condensing her core.


    "Now, as a Spirit Cultivator, your energy is best used outside your body. It can be spread around you as a mist, to sense your surroundings or project images and sounds, or it can be condensed into threads, to grasp and manipulate objects. These threads can be strong, but they aren''t very sturdy. Even non-Cultivators are capable of disrupting, or even breaking them if they hit them strongly enough, or use a sharp enough weapon. Thankfully, the energy is invisible, so the odds of this happening are slim." Maurice continued, demonstrating by making a few images appear around him and using threads to pick up his quill and a chair, making Victoria''s eyes go wide. "You will also gain various abilities through your Advanced Runes, but every Rune grants different abilities, so I can''t prepare you for those."


    Victoria nodded in understanding. "What about Essence and Qi Cultivators? How does their energy work?"


    "Essence Cultivators energy naturally flows through them, increasing their healing rate and durability. They are hard to wound, and even if you pull it off, they''ll already have begun healing. They can also use their energy to create a defensive layer around themselves, like a suit of armor. Qi Cultivators have aspects of both, their Qi naturally flows through them and they can create a mist field, but they can''t create threads or a defensive layer." Maurice answered. "As a Spirit Cultivator, your best opponent is an Essence Cultivator. Your threads can break through their defensive layer from a distance, and you can use your mist field to hide from them and confuse their senses. On the other hand, a Qi Cultivator is your worst enemy. Their mist field allows them to counter your own, as well as sense your threads, and their physical abilities far surpass your own, leaving you vulnerable. Qi Cultivators are weak against Essence Cultivators, as they lack the power to break their defensive fields. Of course, all this assumes everyone is around the same level. A peak stage one Core Strengthening Spirit Cultivator will be slightly stronger physically than a peak Energy Gathering Qi Cultivator, offsetting their vulnerability."


    Victoria frowned. "So¡­ it''s like rock, paper, scissors?"


    Maurice frowned. "Rock what?"


    "Uh, do we not have that game?" Victoria asked hesitantly, before beginning to make the hand signs. "Rock, paper, scissors. Rock beats scissors, paper beats rock, and scissors beats paper. Power beats skill, brains beat brawn, and skill beats smarts. Essence, Spirit, Qi."


    Maurice raised an eyebrow at her. "That''s an¡­ interesting concept."


    Victoria shrugged. "It''s just a dumb game."


    *


    The next morning, just before Victoria was about to head out for her morning exercise, there was a knock on the door. Confused, Victoria opened the door to find the Marquis. "Ah, Victoria. Maurice has informed me you''ve finished condensing your Core. If you have the time, I believe it''s time to begin your martial training."


    Victoria frowned. "Martial training?"


    The Marquis nodded. "Even as a Spirit Cultivator, it is important that you grasp basic combat techniques, to defend yourself against Qi Cultivators. They can defend against the large majority of Spirit techniques, and if you lack the ability to face them physically, you lose any chance you may have to defeat them."


    Victoria nodded slowly. "That makes sense¡­ Who will train me?"


    The Marquis grinned. "I will, of course. There''s no better martial expert in the castle than I."


    Victoria was slightly surprised by this, but then she remembered he was technically her father, so it kind of made sense? Though, the fact that he only started paying attention to her after she proved to be talented kind of irked her a bit. On the other hand, he literally couldn''t talk to her before, so¡­ eh, whatever. She needed to learn how to fight anyway.


    She followed the Marquis to a private training yard with walls covered in racks full of weapons both real and fake, a few stands of armor sitting in the corners. The Marquis quickly picked out a set of padded armor for her, teaching her how to put it on, then allowed her to select her own weapon. Victoria scanned the weapon racks, her eyes immediately drawn to the large slab of a sword which looked like it should be used as some sort of structural support, rather than a weapon. Her inner geek would have loved to grab it, but she knew it just wasn''t practical. She scanned the other options, frowning slightly as she did, not entirely sure how she should go about choosing.


    She supposed the first thing she had to consider was how she actually wanted to fight. As a Spirit Cultivator, she would mainly be relying on her threads for combat, and ideally she''d use a weapon that complemented them, instead of something she''d only use as a last resort. From that, two ideas immediately presented themselves to her: bows and daggers. Daggers could easily be used at close range, while still being light enough to be manipulated by her threads. Even against a Qi Cultivator, it wouldn''t matter if they could sense her threads if she kept them close, using them more like arms. On the other hand, bows were nice because they had their own power, and her threads could act as more of a support, increasing accuracy and power. The only problem was¡­ she didn''t see any bows on the wall.


    "Where are the¡­ damnit, don''t know the word¡­ uh, the long range weapons. Curved piece of wood with a taut string connected to both ends, shoots small sticks with feathers and sharp tips?" Victoria turned to ask the Marquis.


    The Marquis frowned. "A bow?" He muttered, before shaking his head. "That isn''t a Cultivator''s weapon. No bow can match the power of a Cultivator. Even if it''s effective at lower levels, it quickly loses effectiveness as you attain higher and higher realms. We simply don''t have access to materials that can provide the power necessary. At least, not without joining a sect.¡±


    "Ah." Victoria nodded in understanding, before reaching out to grab a pair of wooden daggers, about as long as her forearm. "Then I''ll take these."


    "Good choice." The Marquis nodded in agreement, before picking out a pair of his own, and walking towards the middle of the yard. "The key point of wielding daggers is speed. The blades aren''t strong enough to block heavier weapons, so your focus will be on dodging and parrying." The Marquis demonstrated a few basic parrying and dodging motions for Victoria. Simple side steps and deflections. "Now you try."


    Victoria nodded, stepping up and taking a similar stance as the Marquis had. "Wait." He stopped her, carefully correcting her stance. "There we go. Continue." Victoria noted the corrections, before attempting the first move. Again, the Marquis stopped her, correcting a few mistakes before having her try again, then again, until she got it right and they moved on to the next move. Then he had her do it all again, in order. Then again, faster, and again, and again, until sweat beaded her forehead and her arms ached. "Alright, that''s enough." The Marquis finally stopped her. "Now, all you need to do is continue practicing until the motions become second nature. When you have this one down, come find me, and I''ll teach you another form to work on."


    [Master the dagger form: 0%]


    Victoria nodded, grinning slightly at the task as she headed towards her own training courtyard to do her usual morning exercises. From that day forward, she added the dagger form to her daily routine, practicing it over and over until her task was finally satisfied, before finding the Marquis to learn the next one and getting another task. The dagger fighting skill, or rather the fighting skill, which the dagger fighting skill was under, quickly began to rise in the system''s skill list as she perfected the forms, spending more than a few points to help it along. She found that not only did the training help her use daggers, but it helped all her other combat skills as well, and vice versa. When she spent points to increase her hand to hand combat skill, she found her dagger forms improved as well. It seemed that while the specifics may change, the fundamentals of combat were similar no matter what weapon you were using.


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    As for her energy gathering, it was progressing slowly. With all her other projects, she could only cultivate for about three hours each day, which only filled about one percent of her capacity. Still, she could see her stats rising steadily, particularly her mental stats. She gained at least a point or two in each mental stat for each percentage of her Core she filled, encouraging her to continue her progress. Which was nice, because the point rewards from her daily exercises were starting to get harder to earn as her points made her stronger, and she knew it wouldn''t be long until they provided nothing at all. Though it''d take longer than it had on Earth, since this world had equipment designed to push Cultivators. Of course, she could always spend points on increasing her limit to bring her point total down¡­


    A haze fell over Victoria''s thoughts as it suddenly hit her how insurmountable her goal was. The Voice had wiped out everyone in an entire nation, if not the world! They at least destroyed a city and every single system user. How was she supposed to match that level of power? Was that even the Voice''s limit? She was sure she could get there, but¡­ how long would it take her? How many lives? How many deaths? How many failures? Was it even worth it? What was the point when everyone she cared about was already gone?!?


    ¡°Are you feeling alright?" Melissa asked one evening after dinner. "You seem a little out of it."


    Victoria sighed. "It''s nothing. I''m just wondering why I''m doing anything I''m doing¡­ there doesn''t seem to be much point to it. Why should I cultivate and get stronger? Will it make life more enjoyable? Will it help me do what I want to do? What do I even want to do?" She rambled in an almost numb tone.


    "Only you can answer that question." Melissa replied with a sigh of her own. "I will support you along any path you choose to take, but you''re the one who has to choose it."


    "You''re right. I have some things I need to¡­ consider." Victoria agreed, heading off to her room, lost in thought. Did she still want to make the Voice pay? Her eyes hardened as her thoughts turned to her last moments with Jessica, feeling her chest burn. Yes, she did want to make the Voice pay. But¡­ She needed something more as well. She needed¡­ freedom. The freedom to use her system without worrying about another Voice popping up and coming after her. The freedom to act without fear. And to do that¡­ she needed to be strong. But how was she going to get there? If she wanted to be able to stand against beings like the Voice, she needed something more than just physical power. She needed a way to protect people, to defend against something that could potentially destroy planets.


    And to do that¡­ she didn''t even know what she needed to do that. Cultivation was a start, Runes providing all sorts of abilities that might let her protect people, but something felt¡­ Off about that. Her personal cultivation would only ever help her, but if she could figure out how to do it through the system, then anyone could have the ability to protect people! Of course, she could just give everyone the ability to cultivate¡­ That sounded like something the system could do, right? She''d have to test that, but even then, why limit herself? She knew the system could do more, it just needed more¡­ data.


    So far, the points had been able to do almost anything she wanted them to do. Hell, she could even use them to turn off her period, which as a former male, she was very grateful for. At least in that area, women really got the short end of the stick. However, the points needed something to actually work with before they could do anything. She couldn''t give herself the ability to fly, or see through walls, or anything like that because she didn''t have anything that would let her fly or see through walls. You could even see it with the skills. You could only put so many points into a skill, because after a certain point, there was nothing more the points could do. It couldn''t add information, it could only make what she did know¡­ firmer. So if she wanted the system to be able to do more, it needed more to work with.


    But where would she get more to work with? Again, cultivation was a start, but she wasn''t spreading the system around again, and the amount she could gain from her own cultivation was limited. Even giving it to a few people she trusted wouldn''t help all that much¡­ She was going to need hundreds, if not thousands of data points to expand the system''s capabilities to the level she needed to. Maybe¡­ it wasn''t like she actually knew how much it would take, but she couldn''t imagine it would be easy to develop an ability people could use to protect themselves from what basically amounted to a god. But where was she actually going to get that data, if not from people actually using the system?


    She paused as an idea suddenly hit her. What if she didn''t use people? Rune Beasts could cultivate, couldn''t they? They could even develop unique abilities! And it wasn''t like they needed to have the system for long. She just needed them to have it long enough for her to figure out how they did what they did, and then she could just kill them! It was the perfect solution!


    *


    "You want to what!?!" The Marquis exclaimed, eyes widening as he stared down at the frail looking young girl in front of him with a determined look in her eye.


    "I want to become a Hunter." Victoria repeated simply.


    "This- this- No! Are you crazy?!? Hunting is dangerous! The Rune Beasts in the wild are vicious, more than capable of tearing even a seasoned Hunter limb from limb, let alone some naive young noble who has no idea what she''s even getting into!" The Marquis immediately shut her down, shaking his head profusely.


    "Let me rephrase." Victoria replied, fixing him with a hard glare. "I''m going to go out and hunt Rune Beasts. Whether I do so through the Hunters Guild, which can provide me with various resources to help me stay safe, as well as any support you may provide, or by sneaking out on my own, with little to no idea what I''m doing, is entirely up to you. It is something that will happen, with or without your permission."


    The Marquis narrowed his eyes, frowning at this audacious little girl. "Listen here, I am your father, you understand? Your safety is my responsibility! I will not let you waltz unprepared into the forsaken wilderness to end up as a slightly prettier corpse! I will lock you in a tower until you grow old and decrepit before I let that happen!"


    "Then make sure I am prepared! I know I''m still young and inexperienced, and that I need to know more before I actually begin to hunt, but this is something I am going to do, something I need to do! I came to you because I want your support, but if you won''t help me, I will do it on my own. You can try and lock me in some tower, or throw me in a dungeon, but I will find a way to escape, and do what I need to do anyway!" Victoria retorted fiercely.


    The Marquis looked at her, dumbfounded, before letting out a frustrated growl. "But why!?! Why would you ever need to be a Hunter? For money? We have money! Do you want to see Rune Beasts? There''s a circus at the capital that has dozens of Rune Beasts to perform for them! We could go any time! What could you possibly need that I couldn''t get you?"


    Victoria paused. "Strong Rune Beasts with almost magical abilities that I can study? Oh, and they need to be alive and capable of using said magical abilities."


    The Marquis''s face fell. "That- why would you ever need something like that?!?¡±


    ¡°I- need to study them?¡± Victoria offered tentatively. ¡°It will help me get stronger.¡±


    The Marquis frowned. ¡°How!?!¡±


    Victoria hesitated. ¡°I- think I can find a way to copy their abilities?¡±


    The Marquis blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I can copy Rune Beasts abilities?¡± Victoria repeated. ¡°I think. Obviously I haven''t tried, but¡­ it seems like something I should be able to do.¡±


    ¡°How-¡± The Marquis cut off with a frown. ¡°Does this have something to do with your otherworldly knowledge?¡±


    Victoria nodded. ¡°Yes it does. I''m- not quite sure how to explain it though. I just need access to strong Rune Beasts.¡±


    The Marquis stared at her with a calculating look for a moment, before letting out a weary sigh. ¡°Fine. But we''re doing this my way!¡±

 Points: 13 - Preparation

    "The key to successfully hunting a Rune Beast is preparation-" The teacher the Marquis had gotten for Victoria, an old Hunter named Flynn, began, before being interrupted by Victoria raising her hand. "Yes?" He asked, confused, wondering what she could possibly have a question about when he had literally just started teaching her.


    "Isn''t the key to anything preparation?" Victoria commented in a tone that suggested she was thinking out loud. "Kind of an unnecessary addition, don''t you think? The question isn''t whether we should prepare, but how we should go about doing so. Saying we need to prepare to do something is like saying birds need to flap their wings to fly¡­" Victoria trailed off as she realized she was essentially insulting this man, which was rather rude considering he''d come all this way just to teach her. "Uh¡­ sorry. Please, continue."


    Flynn''s mind broke a little, feeling a bit put off by the young noble lady''s immediate, and rather effective, dismantling of a concept he felt was core to his lesson. "Er- R-right, so¡­ to prepare for hunting Rune Beasts¡­ Yes, to prepare, we require knowledge! Are we dealing with a predator or prey species? Are they solitary or do they pack up? What Runes do they have? Are they a Spirit Beast, a Qi Beast, or an Essence Beast or possibly even a combination- yes?" Flynn was just getting his steam back, when he was interrupted by Victoria''s raised hand again.


    "What do you mean by combination?" Victoria asked, confused.


    "Oh¡­ well, you see, much like Cultivators, Rune Beasts can use two or even all three energy type-" Flynn began.


    "Wait, what!?!" Victoria exclaimed in shock. "We can cultivate more than just one system?!?"


    Flynn gave her a weird look. "Did you not know? In order to enter a sect, you must be at least a dual cultivator, but if you want to be able to advance, you''ll need to have all three¡­"


    Victoria frowned, considering this new information. If she could cultivate two systems, then maybe if she got her knife fighting to a high enough level¡­ She shook her head, refocusing on Flynn. "Sorry, please continue."


    "Yes, well, the more you know about your prey, the better." Flynn continued, shaking his head at the strangeness of this young girl. Smart enough to see through his opening on preparation, but doesn''t know that Cultivators can cultivate more than one system? How is that even possible? "Therefore, the key skill of a qualified Hunter is observation. Before you even begin to think of taking down a Rune Beast, you must spend at least a few days observing it, taking note of its territory, its feeding and drinking habits, how it interacts with any other Rune Beasts in the area, etc. Even if you believe the Rune Beast to be weak and easily killed, you cannot forgo this process. Through Runes, even small and unassuming Rune Beasts can turn out to be terrifying monsters." Flynn explained. "I was once tasked with the elimination of a skunk out near one of the local barons'' estates. Should have been an easy task, simply taking out a small rodent that was stinking up the place, with little to no power. However, after I observed the Rune Beast for a few days, it became clear that this was no weak little creature. It was some powerful deep woods Rune Beast that had temporarily moved to the outskirts to have its children! Suffice to say, I immediately informed the baron I would no longer be handling the job and that he should seek a much more powerful Cultivator. If I had neglected my observation, and just assumed the skunk was weak as in the report, I wouldn''t be standing here before you today!"


    Victoria nodded along in agreement, taking careful note of his words. Of course, she was already going to focus on observing the Rune Beasts, as she needed to know if they had abilities that could be useful or not before she wasted time on them, but doing so for safety was also important. Getting lazy just because you thought you had all the information was a good way to an early grave.


    Flynn went on to describe a few specific signs to watch out for, such as a large territory with no other Rune Beasts nearby or many other Rune Beasts nearby, but the other Rune Beasts never attack and even seem to fear the Rune Beast. The more he talked, the more Victoria understood why he insisted on such a long period of observation. Even situations that seemed the same could suggest two wildly different scenarios based on subtle nuances that took time to understand. She began to realize just how great a teacher the Marquis had gotten for her, and a slightly warm and fuzzy feeling began to well up in her chest. Even though he didn''t approve of her decision, or even particularly understand it, he still did his best to make sure she was as prepared as possible to do it.


    "We''ll stop there for today." Flynn finally finished after about an hour straight of talking, before pulling out a large binder and handing it to Victoria. "This is a compilation of the various types of Rune Beasts, their habits, strengths, weaknesses, everything you''d need to know. I want you to study it, and be able to state the detailed information of each Rune Beast in there before you even think of stepping into the wilderness. Without at least that level of knowledge, you have no business being a Hunter."


    Victoria looked at the binder skeptically, before looking up and raising an eyebrow at Flynn. "I''m pretty sure most Hunters would disagree with you."


    Flynn snorted. "Most Hunters are idiots and bring shame to the name! Future dead men who risk their lives simply by breathing!" He retorted in a bitter tone. "If you want to be like those future corpses, then go ahead, ignore me!"


    Victoria shook her head. "I know I need to understand the Rune Beast I''m hunting, but why do I need to memorize this entire thing? Couldn''t I just look up the specific Beast I''m studying?"


    "First of all, that''s my binder. I''m letting you use it to study, since your father has paid good money to have me teach you, but you will be returning it to me." Flynn explained, narrowing his eyes at her. "Secondly, when you''re in the wilderness, being chased by some rabid Rune Beast you just happened to step on the tail of, do you think it''s just going to stop and let you look it up? Absolutely not! You need to understand these creatures before you run into them! That''s how you stay alive! By knowing how to react when the unexpected happens!"


    "But¡­" Victoria stared at the thick binder distastefully, not even excited to read the thing, let alone memorize it, before letting out a weary sigh, as a task prompt appeared, sealing her fate. "Damn it¡­ fine! I''ll memorize the damn thing!" She growled, not sure whether she was talking to the system or Flynn.


    Flynn nodded. "Good. That should take you a good few months." He began to pack up his things and head out. "Tomorrow we''ll focus on methods to conceal yourself as you observe, so wear something you don''t mind getting dirty."


    Victoria watched him leave with a frown, before turning to the binder. With another heavy sigh, she flipped open the first page, glancing at her memory stat. "Couple months, my ass. I''ll do this in a damn week!"


    *


    Now that her core was formed, and she had a bit of Spirit, Victoria finally began to really delve into the comprehension of the Advanced Design Rune. She''d been holding off, because the Advanced Rune mainly focused on teaching her how to utilize her Spirit, which, when she didn''t have any, was fairly frustrating. Much like her Initial Rune, meditating on the Advanced Rune drove her to experiment and utilize the ideas it gave her. Victoria sat on her bed in her meditation posture, before entering her Runescape, focusing on the Advanced Rune. She felt that familiar sensation come over her as she began to feel the urge to experiment with her Spirit, a surge of hints and nudges pushing her to do something with it.


    Moments later, her eyes popped open and she jumped out of bed, rushing towards the small work area she''d set up in the corner. She quickly brought out several of the materials she''d collected, various fabrics, metals, woods, and other things she''d found interesting or potentially useful for her designs. She arranged them carefully on the table, before closing her eyes and concentrating. Slowly, an invisible mist began to spread from her forehead, moving towards the table and covering the materials. A slight frown creased Victoria''s brow as she concentrated, the mist twisting and twirling around the materials, before flowing back into her head as her eyes snapped open.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Victoria muttered. Her Spirit had somehow analyzed the materials and opened up some kind of¡­ Design space? In her mind. Of course, since it was her first attempt, she hadn''t actually learned that much, basically just getting the rough shape of the materials, but she could tell that once she learned how to get her Spirit inside the materials, she could even simulate the materials¡¯ properties! She also felt she could push the materials outside her design space, creating some kind of illusion? ¡°Very interesting.¡±


    Victoria went to go back to her meditation, hoping to get more insights into her design space, when her eyes landed on the binder she''d received from Flynn, and an idea popped into her head. *Could I?* She wondered, approaching the binder. She stared at it for a moment, before closing her eyes and extending the mist, covering the binder. In her mind, another binder appeared. It opened, flipping through page after page, showing all the detailed information Flynn had recorded over the years, and a slow grin spread across Victoria''s face.


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    *


    Victoria flowed through the second form the Marquis had taught her as he watched her with a blank stare. From one motion to the next, Victoria effortlessly executed each move to perfection, as if she''d been doing it for years. She finished with a light huff, before turning to the Marquis. "How was that?"


    The Marquis coughed slightly. "Could use a bit more practice, but you obviously have the basics down. Let''s move on to the next form then." He commented quickly, launching into the next knife form. The first two had obviously been more focused on defensive motions, but this new one was different, full of stabs and slashes, creating a heavy, violent aura as the Marquis moved. Victoria watched carefully, taking note of each of the Marquis''s motions, trying to capture the essence before he had her run through it herself. She hated making mistakes, so she always felt a little frustrated when he corrected her. The best way to avoid that was by getting it right the first time.


    The Marquis soon finished the third form and gestured for Victoria to begin, watching as she slowly copied his previous motions, looking for any mistakes he needed to correct. His eyes widened slightly as she went almost half way through the form before he caught a minor mistake. His gaze returned to normal as she made a few more mistakes towards the end, but it still left him shaking his head. This girl was learning quickly, almost too quickly. The first two forms should have taken her at least a month, maybe two to perfect, but instead she had them down in just a week! To a high level at that! It had the Marquis shaking his head in wonder, considering whether he should have been teaching his daughter this entire time, instead of just leaving her to her own devices.


    *Maybe I should arrange some time to train Calvin as well¡­* The Marquis supposed, stroking his chin as he watched Victoria run through the new form a little faster, not catching any mistakes. After she ran through the form a few more times without mistake, the Marquis stopped her. "Alright, we''ll stop there. Once you have this form down, we''ll start sparring as well. You need to have experience actually using these techniques in a real fight. The forms are good for getting you used to the motions, but until you can actually put them to use effectively, they''re just a fancy dance." Victoria nodded in understanding, stretching lightly with a yawn, somewhat disappointed she hadn''t gotten a new task for this one, but she supposed this form didn''t seem that difficult to master, turning to leave, when the Marquis stopped her. "Wait, actually, I still need to talk to you about something."


    Victoria turned back with a confused expression. "Yes?"


    "With your recent advances in cultivation, it has become necessary for us to reconsider the plans for your engagement to the Duke." The Marquis explained.


    Victoria frowned. "I''m engaged? Wait¡­ I''m only fourteen and you''re already planning my engagement?!?" She asked incredulously.


    The Marquis sighed. "I keep forgetting you''ve lost your memory¡­ Yes, we have already been planning your engagement. This isn''t all that abnormal. Most commoner girls are already married by your age, so this is nothing surprising, yes? As you know- er- I suppose you wouldn''t, actually¡­ Ahem, yes, well, you should know that Duke Duhallis has made his intentions towards you rather obvious and intends to make your engagement official on your birthday. As a prominent noble in the kingdom, your union with him would bring our family many benefits, while denying him would create friction that would push us even further from the political core of the kingdom than we already are." He explained wearily, as if he was bearing a heavy weight. "Your brother has always supported the engagement, as a connection with the Duke would be a strong support for his future plans. However, you have remained¡­  opposed to the idea, though I don''t have a clear understanding as to why, and you obviously wouldn''t be able to tell me anymore.


    "The reason I bring this up is that with your prospects in cultivation becoming more and more promising, we have an excuse to politely decline, or at least postpone your engagement." The Marquis explained with a serious expression. "Cultivation has always been the highest priority for any individual, especially the young who still have the opportunity to enter a sect. If we explain that you are focusing on your cultivation in hopes of competing in the sect entrance exams once you turn sixteen, we can reject the Duke without offending him. Therefore, the question for you becomes, would you rather embark on the path of cultivation or become engaged to the Duke? I warn you, cultivation is difficult and time consuming, and if you fail to condense a second core by your sixteenth birthday, or enter a sect by your seventeenth, we''ll still be forced to continue with the engagement, even if you aren''t willing. We''re simply unable to resist the Duke without an overwhelmingly solid excuse. If he can convince the other nobles that your talent isn''t as impressive as we say it is, then he can still ruin us politically, forcing us to go through with the engagement." The Marquis finished, looking vaguely depressed.


    "So as long as I can get into a sect, I don''t have to worry about being forced to marry this Duke?" Victoria asked, receiving a nod from the Marquis. "Then yes, I''d like to enter a sect." She answered, suppressing a shudder. Despite her currently feminine form, the idea of being with a man did not sound appealing. Though admittedly, the idea of being with anyone didn''t sound very appealing right now¡­ Anyone other than Jessica at least. Victoria quickly shoved down the well of grief that threatened to surge out of her as she focused on the other reasons she wanted to join a sect, such as advancing her cultivation and learning more about this world and potentially the Voice that had destroyed hers. She wasn''t going to figure anything out if she was stuck as some dude''s wife.


    Additionally, she had complete confidence she could condense her second core by her sixteenth birthday. Hell, she might even have a third core by then! Her fighting skill was steadily climbing her skill list with the support of her dagger training, and once it was at the top, just under design, she was confident she could condense a strong Essence Rune with its support. All she needed was to develop a similar Qi type skill. Suddenly she paused, frowning. "Wait¡­ is this why I took the Potion of Awakening? To try and become a cultivator so I could escape this engagement?"


    "It''s very likely." The Marquis sighed wearily, nodding his head slightly, before clenching his fists. "If I ever discover who gave you that potion-! If you''d just kept up with your training, you would have been perfectly capable of taking the potion safely in just a few months!" He growled, a fierce glint in his eyes, before a defeated look came over him. "Maybe if I''d been a bit more proactive¡­ taken the time to discover your talent¡­"


    Victoria shook her head. *That Victoria didn''t have the system, and if she was actually that talented, she would have known she should wait to take the potion.* She thought to herself with a mix of bitter irony. Without that potion, she wouldn''t be here, and that Victoria would probably have been forced to marry this Duke. "It''s no use worrying about what might have been." She sighed. "It''s better to focus on how we move forward."


    "You''re right." The Marquis nodded in agreement, sighing lightly. "Since you''ve chosen to focus on cultivation, then we need to plan for your entrance into the sect. The biggest decision lies in which sect you choose to enter. In our region, there are three major sects: the Champions of Battle, Wisdom''s Curse, and the Hidden Blades. As their names suggest, the Champions of Battle focus on Essence cultivation methods, Wisdom''s Curse focuses on Spirit cultivation methods, and the Hidden Blades focus on Qi cultivation methods, though of course, as sects, none of them neglect the other two.


    "The reason this is important is because in order to ensure your entry, you''ll not only need two cores, but you''ll also need to have at least one second tier Advanced Rune already Assimilated in the area of expertise of the sect you''d prefer to join by the time you take the entrance exam. Sects prefer to choose those who already show promise, so the more advanced your Rune, the better. There are some other, minor sects you could still join if the big three fail to take an interest in you, but¡­ well, a small sect isn''t as demanding as the large sects, and it is rather common for their disciples to get married and have other obligations beyond the sect. As such, the Duke is likely to still push for the engagement if you only make it into a smaller sect."


    Victoria nodded along, before frowning. "How do you tell the tier of a Rune?" She asked.


    "Outside of the sects, there''s no concrete way to tell, but you can get a general idea based on the complexity and number of lines in the Rune. Initial Runes generally have less than ten lines, while tier one Advanced Runes have between ten and twenty. Tier two Runes have twenty to forty lines, while tier three have forty to eighty." The Marquis explained.


    Victoria nodded slowly, considering everything he''d said, before looking up at him. "Then, which sect would you suggest I aim for?" She asked, curious about his opinion.


    The Marquis paused for a moment with a conflicted expression. "Well¡­ certainly, we can exclude the Hidden Blades. They focus on Qi, and you haven''t even touched Qi skills yet. Based on your Initial Rune, you should aim for Wisdom''s Curse, but¡­ I''ll be frank, with the level of talent you''ve shown for dagger skills, I believe your best bet would be the Champions of Battle. With just a week of training, you''re already approaching the level at which you would stand a decent chance of acquiring a dagger related Initial Rune, and with another week or two, I believe you could even acquire a Rune like Dagger or even Blade! As long as you continue along this path, I believe you''ll have a tier two Advanced Rune by the time of the sect entrance exams. It''ll be hard, and you''ll need to put a lot of time into it, but I believe it''s your best option."


    Victoria raised her eyebrows, slightly surprised by his estimation of her talent. Based on the speed her fighting skill was moving up the list, she''d also guessed that she could form an Initial Rune based on it in another week or two, but she hadn''t thought the Marquis would think the same. "I''ll have to think about it." She eventually replied. He was right, she did show talent in dagger combat, but her Design Rune wasn''t too shabby either. It had already evolved into an Advanced Rune, and there was a chance it could do it again, entering the second tier. She wasn''t entirely sure why it''d done it the first time, but she felt it had something to do with the insight she''d had into the nature of Design. As long as she could comprehend the Rune well enough and have a similar realization, she felt there was a good chance of it evolving again.


    "Yes, well, it is ultimately your decision." The Marquis replied. "Though¡­ since you''ll be focusing on your cultivation, this whole business about becoming a Hunter¡­"


    "Still happening." Victoria immediately retorted, shutting him down.


    "I don''t know why you feel you have to do this, but the amount of time you have to dedicate to cultivation-" The Marquis continued, trying to convince her.


    "I''m going now." Victoria replied, walking out of the training yard.


    "Just think about it!" The Marquis yelled after her, before letting out a defeated sigh. "When did I lose the power in this relationship?" He muttered to himself, shaking his head.

 Points: 14 - New Runes

    "I''m done with this." Victoria said as she handed the binder back to Flynn. She hadn''t been able to memorize it in a week like she wanted to, but she''d only gone a few days over.


    Flynn looked at the binder, then looked back at her, shock clear in his eyes. "Did you make a copy of it?" He asked, confused. Obviously he didn''t believe it was possible for her to have memorized it that quickly, so there must be some other reason she didn''t need it anymore.


    "Well, yes, sort of, but I mean I finished memorizing it, like you told me. That means we can head into the wilderness now, right?" Victoria replied


    "Impossible!" Flynn blurted out, eyes going wide. "No one could memorize all this in a little over a week!"


    Victoria frowned. "But¡­ I did? I can prove it if you like. Do you want me to recite the entire thing, cover to cover?"


    "How do you tell the difference between a low level deer and a high level deer?" He asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.


    "Deer become more aggressive and solitary as they gain more power, but that one''s easy." Victoria replied simply, rolling her eyes. "Additionally, their antlers become sharper and more streamlined, and they don''t shed them as often. This doesn''t help with females though, so it isn''t a good metric."


    Flynn nodded along, before shooting out another question. "What''s the difference between a mountain lion and a jaguar?"


    "There are a few minor differences including typical features in their coat and territory, but I wouldn''t say they''re one hundred percent reliable to use as an indicator. The major differences are in how they develop as Rune Beasts. Mountain lions focus on the claws, for fighting, developing strong and vicious forelimbs. Jaguars focus on their jaws, for quick, sudden ambushes, developing long, sharp fangs that can pierce through defenses into the vital points of their prey." Victoria answered after only a moment of thought.


    "If you came across a den of a beast dug into the ground. There are multiple mounded tunnels, and a musky stench is prevalent in the surroundings. What beast can you assume lives there?" Flynn immediately sent out another question.


    "Most likely a ferret, though it was probably stolen from prairie dogs." Victoria replied.


    Flynn continued to ask question after question, testing Victoria''s knowledge for almost half an hour, before finally finishing. "This¡­ how did you manage to memorize this so quickly?" He asked, finally accepting that Victoria had indeed memorized the entire binder.


    Victoria scratched her head, frowning. "Uh¡­ I''m smart? How do you answer that? It isn''t like there''s some secret method to remembering things, you just do or don''t, and I did."


    "That¡­ Well, that''s fair." Flynn sighed, not really knowing how to respond.


    "So, I can go into the wilderness now, right?" Victoria asked, an excited gleam in her eye.


    Flynn coughed awkwardly. "Well, I expected you to take a bit more time to memorize the binder¡­ There are still a few concealment methods you need to familiarize yourself with¡­"


    Victoria frowned. "You''ve already taught me how to conceal myself in mud, trees, rivers, and even in an open field! What more is there?"


    "You still need to learn how to remain hidden as you move. Concealing yourself in a hidden spot is rather simple. Remaining concealed as you move, following your prey, that is the difficult part." Flynn answered confidently.


    Victoria shot him a suspicious look, but she couldn''t exactly argue with him on that point, so she just sighed and gestured for him to continue. Eventually this old Hunter would run out of things to teach her, and then he could just try and stop her from going into the wilderness. Especially since she''d recently noticed a concealment skill climbing her skill list as well. Once she began putting points into that, who knows what would happen?


    *


    "Are you sure about this?" Maurice asked hesitantly as they walked towards the inner room used to acquire Runes. "Your Design Rune is already progressing so well¡­ is it really wise to focus on another Rune right now?"


    "I''m going to need an Essence or Qi Rune sooner or later." Victoria replied. "Didn''t you yourself tell me that it becomes more and more difficult to acquire Runes outside your specialty as you get more and more advanced? Wouldn''t that make this the perfect time to do so?"


    Maurice had a conflicted expression for a moment, before sighing. "Ah, you''re right. I''m just worried about dividing your focus¡­ I don''t want you to end up wasting your talent by attempting to do too much at once. You only have so much time before you''ll be forced to marry the Duke. If you don''t show enough promise by then, you won''t be able to escape that fate."


    Victoria nodded, sighing. "I know, but this has to be done. I need at least two cores to enter a sect, and my dagger skills have shown the most promise in that direction."


    "Yes, but an Essence Rune? Qi complements Spirit, but Essence has a completely different focus! If you choose this path, you''ll cover your weaknesses, but you''ll lose your strengths in exchange!" Maurice explained.


    "What if I acquire a Qi Rune as well?" Victoria asked, a small grin playing across her lips. Since Flynn taught her every day, her concealment skill had been advancing even faster than her dagger skills. The old Hunter was almost pulling his hair out. She''d sworn she''d even heard him call her a monster at one point, which amused her to no end. She actually thought there was a good chance she''d acquire a concealment related Rune first, and she''d have to try again if she wanted a dagger related one. Considering the pressure that her current Design Rune released, she was considering whether she wanted to try for both either way. She''d noticed that as her mental abilities increased, it became easier to bear the pressure from the Rune. She was fairly certain she could handle quite a few new Initial Runes.


    Maurice paused, a shocked expression on his face. "You think you have a chance at acquiring a Qi Rune?" He asked dumbly.


    Victoria nodded. "I''ve been training with Hunter Flynn, learning how to hide myself in the wilderness and move stealthily. That''s a Qi type skill, right?"


    "Y-you mean, you have a chance to acquire all three types of Runes?!?" He exclaimed in shock. "Th-this¡­ are you sure? How talented are you in concealment? Just learning it is helpful but it isn''t a guarantee unless you show promise."


    Victoria shrugged. "I can''t be sure, but I think I''m doing pretty well. Flynn never repeats a lesson, and he keeps teaching me more and more advanced techniques. That''s a good sign, right?"


    Maurice looked at her in wonder. "Just what happened to you to turn you into such a monster? It''s only been a month since you lost your memory and you''re already showing more promise than you did in all the years before!"


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Victoria didn''t know what to say. "Well¡­ I lost my memory? Maybe whatever happened with the potion restructured my mind, making it easier for me to learn new skills?"


    "M-maybe¡­" Maurice muttered, giving her a suspicious look, before shaking his head. "There''s so much weirdness involved in your Awakening¡­ it''s almost like you''re an entirely different person now."


    Victoria frowned at that. "Well, I am, aren''t I? Memories are part of who we are, and without those, I can''t say I am who I previously was, right?"


    Maurice paused. "That''s true, I suppose¡­ but for you to be this different¡­ you both still share the same body. For your abilities to be so different is just¡­ hard to accept."


    Victoria shrugged helplessly. "I am what I am. I can''t change that¡­ I''m sorry if that disappoints you."


    Maurice shook his head. "That isn''t what I meant. The fact that your abilities have increased is a miracle! Something wonderful to be celebrated! I just¡­ I wish I could explain it! I don''t like this sort of mystery."


    "Ah, I get that." Victoria nodded with a sigh. "When things are unexplainable, they become unpredictable, which makes things¡­ messy. It''s hard to control a situation if you have no idea what''s going on¡­"


    Maurice seemed to suddenly realize something, his eyes widening. "Right¡­ you''ve been dealing with this confusion this entire time, haven''t you?" He muttered, pity in his eyes. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t be poking into it like this. It''s your life, your mysteries. I''m just a meddlesome old man who has no right to intrude."


    "No, it isn''t that¡­ I appreciate your wisdom, and you''ve been a huge help through all this. It''s just¡­ I don''t have any answers for you." Victoria explained helplessly. Well, that was a lie, but the answers she did have wouldn''t be helpful, so she had to keep her mouth shut.


    "I understand." Maurice nodded, patting her on the shoulder. "Come, let''s acquire your new Rune."


    Victoria wanted to say more, but without explaining the system and her past life, any explanation she gave would just be empty words. Letting out a sigh, she took her seat in the center of the room, and entered her Runescape. After a quick glance at the Design Rune, she pushed it to the side, focusing on the vast expanse beyond. She took a deep breath and sharpened her mind, before calling out to the void. *Come!*


    Again, lines began to etch themselves into her Runescape, emitting waves of pressure that buffeted her mind, but Victoria was barely moved. With her current mental stats, this pressure was nothing to her. She watched calmly as the Rune formed, waiting for it to become clear enough to tell exactly what Rune she had acquired. It only took a few moments for a few more lines to etch themselves into the Runescape making the meaning clear, and a grin formed itself on Victoria''s face. Her new Rune was Bladework. *Perfect.* She thought to herself in satisfaction as she watched the Bladework Rune finish forming.


    Victoria looked off into the void once again, a little hesitant as she considered whether she wanted to attempt to acquire a Qi Rune as well. While she was confident she''d reached a level where she could acquire one, she wasn''t sure there wasn''t another Rune she would acquire, something related to her Design skill or possibly even another Rune related to her knife training. The problem was, she wasn''t sure if that would ever change. She''d continue comprehending more of her Design Rune and training her dagger skills. They were both too important to her cultivation to put on hold while she firmed up her skills in concealment.


    After thinking it over, Victoria sighed and hardened her gaze. She had to take this chance. *Come!* She called again, feeling more pressure descend as a new Rune began to etch itself into her Runescape. It wasn''t long before she felt a sinking feeling in her heart as the new Rune became clear: Study. *Fuck!* She groaned as the new Spirit Rune continued to form, watching it bitterly. It soon finished, and Victoria let out a sigh, about to leave the Runescape, when she noticed something. She still hadn''t reached her pressure limit. The three Runes in her mind were giving off a heavy pressure, but with her current mental stats, it still wasn''t enough to make her uncomfortable. If she wanted to, she could probably acquire another two or three Runes and still be fine.


    Victoria hesitated slightly, before glancing out into the void again. *Okay¡­ one more time. Just one more time.* She said to herself, before calling out again, sending out a silent prayer that she''d get a Qi Rune. She''d even take something dumb, like sewing! She just needed that foothold, and she could use it as the foundation for bigger and better things. She almost didn''t want to look as the newest Rune formed, scared of what it might be. Finally, the Rune formed enough for her to understand its meaning and a strange look came over her. *Is- is that a Qi Rune?* She wondered, staring at it in confusion. The Rune that was forming in her Runescape took on the vague outline of a hammer, but it wasn''t for blacksmithing or something to do with war hammers. It carried the simple meaning of Craft. *How in the¡­ why did that show up?!?* Victoria wondered, confused as to whether she''d succeeded or not. She thought it might be a Qi Rune, but¡­ she just wasn''t sure.


    Victoria exited her Runescape soon after the new Rune finished forming, frowning. "Well? How did it go?" Maurice asked, looking slightly nervous.


    "Eh¡­ mixed." Victoria answered in a vague tone. "I got the Bladework Rune, so I''m good on Essence, but¡­ I couldn''t acquire a Rune related to concealment. I got Study, which is obviously a Spirit Rune, and Craft, which¡­ is that a Qi Rune?"


    "Craft¡­ that should be a Qi Ru- wait, Study?!? You acquired the Study Rune!?!" Maurice suddenly exclaimed in a panic. "Are you sure!?!"


    Victoria gave him a weird look. "Yeah? Why?"


    "What does it look like?!?" He asked in an almost desperate tone, approaching her, staring into her eyes like he could somehow catch a glimpse of it through them.


    "I-it just looks kinda like a bad drawing of an eye! Big diamond with a little square inside and a dot in the middle of the square!" Victoria answered nervously, backing away from the suddenly insane old man.


    "The all seeing eye!" Maurice exclaimed in a tone of awe. "I can''t believe¡­ It- it''s just the Initial version but¡­ It''s a miracle!"


    "What are you talking about?!? What''s so special about Study?" Victoria asked, confused.


    "What''s so- everything! Do you know what the basis of our cultivation system is?!? Learning! Comprehending! Studying! We study our Runes to gain information from them and make ourselves more powerful! Do you understand how incredible it is to have a Rune that revolves around that very process!?! In this world, knowledge is power, and you just received the key to knowledge! As long as you continue to comprehend that Rune, you''ll become better and better at comprehending your other Runes! Even if you were completely talentless before, this Rune would turn you into one of the most gifted Cultivators of your generation!" Maurice rambled in excitement, pacing back and forth like a nervous teenager. "This- This¡­ you can''t tell anyone about this!" He suddenly whirled around, warning her with a stern gaze. "If one of the other lords knew¡­ if one of the other kingdoms knew, you''d never be safe! They''d do everything they could to snuff you out while you were still young and immature! Today- today you acquired the Bladework Rune and only the Bladework Rune, do you understand? I''ll help you find a place to work on the other two if you need it, but it''d be dangerous if people found out you were even a tricore, let alone your Study Rune."


    Victoria frowned. "Is it really that dangerous?" She asked hesitantly.


    "Is it- yes! Of course! One talented Cultivator can change the course of a nation let alone the future of a small noble family! Even peasants have risen to ridiculous heights thanks to a single talented descendant! If the royal family knew of all this, we''d only have two options: marry you to the crown prince or be eradicated. They simply could not allow such a power to grow outside their control." Maurice explained as he began to calm down.


    Victoria''s frown deepened. "Why is it that everything that happens seems to involve me marrying some random guy or bad things happen? ''Marry the Duke, or your family will be political exiles.'' ''Marry the Prince or you and your entire fucking family will die!'' It''s fucking ridiculous!"


    Maurice sighed. "It''s the way of the world. You''re actually somewhat lucky. If you were male, the royal family wouldn''t even give us a choice. They''d just kill you all and be done with it."


    "Oh, joy. That makes things so much better." Victoria retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes.


    "Listen, Victoria, we don''t get to choose the society we live in. It''s just the way it is. All we can do is try and be better, to take steps to change things where we can, and mitigate the harm where we can''t. If the world were perfect, you could show the world exactly how talented you were and receive the admiration and respect you deserve, but that isn''t the world we live in and for now, we just have to accept that." Maurice explained, a sad look in his eyes.

 Points: 15 - Troubled past

    Victoria returned to her room, thinking about what Maurice had said. Did they really just have to accept that the world was unfair? Was it just the way of the world that people with potential had to be either controlled or eradicated? Even back on Earth, the President had tried to control him as much as he could. Maybe if things had gone far enough, he''d even have tried to kill him. The Voice had killed him! Why? Why did people want to hold onto power to the point of killing to prevent threats that hadn''t even materialized yet?!? Would she become that way as she became more powerful!?! Would she turn into some calculative executioner, getting rid of anyone, anything that could threaten her?


    Victoria sighed, shaking her head. She just didn''t know. She hoped she''d find a better way, a fair way, but¡­ she just didn''t know. The way this world turned out, it almost made her wonder how Earth would have changed as the system continued to spread. Talented individuals were bound to rise, potentially becoming strong enough to overturn governments single handedly. Hell, she''d been on a rocket towards that level! A few more months and she probably wouldn''t have even needed to fear guns! Would her safeguards  have been enough to protect people from the ones who wanted to abuse their newfound power? Was it really a mistake to just give the system to everyone, like the President said? What if she spread the system here? Would it help? Or would it make things worse? She still just didn''t know.


    Not that it particularly mattered. The Voice, and potentially others like them, was still out there. Even if spreading the system would help this society, wouldn''t she just be bringing a different kind of destruction down upon them? She just wasn''t in a position where she could start spreading it like she had before. There were too many unknowns, and she didn''t want to cause the fall of another world. Maybe if she could find a way to hide- eh? Wait¡­ could she hide it? It was impossible on Earth, but¡­ this world had Cultivation! If she could somehow merge her system with the Cultivation system¡­


    Victoria considered the issue with a frown. If she could find a way to convert points into Spirit- huh¡­ why couldn''t she? The points could make someone heavier, which was blatantly creating mass, so why couldn''t it create Spirit or even Qi and Essence? And since she was creating something, it wouldn''t count towards her point limit, right? Maybe? Hopefully? Victoria pulled up the stat page, looking it over, before adding a new entry.


    [Spirit: 349/1223]


    "Interesting¡­" She muttered to herself. The system had not only quantified the amount of Spirit she had in points, but also her capacity. "Does that mean I could increase it?" She wondered. Of course, now she had to try it. She made another new stat called Spirit Capacity, which had the same value of one thousand, two hundred and twenty-three. Then, she put a point into it.


    [Spirit Capacity: 1224]


    Victoria couldn''t help but grin at the result, but she still had to check one more thing. She made another entry to keep track of how many points counted towards her limit, before putting another point into her Spirit Capacity, and¡­ The number decreased! Making Spirit didn''t count towards her point limit! Victoria practically cackled as she dumped more points to the capacity until it reached one thousand five hundred, feeling like she''d found some kind of hack to get around the point limit, until she realized she was beginning to have a bit of a headache. *What the- Shit! My mental stats! The pressure!* Victoria groaned. It wasn''t to the point of being dangerous, but she could definitely feel the increase in pressure from the four Runes floating in her Runescape. *I have to be more careful when I spend points¡­* Victoria sighed to herself. She threw another point in her Spirit, increasing it to three hundred and fifty to make sure it worked and also didn''t count towards her point limit, which it didn''t, before closing the system.


    Thankfully, since this world had Cultivators, she''d been able to keep her exercises at a fairly high level, giving her a steady rate of points. Back on Earth, Thomas had run into a wall when his points had gotten too high, since the exercise equipment simply wasn''t built for that level of power. In this world, that wasn''t a problem, so she was still making about twenty-five to thirty points a day from her daily exercises, sometimes even more when she really pushed herself, though that''d leave her pretty much wrecked for the rest of the day.


    *So, that essentially solves the issue of where to put the points. Well, as long as they''re a Cultivator. Which not everyone is¡­ damn it! Maybe I can use points to Awaken people as well? Probably. When have they not been able to do something? The question is, is that even a good idea?* Victoria grimaced. She still didn''t know why the Voice had killed everyone. Something to do with it being their reality? Victoria had no idea what the system had to even do with that! What if everyone being Awakened was a problem for someone? Victoria paused. Scratch that, everyone being Awakened would definitely be a problem for someone. Probably a lot of people. Just like the system was a problem for the President. Because anything that gave people power would be seen as a threat by the people who already had it. The question was, how was she supposed to fix that? Victoria cocked her head. Did she have to fix that? There was no reason the system had to make people stronger, right? At least, not at first¡­ As long as the points weren''t doing anything, no one would have a problem, right? At least nothing overt. She could still spread the recovery button and the skill page. The appearance editor should be fine plus all the communication features. Honestly, the communication feature alone could be huge in this society. But that still wouldn''t fix things¡­ the people in power would still be in power. Possibly even more effectively in power with the system helping them. Admittedly, fixing things might be a part of the problem¡­


    Victoria scowled. How do you fuck with the status quo without fucking with the status quo? She either had to do it so slowly no one noticed, or so quickly no one could react in time to do anything about it. Or maybe a combination of both? If she spread a limited version of the system around, let people slowly build up a massive supply of points, and then added a way to get stronger¡­ but how would she get people to actually gain a massive amount of points if they didn''t already need them? The amount of effort you needed to put in to really gain points wasn''t worth it without some tangible benefits. People would just do enough to earn what they wanted, then stop. If that was the case¡­ Then she needed to somehow hide the points from people. Not all of them, obviously, but if she could make it so that say half the points they earned went into a reserve, then they couldn''t help but build up a massive amount, right? She wasn''t sure if she could actually do that though¡­ What she needed was a test subject. Someone, or something, she could test her ideas on. Some of it she could test herself, but she was already Awakened and even if she could reserve her own points, it didn''t guarantee she could reserve someone else''s. Victoria grinned slightly. Maybe she could pick up an animal out in the wilderness. After all, Flynn would eventually run out of things to teach her. And she could tell it''d be soon.


    *


    "Albert, I''m sorry. I can''t keep her out of the wilderness anymore." Flynn sighed heavily, glancing guiltily towards the Marquis.


    "What!?! You said you could keep her training for half a year! It''s only been half a month!" The Marquis exclaimed, glaring at Flynn.


    Flynn threw up his hands in exasperation. "I tried, but you didn''t tell me your daughter was the mother goddess of bullshit! I''ve barely extended it this long by only teaching her one skill a day! She memorized my entire bestiary in a little over a week! She''s a monster! Her learning ability is off the charts! I have students who are less skilled than her who I trust to go out into the wilderness alone! How am I supposed to say she can''t follow me out there?"


    "I''m not letting my fourteen year old daughter risk her life in some godsforsaken wilderness!" The Marquis growled through clenched teeth.


    Flynn shook his head. "Al¡­ it isn''t a matter of let at this point. She has the skills. She knows she has the skills. She''s going to go, with or without our approval, I can already tell."


    "Urgh!" The Marquis grunted, clenching his fists as if he was going to hit something, before releasing them with a defeated sigh. "I just don''t get it! When did she become so- so- defiant! She hasn''t always liked the decisions I''ve had to make, but at least she knew the proper way to go about protesting! I can handle pouty looks and rebellious behavior, but what am I supposed to do with this flat faced ''I''m going to do it, and it''s up to you how'' attitude? It''s either help her or lock her in a tower!"


    Flynn shook his head. "Look, I don''t know everything that happened, but one thing is clear: you can''t think of your daughter as just some little girl anymore. What you''re dealing with is a young Cultivator, one with a lot of potential at that. She isn''t someone you can protect and coddle. That would only ruin her potential. She needs training, resources, and most importantly, experience. You may not like it, but at this point, the wilderness is probably the best place for her, and unfortunately for you, she knows it."


    *


    "I just don''t get it!" Victoria exclaimed as she exited her Runescape in frustration. She''d been comprehending her Design Rune, learning more and more about how to utilize her Spirit to analyze materials, learning how to let it flow inside to create almost perfect copies of them. She also learned how to use the design space, putting the analyzed materials together into useful objects, testing the effectiveness of using different materials or shapes, and seeing how everything worked together. She also learned how to use her mist to project anything in her design space as an illusion, including herself, though she still had trouble making these illusions move. They lacked life, so she had to move them manually, which always looked stiff and awkward.


    The problem was, she didn''t know what to do next. Her design skill had stopped accepting points, no matter how much she meditated, and it seemed like her Design Rune was just repeating the same things over and over. No matter what she did, she couldn''t think of any new ideas or skills. There didn''t seem to be anything left to learn from the Rune, but it wasn''t leveling up again! No matter how she thought about it, she''d grasped the lesson the Rune was trying to teach her! What more did she need to do?


    "Maybe it was just a fluke?" She wondered, frowning thoughtfully. She then glanced at her taskbar.


    [Comprehend the Advanced Design Rune: 99.99%]


    "No, it can''t be a fluke!" She stated firmly. If it was, her task would have been completed by now! There was something she was missing. She frowned, thinking over what happened last time. "I was comprehending the Rune¡­ I''d just put a bunch of points into it, and then¡­ I had an epiphany?" She muttered hesitantly. "Is that what I''m missing? Some new insight into Design that would take me to the next level?" She paused, considering this idea. "This stage of the Rune has focused on the insight I had¡­ almost like it was born from that idea¡­ maybe¡­ maybe I need to figure out another use for design, not just breaking things down into their components and seeing how they fit together, but¡­"


    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, interrupting her train of thought. Victoria frowned as she walked to the door and opened it. "Calvin?" She asked as she saw who it was, wondering why her little brother had sought her out.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    "Victoria, Mom said to explain that new toilet thingy you put by my room to me." Calvin stated in a classic, prepubescent child''s tone.


    "Ah, that. Well, what do you want to know?" Victoria responded, going to cross her arms and lean against the door, before quickly changing her mind. Boobs were annoying.


    "Isn''t it a waste of water?" Calvin asked, cocking his head.


    "Well, kind of, but the water used for the toilet comes from the river, which we really shouldn''t be using for drinking anyways. Plus, there''s a lot of it, so a little bit of waste won''t hurt it too much anyways." Victoria explained.


    "Why shouldn''t we drink river water?" Calvin replied with a frown.


    "Well, there''s a bunch of things living in the river water, like fish, frogs, and birds, all of which, much like us, need to piss and shit every now and then, which they often do in the river." Victoria replied. "Plus there''s bacteria and all that little nasty crap that can make you sick. Well water is much better."


    Calvin had a disgusted expression on his face by this point. "That''s gross!"


    "Yup, which is why we don''t mind using it for the toilets." Victoria grinned.


    Calvin nodded along, before asking another question. "Why don''t you wear dresses anymore?"


    "I don''t want to." Victoria responded with a shrug.


    "Why not?" Calvin asked.


    "Because I don''t. No real reason for it." Victoria reiterated.


    "Is it because you lost your memory?" Calvin continued.


    Victoria paused. "Well¡­ maybe a little bit."


    "Is that why you don''t hang out with me anymore, too?" Calvin asked, looking a little depressed.


    Victoria frowned. "What do you mean? We see each other every night at dinner, don''t we?"


    "That doesn''t count! That''s the whole family and everyone has to show up. Even AJ goes!" Calvin retorted with a disgusted face. "You used to play with me all the time, just the two of us, but now¡­ now you''re just like AJ, always off doing your own thing, always ignoring me unless you''re forced to pay attention to me!"


    Victoria froze, eyes going wide as the boy ranted, not entirely sure how to react to the torrent of emotion. "I''m¡­ sorry? It''s just, well¡­ I don''t actually remember how we were before, you know? Since I lost my memory, I''ve just kind of been letting people come to me. I didn''t want to push people to interact with me just because something tragic happened. Maybe that wasn''t the best thing to do, but¡­ well, I don''t know. I just¡­ well, I didn''t know¡­"


    Calvin frowned. "I know you lost your memory, but we''re still brother and sister, right? Shouldn''t that mean something?"


    Victoria paused. "I suppose it should, shouldn''t it¡­ Okay then, I''ll be better about making time to hang out with you, outside the normal family gatherings. Just¡­ Well, be aware that I''ve¡­ changed a bit since I lost my memory. I can hang out with you, but I can''t promise it will be the same as before."


    "Duh." Calvin responded, rolling his eyes. "That doesn''t mean you stopped being my sister though."


    "Well¡­ fair enough." Victoria replied, grinning slightly.


    Calvin nodded, turning to go before pausing. "Oh, right, the other thing. Wilson wants to see you."


    Victoria frowned. "Who''s Wilson?"


    Calvin shrugged. "One of the trainees for the guard. You two used to hang out a lot, before. He said he''ll be at the usual place every night this week, just after sunset, whenever you can get away."


    "Where''s the usual place?" Victoria asked, her frown deepening. Was this the old Victoria''s boyfriend or something?


    "I''m not sure, but there''s an old storage shed in the western part of the castle no one uses, by the smithy, that you told me to tell him to meet you at once." Calvin replied.


    "Right¡­ uh, thanks for letting me know." Victoria thanked him with a sigh, wondering whether she should go and meet this guy or not.


    "Well, I wouldn''t thank me too much¡­ he told me a few days ago, and I kept forgetting." Calvin coughed in embarrassment before rushing off. Victoria watched him go, chuckling lightly and shaking her head.


    *


    Later that night, Victoria snuck off towards the western part of the castle, looking for the storage shack. She''d decided to meet with this guy, if only to let him know that there wasn''t anything between them anymore. It just seemed kind of shitty to leave the guy hanging, not knowing why she wasn''t talking to him anymore. Plus, she figured he might have an idea how the original Victoria got her hands on a Potion of Awakening. It somewhat bothered her that none of the people around her seemed to know where it came from.


    She easily avoided the guard patrols as she made her way there, which wasn''t all that surprising considering the old Victoria was supposedly capable of doing so as well. *Maybe I should talk to the Marquis about tightening up the security around here.* She frowned as she slipped by another patrol that barely seemed to be paying attention as they marched along. *I mean, come on¡­ that''s just lazy.* She sighed as she saw a guard leaning against a wall, obviously asleep.


    Finally, she made her way to the old storage shack, slipping through the door to see a teenage boy, probably around sixteen years old, sitting on an old chest, tapping his foot nervously. "Victoria!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet the moment he saw her, rushing forward with his arms open, ready to pull her into an embrace.


    "Stop!" Victoria responded, sending a palm out to stop him. Unfortunately, she used a bit too much strength and the palm landed rather heavily on his chest, sending him stumbling back, tripping over an old broom and landing on his butt. "Oop, sorry! Uh¡­ you''re Wilson, right?"


    "I- of course! Why would you need to ask?" Wilson replied incredulously, climbing to his feet and rubbing his butt.


    "Well, you see, I kind of¡­ Well, I recently lost all my memories, due to a freak accident with a Potion of Awakening, and well¡­ I didn''t even remember my own mother, let alone some dude." Victoria explained with a shrug. "Hell, I didn''t even know you existed until Calvin told me earlier today."


    Wilson''s eyes went wide. "Are- are you serious? You don''t remember me? Wait, you took a Potion of Awakening?!? Do you know how dangerous that is!?! You could have died!"


    Victoria frowned. "Ah, dammit¡­ I was kinda hoping you''d have a clue as to how I actually got my hands on that thing¡­ But yes, I did, and yes, I know, it was dumb. But, we can''t change the past, and this is the situation we''re in now. All we can do is make better decisions moving forward."


    "How did you even get one? Only nobles have access to them and I know your father wouldn''t give one to you!" Wilson continued, looking very confused.


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "Again, I lost my memories, so I have no idea¡­ Kinda figured I made that obvious when I said I''d hoped you would know. Not really enthused by my past self''s taste in men." *Though, then again, I''m not really enthused about having a taste in men period¡­* Victoria added internally.


    Wilson paused, giving her a strange look. "Taste in-? Uh, Victoria, you don''t have a taste in men."


    Victoria froze. "Wut."


    "You, uh, well, you see, the entire reason we became friends is because, well, we''re both, uh¡­ gay. You like- er, liked girls¡­ and I like men." Wilson explained slowly, as if he was trying not to scare her.


    A weird look slowly spread across Victoria''s face, a mix of suppressed amusement and incredulity. "I''m gay? Seriously? That''s¡­ Ha! Outstanding! Fucking perfect!" Victoria burst out, cackling slightly while Wilson backed away, looking startled. Suddenly, Victoria paused, frowning. "Wait, hold on¡­ did I have a girlfriend or something then?"


    "N-not that I''m aware of¡­" Wilson replied, watching her nervously, like she was some kind of rabid dog.


    Victoria let out a slight sigh, relieved. Dealing with a lover from her past did not sound fun. "So, then what''s our relationship? Why did you want to meet me?"


    "W-well, you see, since we''re gay, we need to be careful about who we¡­ express interest in, you know? So when there''s a guy I''m interested in, or a girl you''re interested in, we¡­ Well, we flirt with each other''s crush, as, you know, a test. If you flirt with a guy and he''s interested, I know he''s not going to be interested in me." Wilson explained, flushing in embarrassment. "T-the reason I wanted to meet with you is¡­ Well, there''s this new assistant chef in the kitchen and¡­ Eell, you know."


    Victoria''s expression twisted awkwardly. "Uh, look, I''m sorry, really, but¡­ I''m not entirely sure I''m capable of flirting¡­ Not since I lost my memories. I''ve been told I''ve become a lot more¡­ Cold, since the accident. I can still give it a try if you like, but¡­ I''m not sure how effective a test it''d be."


    Wilson looked distressed, before he sighed and shook his head. "It- It''s fine¡­ He probably wouldn''t be gay anyways. No one has been, so far." He mumbled, looking depressed.


    "Or maybe they''re just good at hiding it." Victoria commented with a shrug. "Plus, what if they''re attracted to both men and women? The test would sort of fall apart at that point. Though¡­ I suppose in this culture, even if you had an inclination towards men, as long as you could like women as well, you''d probably focus on women¡­ Just safer."


    Wilson looked at her with a frown. "That- is not helpful."


    "I''m not a very helpful person." Victoria retorted with a shrug.


    Wilson gave her a weird look. "But- you-" Wilson paused, before shaking his head. "Right, you''re not- you aren''t you anymore¡­"


    "Yeah, essentially." Victoria agreed with a sigh. "Sorry."


    "No, it''s not-" Wilson froze, frowning and shaking his head again. "Just- why did you have to take that potion?!?"


    "I don''t know." Victoria replied, sighing again.


    *


    Victoria chatted a bit more with Wilson, learning more about her past self, before heading back to her room. Apparently, the old Victoria had led quite the double life. Outwardly, she was a flirt, always chasing after boys around the castle, getting them interested, before giving them the cold shoulder. Many of the young men were quite frustrated with her, and a common barracks topic was how much of a tease she was.


    And the entire time, she''d been a lesbian, just testing these guys for her friend¡­ Honestly, Victoria was impressed with her previous self''s dedication. Also, a little concerned about the amount of guys Wilson had had an interest in in just two years for her to get such a reputation¡­ Dude needed to chill. Comparatively, Wilson had only needed to flirt with a few maids. Neither of them had any results yet, or rather, they''d always gotten results, which was a bad sign for the other, but at least it''d let them move on, knowing their crush was impossible.


    Victoria shook her head as she walked, pondering the difficulty of being a homosexual in such a culture, always needing to sneak around and play tricks to find a companion. She hadn''t really thought about it before, because, well, she hadn''t really considered herself a lesbian before now. She wasn''t even sure she considered herself a lesbian now¡­ She wasn''t sure if she''d actually enjoy being with a woman as a woman, which seemed pretty definitional. Not that she was going to test that theory any time soon. The idea of romance just didn''t appeal to her right now. The wounds were too¡­ fresh.


    She sighed sadly as she slipped into her room, before freezing, eyes going sharp as she looked around. "Who''s there!?!" She exclaimed, taking a defensive stance.


    "My my, your senses have improved." A low, sultry voice commented. From the shadows, a devilishly attractive woman stepped out, staring at Victoria with a playful grin. "Just a month since your Awakening and already you''ve condensed your core. How impressive!"


    Victoria frowned, taking a step back as she watched the woman carefully. "Who are you? How did you get in my room?"


    The woman cocked an eyebrow, still grinning. "Is it any particular challenge? If a clumsy girl like you can slip through this castle undetected, why can''t I?" She chuckled lightly. "As for who I am¡­ Well, I''m a little insulted. I go through all this trouble, getting you a Potion of Awakening, setting up a guaranteed entrance into the Hidden Blades for you, and you go and just forget about me! You really know how to wound a woman''s pride." The woman commented, faking a pout.


    Victoria''s eyes widened. "You got me the Potion of Awakening!?! Are you insane?!? I- I almost died!"


    The woman tilted her head, wearing an innocent, confused look. "Isn''t that what you wanted? You were about to be forced to engage the young Duke. I simply offered you a chance. Take the potion, and as long as you successfully awaken, you''ll be guaranteed an entrance into the Hidden Blades. What did you have to lose? You either succeed, and escape your fate, or you fail, and escape your fate in a different way. The perfect solution!"


    Victoria glared at the woman in disgust. "You''re crazy! I don''t know why I trusted you before, but I don''t care what you offered the old me. I don''t need you anymore. I''ll enter a sect on my own, without your help. Now please leave."


    The woman chuckled, approaching Victoria with a seductive sway. "I believe you''ve misunderstood. You have a guaranteed entry, as in, you are guaranteed to enter the Hidden Blades, whether you want to or not. You don''t have a choice. That''s the price of the potion we gave you." She explained, leaning in to whisper softly in Victoria''s ear. "If you don''t, we will hunt you down, and cut the core out of your head, as well as any other core you happen to develop." She threatened, lightly tapping Victoria''s forehead with the tip of a sharp fingernail. "No one can stop us. So cultivate well, and I''ll see you at the sect entrance exams." She finished, sauntering away and disappearing into a shadow.


    Victoria remained frozen for a moment, letting out a nervous breath as soon as she was sure she was gone. A cold sweat ran its way down her back, and she shivered in fear. As that woman approached her, she became certain of exactly one thing: She could kill her whenever she wanted, and it wouldn''t even be difficult. "What the fuck did Victoria get herself involved in?!?" She muttered to herself helplessly, not even sure how to handle this.

 Points: 16 - Into the wilderness

    "Nervous?" Flynn asked. The two of them were currently on their way to a nearby forest, where Flynn would take a few days to train Victoria in the practical use of the skills he''d taught her.


    "Huh? What? No! Why- why would I be nervous?" Victoria looked up, slightly panicked. She''d been thinking about what happened last night with the mysterious woman and she was worried Flynn had noticed something. She didn''t want him, or more importantly the Marquis, to find out. They couldn''t face the mysterious woman, let alone the sect behind her, and she didn''t know if they''d attempt something suicidal once they found out.


    Flynn gave her a weird look. "It''s normal to be nervous about your first trip into the wild¡­ You don''t need to be so defensive."


    "Oh¡­ uh, yeah¡­ sorry." Victoria muttered, slightly embarrassed.


    "Don''t worry, we''ll be sticking to the outskirts for now. Most of the animals won''t even be Rune Beasts, and any that are will be low leveled. These animals can still be dangerous, as you know, but it shouldn''t be anything the two of us can''t handle, as long as we''re careful." Flynn explained, reassuring her with a grin.


    Victoria repressed the urge to roll her eyes at him, giving him a thankful smile. She swore, she''d never thought someone so powerful could be as cowardly as this man was. As a fifth stage Core Strengthening Qi Cultivator, Flynn was probably strong enough to wrestle with any of the animals they''d meet in the area he was taking her to. Even if an entire pack of wolves surrounded them, he''d have a good chance of coming out of the fight completely unscathed! Yet still, he talked like they were facing a dire challenge where they''d be faced with danger at every turn, rather than what essentially amounted to a camping trip.


    Feeling slightly bored as they walked, Victoria took stock of her gear. The Marquis had made sure to prepare her a comprehensive assortment for her trip. She had a well made tent, perfect for any kind of weather, a sleeping bag, flint, a compass, a telescope, several maps of the surrounding areas, enough dried meat and bread to last her for a couple weeks, let alone the few days she was going to be gone, and two large bags of water. If it weren''t for her high stats, Victoria was concerned she wouldn''t even be able to lift her pack, let alone hike through the woods with it.


    Additionally, he''d given her two immaculate daggers, perfect for fighting with, along with a pair of elegant, but functional sheaths. He''d apparently bought them as a present for her birthday, but since she was heading into the wilderness now, he felt it important to make sure she was armed before she went. Victoria wasn''t entirely sure why knives needed stylized flowers etched into them, wondering if the craftsman was aware of what knives were usually used for, but she was thankful nonetheless. Despite their artistic make, they were obviously high quality weapons, entirely capable of performing the gruesome acts daggers were generally used for.


    "Watch where you step." Flynn instructed. "Try to step on rocks, roots, or hard ground, and absolutely avoid stepping in mud. Mud not only leaves a big, easily noticed footprint, but it also sticks to your shoes, leaving even more of a trace as you walk. Any trace you leave will increase the chance you''ll run into a dangerous beast."


    "See this path? That means something regularly comes through this way. It may seem convenient to walk along it, but it increases the chance you''ll run into a dangerous beast."


    "Avoid staying near trees and bushes with fruit. Animals are attracted to food, and while it might seem like a good way to supplement your food supply, it increases the chance you''ll run into a dangerous beast."


    "Know where the river is, but never camp by it. Animals seek water and camping near the river increases the chance you''ll run into a dangerous beast."


    "Avoid clearings. Without the surrounding foliage, you''ll be easier to see, which-"


    "Yes, yes, I know, it''ll increase the chance I''ll run into a dangerous beast." Victoria exclaimed in exasperation. "Do you have to say that every time?!?"


    Flynn paused. "Avoid making loud noises¡­ it''ll¡­" Victoria glared at him, causing him to trail off. "Well¡­ you know."


    The two continued their journey through the woods as Flynn continued to point out the various tricks to avoiding the dangerous beasts that lived there, though thankfully without repeating that annoying phrase again. It wasn''t long before they reached a dense patch of trees. "When you must sleep in the wilderness, it''s best to choose a hidden location. Caves are an option, but they require a good deal of scouting to ensure that nothing lives there already. I prefer these dense patches of pine. The larger beasts have trouble moving through them, and smaller beasts prefer nut or fruit bearing trees. You can string up a net to use as a platform between the trees, keeping you off the ground and, with the addition of some carefully placed branches, rather well hidden." Flynn explained as he pulled out a tight mesh net.


    He showed her how to secure the net to the trunks of the trees, and tighten it so that it remained taught. Once they were done, she took a few steps across, and found the net to be surprisingly supportive, almost like a trampoline, or a padded floor. After camouflaging the bottom with some branches, Flynn took out some canvas and they made a canopy and some walls as well, completely secluding themselves.


    Victoria frowned. "If this is what we were going to be doing, why have I been lugging this tent around all day?"


    "Because your father went through the trouble to get a high quality tent made by a professional tentmaker all the way from the Capital, and I didn''t have the heart to tell him only the rich and stupid use tents in the wilderness. Tents are for large groups that can afford to set up patrols and watches, not for Hunters." Flynn explained with a sigh. "Besides, it isn''t as if it''s completely useless. If you get separated from me, you can take it apart and use the pieces to make something useful."


    "Right¡­ the sleeping bag is still good though, right?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow. The Marquis had gotten her a very comfortable looking sleeping bag, and she''d honestly be rather disappointed if she didn''t get to use it.


    "It''s unnecessarily bulky, but there''s nothing technically wrong with it¡­ Just make sure you can get out of it quickly and easily, and you''ll be fine." Flynn replied as he pulled out his own sleeping bag, made from a thin material which made Victoria feel itchy just looking at it.


    *


    Flynn spent the next day teaching Victoria the tricks of observing animals in the wild. She quickly learned why he''d said she needed to memorize the entire bestiary before coming out here. Without that knowledge, it was hard to even find some animals, let alone observe them. Without knowing the markings a creature would leave behind, what their poop looked like, or the plants they liked to live around, it was almost impossible to run into a specific animal by chance.


    The observing was even more difficult. Victoria had been under the assumption that when Flynn talked about observing an animal, he was talking about physically laying eyes on said animal. Oh how naive she was. No, when Flynn said observe, he meant they would sift through the animal''s droppings, examine the refuse in its den, or study its footprints. How could she think cowardly, cautious Flynn would get anywhere near an animal before he had a complete understanding of it? It was only after literally every other way to gather information on the creature was exhausted that they would finally lay eyes on the creature and risk even a minor chance of being seen.


    "Now, what can you tell me about the subject so far." Flynn asked as the two of them hid in some underbrush, waiting for the animal they''d been ''observing'' to return to its den so they could get their first look at it.


    "Well, first, it''s a bear, male. It only recently moved to the area, which means it''s probably weak, having been forced out of its previous territory for some reason. Judging by the size of its footprints and the depth, it''s about eight feet tall, but overweight, even more so than necessary to prepare for hibernation. Its primary diet consists of medium to large sized animals, common prey for a bear. Other than the excessive weight, it seems to be perfectly healthy, which means the reason for its weakness is probably old age." Victoria rattled off her conclusions based on their previous observations.


    Flynn nodded. "Good. Additionally, you could note that since it doesn''t appear to be fighting for territory, it is most likely the strongest beast in the area, though that isn''t terribly surprising around here. Bears are apex predators and without Runes, most animals will fear them."


    Victoria nodded along, and they continued to wait. A short while later, they heard some rustling and the bear finally appeared, pacing heavily towards the cave it''d made its home, dragging the remains of a deer it''d obviously only recently killed. As the bear lumbered into view, Victoria''s eyes went wide. "That''s a big bear." She muttered unconsciously as she took it in. As she''d said, the bear was obviously overweight, but once she saw it, it was clear it wasn''t because of fat. Hard, bulging muscles rippled as the bear moved, barely restrained power obvious in every step. Scars covered the gigantic beast, painting a picture of a multitude of fierce, bloody battles, and on its shoulder was a twisted, terrifying looking brand.


    She looked over at Flynn, confused, only to see his face pale in blatant fear. As the bear disappeared into the cave, he finally let out a breath he''d obviously been holding ever since the bear appeared. He quickly grabbed Victoria''s wrist and began to drag her away, escaping from the area as fast as he could without alerting the terrifying beast lurking in the cave.


    "Wait, Flynn, why are we running?!?" Victoria asked in a hissed whisper, confused by his obvious terror.


    "I''ll explain later! Just move!" Flynn hissed back, continuing his escape. It wasn''t until they were safely back in the tree tent that he finally calmed down, breathing heavily.


    "Okay, what was all that about?" Victoria asked, giving him a weird look.


    "That was a Tamarin War Bear!" Flynn exclaimed. "They''re at least mid-tier Rune Beasts! I wouldn''t last a second against that thing! This- W-we need to report this to your father! Such a dangerous Rune Beast¡­ It isn''t safe to leave it so close to our territory."


    "Could I request that you not do that?" A deep, rumbling voice came from below them. "It took me so long to find a nice quiet place to live and I would hate to have to move again."


    Flynn and Victoria''s eyes widened as they looked down. Below them, the bear was standing on its hind legs, reaching up to pull aside some branches so it could see them. "Eep!" Flynn squeaked, going white as he fainted in fear.


    "Oh dear, is he alright?" The bear asked, sounding genuinely concerned.


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at the bear. "You, uh, you seem pretty polite for something called a War Bear."


    The bear scoffed. "What does being a War Bear have to do with my personality? It is like one of your human jobs. It has no bearing on who I am."


    "Uh huh. So¡­ Does this mean you aren''t going to kill us?" Victoria asked, sounding vaguely hopeful.


    "Ugh, killing." The bear muttered in disgust. "I have had enough of killing! Every day for decades, just fight, fight, fight! Fight to train, fight for food, fight for war, I am sick of it! No, I would rather not kill any more. Unless you humans decide to come after me with that insane death wish of yours. The irony of you referring to us as savage¡­" The bear finished with a mutter under his breath.


    "Well¡­ My father is the lord around here¡­ I can probably convince him to leave you alone, get the Hunters to ignore this area¡­ Would that work for you?" Victoria offered tentatively.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "That would be wonderful, yes, thank you." The bear replied, sounding grateful.


    "Uh, you''re welcome¡­ What are you doing here anyways?" Victoria asked.


    "I-" the bear paused, frowning. "Would you mind coming down here? This position is rather uncomfortable for me."


    "Oh! Uh, yeah, sure." Victoria responded after a bit of thought. The bear was already in a position where it could kill her at any time, so it didn''t need to get her to come down to do so. She quickly made her way down to the ground, but as she looked at the bear, her eyes widened again. The beast was truly huge, and she became very aware that even a minor movement from it would be enough to crush her.


    The bear proceeded to lie down in front of her with a sigh, getting comfortable. "Ah, much better." It rumbled in satisfaction, before turning back to her. "Now, what was it you asked again?"


    "I, uh, well¡­ Just, how did you end up here, instead of back in Tamara?" Victoria asked, feeling nervous as she faced the giant head up close.


    "Ah, yes. Well, it was not easy. You see, Tamarins only release the War Bears in times of, well, war. At all other times, we are kept locked in a hidden facility under constant watch. Only during war are we allowed even a modicum of freedom. Therefore, that was my only chance to escape, and it was not easy. Even in war, we are watched over by powerful Cultivators, to keep us in check and recapture us after the battle. I fought battle after battle, waiting for a single opportunity, until finally, we faced a particularly vicious opponent. We ultimately won, but my handler was severely injured, leaving her without the strength to stop me. She could only watch as I made my escape, shouting after me, her cries falling of deaf ears.


    "I lived peacefully in the surrounding wilderness for a while after that, but wherever I went, eventually my handler would appear again, tracking me down and trying to recapture me, though I''d always manage to slip away. Eventually, I got sick of it, and decided to venture deep into the forest, through to the other side, making my escape. Ironically, the edges of the forest were almost more dangerous than the center. The powerful beasts of the deep forest did not care for something as weak as I, simply ignoring me as I carefully crept through their territory as quickly as possible. Only creatures around my own level felt the need to fight against me. Thankfully, my experience gave me the edge I needed to survive, and eventually I made my way here, far from my handler''s reach. It would be a shame if I needed to repeat the experience again though¡­ I am not sure if I could get lucky twice."


    "Wow, that''s- it sounds like you''ve been through a lot¡­" Victoria commented, before pausing. "Uh¡­ Just- just to let you know¡­ We''re still technically on the border with Tamara."


    The bear jolted upright, eyes going wide. "What!?!"


    Victoria winced. "Uh, yeah, hold on." Victoria quickly climbed back up the tree, before returning with a few maps, spreading them out. "You see, here''s the forest, and we''re here. Tamara is over there, but it wraps around this mountain range here and borders us right there, see. Tamara here, Farova here. Now, I''m not sure if your handler will risk going into a foreign kingdom''s territory to track you down or not, but¡­ like, if she does, this is like one of the first places she''d look."


    The bear looked down at the map in what Victoria assumed was consternation. "Every War Bear is the result of years of investment. I have never heard of the Tamarins just giving up on recapturing one. I did not- if she can reach this place, she will come. Of that I have no doubt."


    "Then¡­ What are you going to do?" Victoria asked.


    "Run? Hide? What else can I do? At least outside of Tamara, she will be limited in the resources she can bring to bear." The bear commented with a sigh. Victoria let out a slight snort, trying not to laugh, and the bear fixed her with a judgemental glare. "Is my situation funny to you?!?" He asked incredulously.


    "No! No, it''s just- you said bring to bear¡­ you are a bear, and you could take it as she was bringing resources for you, like for you to have¡­ uh¡­ it''s a pun." Victoria responded in a panic, flushing slightly as she tried to explain.


    The bear raised an eyebrow. "Bring resources¡­ to bear¡­ Ha! That is indeed amusing! If only she would deign to actually bring me resources. Then I would not need to run and hide as I do."


    Victoria nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, everything''s better when you have a bit of support. Not too much though¡­ Otherwise you turn into a useless lump that can''t even work a washing [machine]."


    The bear frowned. "What is a ''washing [machine]''?"


    "Uh¡­ Well, it''s for clothes, so it wouldn''t matter to you." Victoria coughed lightly, brushing off the question, chastising herself lightly. While she could always explain it away with Maurice''s ''knowledge of another culture'' theory, she really shouldn''t mention things from her past life. "So, how come you can talk? Is that a mid-tier Rune Beast thing? I''m not actually sure what it means to be a mid-tier Rune Beast¡­"


    "The Rune Beast tiers are simply based on the types of Runes the Rune Beast cultivates. One type for low-tier, two types for mid-tier, and three types for high-tier. Mid-tier Rune Beasts are generally twice as strong as a low-tier of the same level, and high-tiers are three times as strong, just in pure power. Combine that with a larger arsenal of abilities and you can see how terrifying they can become. Of course, the same applies to your Cultivators." The bear explained in a patient tone. "As for my ability to talk, it is due to a Rune I have acquired, though I would imagine many Spirit Beasts would be the same. Communication is a common ability to gain from Spirit Runes as without the ability to communicate your ideas, what is the point of even having them?"


    Victoria felt her mind shake as her eyes went wide, the bear''s words resonating through her. "Could- could you repeat that last part?" She asked, tentatively, her heart pounding as she felt her Design Rune begin to tremble in her Runescape.


    The bear frowned. "Without the ability to communicate your ideas, what is the point of even having them?" He repeated for her, in a slightly confused tone.


    Victoria let out a breath, sitting down cross legged and entering her Runescape, concentrating on her Design Rune. It was so obvious! How did she not see it before?!? She had to be able to communicate her ideas to people! To work them into her designs! She thought about Calvin, how he didn''t get the toilet. She had to think about how the things she''d design would affect people, how they''d interact with them, how they''d understand them. This wasn''t simply about others understanding her, but her understanding other people!


    Her Design Rune shook as new lines began to form, adding more complexity to the shape. On her forehead, the Initial Rune appeared and new lines began to push their way out, until it became the tier one Advanced Rune. Victoria remained in her Runescape until the process finished, contemplating the new Rune she''d received, before exiting, letting out a light breath and grinning. She opened her eyes, only to let out a yelp as she found the bear only inches from her face, staring at her with wide eyes. "You¡­ how did you do that?" He asked in a stunned tone.


    "Do- do what?" She asked nervously, giving him a weird look.


    "You just advanced your Rune, yes? It progressed to the next level? How did you do that?!?" The bear asked again, insistently.


    "I- I don''t- what you said made me realize something and it just¡­ happened. I really didn''t do anything." Victoria replied, not sure how to answer him.


    "Amazing!" The bear exclaimed. "You, a human, actually advanced your Rune! Outstanding!"


    Victoria frowned. "What does that mean?"


    The bear paused. "Hmmm, yes, well, let me explain. For Rune Beasts, as far as I can tell, our Runes are much more¡­ proactive. Without any urging from us, they teach us their knowledge, enhancing our skills. Once we reach a certain point in our skill level, the Rune will advance granting us a new ability and teaching us a new aspect of the skill. The process is much the same as what you have just experienced. The old Rune brands itself on our body, while a new Rune forms in our Runescape. It is just, I have never seen a human go through this process. From what I know, humans must assimilate their Runes. How are you different?"


    Victoria shrugged. "I don''t really know myself. The first time it happened, it just kind of did it on its own¡­ I''d been hoping it would do it again, but after I''d understood the next level, it just wouldn''t evolve, or advance as you say, and I couldn''t figure out why. Then you said the thing about needing to communicate your ideas, and I felt my Rune begin to change. The more I thought about your words, the more it reacted, until finally, it advanced."


    "Interesting¡­" The bear muttered. "It seems that the difference is again in how we interact with our Runes. You humans must chase knowledge, like a hunter, trapping it and making it your own, while for Rune Beasts, knowledge is simply given, as a mother feeding her cubs."


    Victoria frowned. "Well¡­ That seems a little unfair, don''t you think?"


    "In some ways, perhaps, but your way has its own advantages. For Rune Beasts, we cannot receive what our Rune does not want to give. We must wait and be patient, allowing it to develop on its own. Humans however, can take all that the Rune has. In terms of advancement speed, humans will trump Rune Beasts every time." The bear explained, sounding almost depressed.


    "I''m guessing you have personal experience with that?" Victoria asked.


    "Indeed. In the beginning, my handler was simply a weak little girl, not much different than yourself, while I was already a strong, powerful mid-tier Rune Beast. However, as the years passed, she became stronger and stronger, until her power rivaled my own, and even surpassed it in areas." The bear grumbled morosely. "If she ever forces me into a confrontation, my chances of escape are slim."


    Victoria frowned. "Is Tamara so terrifying? To have such powerful Cultivators along with their War Beasts? Aren''t they just a small kingdom like us?"


    The bear shook his head. "It is not simply the Tamarins. I do not know the details, but the handlers and trainers are all said to come from the sect, seemingly a separate organization from the Tamarins."


    Victoria jolted. "Are you sure about this?" She exclaimed. "The Tamarins are actually working with a sect?!? Do you know which one!?!"


    The bear shook his head. "I never heard its name. They simply called it the sect."


    Victoria frowned as she considered what she''d just learned. If the Tamarins were working with a sect¡­ Were they going to try for empire status? Which sect would be so bold? Unless they were confident they could defeat all the surrounding sects, no one would risk even appearing as if they were merging with a kingdom. It''d be like wearing a zebra suit in the middle of Africa! You''d just be asking to be attacked!


    Any sect that could successfully merge with a kingdom would soon become the overlord of the region. It happened time and time again. And the first thing a dominant sect would do was either absorb or eradicate all the surrounding sects. So now, any time a sect attempted to merge with a nation, every other sect would immediately attempt to destroy it.


    "Shit¡­ I need to tell the Marquis about this." Victoria muttered, a worried look in her eyes. As one of the nations bordering Tamara, they''d be one of the first targets when they started their conquest. Specifically, the Marquis''s territory would be the first place hit. They were right on the border and too powerful to ignore. While their political influence may be insignificant, no one could doubt their military might.


    She then looked up at the bear. "If- if it''s possible, would you be willing to¡­ Could you tell the Marquis what you told me? I believe he''d believe me, but if he wants to convince the rest of the kingdom, he''ll need more than ''my daughter heard this from a talking bear in the woods'' to go on."


    The bear raised an eyebrow. "You wish for me to accompany you back to your home? That does not seem like the wisest course of action. Especially considering¡­" He gestured towards the still unconscious Flinn up in the tree tent.


    "I was actually thinking of bringing him out here, but¡­ Well, first of all, what if your handler shows up and you have to run? How would we find you? On the other hand, if you do come to the castle, we can probably keep you safe, er, relatively. I don''t think we have any Cultivators who can face a woman as powerful as a mid-tier Rune Beast, but at least there she''ll have to cause a scene if she wants to take you, which would risk revealing their plans¡­ Though, if we already revealed their plans, they probably won''t really care about that¡­ Shit, hold on." Victoria rambled, thinking through her plan.


    "Okay, so, the issue is that if the Tamarins or the sect behind them figure out we talked, they''ll definitely try and kill us before we can tell anyone. Even if the whole kingdom knows, it''ll be hard to resist a sect. But, we can''t just go to a sect and tell them, because what if they''re the ones working with Tamara? They''d just kill us. We''d have to inform multiple sects at once¡­ But then, if the sect was there, they would probably just destroy any evidence and scrap the plan, killing us in secret as revenge for ruining their plans¡­" Victoria furrowed her brow in thought, every idea coming to a dead end. "We''d need to figure out the sect responsible before we told anyone, so we can arrange a surprise attack, catching them off guard¡­ To do that, we''d need to find someone who actually knows such as¡­ uh¡­ shit." Victoria gave the bear a nervous look. "There¡­ There wouldn''t happen to be any way to capture your handler, would there?"


    The bear shook his head. "She is much more powerful than I and even more slippery. Her primary core is Qi, making her a difficult opponent to even kill before she could escape, let alone catch. I would need to be much more powerful than I am now to accomplish this. In the short time we have available to us, how would that even be possible?"


    Victoria sighed, nodding along. "I figured as much. You can''t pull power out of thin¡­ air¡­" She trailed off as she glanced at her task window, which had just created a task to discover the sect behind Tamara, giving her an idea. She suddenly reached out, and tapped the bear''s nose.


    The bear jolted in surprise, a tinge of anger creeping into his gaze. "Who do you-" He began, before freezing, his eyes widening, as in the corner of his vision appeared a small box. "What- what is this?"


    Victoria grinned. "That is how you pull power out of thin air."

 Points: 17 - Ursa

    "Or not." Victoria muttered as she frowned at the bear''s status page. ¡°You''d still need to do a lot of work to have enough points to affect your stats in any meaningful way."


    "Points?" The bear asked in confusion. He was still struggling to process the strange illusion that had suddenly appeared in his vision. What were these tasks? What were points? What were stats?!?


    Victoria considered the bear''s status page, ignoring his question as she struggled to think of a solution. The problem was, they didn''t have time to wait for the bear to gain points on his own. He needed to be powerful now if they were going to face his handler. Suddenly, Victoria paused. What if¡­ what if they didn''t need to face the bear''s handler? She glanced at the gender section of the status page. If the system could change someone like that, could it also change them in other ways? Hesitantly, Victoria added a new entry to the status page: Species. "Holy shit!" She muttered in a mix of excitement and awe. She pulled up the options and there it was.


    [Change to Human: 420 pts.]


    It was expensive, but it was affordable! It was the perfect solution as well! The Tamarins were looking for a bear! If the bear turned into a human, he''d be completely safe! He''d just need to stay hidden for another week or two as he built up his points! Which¡­ Still wasn''t great, but it was better than the months it would take to significantly affect his strength. Now if she could use her points- Victoria frowned. Could she use her points? When everyone had died back on Earth, all their points had come to her, so¡­ could she reverse that process?


    Victoria focused on the bear, trying to send a single point over to him, and¡­ it worked! Victoria grinned, about to transfer over the rest of the points needed for the change, when suddenly she paused. If she transferred over that many points¡­ all her stats would fall by forty-two, which meant¡­ she sensed the pressure her Runes were giving her. She couldn''t handle losing that many stats. "Shit!" She cursed.


    "Would you mind explaining all the cursing you are doing?" The bear asked with a frown. "Or anything really? You have altered my perception of reality with no warning or explanation, and I am not amused."


    Victoria looked up at him, eyes widening at his tone. "I- I''m sorry, I- well, I knew this would help you and I didn''t think you''d believe me without seeing it for yourself. Uh, basically, this is a system which allows you to do tasks and gain points, then use those points to increase your abilities, increasing your strength, level of cultivation, etc. Now, you don''t have enough time to gain enough points to face your handler before she shows up, and I don''t have enough on hand either, but I did find another solution. Since your handler is looking for a bear, what if you weren''t a bear? What if- what if you were human?"


    The bear''s eyes widened. "Are- are you suggesting that this system of yours could actually- it could make me human?!?"


    Victoria nodded. "I''m certain of it." She assured him. "However¡­ There''s a small issue. The process would cost four hundred and twenty points and I only have five hundred and thirty-seven. This wouldn''t be a problem except those points are being used to support the three initial and one tier one- oh, crap, now tier two Runes in my Runescape. If I used the points to change you¡­ I would definitely break down."


    The bear''s eyes widened even further. "What insanity led you to condense that many Runes at your level!?! You haven''t even reached the level of Core Strengthening yet!" He asked incredulously.


    "I have points! I didn''t expect to run into a bear that needed a species change! Plus, I needed to get all three types of Runes, you know? I''m trying to join a sect, because¡­ Well, it''s not important right now." Victoria replied.


    By this point the bear''s eyes looked like they were about to pop. "You''ve condensed all three types of Runes!?!"


    "Yes. Oh! Uh, try to keep that a secret though, please? Apparently I could get in trouble if people found out." Victoria explained.


    The bear stared at her incredulously for a moment, before letting out a rumbling groan and covering his face with his paws. After a few moments of processing, he uncovered his face and took a deep breath, before fixing Victoria with a serious glare. "Okay, so, let me summarize the situation to make sure I have everything correct. You have given me a system, which will allow me to become powerful, but not fast enough. Therefore, you want to use this system to make me human, which would hide me from pursuit, but if you did so, you would be endangering your own life, because you do not have enough capacity to handle the Runes you have Acquired without those points."


    Victoria nodded. "That would be an accurate description of the situation, yes."


    The bear let out another breath. "Okay then, tell me, how do these¡­ ''points'' help support your Runes?"


    "Well, for me at least, points give me a general boost to well¡­ everything. Sort of like Spirit or Qi, actually, except it doesn''t focus on any one thing¡­" Victoria trailed off, something occurring to her as she said that, but she pushed it to the side since it wasn''t relevant at the moment.


    The bear frowned. "Then what is the point in the spending of these points that you told me about earlier?"


    "Oh, well, the general boost is only really a me thing. It doesn''t work that way for anyone else. But, even then, I can spend points to increase a stat I want to focus on, like problem solving or comprehension." Victoria explained.


    The bear scratched his head. "Then why not spend points on some sort of Capacity stat?"


    Victoria paused. "Well¡­ obviously that''s because I didn''t think of making a Capacity stat. Hold on."


    Victoria quickly opened up her status page, the Capacity stat already appearing as the system responded to her will. The stat was quantified by the number of Initial Runes she could currently support, which was four at base, and nine with the addition of her points. It cost ten points to raise her capacity by one Initial Rune, so Victoria quickly spent the fifty points needed to raise it to fourteen, so that when she transferred the four hundred and twenty points to the bear, it would be more than enough for her current amount of Runes. Plus, she''d still have some points if she needed to increase it further.


    "Alright, problem solved!" Victoria announced with a grin. "Now, are you ready to be a human?"


    "Wait! Wait, hold on! I haven''t agreed to that part of the plan yet!" The bear stopped her before she could do anything.


    Victoria frowned. "But¡­ it''s perfect, isn''t it? You can escape from your handler for good, plus you could join human society! You''d keep your cultivation, so you''d be welcomed practically everywhere!"


    "I don''t want to join human society! I like being a bear! I''ve seen what you humans do to each other, and it''s even worse than how you treat us!" The bear retorted. "Why would I place myself at the mercy of your politics and wars?"


    "It isn''t all like that¡­" Victoria countered hesitantly, though she did sort of see his point. Humans could be shitty, especially to other humans. "But, it isn''t like this has to be permanent either. If you want to turn back to being a bear, you just need to gather enough points, and you''re good! It''d only take you a few weeks."


    The bear paused, considering that. If the change was only temporary¡­ it would allow him to escape his handler, and he couldn''t think of any better solution. Even if he used the points to change his appearance, a powerful bear would probably be captured either way, simply to add to their army, and turning into a different creature was just as distasteful as turning into a human. "Hmmm¡­ very well, as long as I can return to being a bear once this all comes to an end, I will agree to being¡­ human." The bear agreed, a tinge of disgust creeping into his voice as he released that final word.


    Victoria frowned at him. "You know, I''m beginning to feel offended." She commented, before attempting to send over the necessary points. "Here, some lifesaving points from a human."


    The bear blinked, staring off into space. "Uh¡­ what do I do?"


    Victoria frowned. "Just click on the species menu and select human."


    "Click?" The bear asked.


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "For the love of- ugh, just- try not to resist this, alright? If you can." She sighed, going through his system and trying to push through the species change. There was a bit of resistance at first, but once the bear realized what was going on, he quickly relaxed and let the change go through.


    The moment she switched his species, the bear''s form began to sink in on itself. His head deflated like a balloon, while his hide turned baggy, crumbling like a collapsing circus tent. The process was oddly silent, and weirdly, it didn''t seem like all the bear''s parts were being used. Suddenly, the skin on the bear''s chest sloughed open, falling to the side as a man''s head suddenly emerged with a gasp, followed by the rest of him as he slowly emerged from the remains of his previous form, leaving a pile of fur, pieces of bone, and bits of bloody, fleshy bits. The man took a staggering step forward, stumbling a bit as he adjusted to walking on two legs, though he quickly got the hang of it. After all, he was still a high level cultivator, with the stats to match.


    He looked back at the pile of leavings with a disgusted expression. "This is much more disturbing than I had expected." He muttered, before turning to Victoria, who was looking away and covering her eyes. "Hey, this is your mess, not mine." He commented with a frown.


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    "It isn''t that!" Victoria protested, still covering her eyes. "It''s¡­" She trailed off, gesturing vaguely towards his pelvic region, which was completely exposed. "Could you cover that up?"


    The bear raised an eyebrow as he looked down, noticing his new dangly bits hanging in the breeze, for all to see. "Ah, yes, your human obsession with modesty. So embarrassed that the gods denied you proper fur that you insist on covering your natural form. So strange." He shook his head, before looking for something to cover himself with. Unfortunately, the only thing at hand was the fur remaining from his transformation. The bear glared at it for a moment, before sighing in exasperation. He picked up the fur, and phantom claws appeared from his hand as he quickly cut himself out a section, which he wrapped around his waist casually, making some holes and using some extra sinew to tie it securely. "There. Modesty has been observed." He announced, spreading his arms in presentation.


    Victoria peeked out through her fingers, before letting out a sigh of relief. Maybe it was her new biology catching up with her, but seeing a naked man felt wrong. She shook her head, climbing to her feet and pacing over to observe the pile curiously. "Huh¡­ I really expected all of you to be turned into a human. Though, I suppose I shouldn''t exactly be surprised. A human is nowhere near the weight of a bear, and where would all that extra mass go? I guess it just used what it needed and left the rest. Very efficient." Victoria paused as an idea occurred to her as she examined the pile. She turned to the bear. "Hey¡­ How would you like to have saved my life from a vicious Tamarin War Bear?" She asked with a slight grin.


    *


    Marquis Albert Tyverus sat in his hall, leaning forward with a frown on his face as he listened to the story of the strange, less than clothed, man who claimed to have saved his daughter''s life. "I had spent a few weeks hunting deep in the woods, with little result except the loss of my clothes and equipment to a Rune Beast with a particularly potent acidic Rune, and an annoyingly effective camouflage Rune, when upon my return I noticed the tracks of a large beast that had ventured from deeper within. I, of course, felt it to be my civic duty to handle the beast, as creatures venturing from deep within the forest to the outskirts are likely to harm innocents or novice Hunters as they roam outside their natural habitat. I began tracking it as best I could, before finally locating its den. However, as the beast was not there, and I could not tell which tracks were most recent, I had no choice but to wait until it returned. That is, until I heard a scream. Thankfully, what I lack in tracking ability, I make up for in speed. I quickly arrived where the bear had trapped the young miss and her¡­ chaperone, in the trees, seemingly deriving some sadistic pleasure from toying with the girl as she screamed pitifully. I quickly rushed into action, bravely tackling the beast, driving it from the trees, before we engaged in vicious combat. The beast was a worthy foe, but my wits and experience eventually won me the day, and allowed me to rescue the young miss unharmed." The man explained in a calm, but somewhat cocky tone, before sighing bitterly. "Unfortunately, the last attack I made destroyed much of the beast¡¯s body, leaving me with little to bring back to sell, though that is a small price to pay for the young miss''s safety." He commented, his overly sincere tone undercut by a slight hinting look shot at the Marquis.


    Flynn was standing nearby with an ashamed and aggrieved look as the man told his story, completely blaming himself for everything Victoria had faced, kicking himself for not realizing how powerful the bear was before it''d had a chance to see them. Meanwhile, Maurice was standing on Albert''s left, a bit behind his chair, rolling his eyes at the man''s chicanery. He was immensely grateful for the man''s timely arrival ensuring Victoria''s safety, but there was no need for him to solicit a reward from the Marquis, as if Albert wouldn''t rain blessings on the man who''d saved his precious daughter.


    Albert himself found the man''s blatant insinuations amusing, appreciating the man''s political ineptitude. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the insidious nobles he usually had to deal with. At least he hadn''t outright demanded a ransom for his daughter''s life, or pretended he was above worldly concerns, considering the saving of a life its own reward. Finally, Victoria stood with Melissa, who was tending to her like a mother hen, a slight grin on her face as she praised her own brilliant plan, as well as the man''s, or should she say Ursa''s, acting. It was clear that no one suspected any ulterior motives from Ursa, or at least, nothing beyond a bit of greediness, which was a minor sin. Everyone was sure it was merely luck that led to his appearance that night, and they were thankful for it.


    As Ursa finished, Albert let out an amused cough. "You are clearly an honorable and upright man. I know you wouldn''t think to accept any reward, but if I fail to reward the man who had saved my daughter''s life, how could I even call myself an honorable man myself? Please, tell me, is there any compensation you would desire, so that I could make my gratitude clear?"


    Ursa seemed to hesitate, looking unsure how to respond without giving away his act, when his eyes gleamed with an idea. "My Lord, I am a simple Cultivator. I wish to remain here for a while, to hunt within the deep woods of your territory, to temper myself. All I should desire is a small lodging and some simple provisions, and I would be satisfied. I could not imagine asking for more for simply doing as any honorable individual should." He replied with a bow, not forgetting to hint with his eyes yet again.


    Albert couldn''t help but chuckle slightly, before responding. "I cannot simply leave it at that! If word spreads that I am a stingy lord, the next passer-by may not be as noble as this good sir, leaving my daughter to whatever unfortunate predicament that has befallen her! No, I simply must grant you more." Albert paused, with a considering expression. "You are a dual Qi-Spirit Cultivator, yes?" Ursa nodded firmly. "Then I shall grant you three cores each of Qi and Spirit, all three of the sixth stage of Core Strengthening. Additionally, you shall be appointed to the finest guest suite of the castle as your residence for as long as you may stay within my lands, complete with servants who will see to any provisions you may require. Finally, as my daughter''s savior, I invite you to dine with my family and I each night you are available, as our honored guest."


    "If your Lordship insists, then I must humbly accept." Ursa stated with a bow as Albert finished, barely hiding his satisfaction with the reward.


    Albert chuckled, gesturing for one of the maids to lead Ursa off to the guest room, dismissing the rest of his attendants as he stood to his feet, turning to Victoria. He suddenly took a large step towards her, pulling her into his arms and hugging her tight. "Thank the gods you''re alright!" He choked out emotionally.


    Victoria froze as she was suddenly pulled into the crushing hug, not entirely sure how to respond. "There, there?" She hesitantly patted Albert on the back. "I''m fine, really. Ursa exaggerated the whole thing. I only screamed once and the bear seemed more curious than sadistic. I''m not even sure it really wanted to hurt us. It had more than enough opportunity to do so, and it didn''t. It seemed more like it was just trying to keep us quiet, like it was hiding from something."


    Albert pulled away, giving her a strange look. "How do you mean?"


    "Well¡­ I mean, you know how Tamarins are with their War Bears. I assume this one had escaped, you know? He probably just wanted to keep it that way. Though, the best way to do that would have been to kill us¡­ But it almost looked like he was looking for any reason not to." Victoria explained with a frown. "Maybe I was reading too much into it, but I swear, the bear almost looked scared."


    Albert frowned as he pondered Victoria''s words, before shaking his head. "In any case, you''re safe now, and that''s all that matters. I hope you''ll reconsider any future excursions into the wilderness."


    Victoria cocked her head in confusion. "Why? I wouldn''t be much of a Hunter if I never went into the wilderness."


    "Victoria, you almost died!" Albert exclaimed in frustration. "How can you consider going back out there?!?"


    Victoria shook her head. "I still have goals I need to accomplish and I still need to go into the wilderness to do so. Just because something is dangerous doesn''t mean you can just hide away from everything. Besides, it isn''t like I''m going to run into a Tamarin War Bear every time I leave the castle, you know."


    "You very well could! That''s the problem with the wilderness! It''s unpredictable! Any time you go out could be the time you face a danger you cannot escape from!" Albert exclaimed.


    "And you could have a heart attack just walking down the hall too. Life is dangerous, I know, but that doesn''t mean I can just stop. I''ll do everything I can to prepare myself, but I still have to do what I have to do. Nothing will change that." Victoria retorted firmly.


    "You-" Albert began.


    "Albert, enough!" Melissa interjected. "Our little girl is growing up, and you have to accept that!" She countered him firmly, before turning to Victoria. "And you. Stop trying to rush everything! You need to go into the wilderness. Fine. But you don''t need to go now! Take some time to increase your cultivation first! Have some actual power before you go out and risk your life for the gods sake! Don''t you have a Rune to comprehend? Do that first, then you can go back out!"


    Albert and Victoria stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, before Victoria coughed. "I wasn''t planning on going back out immediately." She muttered, earning herself a sharp glare from Melissa. "Fine, yes, I''ll work on comprehending my Runes and advancing my cultivation before I go out next." Victoria relented. She really needed to build up her points again anyways. She still had her Spirit core which was boosting her mental stats, but her physical stats were pathetic at the moment.


    After a bit more doting from Albert and Melissa, Victoria finally managed to tear herself away, returning to her room. She fell on her bed with a weary sigh, before pulling up the system and starting a call. *Well, that went better than expected.* She sent Ursa through the system''s mental communication function.


    *Indeed. Your plan worked perfectly. I never imagined that pretending to be greedy would make me seem more trustworthy in human eyes. Your species is rather strange.* Ursa replied.


    Victoria chuckled. *Yeah, we''re a crazy bunch.*


    *Indeed. Though, I would have appreciated being warned about your species mating season.* Ursa sent back with a grumble. *I lack the proper knowledge of your species mating rituals, and I seem to have offended one of your maids.*


    Victoria froze. *Mating sea- what did you do!?!* Victoria immediately sat up, a jolt going through her as she imagined the naive bear man molesting one of their maids. How would her father react? How would her mother react?!? She made the perfect plan so that Ursa could remain nearby, and now he''d ruined it!


    Ursa coughed awkwardly. *I simply informed her that I noticed she was in heat and that I was available to mate whenever she was. Then she slapped me and ran off, calling me a pig.*


    *Oh, good. I was worried you''d actually done something to her.* Victoria sighed in relief. *Okay, listen, first, humans don''t have a mating season. Or, I guess you could say we''re always in our mating season.*


    *What.* Ursa sent back in a dead tone. *You- you mean to tell me that these- these urges are never going to go away?!?* He asked incredulously. *How do your males handle this?!? Do they simply mate constantly?!?*


    Victoria paused. *Actually, they kind of do¡­ uh, see, humans, males in particular, will sort of¡­ mate with themselves to relieve the pressure. Uh, you just kind of use your hand and¡­ pleasure thyself.*


    *Use my hand?* Ursa asked, sounding confused. *Wouldn''t it be better to find a mate?*


    *Well, that''s the other thing. You can''t just mate with anyone. Humans have these things called relationships where we build emotional connections with each other, then we mate, which takes time. If you just try to pull any random girl into bed, you''re going to get yourself into trouble.* Victoria explained.


    *That sounds complicated.* Ursa sent back, and Victoria could tell he was frowning.


    *You have no idea. Relationships are the eternal frustration of many, many people. Honestly, you should probably just stick with your hand.* Victoria replied, chuckling slightly.

 Points: 18 - Click

    Once she finished making sure Ursa was settled, Victoria turned her attention to her system, or more specifically, her points, remembering a thought she''d had when she''d been explaining them to Ursa. What was the difference between her points, and the energy of this world? Her Spirit simply sat in her core, waiting to be used, enhancing her stats as the amount increased. Didn''t her points do the same? They didn''t have a core, but they existed inside her, making her stronger, until she spent them. What if¡­ what if she could actually use her points, like she used her Spirit? Her mind went back to that day in the hall, when she''d punched AJ, launching him into a wall. Her points had moved, following her will.


    Victoria closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she sensed the points within her, slowly beginning to move them, to actually control them. Her brow furrowed as she guided the points through her body, moving it around. Unlike her Spirit, the points didn''t have any particular gathering place, simply existing in her body as an amorphous cloud, so the first thing she had to do was gather it all up. She balled all of her points up in her right hand, clenching and unclenching her fist as she did, feeling as if her hand was getting stronger, though since she didn''t have anything to particularly test her strength with, that may have just been her imagination. Still, she already knew her points could flow to one section of her body to make it stronger, so she quickly moved on to her actual experiment.


    Extending a finger, she concentrated, trying to send the points outside her body. Surprisingly, it worked, the small bundle of energy emerging from the tip of her finger quite easily, simply floating above her finger as her eyes widened in surprise. "Huh¡­" Victoria muttered as she sent the little cloud floating around the room. Suddenly, the cloud swooped down and wrapped around her hairbrush. The hairbrush slowly rose into the air, before shooting into Victoria''s hand. "Huh¡­" Victoria repeated. The cloud of energy shot out again, towards her materials table, covering a random piece of metal. "Huh!" Victoria exclaimed. The cloud shot back, hovering before her as she stared at it incredulously. "You can just do anything, can''t you?" She muttered. As far as Victoria could tell, anything she could do with her Spirit, she could do with her points as well, which included the abilities she got from her Runes! Admittedly, all she knew how to do at the moment was use her Spirit cloud to scan items into her design space, but still! The fact that her points could do it too was simply ridiculous! Though, now that she thought about it, everything she''d been able to do with the points was ridiculous. That wasn''t all though. Unlike her Spirit, which needed to maintain a connection with her core in order to function, her points could move around independently, basically getting rid of the one major weakness of Spirit Cultivators! Of course, the downside was that when she sent her points outside her body, her stat boost went away as well, leaving her weaker, but still.


    Victoria sighed, letting the points return to her body. "I should just stop questioning it. Literally every time I ask myself ''can the points do this?'' the answer is just yes. Want to make yourself stronger? Go for it. Want to be taller? Sure! Want to change your species? No problem! Hell, the only thing it can''t do so far is make me a sand-" Victoria paused, sitting up again, eyes widening. What had she said the last time? It wasn''t that the system couldn''t make her a sandwich, it''s that the system didn''t know what a sandwich was. However, if she could now use points to scan items¡­ Victoria glanced over at the table full of materials, before pulling up the creation page. The sandwich was still there, the cost in question marks, but Victoria ignored that as she added a new entry: one gram of iron¡­ one hundredth of a point. "Holy shit¡­ I can make things! Ha!" Victoria exclaimed excitedly. Victoria quickly added a few more entries, and quickly learned that it didn''t matter what she wanted to make, one gram would always be one hundredth of a point, which she supposed made sense. The points didn''t particularly care about the arrangement of what they made, simply how much of it they had to make. A kilogram of something would be ten points, which, when Victoria remembered the cost to change height and weight and all that, it suddenly made sense. The system was just charging for the added mass. Victoria then frowned a bit, as she still didn''t quite get the costs for the gender and species change, but that had less to do with weight and more to do with composition¡­ maybe it charged based on how much the mass it had to alter weighed? Victoria didn''t know.


    Victoria also realized she didn''t actually need to use points to scan items. Anything she''d scanned into her design space could be made. It made her wonder just where she ended and the system began. Was there a distinction any more? Back when she was Thomas, the system was like a computer, something he had to be explicit with, firmly defining everything he wanted it to do, but now? It seemed like all she had to do was form a clear thought and the system would do it for her, almost intuitively. She didn''t need to define Capacity like she had to define strength, because the system just knew. Like it had the same understanding that she did. She still had to think some things through, explaining them, but that was when she herself had a poor understanding of the subject.


    "What am I?" Victoria murmured to herself with a frown, staring at the ceiling. Was she really still a human? Thomas was a human. But after the Voice had killed him¡­ something had changed. Thomas had been consumed by the system, and then the system had inhabited the body of Victoria. Sure, she still had Thomas''s memories. She still felt like Thomas, but what if she was just a copy, some ghost of Thomas imprinted on the system, living on despite his death? Of course, if she had all of Thomas''s memories, she was still essentially him, but what was the foundation of her existence? Was it this new body? Or was it the system? If Victoria died, would Thomas go and find a new body to inhabit, like some sort of parasite? Would it be in a new world? Or would he find a new body here? He didn''t find a new body on Earth, but¡­ were there any bodies left on Earth after the Voice was done? She doubted it.


    Victoria blinked at the ceiling a few times as she considered the idea of living on eternally as a system ghost, before shaking her head. "Fuck it, not important. Ghost or no ghost, this is who I am and this is what I have to deal with. Forget the rest." She stated firmly. She couldn''t waste her time on theories and ideas. She had to focus on the task at hand, increasing her cultivation, exploring the wilderness, expanding the capabilities of the system, building her strength so that one day she could face the one that put her in this situation, and make them painfully aware that there were consequences for toying with other people''s lives.


    Pushing away all the distracting thoughts, Victoria sat in her meditation posture, entering her Runescape, considering the four Runes floating inside. *So, which of you to start with first?* Victoria thought to herself as she looked between Study, Bladework, and Craft. Bladework Rune seemed like the obvious choice at the moment. She''d already placed several points in the skill, leaving her mind a sponge for knowledge, just waiting for the baptism of the Rune. However, Victoria also considered the Study Rune. She remembered what Maurice had said when she''d told him about the Rune. A Rune that made her better at comprehending other Runes¡­ if she could grasp that Rune, along with all her other advantages, wouldn''t she breeze through her cultivation like it was nothing?


    Victoria hesitated for a second, before deciding. Taking a deep, calming breath, Victoria concentrated on the Study Rune, ready to meditate on it. The Runes energy began to flow through her, when suddenly, her Runescape began to shake and her forehead began to itch! A small Rune in the crude shape of an eye pushed itself out of her skin, while inside the Runescape, the Study Rune became more defined. Victoria''s eyes popped open in disbelief. "What the shit!?!" She exclaimed. "Did I just fucking instantly comprehend it?!?" She reached her hand to her forehead, rubbing the new growth incredulously before it slowly receded back into her forehead. "But¡­ But I didn''t learn anything! Hey! Give me knowledge you prick! You''re supposed to actually teach me something!" Victoria yelled, knocking her fist on her forehead.


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    Victoria attempted to glare at her own forehead, a task complicated by her furrowed brow and lack of telescoping eyeballs, before she gave up. "Fuck it, I still have the one in my Runescape." She grumbled. "Maybe that one will teach me something." She closed her eyes, reentering her Runescape, before concentrating on the new Study Rune. Slowly, the Rune began to release its energy, but¡­ After a few minutes Victoria''s eyes shot open, a helpless look in her eye. "Why the fuck are you just showing me how to mess with my Spirit?!?" She groaned. She tried again for another few minutes, struggling to get any insight into studying from the damn Study Rune, but no matter what she did, she could only get ideas on how to manipulate her Spirit. At least now she actually could glare at her own forehead, as one of the methods ended up turning her Spirit threads into telescoping cameras¡­ Victoria had the urge to climb inside her own Runescape and throttle something.


    Victoria released a weary sigh, before giving up on the Study Rune and turning her attention to the Bladework Rune. Finally, once she began to meditate on it, she started to actually receive some insight. The Bladework Rune was different from the Design Rune. The Design Rune made her have ideas, something to think about, but the Bladework Rune made her want to move. She couldn''t keep herself from leaping to her feet, eyes still closed as she moved through her dagger forms, sans daggers. Slowly the forms began to evolve, changing into something different as Victoria continued to move, her mind conjuring imaginary opponents as her movements became more spontaneous, not following any set form. Victoria''s eyes remained shut as she cut, sliced, and gutted her imaginary opponents, whirling through the room in a complex dance, somehow avoiding every obstacle despite her focus, before slowly coming to a stop, letting out a long breath as her eyes slowly opened. "Hmph, now that''s how you teach! Take notes, you!" Victoria grumbled at the Study Rune.


    *


    The next day, Victoria returned to her usual routine, with some minor differences. She still performed her daily exercises in the morning, but she no longer had lessons with Flynn after. At this point, even her father agreed that further lessons would be pointless. She already had the skills, what she needed was experience to refine them. Instead, she focused on her combat skills, sparring with her father or one of the other Cultivators in the castle. Now that she had the Bladework Rune, she no longer needed to learn forms, so the best training she could have was sparring. After sparring and a quick lunch, she''d meditate on her Runes, focusing on the Bladework Rune for now. Then, after a few hours of that, she''d have her classes with Maurice. After that was family dinner, and then she would Cultivate with her Design Rune until bed. Now that her Design Rune had advanced, her cultivation was twice as fast. Where before she could gain five points of Spirit every hour, now she gained ten. Still not much compared to her fifteen hundred point capacity, but it was something. Now it would only take her a little over a month to fill the rest of her core, instead of two.


    Meanwhile, Ursa was busy settling into his new life, and he was doing terribly. After the incident with the maid, it''d quickly spread that the Lord''s new guest was a horn dog, and the maids made sure to give him a wide berth. It didn''t help that Victoria had failed to inform him of the mess that pleasuring oneself could cause, which only hurt his image even more when the maids had to clean it up. As for the men of the castle, they were either too low ranked, scared to interact with such a powerful individual, or they were too busy to make friends with this strange new Cultivator. Ursa ended up with nothing to do but stare at the wall all day.


    *Why don''t you complete some tasks? Gain some points? The system doesn''t do much for you if you never use it?* Victoria offered after listening to a rant on how much better it was to be a bear.


    *What tasks? This system of yours hasn''t given me any!* Ursa retorted bitterly.


    Victoria frowned. *Did you configure the task settings yet?*


    Ursa paused. *The what now?*


    Victoria pinched the bridge of her nose. *Do you see a flashing symbol in the corner of your vision?* Back on Earth, Jessica had had the idea of asking the system user''s what their task preferences were before the system began issuing them and the flashing symbol was supposed to immediately draw the user''s attention to it. Victoria hadn''t thought anyone would be able to avoid clicking on it.


    *Yes? I''ve actually been meaning to talk to you about that. It''s rather annoying.* Ursa replied.


    *Click on it!* Victoria hissed back in aggravation.


    *How do I click!?!* Ursa asked in frustration, confused by the strange term that Victoria kept bringing up with no explanation.


    *For the love of- just concentrate on it and think about pressing it!* Victoria yelled at him.


    Ursa frowned, wondering how he should have known he was supposed to think about pressing on the little flashing box, before doing as she suggested. Suddenly, a page appeared in his vision, full of questions.


    [Daily task focus?]


    [Number of daily tasks?]


    [Daily task time limit?]


    Lists of options appeared every time Ursa focused on a question, waiting for him to ''click'' the option he desired. He was still confused at first, but once he got the clicking part down, the rest came rather intuitively. Once he had all his preferences selected, he clicked the confirm button at the bottom of the page. The page disappeared and a list of tasks appeared in his task bar.


    *That''s, uh- that''s an interesting task you have there.* Victoria sent over as she glanced over Ursa''s task list, unable to resist the urge to see what type of tasks the ex-bear would get.


    *Which one?* Ursa asked in confusion, looking over his task list. They all seemed fairly normal to him. He had chosen to keep his tasks focused on his personal goals, so he had tasks such as ''practice x skill'' or ''learn human method of x'', all of which should lead him towards accomplishing his future goals. What was wrong with that?


    *The mating one.* Victoria explained with a twisted expression.


    Ursa looked at the task in question. *What''s wrong with wanting to mate with a female?*


    *It''s a daily task!* Victoria exclaimed. *You realize that means it''s essentially your mission to fuck every day, right?*


    Ursa scratched his head. *I see no problem with that.*


    Victoria paused. *Well¡­ fair point.*


    After their conversation, Ursa got to work on his tasks, at least the ones he could actually accomplish at the moment. Even if he wanted to mate with a female, he was currently lacking in willing partners. A frustrating situation to be sure. Meanwhile, Victoria had her lessons with Maurice.


    "I have a question." Victoria began. "What''s up with the cores my father gave Ursa? Why did he make sure they matched his cultivation?"


    "How else would he absorb them?" Maurice asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Cultivators can use cores to speed up their cultivation, absorbing the energy within and adding it to their own. It is technically possible to absorb the energy from a mismatched core, a significant amount of energy would be lost in the process. Only the desperate would resort to that."


    Victoria''s eyes widened. "Really? Could I get some cores?"


    Maurice chuckled, shaking his head. "I''m afraid not. You see, in order for a Cultivator to absorb the energy of a core, their own energy must be of a higher quality. You won''t be able to absorb cores until you reach the first stage of Core Strengthening."


    "Damn." Victoria sighed, before pausing. What quality were her points? Did they have a quality? She glanced at Maurice. "How do you absorb the energy in a core then? I assume you don''t eat it or something."


    "Ha! No, no, of course not. It''s quite simple really. You extend your energy out in whatever way your cultivation allows, pressing it against the core. The higher quality energy will draw the energy in the core out, as lesser quality energy is naturally drawn to higher quality energy. The lower quality energy will slowly merge with your own, until the core is empty. The bigger the difference in quality, the faster the process goes, though even when the difference is small, it is much faster than standard cultivation. The energy is also purer, making the subsequent Core Strengthening stage easier to achieve." Maurice explained.


    Victoria nodded in understanding as Maurice continued on with her regular lessons regarding the particulars of a certain facet of noble etiquette. As he droned on, Victoria only half paid attention as she sent a message to Ursa, telling him to bring one of the cores with him to dinner that night and give it to her. What would happen when her points made contact with a core? She just had to know.

 Points: 19 - Catching up with Calvin

    "Sir Ursa, I must once again thank you for saving my daughter from the War Bear." Albert began as they sat down for dinner. "I cannot imagine the fate that may have befallen her had you not arrived when you did. For that, you have my eternal gratitude."


    "Think nothing of it, my Lord." Ursa waved him off. "I was simply doing what any respectable man would, and you have already given me more reward than I could have asked for. I cannot be so greedy as to accept your gratitude as well."


    Maurice rolled his eyes while Albert chuckled. "So, tell us, what brings you to my little corner of the world? Are you perhaps on a mission for your sect? Or maybe out to gain experience?" Albert continued.


    Ursa shook his head. "I''m afraid I was never so lucky as to join a sect. No, I am simply a rogue Cultivator, traveling wherever my feet may take me, using the slight power I have gained to provide for myself as best I can."


    Albert nodded. "A hard life, to be sure. You must have experienced many things in your travels."


    Ursa chuckled. "Yes, you could say that. So much violence, more battles than I can count, and between humans more than I''d like to say. The more you travel, the more you realize how similar people are, wherever you go, right down to their petty squabbles. The Lords fight over their land, while the beggars in the street struggle over a loaf of bread."


    "An unfortunate reality of this world we live in." Albert sighed in agreement. "Too many people who want too many things. If only we could learn to set aside our greed and work together¡­ Could you imagine how great we could be?"


    "I don''t think greed is inherently bad." Victoria interjected. "Wanting more for yourself, wanting a better life¡­ That''s just human nature, isn''t it? It''s what gets people out of bed in the morning to work the fields, to train, to cultivate, because we innately want more. Greed pushes us to advance, to do better. Sure, sometimes it can get out of hand, but that''s more about selfishness than greed. When greed turns from wanting more for yourself, to wanting more than other people, particularly wanting more from other people, that''s bad. When you start thinking that you should have and others shouldn''t. The problem isn''t wanting more bread, it''s wanting someone else''s bread."


    "What if there''s only one loaf of bread?" Albert countered. "If the beggars could split it, they could both eat. Wouldn''t it be better to do without greed in such a situation?"


    "Well, the problem there is they''re thinking short term. They shouldn''t be worried about the one loaf of bread, but where the next loaf of bread is coming from. If they had a steady supply of bread, it wouldn''t be an issue. They need to find some way to get bread, not fight over the bread they were lucky enough to find. Though¡­ That might be more of an us problem. Part of the government''s job is to grease the gears of society, to get rid of obstacles keeping people from being productive. If we have all these beggars running around, it''s the government''s job to ask themselves why we have beggars running around. Baring mental illness, which is a different issue, people want to work, at least more than they want to starve. If we have a bunch of people not working, we need to figure out why." Victoria explained in a somewhat rambling way, figuring out her own thoughts as she spoke.


    Albert frowned, considering what she''d said, when AJ interjected. "Why should we care if some beggars starve? How is that our problem?" He commented in a disgusted tone.


    "AJ!" Melissa exclaimed in a disapproving tone. "All life is sacred, from the highest king to the lowliest slave!"


    "No, actually- well, I mean, yes, but that isn''t the point." Victoria shook her head. "See, the beggars themselves aren''t the issue, it''s the fact that we have beggars that''s the issue. See, society is like a¡­ uh¡­ you guys don''t have a word for it¡­ it''s- it''s a complex system that works together, every part supporting the rest. If you start losing parts, it''s a sign that the entire thing is failing. Beggars are a sign that there''s something wrong with society. Productive members of society don''t just drop out for no reason. It isn''t about saving the beggars. You could do that just by giving them money or something, but that doesn''t really change anything. It''s about fixing the problem causing the beggars so that society as a whole can improve, helping not only the beggars, but everyone else as well, including you. The beggars aren''t a problem, they''re a symptom."


    Calvin raised his hand. "What if the beggars can''t work? What if they''re injured, or blind, or something?"


    "That isn''t a societal issue, unless we''re doing something that''s causing injuries. Like, if we''re building a wall, and people keep getting hurt by falling stones, maybe we need to do something about all the falling stones. But otherwise, for people who can''t, like orphans, the disabled, the mentally ill, all we can do is help them as best we can. If we can find something they can do, that''s great, but if not, we just kinda have to take care of them." Victoria answered, before pausing. "Or just ignore them and let them die cause they''re useless, I don''t know. That one''s a personal moral decision and completely up to you." She added with a shrug.


    "What fascinating theories." Maurice muttered. "I assume they come from your memories of the other world?" Victoria nodded. "Such a strange outlook on the place of the ruling class¡­ Seeing them as the caretakers of society, rather than overlords. What must their Lords have looked like? Did they live among the people? Or were they even further removed, looking down upon the rest like artists over a painting?"


    Victoria sighed. "I wouldn''t say the theory was ever properly put into practice. No matter where you go, rulers care more about controlling the populace than making their subjects'' lives better. Uh, no offense." She added, glancing towards Albert. "It''s just a natural facet of the job. Being in a position of authority naturally makes you focus on how people should be living their lives, rather than how people are living their lives. The belief that everything would be better if people just did what they were supposed to do. Since people don''t do what they''re supposed to do, or at least not what you believe they''re supposed to do, you naturally want to force them into the proper behavior. Of course, because it''s basically impossible to stop people from doing what they want to do, any amount of control enforced will be met with an equal amount of resistance. Just more fuel for the ever growing [dumpster] fire that is human conflict."


    The table lapsed into an awkward silence for a moment, before Albert coughed awkwardly. "Well, that was all very¡­ thought provoking." He commented. "Shall we eat?"


    Everyone focused on their food for a bit, before slowly beginning some light small talk, the conversation building until everything returned to normal. Victoria sighed internally, chastising herself. Why did she always do this? No one cared about her extensive political theories, her ideas on human nature, or any of the various subjects she''d spent way too much time thinking about. Hadn''t she learned her lesson back when she was still Thomas? Best to just keep quiet and only talk when people ask you direct questions. Except¡­ At least as Thomas, he always had his family to talk to. They were just as weird as he was. Victoria felt a pit sink inside her chest, the knowledge that her family was dead and gone weighing down on her like a sack of bricks. She couldn''t even enjoy her food, eating mechanically, thoughtlessly as memories of her old life, of everything she''d lost whirled through her mind. *Damn it! I was doing so well!* She cursed internally, struggling not to let her emotions show, to not let anyone worry about her, to not have to try to explain something she couldn''t. Dinner couldn''t end too soon, Victoria almost forgetting to grab the core from Ursa as she rushed out. She retreated to her room, falling into her bed as soon as she arrived, as the flood of emotion overtook her, sending her spiraling down into a void of helplessness and loneliness.


    *


    Melissa glared at Albert as they walked to their room. "What?" He asked, looking confused, thinking over what he''d done that day. Why would she be angry with him?


    "Could you not see how hurt your daughter was tonight?" Melissa asked incredulously. "The first time since the accident that she''s actually opened up, and you just dismissed her! She may never talk to us again!"


    "What was I supposed to say!?!" Albert responded defensively. "She just told me I was a bad Lord, but it''s okay, because all Lords are bad!"


    "Did you stop and think that maybe she had a point?" Melissa retorted. "Would you not be a better Lord if you spent less energy on telling people what to do, and more on figuring out how to make their lives better?"


    "It isn''t that simple! You can''t- people need laws to keep them in check! How else are we supposed to keep people from killing and stealing and all the other deprivations they wish to do?" Albert countered.


    "Why not try asking her that?" Melissa replied. "I''m not asking that you agree with her, I''m asking you to engage with her! You cannot simply be there when you feel like and disengage whenever you feel uncomfortable! You are the adult, you are her father! It is your job to make her feel loved and appreciated, not hers to keep you from being offended!"


    "She should at least respect-" Albert began.


    "Oh, yes, respect!" Melissa interjected in a mocking tone. "Because if someone doesn''t agree with you, they aren''t respecting you. All your daughter did was share her honest opinion. If you consider that disrespectful, that is a problem with you, not with her."


    Albert scowled in annoyance, unable to retort, but unwilling to admit she was right. He just didn''t understand how everything had become so twisted recently. Ever since Victoria''s accident, she had become so¡­ alien. It was as if she was playing by a different set of rules and nothing Albert did was right anymore. Victoria was just so¡­ independent. He felt like he no longer had any say in her life. Even when he could be there to help, it was on her terms. Even worse, there was nothing he could say about it, because she wasn''t doing anything wrong! Even when he didn''t like it, he couldn''t argue against her decisions. He couldn''t say she was being an irrational teenager. If anything, she was overly rational, even if she refused to explain her reasoning to him. What was he supposed to do with that? How could he be her father if there was nothing she needed from him?


    Albert let out a weary sigh. "I just- I can''t wrap my head around her anymore. I want to be there for her, to help her, but¡­ I just don''t know how anymore."


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Maybe you should try listening to her, instead of trying to control her." Melissa commented. "Maybe the help she needs isn''t an authority figure telling her what to do, but an attentive ear letting her feel heard."


    *


    Victoria woke up the next morning feeling¡­ better? Not great but she didn''t feel the crushing emptiness anymore. She groaned as she got to her feet, feeling gross. She hadn''t bothered to change into her sleepwear last night, so her clothes had twisted and crumpled awkwardly, feeling clingy and oily. Victoria peeled them off of herself with a grimace, going through the pockets of her pants to change the items over to a new pair, when she found the core Ursa had given her last night. "Oh right, I was going to see if the points could do anything with you¡­" Victoria muttered, before groaning again. "I also forgot to cultivate. Damn it." She grumbled bitterly, cursing her stupid emotions.


    Victoria glared at the core again, before sighing and focusing on her points. "Let''s just get this over with. Probably won''t do anything anyway." She grumbled as she gathered her points up into a ball and sent them floating towards the core. The cloud hovered around the ball for a moment, seemingly with no effect, causing Victoria to click her tongue like she''d just seen her alcoholic friend post yet another picture of themselves with a large bottle of vodka and a comment about how good a time they''ll be having tonight, when she suddenly paused. She hastily opened her status window, checking her points, not trusting her intuition.


    [Points: 113 -> 114 -> 115 -> 116]


    Every second, her points would tick up by one. Victoria''s eyes widened in shock. She''d thought it might be a possibility, but for it to actually work. "Holy shit¡­" Victoria muttered in disbelief. She watched her points continue to grow for another few moments, before shaking herself, and putting the core down, leaving her points around it. She didn''t know how long the process would take, and she still had things to do today. She quickly changed into another outfit, grabbing the core to put it in her pocket as she prepared to head down to do her daily tasks, when she froze. She opened her palm, watching the core dissolve into nothingness as her points stopped increasing. "Huh¡­ that was actually pretty quick." She commented. It hadn''t even been ten minutes. Victoria checked point total and frowned. Six hundred and fifty-six? That''s it? Wasn''t this core from a fifth stage Core Strengthening? It should have way more energy than that! Hell, her core had a capacity of fifteen hundred! Though¡­ that was after spending some points. Still, shouldn''t the energy in the core be in the thousands, not the hundreds? Then Victoria remembered what Maurice had said about absorbing energy from cores outside your own system. A significant amount of energy would be lost.


    "If that''s the case¡­ Then I only got about ten percent of the energy in the core. Damn, that is bad. No wonder most people would rather trade." Victoria muttered to herself. Still, it wasn''t like she had much choice. Her Spirit cultivation level wasn''t high enough to absorb the energy in the core, and it wasn''t like there was a point core floating around out there for her to absorb. "It''s still much faster than relying on tasks, though¡­ Over five hundred points in less than ten minutes! That''d take me weeks just focusing on tasks!" Victoria exclaimed, before pausing with a frown. Just where was she supposed to get the cores though? The Marquis wouldn''t just give them to her for no reason, and she didn''t feel right stealing them from Ursa. He needed to get stronger himself, not waste all his cores feeding her. Plus, if he used them, he''d get all the energy, while she''d only get a little. No, it was best that he kept the cores. Victoria remained standing there, considering the issue for a moment, before sighing and resuming her journey to her training yard. It seemed she still needed to rely on tasks. At least for now.


    Victoria quickly arrived, beginning her daily tasks, before pausing as she thought of something. As her points grew, her daily tasks became more arduous due to her increased stats. It wasn''t exactly a problem at the moment, since the equipment around here was built for Cultivators, but as her points increased, she''d begin to outpace what her cultivation should be, enough that the equipment in her courtyard wouldn''t be able to handle it, and she''d need to upgrade. The problem was¡­ how was she supposed to explain her need for better equipment to the Marquis without giving anything away? This problem had been bugging her for a while now, but didn''t she have the perfect solution now? Victoria focused on her points, gathering them together and sending them outside her body. Immediately, she felt herself grow weaker, hesitantly attempting to give herself the Run task, which had stopped rewarding points a while ago, grinning as the task appeared. "Perfect."


    As she began her run, she had another idea. Since she already had her points out there, why not practice her energy manipulation too? She immediately began to practice the one useful thing her Study Rune had taught her, and her points quickly began to form into the rough shape of an eyeball. Victoria faltered a bit at the sudden case of double vision, as well as the fact that her first attempt was incredibly blurry, but after a bit of meditation on the Study Rune, she quickly got the hang of it. It sort of reminded her of piloting a drone, if she was wearing some kind of VR helmet as she did it. The eye swooped around the courtyard at her command, spying over the walls to check on the guards training, before returning to watch her doing her own workouts.


    As she watched herself jog around the courtyard, she fell into a daze, tripping and losing her concentration, her points dissolving and returning to her body as she flushed in embarrassment. "Well that''s embarrassing." She groaned, covering her face with her hands as she lay on the ground, weird, conflicting emotions surging through her. How on earth was she supposed to feel about being attracted to herself?!? Over the past month, she''d been able to mostly ignore her own physical features, since she had a first person perspective most of the time. Baths were still slightly awkward, though she''d mostly gotten used to it, and every now and then she''d catch herself in a mirror and get distracted momentarily, which made her feel very narcissistic, but for the most part she could almost forget she was a girl. However, when she''d caught sight of herself jogging in that excessively form fitting outfit from an outside perspective¡­ She was suddenly back to being Thomas, and thanks to the adolescent hormones running through her body, it wasn''t even the more mature, eighteen year old version. It was the dumb teenager that got hooked on every pretty girl that gave him as little as a sideways glance. It didn''t help that Victoria was an early bloomer, in that awkward state where she looked like she could be anywhere from her early to late teens. Knowing how young she actually was made Victoria feel like a pervert on top of all the rest of the awkwardness.


    All of these factors created a groaning, shameful pressure within her, that she had no idea how to release. The only method she could think of involved a certain exploratory act that just had to be wrong for her to actually do. A disembodied, teenage boy, inhabiting the body of a deceased, adolescent girl, using said body of aforementioned girl to pleasure himself, because of his attraction to said girl? That right there was quantum levels of fucked up. All Victoria could do was distract herself, keeping herself too busy to think about it, but she was worried that if the pressure kept building, eventually she''d snap and jump someone in a hormone-addled mental break. She''d almost convinced herself that she should just masturbate and get it over with, as the lesser of two evils, but she just couldn''t bring herself to actually do it.


    Once Victoria had calmed herself down, Victoria resumed her jog, sans floating eyeball. Instead, she tested out creating an ear. Her Study Rune didn''t just teach her how to extend her sight, but any sense, even taste, which seemed unnecessary. What would she need to taste from a distance? Still, the Rune taught what the Rune taught, and Victoria was more concerned with what the Rune didn''t teach. Her Study Rune''s lack of study knowledge was more frustrating than the addition of extrasensory tasting.


    Once she finished her workout, Victoria took her bath and got dressed, heading out to find a sparring partner for blade practice, when she paused, noticing a small form waiting by the door. "Calvin? What are you doing here?" Victoria asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "You said we could hang out more." Calvin replied with a frown. "Did you forget?"


    Victoria froze. "Uh¡­" Victoria thought back to the conversation they''d had right before she''d met with Wilson, been threatened by that Cultivator from the Hidden Blades, gone into the wilderness, met Ursa, and found out that one of the sects was attempting to go Empire. "I''ve been a little¡­ distracted recently. I''m sorry. Do you want to do something now?"


    "I don''t need your pity." Calvin huffed, crossing his arms.


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "It''s not pity. I really have been distracted! I almost died, remember?"


    Calvin paused. "Oh yeah¡­ What was that like?"


    Victoria blinked. "Scary? I don''t know how to explain it, really. I just kinda¡­ froze. There was nothing I could do, no way I could fight or escape¡­ I just felt completely helpless at that moment." Victoria explained, reflecting on the moment Ursa had first appeared, before she''d realized he wasn''t the threat she''d thought he was.


    "That sounds awful¡­ But you''re still going to go back out there? What if something like that happens again?" Calvin asked, a hint of concern creeping into his voice.


    "Well, then I guess I''ll die? Unless I get lucky again. But I mean, I''d have to be pretty unlucky to run into another creature way too powerful for the area it''s in. It''d be like getting struck by lightning, surviving, and then never going outside again because you''re scared you might be hit again. The fact it happened once was already a freak accident, so living in fear of it happening again would be stupid, right?" Victoria explained.


    Calvin frowned. "I guess that makes sense¡­"


    Victoria grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "Just don''t worry about it too much, alright? I''m tougher than you might think."


    Calvin grunted noncommittally. "If you insist¡­"


    "Come on, how about we play one of the games I made?" Victoria suggested. Besides using her Design Rune to make herself clothes and a few modern comforts, Victoria had been taking inspiration from the games she remembered from Earth to design a few of her own. She was particularly proud of a bastardized mix of chess and go, which focused on controlling squares using go pieces, then consuming them to drop chess pieces, which were then used to attack enemy controlled squares and switch them over to your own, letting you create more pieces, until you dominated the board.


    "Games? Like cards or dice?" Calvin asked.


    "Kinda. Come on, I''ll show you." Victoria led him back to her room, bringing out the roughly made board and pieces, explaining the rules briefly, before starting a practice game. Calvin was confused at first, but after a game or two, he started to get the hang of it. He still wasn''t all that good, but her version kept the go system of piece advantages, letting Calvin have a head start, evening the playing field. Victoria still won more often than not, but Calvin at least had a fighting chance, which original chess didn''t allow for.


    "So¡­ what have you been up to lately?" Victoria asked as they settled into the game. "Are you learning anything interesting? Any new friends? Any old friends, actually¡­ I wouldn''t remember them anyways."


    "Not really¡­ When we go to the Capital for festivals, I''ll spend time with some of the other noble''s children, but those only last a few days at most, and the rest of the time we live so far apart. Even if I wanted to be friends with them, how would that even work?" Calvin replied morosely.


    "Well, what about the kids around here? Why not try to make friends with them?" Victoria suggested.


    "The servants'' children?" Calvin frowned. "How would that work? Are they going to spar with me using sticks against my sword? Will we throw rocks at each other? Roll in the mud? Or will they come to my classes on noble etiquette? Learn about politics? About how to command an army? What common ground do we share?"


    Victoria paused, thinking about it. "What''s wrong with throwing rocks at each other? And have you ever tried rolling around in the mud? Maybe you''d enjoy it. Sure, maybe they can''t join you for all your noble stuff, but why can''t you just be a regular kid with them?"


    "Because it would be wrong." Calvin retorted. "Our noble position requires the respect of our subjects. If I demeaned myself by playing among them like a common child, how will they respond when they''re older, and they need to obey me? How can they respect someone they spent their childhood playing with? Someone who they remember joking with, fighting with, rolling in the mud with?"


    "By being someone worthy of respect?" Victoria retorted. "Just because someone is your friend doesn''t mean you can''t respect them or be respected by them. If you rely on the fact that no one really knows you to maintain respect, then are you really respectable?"


    Calvin frowned, considering her words, before shaking his head. "If you say so." He paused for a moment, before changing the subject. "So, are you looking forward to your birthday party?"


    Victoria froze. "My what?"


    "Your birthday party? It''s in a few days? There will be guests, a feast, dancing, gifts? Your birthday!" Calvin explained.


    Victoria''s eyes widened. She''d known her birthday was coming up, though she hadn''t gotten the exact date, but she didn''t realize there''d be a party! Who would come? Did she have friends? Would they want to hang out? What would they think of the new her? Victoria really didn''t want to see that expression of hope that slowly turned to disappointment as they realized how different she really was. Crap, what about the Duke!?! Would he show up? What was that going to look like?!? He''d expected to get engaged on her birthday. How would he react when he learned that wasn''t going to happen?


    Victoria groaned, rubbing her temple. "Fuck, that''s going to be a complete cluster fuck."

 Points: 20 - Not so sweet fifteen

    Victoria and Calvin had lunch together, before he had to leave for his lessons with Maurice, while Victoria focused on meditating on her Bladework Rune. Already she was searching for the epiphany that would lead to the Rune''s advancement, but she really had no idea where to even start with this one. Bladework was just about using blades, right? What deeper meaning could there be? She still had a bit more of the Rune to comprehend before she reached that point, but she couldn''t help but worry about having her progress stalled again. She''d been lucky running into Ursa with her Design Rune, but she couldn''t count on happenstance every time she needed to advance a Rune. The problem was¡­ how was she supposed to know what she didn''t know?


    Victoria was considering the issue, when Ursa contacted her. *Victoria, I have a question. How am I supposed to spend my points?* He sent her. He''d accomplished most of his tasks yesterday and today, building up a decent amount of points, but he had no idea what to do with them. All his status page had were these stats, but he wanted to put his points into his cultivation. Should he save them for when he needed healing?


    Victoria frowned, wondering why he was asking her, when she smacked herself in the forehead, remembering she''d forgotten to actually set up his system! *Right, sorry, I forgot- just give me a minute.* She sent back, opening up the system. She stared at her own status page for a moment, before waving it away. She wouldn''t change that one, keeping the stat options open for herself. Instead, she''d create a new cultivation page for Ursa and anyone else she gave the system to in this world. Victoria considered the empty page for a moment, before starting with the basics. She made three entries, Spirit, Qi, and Essence, showing the amount and the capacity, allowing users to increase the amount using points. For the moment she didn''t add the option to increase capacity, considering how it would look if a bunch of people with outrageous capacities started popping up. The point of all this was to be able to spread the system while remaining under the radar, so she couldn''t let her users do anything too unnatural. Victoria thought for a moment and also added the skills page to the cultivation system. She then added the point total and healing button to the system page, finishing it up. It was minimal, but Victoria felt this would be more than enough to give users a boost. *There, how''s that?* Victoria asked. *You can spend points on either increasing your Spirit, Qi, or Essence, or to increase your comprehension of your skills. Let me know if you have any ideas for anything else I should add.*


    Ursa blinked, opened up the system, moved to the skills page, and blinked again. *I- I can increase my comprehension? I thought- how does that even work?!?*


    *Uh¡­ I''m really not sure. It doesn''t directly give you knowledge or anything, it just kinda makes things easier to understand, so it all just sort of clicks.* Victoria explained.


    *But- But how?!?* Ursa repeated. He just couldn''t wrap his mind around the idea of these points actually having the ability to grant understanding. He could get these points making him stronger, adding to his cultivation, or even changing his appearance. These were things many Cultivators could do as long as they acquired the right Runes, but this¡­ this was altering a person''s mind! How much power did these points have!?!


    Victoria shrugged helplessly. *I honestly don''t know. Points- I''ve learned not to question what they can do. Sometimes there are requirements, but pretty much anything I want them to do, they can.*


    Ursa shook his head in disbelief, before pausing. *Then¡­ could they give me the ability to actively cultivate?* He asked tentatively.


    Victoria paused herself, thinking about it. *Probably? Hold on.* She pulled the system up again, adding a cultivation method entry with two options: automatic and manual. She raised an eyebrow when she noticed the change only took a single point, which seemed pretty cheap, but then again, how much did the system really have to change in the first place? Best not to question it. She quickly sent the updated system over to Ursa. *Try that.*


    Ursa stared at the new entry warily for a moment, before spending the point to switch it, flinching slightly as he did, before pausing. *Huh¡­ I don''t feel any different¡­*


    *Try meditating?* Victoria suggested.


    *How do I do that?* Ursa asked.


    *Just concentrate on your Runes.* Victoria explained.


    Ursa nodded, finding a quiet place to sit, closing his eyes and focusing on his most advanced Spirit Rune. Immediately he felt Spirit flow into him, and his eyes popped open. *It worked!* Ursa sent over to Victoria.


    *I figured it would. I''ve never seen the system give a point cost to something it couldn''t do.* Victoria replied.


    *This is amazing!* Ursa cackled, returning to his meditation. He could actually make progress! Normally, Rune Beasts'' cultivation would increase constantly at about a tenth of the speed of a human Cultivator. As long as the Cultivator cultivated for more than a few hours, their cultivation would rapidly outpace the Rune Beasts. As their cultivation increased, Cultivators could regularly spend days in constant meditation, leaving Rune Beasts far, far behind. Additionally, this didn''t account for the rate at which they could acquire Runes. For Rune Beasts, it could take years for a Rune to advance, even at the Initial stage.


    *Good luck.* Victoria chuckled, shaking her head, cutting their connection, and returning to her own meditation. They both had to get stronger.


    *


    Over the next few days, Victoria continued her daily routine, focusing on getting stronger. Meanwhile, Ursa began to form connections in town, joining the Hunter Guild, spending time in taverns, making acquaintances, all in preparation for the arrival of his handler. It was only a matter of time before she tracked him down, and when she did, this was the place she would stay while she searched. Ursa needed to develop a network to keep an eye out for her. Of course, neither of them had any idea what they''d actually end up doing once Ursa''s handler actually did show up. They needed to figure out which sect she belonged to, but the details on how they were supposed to do that were fuzzy. It wasn''t like they could just ask her, and they weren''t strong enough to beat it out of her, at least not yet.


    After Calvin mentioned her birthday, Victoria began to notice the signs of preparations happening. The banquet hall was being decorated, entertainers were practicing in the courtyard, the servants were rushing around like chickens with their heads cut off¡­ Victoria really should have noticed something was up earlier. "So, this party¡­ I don''t actually have to go to that, right?" Victoria asked Maurice during one of their lessons.


    "Your birthday party?" Maurice replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you not want to go?"


    "Because it''s a party. I don''t like parties." Victoria grimaced. "Especially not parties focused on me."


    Maurice blinked at her a few times, a puzzled expression on his face. "How- how do you know that? You- are you beginning to recover your memories?!?"


    "Huh? No! No, I just know what parties are and who I am, and those two things do not mix well. A bunch of people pretending to like each other, making small talk, dancing¡­" Victoria shuddered. "I don''t even remember these people! It''s just going to be an entire night of awkward conversations and people looking at me weird."


    Maurice sighed. "Even if that is the case, you won''t be able to avoid socializing with these people forever. What will you do when we go to the Capital for festivals? Avoid everyone?"


    "Sure?" Victoria shrugged. "I mean, I''m shooting to enter a sect, right? I probably won''t see these people after that. Why form connections that won''t last?"


    "What if you don''t enter a sect?" Maurice asked.


    "That''s not going to happen." Victoria retorted with a frown. She would be forced to join the Hidden Blades, no matter what. At least she didn''t have to worry about marrying that Duke.


    Maurice frowned at her, before pausing thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose you have a point there¡­ With your talent, I can''t imagine any sect rejecting you."


    Victoria froze. "Uh, yeah, that¡­ So, I don''t have to go to the party?"


    Maurice chuckled. "Ask your mother. See what she says."


    Victoria sighed. "Damn it."


    The days continued to pass, until finally it was time for the party. That evening, the guests began to arrive, carriages flowing into the town, making their way up to the castle, dropping off their passengers before making way for the next carriage in line. Meanwhile, Victoria was forced to stand by the entrance, greeting the guests with a polite smile along with her parents, wearing a dress for the first time in a month, adding to her discomfort. Thankfully, the guests kept coming, preventing anyone from lingering for more than a few moments. They simply entered, passed the servants their gifts, greeted the family, and moved into the banquet hall. That is, until the Duke arrived.


    "Duke Duhallis. I''m glad you could make it." Albert greeted a handsome young man as he entered.


    "Marquis Tyverus, I wouldn''t dream of missing the birthday of our fair Lady Victoria." Duke Duhallis replied with a grin, shaking Albert''s hand as an attendant brought a large gift in behind him, handing it over to their servants. "Lady Melissa, a pleasure as always." He turned to Melissa, giving her a quick peck on the back of the hand, before turning to Victoria. "Lady Victoria¡­ You become more beautiful each time I have the pleasure of laying eyes on you." He complimented her, taking her hand and laying a heavy kiss on the back.


    Victoria resisted the urge to wipe the back of her hand on her dress as she quickly took it back. "I apologize that I cannot return the sentiment. As you may have heard, I recently experienced an accident and lost much of my memory."


    "Truly a pity." Duke Duhallis sighed. "But I hear your misfortune has a silver lining! You''ve proven to be quite the cultivation talent, haven''t you?"


    Victoria nodded with a slightly smug grin. "I have."


    "Indeed. After just a month, she has already formed her Spirit Core, as well as acquired an Essence Rune." Albert added proudly.


    A strange look flashed in Duke Duhallis''s eye. "How impressive." He commented, before turning back to Victoria. "Then I shall see you inside. I look forward to at least sharing a dance, if not an engagement." He added, before turning and heading into the banquet hall.


    Victoria watched him go with a strange look, before turning to Melissa. "So he''s pissed, huh?" She muttered under her breath.


    Melissa resisted the urge to laugh as she leveled a stern glare at Victoria. "Be polite, dear."


    Victoria just rolled her eyes as she returned to greeting the guests. Finally, the last of the guests arrived, and they followed them into the banquet hall, walking to the head table, taking the middle seats, Melissa on Albert''s right and Victoria on his left. "Welcome to my daughter Victoria''s fifteenth birthday!" Albert announced. "I thank all of you for coming and joining us for this joyous occasion! As you all may have heard, the past month has been a series of ups and downs for my family. Due to an unfortunate accident, Victoria lost her memory, but she also Awakened, opening the path of cultivation to her. As she struggled to adjust to a world that seemed strange and new to her, her talent blossomed, showing a remarkable gift for comprehending Runes, assimilating her first Rune in just a week! As her cultivation progressed, it became more and more clear that she was destined to be a Cultivator, which, unfortunately, means we must delay her engagement to Duke Duhallis, adding a bitter taste to even this joyful happenstance. Nevertheless, this day is a day of celebration! At the young age of fifteen, Victoria has shown that she has limitless potential, and a bright, glowing future ahead of her! I welcome you to celebrate with us, helping us make it clear to all the pride and joy we have for our wonderful daughter!" The room erupted in applause as Albert finished, raising his glass in a toast, before taking his seat.


    Servants began to flow into the banquet hall, bringing out the food. As they did, entertainers began their performance in the center of the room, keeping the guests distracted as they ate, though it seemed as though they didn''t need much help with that. After learning of what Victoria had experienced, the guests seemed more interested in studying her than the entertainment. "People are staring." Calvin whispered from her left, looking around the room with a frown.


    "Ignore them." Victoria whispered back. "People are drawn to novelty. Once it becomes old news, they''ll go back to normal." She commented, failing to take her own advice as she shifted uncomfortably under the weight of all the gazes. She just tried to focus on her food, hoping this would pass as quickly as possible.


    Once dinner was over, a band emerged, beginning to play as the dancing began. As the guest of honor, Victoria was obliged to dance with anyone who asked, a series of perverted older men whose hands strayed lower than strictly necessary much too often, awkward young men with sweaty hands and stiff movements, and the Duke. Practically every other dance he would replace her partner, sweeping her back onto the dance floor as she groaned and rolled her eyes. The man was insufferable. Even if the old Victoria wasn''t a lesbian, she couldn''t blame her for not wanting to marry him. He acted like the whole world should be enamored with him, droning on about his various accomplishments, which were nothing more than overblown hunting trips where real Hunters had done all the work before letting him land the final blow.


    "For fucks sake, do you honestly believe killing something that can''t even fight back anymore is some kind of achievement?!?" Victoria finally exclaimed after the fourth time he told such a story.


    Duke Duhallis froze. "Excuse me?"


    "No! You are not excused! What kind of man can spend an entire damn day watching someone else do something, and think ''yeah, that''s my accomplishment''?!? What level of narcissistic entitlement is that!?! How delusional do you have to be to think killing something you didn''t track, didn''t trap, and didn''t even fight is something to be proud of?!?" Victoria finished, before pausing as she suddenly realized how quiet the banquet hall had become. She hesitantly glanced around, noticing literally everyone staring at her with wide eyes.


    Albert coughed, drawing everyone''s attention. "I believe it is time to serve the cake. If everyone could return to their seats?" He announced, cutting the tension as everyone quickly moved back to the tables. Victoria flushed as she rushed to her seat, kicking herself internally. What was wrong with her? All she had to do was ignore the idiot! Was that so hard? But no, she just had to open her fat mouth. Fuck! Melissa was going to kill her.


    The servants had to scramble a bit to get the cake ready, but Albert had only moved the time up a little, so people barely noticed. AJ was working hard to sooth the Duke in the meantime, both of them occasionally shooting dirty looks Victoria''s way as they whispered between each other. Victoria just ignored them. *At least those two are bonding.* She grumbled internally. *If they both hate me enough, maybe the lack of engagement won''t hurt AJ too much.*


    After the cake was served, it was time to present gifts. The servants brought them in one by one as the gift givers announced them proudly. Mostly the gifts were minor things, jewelry, clothes, trinkets, all manor of useless things Victoria had absolutely no use for. Duke Duhallis was the worst though, gifting her the ''trophy'' from one of his hunts, which after her earlier outburst caused the entire room to lapse into silence again. What was he thinking in the first place? What use did she have for a wolf head? Maybe if he''d given her the things core she''d be grateful, but a head? Did he know women at all?!?


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Thankfully, once the presents were done, the night was over. Victoria once again had to wait by the door and bid each one of her guests goodbye, as well as thank them for their gift. Fortunately, with all the awkwardness of the night, the goodbyes were brief, especially Duke Duhallis''s. He barely even acknowledged her before rushing out. Finally, as the last guest left, Victoria could finally leave and get out of this stupid dress! She practically ran to her room, already loosening the ties as she pushed the door open, kicking it closed behind her. Then suddenly, she froze, whirling around, eyes widening as a figure stepped out from the corner, moving between her and the door.


    "Oh no, please continue. It''ll save me the trouble of ripping it off you." Duke Duhallis chuckled malevolently.


    "What- what are you doing here?!?" Victoria exclaimed in confusion. Hadn''t he left? Why was he in her room!?! What was going on?!?


    "Your brother let me in." The Duke commented lightly. "Such a loyal friend. The moment your cultivation talent became clear, he knew something had to be done. The engagement was no longer a possibility. But a marriage? That would be inevitable if certain¡­ conditions were met. The two lovers, separated by their disparate paths, made love one. Last. Time. Before they must say goodbye to each other forever. But, by some miraculous twist of fate, a baby was made that night! A pity that she had to give up her ambitions, but her joy at motherhood completely eclipses her disappointment! An enchanting tale, don''t you think?" He eloquently stated as he slowly stepped closer and closer to Victoria as she backed away.


    "You- you think you''re going to get me pregnant?!?" Victoria asked incredulously.


    "I''m sure of it." The Duke grinned. "Both you and I have been taking fertility potions for weeks now. All we have to do is consummate our union."


    "Fertility potions?" Victoria muttered, confused.


    "In your lunch, every day." The Duke chuckled. "Your sweet little maid made sure of it."


    "Beatrice?" Victoria frowned. Why would she do that? For AJ? Victoria shook her head. It wasn''t important, at least not now. "Look, I don''t know what you think is going to happen here, but we aren''t sleeping together, and I''m not getting pregnant." She stated with a flat glare.


    "I don''t think you have a choice." The Duke growled, lunging forward to grab her. Victoria snorted, sending points to her arm as she lashed out, sending a palm straight to his chest. The next moment, she felt hands grab her by the shoulders, picking her up and throwing her onto the bed. Victoria''s eyes widened as she stared at the perfectly healthy Duke. He snorted, rubbing his chest. "What? Did you think you were the only one who could cultivate? I may not be as talented as you are, but I have had more than enough time to advance to the sixth stage of Core Strengthening as a Qi Cultivator."


    Victoria''s breathing quickened as she scrambled back on the bed. "St-stay back! Help! Someone! Rape!" She screamed in a panic.


    "Do you really think we wouldn''t account for you screaming?" Duke Duhallis asked incredulously. "The entire wing is empty, and a dampening tool has been set up to prevent any sound from escaping. Tonight, it''s just you and me."


    "Why are you doing this?!?" Victoria asked frantically as she watched the Duke climb onto the bed, seemingly enjoying her panic and he slowly approached her.


    "Why? Because you are mine! Ever since I first laid eyes on you, I knew you would be my wife!" Duke Duhallis answered with a crazed look in his eyes. "Such beauty, such innocence, nothing like the sluts who infest the Capital. I would make you my perfect little lady, my cherished gem, slowly teaching you the joys of womanhood, the perfect little worshiper at the altar of my cock. But no, you just had to resist. So now, we do it the hard way." He snarled, grabbing Victoria by the ankles as she tried to scramble away, pulling her under him as he trapped her beneath his body, reaching under her dress. "Instead, you''ll be my little whore! I''ll break you, fuck you until all you can think of is my cock, ramming into your tight. Little. Pu- ulp!"


    Duke Duhallis''s hand had just wormed its way into Victoria''s underwear, fingers rubbing against her crotch feverishly, as she turned away and closed her eyes, terrified of what came next, when suddenly he was gone. Victoria cracked an eye open, before sitting up in shock to see Ursa standing at the foot of her bed, holding a struggling Duke Duhallis by the back of the neck, a good foot off the ground. "Forced mating is frowned upon in your culture, yes?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Victoria.


    Victoria stared at him dumbly for a moment, before her eyes began to water and a sob choked out of her. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She exclaimed, jumping up and hugging Ursa tightly, the images of what she''d been spared running through her mind as relief flowed through her.


    "I''ll take that as a yes." Ursa grunted, patting her on the back awkwardly. "So¡­ what should I do with this then?"


    Victoria turned to glare at the Duke, all her fear quickly turning to rage inside her. How dare this asshole try to rape her! How dare he think he could force her into marriage! How dare he try and get her pregnant! She didn''t think it would have actually worked, since she''d used her system to turn her cycle off, but still! The sheer audacity of even having the idea! If Victoria didn''t make this man pay, she would literally have a stroke from sheer amount of unreleased anger. "Make him wish he was never born!" Victoria spat viciously, the accompanying task popping up in the corner of her vision, barely noticed as Victoria was consumed by her fury.


    "You don''t dare to hurt me!" Duke Duhallis choked out with a viscous glare at Ursa as he struggled to tear his hand from the back of his neck. "If you do anything to me, I will ruin your family! If I''m killed, the king himself will avenge me! My life crystal is safe in the palace! If I die, the king will immediately know who did it! You will never be safe!"


    Victoria frowned, raising a hand to stop Ursa. She wanted her vengeance, but not if it would hurt her family. Even if they weren''t exactly close, they still considered her family and did their best to love and accept her. Well, most of them. Victoria''s eyes hardened as she remembered AJ''s part in this. If she didn''t cut his dick off and feed it to a- Victoria paused. Cut his dick off? Or maybe just get rid of it? Change it into something else? Victoria eyed Duke Duhallis, a grin oh so wicked spreading across her face that he froze, paling slightly, knowing that that look couldn''t mean anything good for him.


    Victoria quickly reached out, poking the Duke in the forehead. "Why did yo- what in the name of the gods is that?!?" Duke Duhallis exclaimed as the system appeared.


    "First, disable all buttons." Victoria muttered to herself as her gaze unfocused, pulling up the Dukes status page. "Transfer of sixty-nine points, and¡­ confirm." She made the selection, her anger forcing through Duke Duhallis''s resistance, making the points perform her will.


    "What are you- ah! Ah! Ah!!!" Duke Duhallis began to scream as his skin began to shift and peel. Ursa''s grip slipped, letting him fall to the floor as the skin on his neck sloughed off, his neck becoming slimmer and more delicate. His waist slimmed as his chest bulged and his hair lengthed. His voice, screaming in shock, turned higher pitched. He scrambled to his feet and his pants fell down his long, slim legs, revealing a round, perky butt. "What- what have you done to me!?!" The terrified looking woman asked in horror as she scrambled to pull her pants back up. "I- am- am I a woman?!?"


    "Yup!" Victoria grinned proudly, a vicious glint in her eyes. "I think I''ll call you¡­ Foratuna. Foratuna Richards." She snickered evilly at the crude pun, enjoying the Duke''s misfortune.


    Foratuna just stared at her, dumbfounded, not understanding how this night had gone so wrong. This was supposed to be the night he fixed things! That he put things right! And now- now- he didn''t even know what now! He was a woman! How- how did that even happen! What did she do to him! What was this strange window in his vision? Why was it blinking?!? He glanced at Ursa, before suddenly attempting to dash away, going to leap out the window, but Ursa quickly caught him, though he treated him a lot more delicately now.


    Victoria frowned. "Damn, right. She still has her cultivation." She muttered to herself. Even if she was a girl, now, if Foratuna escaped, it could still be a big problem for her and her family. "If only I could seal or drain her cultivation somehow." She frowned, considering the problem.


    Ursa shook his head. "Such things are only possible for advanced Cultivators. Your energy needs to be pure enough to enter someone else''s body to accomplish such a thing, in addition to acquiring the appropriate Runes."


    Victoria nodded, sighing, before pausing, eyes widening. Weren''t points pure enough to enter a body? Every time someone gained points, or she transferred them to someone, they entered their body! Victoria shot out a cloud of points, sending them into Foratuna''s forehead. Or at least, she tried. Just like when she attempted to use someone else''s points, Foratuna''s body resisted her points. She grimaced as she forced them inside, searching frantically for the core she knew had to be there, only to groan as she remembered the Duke was a Qi Cultivator. She quickly sent her points down to Foratuna''s chest, finding the Qi core and wrapping the points around it. Foratuna and Ursa stared at her, confused as to what she was thinking about, when Foratuna''s eyes widened as she felt her Qi begin to drain out of her.


    "No. No! What are you doing! Stop! Stop!" She cried, twisting and kicking in Ursa''s grasp as she panicked, feeling herself get weaker and weaker as the Qi drained away.


    Victoria mercilessly watched her struggle, a slight grin on her face as her points continued to grow, feeding on Foratuna''s Qi. A cold look came over her as she pulled up the system again, feeling that just turning Duke Duhallis into a woman wasn''t enough. Sure, it disguised him, keeping them from bringing trouble down on Victoria and her family for whatever they did to him, but being a woman wasn''t a punishment. Victoria was a woman. No, she needed to do something¡­ more. What was the Duke ranting about earlier? Turning her into a whore? Making her worship cock? That sounded promising.


    Victoria created a new page specifically for Foratuna, frowning as she considered what parameters to add. Horniness seemed obvious, but making her a woman wouldn''t change her orientation, that would just make her want women more, right? Not exactly what Victoria was going for. Or was it? Wouldn''t it be better if Foratuna was disgusted and ashamed by whatever she was doing? Oh! Shame! Add that to the list. Still¡­ What was she supposed to do about her orientation? Keep her attracted to women? Change it to men? Maybe both? Did it matter? Foratuna''s wants weren''t exactly a factor in all this. She just had to do whatever she was told. She had to be obedient. Yeah, obedience¡­ add that to the list too. Victoria considered the list for a moment, before shrugging. That should be a good start. She could always add more later.


    Once the parameters were in, Foratuna''s values popped up.


    Horniness: 3


    Shame: 1


    Obedience: 0


    "Huh¡­ Those values are pretty low." Victoria muttered with a frown. Were they just cheap or did Foratuna just naturally have low values in the three stats? Victoria could see that being the case for Shame and Obedience, but Horniness? Pretty sure Duke Duhallis was plenty horny. "Hmm¡­ what if?" Victoria made a small adjustment and the values changed.


    Horniness: 3.44


    Shame: 1.24


    Obedience: .44


    "Hmmm¡­ didn''t really help." Victoria muttered. "Fuck it, let''s just put them all at ten, see what happens." She shrugged, adding points to take each one to ten, forcing through Foratuna''s will again. Foratuna was still struggling against Ursa''s grip, when she froze, eyes widening as her face flushed. A low moan escaped her lips as she squirmed uncomfortably. Victoria raised an eyebrow at the sudden shift, before glancing at Ursa. "Let her go." Ursa looked between the two of them weirdly, wondering what was going on, before doing as Victoria asked, releasing Foratuna. "Don''t move!" Victoria immediately ordered as Foratuna began to scramble away the moment Ursa released her. She immediately froze, looking back at Victoria with wide eyes, before she hesitantly began to creep away again, seemingly struggling between her need to escape and this strange compulsion to do whatever she was told. Victoria frowned, quickly adding another ten points to the obedience stat, forcing her to come grinding to a halt with a pained expression on her face. "Come back here." Victoria ordered, and Foratuna slowly moved back to her original position, biting her lip and glaring at the floor. Victoria still wasn''t quite happy with the response, so she immediately added another ten points to the obedience stat. "Jump." Victoria commanded, and Foratuna immediately leapt into the air as high as she could, hitting her head on the ceiling, letting out a pained cry as she came back down, clutching her head. "Much better." Victoria grinned, her task completing as she did.


    "What- what did you do to her?!?" Ursa asked, eyes widening in horror as he watched Foratuna become more and more obedient.


    Victoria shrugged. "I just made her more compliant."


    Ursa eyed her nervously. "Can- can you do that to me?"


    Victoria paused. "Well¡­ yeah? I wouldn''t though. Unless, you know, you tried to rape me or something. Then all bets are off. I will destroy you. Though¡­" Victoria glanced at Ursa, looking him up and down. Duke Duhallis was a spoiled noble who barely worked a day in his life. Ursa on the other hand was a War Bear who had risked his life time and again in battle, as well as when he escaped his handler. Victoria had a feeling breaking through his will would be much, much harder. "Just don''t do anything like that, alright? I like you as a friend more than an enemy."


    Ursa blinked at her, before nodding stiffly. "Understood." He then glanced at Foratuna. "Then¡­ What are you going to do to¡­ her?"


    "The real question is what are you going to do to her." Victoria chuckled menacingly. "And the answer is whatever you want. She won''t- she can''t resist. Anything you tell her to do, she''ll do. The rest is up to your imagination. Or, if you prefer, I could leave her in the streets, naked, and let fate decide what happens to her. Track her down in a week or two and see what state she''s in."


    "Y-you''re a monster!" Foratuna cried, staring at Victoria with wide, terror filled eyes.


    "And what does that make you?" Victoria spat, glaring at her. "Isn''t this exactly what you wanted to do to me? Break me, turn me into a mindless, obedient little fucktoy? The only difference is I''m better at it!" Victoria growled as she stepped closer, reaching out and grabbing Foratuna by the jaw, lifting her up as she glared into those wide, fearful eyes. "You will do anything anyone asks of you, no matter what it is, without complaint! And you will love it, and hate yourself for loving it! All because I want you to! From this point on, Duke Duhallis doesn''t exist! You are Foratuna Richards, and you exist to serve! Do you understand?"


    Helplessly, Foratuna jerked her head in a nod, tears streaming down her face. Every word from Victoria was like a thunderclap of judgment she couldn''t resist, shackles that caged her mind and forced her to accept them. Even as she cried, a small thrill grew in her heart, eager to do whatever she was told, which only increased her shame, causing more tears to flow. Victoria studied her for a moment as she watched her go through this internal struggle, before snorting and dropping her. Her points finished draining her Qi, boosting Victoria''s reserve by over six hundred points. Victoria considered them for a moment, before opening up Foratuna''s system again and increasing obedience to fifty, along with the other two. She wanted to make sure she couldn''t resist, and she now had points to spare.


    Finally, Victoria let out a long, satisfied sigh, her anger pacified, for the moment. She then paused, turning to a very nervous looking Ursa and raising an eyebrow. "How did you know I was in trouble?" She asked, a hint of wariness creeping into her voice. Had he been hanging around her room? Why? Victoria couldn''t help but remember a certain task of his as she eyed him suspiciously.


    Ursa''s eyes widened as he saw the suspicions running through Victoria''s mind, rushing to explain. "Your- your thing told me!" He quickly replied. "It- it gave me a task to save you and a map appeared, telling me where to go. Numbers also showed up and began counting down, so I rushed here as fast as I could."


    Victoria froze. "Oh yeah, it does do that¡­" It was another of Jessica''s additions. Emergency tasks that gave the users a direction and time limit. She figured the emergency task wouldn''t be very effective if the user had no idea where to go or showed up after the emergency was over. Victoria''s heart ached slightly as she sent a silent thank you to Jessica, hoping that whatever happened after death, she was happy. Victoria wallowed in the emotion for a moment, before shaking herself and taking a deep breath. "Alright then¡­ you take her back to your room. Do with her what you will." She ordered Ursa, Foratuna''s breathing quickening as she did, though Victoria couldn''t tell whether it was from excitement or fear¡­ probably both.


    Ursa glanced at Foratuna, unable to prevent certain thoughts running through his mind, getting excited himself. While the way this situation had come about terrified the living shit out of him, having a female to mate with regularly was just what he was looking for. This¡­ hand nonsense was getting on his nerves. Still, he hesitated slightly. "Are you sure about this?" He asked, turning back to Victoria. "I''m not completely clear on human customs but¡­ this seems extreme."


    Victoria frowned. "I didn''t ask for your opinion. If you don''t want her, I''m more than happy to find someone who does."


    Ursa hesitated, before shaking his head. "No, I''ll take her. I just wanted to make sure this is what you want."


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "Just take her and go. I have someone else to deal with." She growled, turning to leave.

 Points: 21 - Frustration

    Victoria stalked through the halls, making her way to a different section of the castle, her anger beginning to boil again as she made her way towards the other culprit involved in what almost happened to her tonight. She arrived before a certain door, kicking it open and storming into the room. "Fuck, get- Victori- Ah!" AJ screamed as she grabbed him by the throat, dragging him off of Beatrice and slamming him against the wall.


    "You slimy, conniving piece of shit! How dare you send that degenerate fuck to my room! If you weren''t family, I''d have you flayed alive and hung over the castle gate as a testament to why you should never piss me off!" Victoria growled at him. "If you ever do something like this again, I will deep fry your dick and have a pig chew it off!" She continued as AJ''s eyes went wide, before slamming her knee into his crotch, letting him drop to the ground, watching him pass out from the pain.


    "Miss- Miss Victoria? What- what''s going on?!?" Beatrice asked, her voice full of shock, confusion, and shame as she struggled to cover her naked body with a blanket.


    Victoria turned, glaring at Beatrice, looking her up and down, before letting out a snort. "So, you two are fucking, huh? No wonder you helped him. Did you even know why he had you feeding me those potions?"


    "P-potions?" Beatrice stammered, confused. "I- I don''t- he- he made me- I-I didn''t-"


    Victoria shook her head. "Typical. Well, I''ll tell you then. Your little lover here had you feeding me fertility potions, so that when he had Duke Duhallis sneak into my room to rape me, I''d be sure to get pregnant so that I''d be forced to marry the Duke!"


    Beatrice''s eyes widened in horror. "But- no! I- I didn''t- please, Miss Victoria, I would never- I had no idea that- I- I just-" Tears began to flow as she struggled to explain, but there was nothing she could say. How could she have played any part in such a horrible plan!?! Even though AJ had forced her to, if she''d known, she would have refused, damn the consequences! If only AJ hadn''t caught her¡­ Beatrice covered her face as a shuddering sob choked out her throat. "I''m sorry! I''m so, so sorry!"


    "Sorry doesn''t fix shit!" Victoria spat.


    Beatrice nodded. "I- I know¡­" She choked out between sobs. Suddenly she jumped to her feet, rushing to AJ''s desk and grabbing his letter opener, stabbing it towards her heart!


    Victoria''s eyes widened, leaping forward to grab her arm before she could actually stab herself. "What do you think you''re doing?!?"  Beatrice didn''t respond, throwing her body forward towards the dagger to finish the job. Victoria twisted her arm, forcing her to drop the dagger before she could stab herself. "Stop it!" Victoria yelled. "Why are you doing this?!?"


    Beatrice burst into tears again. "What do I have left to live for?!? I betrayed you! The only thing left for me is a life of serving AJ! I''d rather die! I deserve to die!" She sobbed, struggling against Victoria''s grip.


    Victoria''s brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would you do what he asked in the first place then? Why would you sleep with him?!?"


    Beatrice''s struggling weakened, an empty, anguished expression twisting across her face. "He- he forced me to. He caught me- He threatened to tell if I didn''t do everything he said. He- he said he''d get me thrown out of the castle¡­ I- it- it''s just me and my little brother. If- if I get thrown out- we have nowhere else to go¡­" Beatrice trailed off, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she explained. "I know that''s no excuse. I- I should have just killed myself from the start! Maybe- maybe the Lord would take mercy on my brother, if- if I wasn''t around anymore."


    Victoria stared at Beatrice with a complicated look. While she still couldn''t quite forgive her, she understood why she''d done what she did. Beatrice wasn''t much older than Victoria, and in this society, a young girl with no money only had three options: to be a servant, a wife, or a prostitute. Maybe if she were lucky, and skilled, she could become the apprentice of some craftsman, but that would be like winning the lottery. If she was even luckier, she could become an Awakened. But for Beatrice¡­ She only had the three options. If she''d been kicked out of the castle¡­ all she could do was sell herself, one way or the other. Just¡­ "What did he catch you doing?" Victoria asked. She just couldn''t understand what she could have done that would be so bad. As far as she could tell, Beatrice was a model servant, at least, until recently. Attentive, well behaved, quick and efficient, never complaining¡­ admittedly, Victoria could be pretty oblivious, but still, she just couldn''t wrap her head around Beatrice doing something that could get her kicked out of the castle.


    Beatrice froze, her eyes going wide. "I-I-I-" She stammered, eyes darting around as she looked for some way out, but with Victoria still keeping a firm grip on her arm, there was no way she could escape.


    Victoria''s gaze hardened. "Either you tell me, or I wake AJ up and make him tell me."


    Beatrice''s expression twisted in helpless frustration, before falling in defeat. "I- I was peeking¡­" She mumbled, face flushing.


    "Peeking?" Victoria frowned, only getting more confused as Beatrice nodded hesitantly. "On what?"


    "On- on- on-" Beatrice stammered, face flushing as the answer got caught in her throat. She paused, gulping nervously, before finally getting it out in a barely audible whisper. "On you."


    "On m-" Victoria began, before her eyes widened in understanding, all her anger towards her melting away. Suddenly everything made sense! If it got out that Beatrice was secretly a lesbian, and she was peeking on Victoria¡­ There''s no way the Marquis would let her stay in the castle. Additionally, she''d immediately lose any chance at finding a husband, her only resort being prostitution. Beatrice''s options had been to choose between letting AJ fuck her or letting a series of random strangers fuck her. She probably hadn''t even thought about what AJ was doing to her food! AJ definitely wouldn''t have told her or let her see what he was doing, in case she told Victoria. She probably thought he was doing something petty, like spitting in it. How could she fathom that AJ was so twisted that he was setting his sister up to be raped and impregnated?!? Victoria quickly released Beatrice''s arm, her own face beginning to flush as she suddenly became very aware that Beatrice was completely naked, even the blanket she''d been covering herself with lost in her rush to kill herself.


    Beatrice curled in on herself, full of shame and disgust at what she''d done, what she''d let AJ do, at what she was. All she wanted to do right now was crawl in a hole and die. Why? Why did she have to be like this? Why couldn''t she just be normal?!? What was wrong with her? Why- why was the worst part of all this Victoria rejecting her? Tears streamed down her face. "I shouldn''t even exist!"


    "Don''t-" Victoria began, before freezing, not sure what to say next. "Let''s- let''s go back to my room. We- we can figure this all out there." She finally came up with.


    Beatrice nodded dumbly, mechanically moving towards the door, before Victoria stopped her, snatching her dress off the floor and handing it to her to put on. Once Beatrice was clothed, they headed back to Victoria''s room in silence, Beatrice stuck in a swirl of depression, while Victoria wondered how the fuck she was supposed to address all this. Should she tell Beatrice she was a lesbian? How would that go? Would they- Victoria flushed as images of her and Beatrice entangled together flashed through her mind. Slowly however, the entangled forms began to shift, turning from Victoria and Beatrice to Thomas and Jessica, causing Victoria''s heart to sink.


    Suddenly, Victoria shook herself. *No, I can''t keep doing this!* She chastised herself. *Jessica is gone, and that hurts, but I can''t let it stop me from living my life! I can''t keep sinking into a depression and closing myself off every time something reminds me of my old life!* Victoria glanced at Beatrice again, before taking a deep breath and hardening her expression. She still didn''t think anything was going to happen between her and Beatrice, but she wasn''t going to ignore her just because it hurt to think about relationships.


    The two arrived at Victoria''s room and Victoria sat Beatrice on her bed, taking a seat next to her. "So¡­ I- I get why you did what you did. I still don''t like it, but¡­ it wasn''t your fault. AJ is the one to blame, not you. I''m¡­ sorry I yelled at you when you didn''t deserve it." Victoria began hesitantly, not quite sure what she should say to make Beatrice feel better. "As for- as for the peeking¡­" Victoria paused, struggling to find the words. "That- that was wrong, but not- not because you like girls. It was wrong because it was an invasion of privacy." Victoria struggled to put herself in the mindset of a girl seen naked by another person. She was still stuck in the mindset that if a girl saw her naked, and found her attractive, well¡­ that was a bit exciting, right? However, that was a very male centric viewpoint and even then probably not a healthy one. Logically, if it''s wrong for one person to see her naked without her knowledge, it''s wrong for any person to see her naked without her knowledge. Still, she couldn''t exactly force herself to be angry about it¡­ "Uh¡­ anyway, the thing about you liking girls¡­ that- that isn''t a bad thing, you know? I mean, I like girls." Beatrice''s eyes widened as she whirled to face Victoria. "So, uh, don''t- what?" Victoria asked as she noticed Beatrice''s look.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "You- you like girls?" Beatrice asked hesitantly.


    Victoria nodded. "Yup. Apparently before and after the accident. Which¡­ Well, at least I''m consistent."


    "You like girls." Beatrice asked again in a tone that suggested it wasn''t exactly a question, more of a statement full of disbelief.


    "Again, yes. I believe I''ve been pretty clear on that." Victoria repeated with a frown.


    Beatrice blinked a few times, processing this new information. Her expression changed a few times as her emotions rollercoastered: excitement at the idea of potentially being with Victoria, devastation as she remembered her betrayal, ruining any chance of that actually happening, hope as she remembered Victoria saying she didn''t blame her, and hesitation as she remembered Victoria''s chastisement about peeking. She bit her lip in consternation, glancing at Victoria nervously. "What- what does that mean? For- for me¡­"


    Victoria let out a long breath. "That''s a good question¡­ I honestly don''t know at the moment. I mean, AJ still knows your secret, though I might be able to threaten him into silence. You can still be my maidservant too. Just, you know, no more peeking, alright?" Beatrice flushed, nodding along. "Other than that¡­ Well, so far, you''re the only other¡­ uh, girl who likes girls¡­ I don''t know the word in this language. Oh, gay. We''re gay. That works, right? Of course it does." Victoria paused for a moment, before shaking herself. "Anyway, you''re the only other gay girl I know, so¡­ we can at least talk about it. Not like we''re going to be in a relationship, just- I mean, not that we''re not- shit, all I''m saying is that we''re both in a difficult position here and it''d be nice to have someone to fucking talk to about it!¡± Victoria groaned.


    "That- that sounds nice." Beatrice agreed, flushing slightly.


    Victoria let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, good. For now though¡­ It is late, and I have had a long night. I''ll see you in the morning." Beatrice nodded, quickly getting to her feet and heading to her own room. Victoria watched her go, before collapsing onto her bed with a frustrated groan. What the hell was she doing?!? Her emotions were a freaking mess right now and she had no idea what she wanted to do! Images of Jessica kept flashing through her mind, putting a deep pit in her stomach that she struggled to ignore, along with images of Beatrice, some of her looking up at her with that adorable, hopeful look that Victoria just knew was trouble, others of her naked body that caused an aching in Victoria''s lower regions that she also knew was trouble, and finally images of her under AJ that caused a burning sensation in Victoria''s chest that was absolutely trouble. ¡°I''m so, so fucked.¡± Victoria groaned.


    *


    Victoria woke up the next morning with a weary yawn, blinking at the invading sunlight as if it had personally offended her. Weird thoughts had kept running through her mind last night, causing her to twist and turn restlessly. Dreams of Beatrice or Jessica creeping into her bed suddenly turning into Duke Duhallis pressing himself on top of her, jolting her awake. Victoria connected to Ursa. *Enjoying your new toy?* She growled spitefully.


    *Toy?* Ursa replied, confused. *I- I suppose? Though I wish you''d told me earlier that using it to heal myself would also remove my need for sleep.*


    Victoria frowned. *Huh? No, I mean-* Victoria froze, her eyes widening. "Motherfucker!!!" She cursed loudly, planting her face in her hands. How the fuck did she forget that?!? She''s been wasting eight fucking hours every night! Fuck!


    *Hello? Are you still there?* Ursa interrupted Victoria as she beat herself up over her own stupidity.


    *Fuck, yes, shit, cocksucking, asshole!* Victoria sent back, mixing her reply with her own internal monologue.


    *Excuse me?!?* Ursa sent back incredulously, not sure what to make of what he was hearing.


    *Stupid, huh? Sorry, dumbass, I forgot I could do that. I''ve been wasting all this, retard, time sleeping!* Victoria replied.


    Ursa frowned. *I am not stupid.*


    Victoria paused. *Okay? Didn''t say you were?*


    *You just did!* Ursa retorted.


    *No I didn''t!* Victoria countered. *I called myself stupid, but¡­ oh, shit, you hear my internal monologue when I use this thing, don''t you? Ah, fucking¡­ sorry, all that crap was directed at me. I feel so fucking¡­ gah! I''m an idiot!* Victoria groaned, before pausing. *Wait, why were you healing yourself? Doesn''t your Qi already do that for you? Wait¡­ how did you even get injured?!?*


    Ursa coughed awkwardly. *There was some¡­ biting involved in last night''s activities. After we finished, I thought to test out your healing, to see how it compares to my own.*


    Victoria''s eyebrows shot up. *Oh¡­ so, things are going well with Foratuna then?*


    Ursa hesitated for a moment. *She is very¡­ intense. So much passion, an almost¡­ desperate need. Then, the moment it was over, she turned¡­ shy? It was as if she couldn''t believe what she''d just done.*


    Victoria grinned. *Perfect. Keep up the good work.* She commented, before shutting down the connection. She paused for a moment, before sighing and opening up her system, hitting the heal button, instantly feeling refreshed. "Still a fucking idiot." She grumbled, before getting up and starting the day.


    The day progressed normally for the most part. Victoria headed to her training courtyard to do her tasks, before finding someone to spar with in between meditating on her Bladework Rune. Then, after a thoroughly examined lunch accompanied by a few awkward interactions with Beatrice, she continued to meditate on the Bladework Rune until it was time for her lessons with Maurice. It was nice to feel things getting back to normal after the chaos of last night, at least until it was time for dinner. The moment she arrived, she couldn''t help but glare at AJ, who flinched the moment he caught sight of her, his face going pale as he quickly looked down at the table, avoiding Victoria''s glare.


    Albert noticed the strange behavior of the two, frowning as he looked between them, before focusing on AJ. "AJ, are you feeling well?"


    "He''s fine." Victoria growled before AJ could answer, taking her seat aggressively.


    Albert''s frown deepened as he glanced at Victoria. "I would prefer it if AJ answered, Victoria. I did ask him the question." He commented, before turning back to AJ. "Well?"


    AJ glanced nervously at Victoria, before looking back down at the table. "I- I''m fine."


    Albert looked between the two of them again, his frown turned into a scowl. "Alright, enough! What happened between you two?!? And don''t lie to me!" He yelled angrily, pounding the table.


    Victoria snorted. "Ask AJ."


    AJ''s eyes widened in panic, darting around. "I- I- it- she- she¡­ she caught me¡­ uh, sleeping with her maid. I- I had coerced her maid into bed and she- she walked in on us mid act."


    Albert turned back to Victoria, raising an eyebrow. "Is this true?"


    "Unfortunately, yes." Victoria grumbled, somewhat admiring AJ''s evasion, even if she did wish he would go die in a ditch.


    Albert sighed, shaking his head. "AJ, if you need a maid to vent your frustrations, there are plenty you can choose from throughout the castle. Going after your sister''s maidservant is completely unacceptable." He chastised AJ mildly, before turning to Victoria. "Should I have the girl replaced?"


    Victoria frowned at him, an incredulous look on her face. "Are you serious? AJ forces Beatrice to sleep with him, and you want to punish her?!? Like it''s her fault AJ can''t keep it in his pants!?!" Victoria shook her head in disbelief. "What kind of fucked up-" She began, before cutting herself off, growling in frustration, slamming the table as she got to her feet. "Fuck! He''s a monster! You enable it! I am done with it!" She growled, pointing angrily at AJ and Albert as she did, before stomping out, heading back to her room. She was done with this backwards fucking world.


    Albert watched her go, a completely baffled expression on his face, wondering what in the world he could have done wrong. He''d addressed the issue, hadn''t he? What was he going to do, beat his heir because he got a little rough with a maid? He''d turn AJ into a laughing stock! He turned to Maurice with a questioning look. "What was that all about?" He asked incredulously.


    Maurice sighed, shaking his head. "My Lord, you have to understand, she has an entirely different culture in her head, one much different than our own. Things we consider normal could be completely unthinkable to her. I fear you may have stumbled upon one of these contradictions." He paused, considering it for a moment. "It is likely due to your attitude towards the maid. I believe the culture she received knowledge of had a much different ideology towards social class. The idea that someone could simply be replaced could be the contentious point."


    Albert pinched the bridge of his nose with a frustrated sigh. "But she''s a maid! A servant! If they''re no longer fit for service, you replace them!"


    "I believe Victoria does not see it that way." Maurice sighed again.


    "Maybe she has a point." Melissa commented quietly.


    Albert pounded the table. "We are not going through this again!" He growled, glaring at Melissa. "I am the Lord of the castle and I will not be questioned in my own domain!"


    Melissa stared back at him blandly. "Indeed, my Lord." She replied, standing to her feet. "If you''ll excuse me, I feel a bit under the weather. I fear this dinner will no longer agree with me. I shall make an early retirement to my rooms." She added, turning crisply and exiting the dining room.


    The room fell into silence as Albert watched Melissa leave, before letting out a groan and planting his face in his hands. AJ fidgeted nervously for a moment. "Father, I-"


    "Shut up, AJ!" Albert roared, raising his head to glare at the boy. "None of this would be happening if you would stop being so godsdamned stupid! You are going to be a lord! You will have responsibilities! You cannot keep doing things without thinking of the consequences!"


    AJ gulped, nodding profusely. "I- I understand, Father."


    Albert glared at him for a moment, before snorting and shaking his head. He stood to his feet, heading for the door. "Dinner is canceled." He growled, stalking into the halls, not even sure where he was going.

 Points: 22 - Comfort

    Victoria arrived back at her room, standing in the middle as she breathed heavily, tensed up as she looked for something, anything to vent her anger on. She just wanted to break something! To tear down this stupid society and rebuild it into something good! The more she learned about this place, the more she hated it! Women who were forced to marry just because of politics. Servants who were treated as objects to be used! Sects that would risk someone''s life, then forced them to join them as if they had done them a favor! Nobles who were so entitled, they believed they could take whatever they wanted, no matter who it hurt! Who took credit for the work of others without a blink! All Victoria wanted to do right now was make it all burn!


    Victoria continued to stand there for a moment, her anger boiling within her, before she let out a growl, snatching up her daggers and heading towards the training fields. She needed something to fight. At this time of day everyone was either eating or resting, so the field was empty, leaving Victoria''s only option as the solid wooden training dummy. It was probably for the best, anyway. The way she was feeling right now, she might have killed someone.


    Victoria unsheathed her daggers, immediately going on the attack, slashing and stabbing the dummy over and over again as she tried to vent her rage, or at least tire herself out. She pictured everything she hated about this world as she went, seeing AJ, Duke Duhallis, that bitch from the Hidden Blades, the vague silhouette of Ursa''s handler, and finally, the Marquis. The Marquis was the most frustrating one. The rest were simple. They were selfish, evil. She didn''t like what they did, but she got why they did it. But the Marquis? He was a good man! He cared about people, he wanted the world to be a better place, he wanted what was best for his children, so why. Didn''t. He! Get it! Why was he stuck in this stupidity of noble privilege?!? Why couldn''t he get that commoners and women weren''t some sort of commodity!?! It was just so stupid! What sort of world makes good men coddle monsters?!? Almost encourage them!?!


    Victoria let out a shuddering sob as she fell to her knees before the shredded dummy, woodchips strewn across the field. She missed home. She missed people she understood. She missed people who understood her! She just felt so¡­ alone. Nothing made any sense to her anymore. She just¡­ she felt so out of place. Like this world was rejecting her. And it kept getting worse. Every time she explained something to someone, every time she tried to convince them there was a better way, it was like it went in one ear and out the other! Even if they understood and accepted her argument, they just didn''t seem to care! When she talked to Maurice, it was as if he was just fascinated that such a system could exist, with no inclination or idea that such a system could exist here. It seemed like the more she tried, the more resistant people became, and she just couldn''t figure out why. Were her ideas just not good enough? Was the idea of treating people like people too radical?


    Victoria staggered to her feet, slowly making her way back to her room, completely drained of energy. From a castle window, Albert watched her go with a conflicted expression. He wanted to go to her, to comfort her, to be her father, but¡­ everytime she brought up these strange ideas, something visceral inside him bubbled up, completely rejecting them. He knew that even if he went down there to talk to her, to try and make things better, they would just argue, and everything would get worse. He''d never felt so helpless before. Why could he not just be there for his daughter? Why could he not just accept that they had different views? Why did he have to reject her ideas? Albert sighed as Victoria disappeared into the castle, his gaze turning to what remained of the dummy she''d turned her frustration on, a testament to the inner turmoil within her. The conflict within him raged as he stared at the dummy, unable to make a move until the sky turned dark and the dummy faded from view.


    *


    "Miss Victoria? Are- are you okay?" Beatrice asked as Victoria returned to her room, noticing the stray wood chips peppering her clothes and tangled in her hair.


    Victoria sighed, shaking her head. "I''m fine. It''s¡­ just been a long day." She assured the concerned looking girl as she headed into her room.


    Beatrice hesitated for a moment, before following her inside, closing the door behind her. "Miss Victoria, if- if there''s anything I can do to make things better-"


    "Just call me Victoria." Victoria interrupted. "And I''m good, really. It''s just¡­ frustrating. But nothing''s going to change that, so¡­ I should just get used to it."


    "What''s frustrating, Mi- V-Victoria?" Beatrice asked, flushing as she said Victoria''s name without the Miss.


    Victoria paused, glancing at Beatrice, before letting out another sigh and sitting on the edge of the bed, patting the spot beside her for Beatrice. As the maid hesitantly sat down, Victoria began. "I just don''t understand how the nobles can just dismiss an entire class of people as beneath them! I mean, I get it. People like to be in power, like to be above everyone else, but¡­ how can a good, decent human being defend that standpoint when it''s pointed out how backwards it is?!? I get AJ. He''s not a good person. But the Marquis? Maurice? My mother?!? I just¡­ how? Why? It makes no sense!" She ranted, venting her frustration, before throwing herself back on the bed with a groan, covering her face with her hands.


    Beatrice listened attentively, frowning slightly as she heard these strange ideas for the first time. She mulled them over for a bit after Victoria finished, trying to process them, before hesitantly speaking up. "I- I don''t know how- I- I am grateful for what the Marquis, what you have done for me. I think- I think this¡­ dismissal? It- the- the nobles don''t need to do anything for us. It is only through their mercy that we are allowed to serve them. Taking back that gift if they deem us unworthy of it¡­ only makes sense, right?" Beatrice offered, trying to make sense of the way she saw things. Without the nobility, without Victoria and the Marquis, she and her brother would be on the streets, if they were lucky. They could be dead, or worse, she could be forced into a life of prostitution¡­ Beatrice shuddered at the thought. She only felt gratitude for the chance to be Victoria''s maid. In her mind, it was pure charity, and if that charity stopped¡­ what she''d already gotten was already more than she deserved.


    Victoria frowned, pushing herself up on her elbows as she stared at Beatrice. "What about what AJ made you do?"


    Beatrice froze. "That- that was¡­ unpleasant. But- but I can''t expect the Marquis to take my side over his own son''s, can I?"


    Victoria groaned. "See, that''s where I have a problem! I get that the whole lord/servant relationship is a mutually beneficial arrangement that both parties get something out of. Even if it wasn''t, you agreed to this, and that''s your business. But you didn''t agree to be blackmailed by AJ! What he did was a crime, and there should be consequences for that! If he''d done it to some other noble, he''d be lynched, but no, because it was done to a servant, he just gets a stern ''don''t do that'' and that''s it! Even worse, they ask if I want to get rid of you, the victim! Why should you be punished for his actions?!? It''s insane!"


    "I- I don''t- it''s just the way it is, isn''t it?" Beatrice stammered. "Nobles are the ones who maintain law and order. Why would they punish themselves? If you have to choose between anyone being able to hurt you, or a few people, isn''t the few the better option?"


    "Wouldn''t it be better if no one could hurt you?" Victoria retorted.


    Beatrice frowned. "I- I suppose?" She replied hesitantly. "But¡­ how would that be possible? Someone has to be in charge of enforcing the law, and who is good enough to punish themself over others?"


    It was Victoria''s turn to frown. She wanted to explain the legal system from her old world, but¡­ weren''t cops still corrupt back there? Weren''t politicians? How were they any better than corrupt nobles? She could say they couldn''t do as much harm, but¡­ was that really true? ''All cops beat their wives'' was a joke back on Earth. Half the politicians she''d heard of were accused of being pedophiles or rapists, sometimes both. Though¡­ wasn''t a pedophile inherently a rapist? Not the point. The point was, her world had just as much abuse of power as this one, maybe a bit less, but maybe a bit more as well¡­ the people in her old world were good at hiding the things they did wrong. In this world, they didn''t bother.


    "Huh¡­" Victoria grunted. "That''s¡­ actually a very good point." She paused, thinking it over for a bit longer, before falling back onto the bed with a sigh. "I still don''t like it though." She grumbled. Even if it was a fact that those in power would take advantage of those in vulnerable positions, it still didn''t make it right. Plus, her world did do a better job of putting less people in vulnerable positions¡­ she thought. It wasn''t like she could do a study or look it up anymore. That world was gone. Then again, the inner city was a mess¡­ ugh, fuck it. The world sucks. All worlds suck. Viva la revolution. Which, honestly, just puts different people in position to abuse other people, but hey, as long as it isn''t you, right?


    Victoria''s mind was beginning that long, dark spiral into the depths again, when suddenly she felt arms wrap around her, tentatively tightening in a hug. Victoria glanced at Beatrice, whose head was resting on her shoulder, raising an eyebrow as the girl flushed furiously. "You- you looked like you needed a hug¡­" She explained.


    Victoria suppressed a smile as she wrapped her arms around Beatrice in return, squeezing her tight. "Thank you." She muttered, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the comfort of another human being, feeling a bit of the loneliness she''d been feeling recently fade away. Yes, everything she knew was gone, her family, her friends, her world, even her body, but¡­ that didn''t mean she couldn''t find a place in this new world, with new friends, new family. Maybe it would be difficult, but she knew that as long as she was patient, as long as she kept looking, she''d find people who got her. She always did.


    *


    Victoria woke up the next morning with a stiff groan, attempting to sit up before a muffled complaint came from the huddled form firmly latched to her body, squeezing her tightly. Victoria froze for a moment, before remembering what happened last night. She must have fallen asleep while she and Beatrice hugged¡­ *Though at this point, it''s really more of a snuggle.* Victoria thought to herself as she felt Beatrice''s leg draped over her own, the maid''s entire body plastered against her side. *Another night wasted.* Victoria sighed bitterly, cursing herself for falling asleep instead of using her points to keep herself awake so she could cultivate. While her points were outpacing her cultivation at the moment, it was already clear that her points could learn from her cultivation. Advancing her Runes and reaching the higher stages of cultivation would only benefit her. Plus¡­ she still had to enter a sect, and she was fairly certain they wouldn''t take her points into account. Particularly since she wasn''t going to tell them about them.


    Victoria laid there for a moment, considering her plans for the day while enjoying the far from unpleasant sensation of Beatrice cuddling against her, before letting out a sigh and shaking Beatrice lightly by the shoulder, waking her up. "Goodmorning, sleepy head." Victoria teased her with a smirk as she raised her head with a low groan, blinking blearily.


    Suddenly, Beatrice''s eyes widened as she jumped to her feet. "M-miss Victoria, I-I-"


    Victoria giggled as she watched Beatrice flush nervously, not sure whether to flee the room or beg for forgiveness, before covering her mouth and beginning to flush herself as she realized she''d just giggled. She shook herself, coughing awkwardly as she got to her feet, grabbing Beatrice by the shoulders and looking her straight in the eye. "Beatrice, it''s fine. You didn''t do anything wrong, okay?"


    "But- but-" Beatrice stammered, looking between Victoria and the bed, her flush deepening. "We- we-"


    "We cuddled, yes. And I enjoyed it. Didn''t you?" Victoria asked, unable to stop herself from grinning at Beatrice''s adorable fluster. Yeah, she was definitely in trouble here, but she just couldn''t seem to stop herself.


    Beatrice hesitated, looking down as her flush deepened even further, before nodding stiffly, in a small, jerking movement. "It- it was- nice." She replied in a barely audible whisper, her hands going to cover her face as if she couldn''t believe she''d actually just said that.


    Victoria couldn''t help but watch her shift awkwardly, unable to tear her eyes away from the pure adorableness. After a moment, she reached forward, lightly pulling Beatrice''s hands from her face with one hand, while the other reached under her chin, raising her face. "Thank you for comforting me last night." She thanked her, looking Beatrice deep in her wide, astonished eyes.


    "A-as you wish, Miss-" Beatrice replied, her flush unable to go any deeper, before Victoria interrupted her.


    "Victoria. Just Victoria." She corrected her.


    "Victoria¡­" Beatrice let out in a low mutter, almost like she was savoring the word.


    Victoria smiled. "I''ll see you for lunch, Beatrice~" She added teasingly, before heading out the door, heading to her training courtyard to start the day, leaving a flustered Beatrice standing there, watching her go with an almost longing look.


    Victoria''s day progressed normally, but Victoria felt a sense of¡­ comfort that had been missing for a long while. The training was the same, but Victoria felt much more relaxed while doing it. While she sparred, she made jokes with the Cultivator she was sparring, having fun with it instead of turning it into the utterly mechanical affair it''d been the past few days. Over lunch, she and a nervous Beatrice chatted as she asked her questions about her life, learning about her brother, her interests, her hobbies, what she thought of the kingdom, and anything else that came to mind. It quickly became clear that while Beatrice was uneducated, she was actually quite bright, capable of making some rather astute observations. Victoria wanted to introduce her to GoChess to see how she''d do, but they''d already spent too much time talking and she had to get to her meditation.


    "I see you''re feeling better." Maurice commented with a chuckle as Victoria entered his office, humming lightly. "Is there someone special we should know about? Though I fear our friend the Duke would be very disappointed¡­"


    Victoria snorted, shaking her head. "The Duke can be as disappointed as he likes. It won''t change anything. But no, it isn''t that. I just- I realized that though this world may be different from the one I know, that doesn''t mean it''s worse. I''ve been focusing on the things that were good about the other world, while forgetting everything that was bad." Victoria paused for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "I guess I''m just a lot closer to the bad here. I only have a general knowledge of the other world, things everyone would know, but here¡­ I''m part of the nobility. I can see the bad happening, so it''s much easier to focus on."


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Maurice nodded. "Most things look better from a distance. The past, the future, both unattainable states of perfection for everyone but those who call it the present. We forget that with every positive, there comes an accompanying negative. The things that make life so good for one, may make it unbearable for another. Every choice made is another choice discarded. Such is the nature of the world."


    "Right, the opportunity cost." Victoria nodded.


    Maurice frowned. "Could you explain that one?"


    Victoria shrugged. "It''s basically what you just said. Anytime you do something, you give up everything else you could have done instead. Usually it''s applied to economics, where you have multiple options for where to put your money and whatever you choose means you can''t do something else with it. Like, if you invest money, you can''t easily spend it, but if you have it available to spend, you won''t make any interest on it. It''s a tradeoff."


    Maurice nodded along, not quite understanding everything she mentioned due to the difference in culture, but getting the gist of her explanation. "I see. An interesting term." He paused, before continuing. "Well then, shall we begin your lessons? Today we''re going over the collapse of the Callowan Empire, which-" Maurice launched into a history lesson on the factors leading to and effects of the Empire''s collapse. It followed a similar pattern as the empires back on Earth. Empires grow large and powerful, until no one can challenge them, then they grow complacent, weaken, turn to infighting, and then collapse, splitting back into several different groups, until a new power rises and the cycle repeats.


    *Do people just need an enemy?* Victoria wondered to herself as Maurice continued. It seemed like even when things were going well, people needed something to fight against. Without an outside force, they turned on each other. Why? Did they just get bored? Victoria could understand that¡­ That''s why she spread the system back on Earth, though she wasn''t sure if that could be counted as the same thing. She wasn''t looking to create enemies just¡­ competition. Plus, it made the world more interesting. Personally, Victoria hated having enemies. Why did people have to make things so personal? Why hate each other over a difference in opinion? The amount of fights people got into over gender¡­ you''d think turning from a man into a woman would have helped her understand it all, but it did not. She didn''t feel any more or less like herself than when she was Thomas. Just a different package for the same being. Maybe she was missing something? Did she need to try having sex first? With a guy or a girl? She was sure Ursa would be down, and there was always Foratuna¡­ then again, maybe Beatrice would be willing? Her mind flashed again towards images of the two of them entwined on her bed-


    Victoria shook herself, refocusing on Maurice''s lecture. *Stupid rabbit trails, always getting me in trouble.* She grumbled to herself, trying to calm down. She managed to pay attention for almost fifteen minutes before her mind drifted off again. *I don''t think people do it out of boredom¡­* She thought to herself, frowning slightly. *Well, maybe some do, like internet trolls. But otherwise¡­ Do people really believe that the people in their own country, their own neighbors are trying to hurt them? I mean, I get that what''s good for one person isn''t necessarily good for another, but that doesn''t mean you need to be enemies over it, does it? People are always going to be different. Wouldn''t it be better to focus on making sure there''s enough leeway for anyone to live how they want, as much as possible? Of course, that would mean giving people the freedom to do what they want, which¡­ Well, that''s pretty much what every government ever has tried to avoid. Maybe the government itself is the problem? Any system that gives people power will attract people who want more power, which will obviously lead to conflict, because we can''t all have all the power. Of course, the converse in anarchy¡­ that''s a bit too much freedom.* Victoria''s frown deepened. *Of course, that still doesn''t explain why people are so willing to hate someone, for really no reason. Are people just that angry, and looking for someone to blame it on?* Victoria paused for a moment, before shaking her head with a sigh. She just didn''t know, and thinking herself in circles probably wasn''t going to help her figure it out.


    Victoria turned her attention back to Maurice, occasionally getting lost in thought again, but getting most of what he was teaching her either way. With how high her stats were, even if she barely paid attention, she could absorb whatever Maurice was teaching her easily. Since he focused on teaching her history and culture, it was all pure information, nothing to really think about either way, so all she had to do was remember it.


    After Maurice finished his lecture, the two of them headed to dinner. When they arrived, Victoria calmly took her seat at the table, ignoring both AJ and the Marquis beyond the strictly necessary etiquette to remain polite. As much as she''d realized that this world wasn''t necessarily worse than her own, that still didn''t mean she liked the corruption. Maybe they weren''t monsters¡­ well, maybe not the Marquis. AJ was still a shitbird. Anyway, maybe the Marquis wasn''t a monster, but he was still a part of the problem, and Victoria would not pretend to be okay with that. Maybe corruption was a natural facet of government and law enforcement, but that didn''t mean you should just accept it! Just because something is natural doesn''t mean you shouldn''t expect better. That''s why we wear deodorant.


    "Victoria." Albert called her name a few minutes into the meal.


    Victoria politely placed her utensils down on her plate, before turning to the Marquis. "Yes, my Lord?"


    Albert frowned at her distant behavior. "How is your cultivation progressing?"


    "Quite well. I have reached the fourth level of Energy Gathering in Spirit, and I believe I should be able to Assimilate the Bladework Rune in a few days." Victoria replied simply, before returning to her meal.


    Albert''s expression twisted at her response, feeling a mix of pride at her accomplishment, and bitterness at the way she''d reported it, as if he was her superior, instead of her father. He sighed, turning to Urse, hoping that maybe by talking of something else he could draw Victoria out from behind the walls she''d built up. "Sir Ursa, I hear you''ve taken on a disciple recently. A Qi Cultivator, yes?"


    Ursa froze, flushing slightly as he coughed awkwardly. "Ah, yes, that would be correct. Though, I am simply teaching her the basics at the moment. She was a commoner before she Awakened, so her knowledge is¡­ limited."


    Albert nodded in understanding. "I understand perfectly. Many of our Cultivators began as commoners. But, as long as you are patient with them, they can become your most loyal vassals, or even the closest friends." He added, sharing a smile with Maurice. "Though¡­ I hear the two of you are already quite close." He commented, a tinge of amusement creeping into his tone as he winked at Ursa.


    *Oh, they''re talking about Foratuna.* Victoria, who had been very confused, suddenly realized. She internally praised Ursa for coming up with such a simple explanation for Foratuna''s sudden presence. With his frequent trips into town, it wasn''t that far-fetched to believe he may have stumbled across a recently Awakened young woman and taken a fancy to her.


    Albert glanced towards Victoria. "Victoria, you recently began cultivating as well. Maybe you and Ursa''s disciple could train together? It might be nice to have a training partner around your level."


    Victoria snorted. "No, I don''t think that will be necessary." Training with Foratuna? She''d be lucky if she didn''t end up killing the bitch.


    "Victoria! Don''t be rude!" Melissa scolded her. "Why can''t you train with the girl? Because she was a commoner? She''s a Cultivator now! Maybe you two could even be friends!"


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "Mom, that isn''t- look, I''m already at the fourth level of Energy Gathering. Do you really think she''ll be able to catch up with me? It''ll just be me lowering myself to her level, which won''t help me at all, and it wouldn''t be better than training with anyone else for her." Victoria quickly came up with.


    "She''s right." Ursa quickly added. "Foratuna hasn''t even formed her Core yet. The gap between the two of them would make training together pointless at the moment."


    Victoria paused as an idea occurred to her, a slow grin tugging at her lips. "Maybe she could train with AJ. You''re close to Assimilating your Riding Rune, right?"


    AJ froze, not expecting to be brought into this conversation, especially not by Victoria. "Uh, y-yes. I-I was planning on Assimilating it within the next few days." He answered nervously, wondering just what Victoria was getting at. Why would she care about his training?


    Victoria snickered internally, turning back to Melissa. "See? Much closer in level. They''d be perfect partners." She grinned. If she could have Foratuna seduce AJ¡­ since Foratuna was a Cultivator, it wasn''t like when AJ slept with Beatrice. Cultivators have status. Even the Marquis wouldn''t be able to save AJ if it came out that he''d raped a Cultivator! Cultivators were the foundation of the kingdom! If the nobles began to treat them like commoners¡­ there would be a revolt. Or at least, the Cultivators would be motivated to choose a different country to make their home.


    Ursa nodded slowly, not sure why Victoria would want this to happen, but knowing he needed to go along with her plan. "That''s not a bad idea. Foratuna could certainly use some combat practice."


    Albert hesitated slightly, sensing something¡­ strange about all this, but he couldn''t find any reason to reject the idea, especially since he''d been the one to bring up Foratuna being Victoria''s training partner in the first place. He couldn''t very well say that AJ didn''t deserve to have a training partner, now could he? "Very well. Once the two of them have condensed their cores, they shall begin training together." The Marquis nodded.


    Victoria failed to suppress a grin as she turned back to her food. AJ would get what was coming to him. It was just a matter of time.


    *


    Over the next few days, Victoria returned to her routine, with a few minor differences. Her Bladework Rune had reached the ninety-nine percent mark, just waiting for that flash of inspiration to advance, so Victoria began to work on her Craft Rune instead. The Craft Rune felt a lot like the Design Rune, except it was a lot more focused on the work, rather than the result. When she meditated on the Design Rune, she had ideas for many different things, products that would make her life better or more comfortable. However, when she meditated on the Craft Rune, the ideas focused on methods. Ways to heat metal so that it could be molded in just the right way. How to cut two boards so they could slot together and not come apart easily. Ways to mix ingredients together so that each ingredient evenly spreads throughout the entire concoction.


    Much like the Design Rune, the Craft Rune was very broad. It focused more on teaching her ways to think about things, rather than specific instructions on how to do things. However, like the Bladework Rune, it also made her want to move. It made her fingers itchy, like she needed to be doing something. A few minutes into her meditation, and she already found herself searching through her blueprints, looking for something to make. Grand designs were tossed to the side as she pulled out her design for deodorant, pulling out ingredients as she began to experiment. The issue she''d been running into was that she couldn''t get the deodorant to the right consistency. It was either too hard, barely spreading when rubbed, or too soft, leaving massive clumps with each swipe. Now, with the Craft Rune, Victoria was full of ideas on how to fix that.


    Other than the burst of motivation to work on her projects, Victoria began to spend more and more time talking with Beatrice. Maybe it was because Beatrice liked her, but Victoria just enjoyed being around her. She was attentive, easy to talk to, insightful, and just too damn adorable. Victoria was tempted to see if she wanted to cuddle overnight again, if she wasn''t using points to stay up and cultivate. Also, she still wasn''t sure how she felt about her, plus¡­ if she was going to actually be with Beatrice, she wanted to be honest with her, tell her about herself, her real self. And¡­ she wasn''t sure how she would take that. What would she think about her actually being a man from another world? Would she still like her? Or him? Whatever she was, the uncertainty kept her from actually pursuing anything with Beatrice.


    Unfortunately, the more she interacted with Beatrice, the more¡­ frustrated she became. The pent up desires kept threatening to explode as she watched Beatrice hesitantly make her way through some new insight, or flush as she teased her about calling her by her name. When she took a bath, she found herself lingering on certain areas, before she caught herself and hurriedly moved on. Day by day she could feel her resistance growing weaker, and she had no idea what to do about it. Eventually something was going to give, and she just hoped she didn''t do anything too bad. If she could just bring herself to masturbate¡­ but it still felt wrong. Maybe if her system had a-


    Victoria froze in the middle of the day''s lesson with Maurice, her mind having drifted off, wandering towards her frustrations with Beatrice and her hormonal frustrations, as a stray thought flashed through her mind. Could her system have an orgasm button? How would that work? How many points would it cost? Why the fuck hadn''t she thought of this earlier?!? All she needed was the result, right? If she could avoid all the¡­ touching, she could avoid the awkwardness. The wrongness. She could get her release, without doing anything weird or perverted!


    Immediately she pulled up the system, creating the option. It barely even cost any points! Victoria supposed that made sense though. It wasn''t like the system was actually changing anything, it was just¡­ stimulating. That couldn''t be too hard, right? *Let''s see how good a job it does.* Victoria thought to herself, activating the option without a second thought, completely forgetting where she was and what she was doing. An absent thought flitted through her mind. *I''m a girl now, right? How much of a mess can I cause?*


    The moment she hit the button, Victoria felt her entire body clench as waves of pleasure began to surge through her. A light gasp escaped her lips as she curled over as if in pain, short, high pitched moans squeaking out of her as she began to shudder. *Wh-Why isn''t it stopping?!?* Victoria panicked as she remained in this state for a good half a minute, before the sensations finally began to subside. She slowly relaxed, still gasping slightly as aftershocks flared up every now and then, before finally the entire experience was over. She looked up, immediately flushing deeply as she saw Maurice staring at her with a concerned expression.


    "Are you okay?" Maurice asked hesitantly, not sure what to make of Victoria''s strange behavior. Was she hurt? Maybe- maybe she was cramping? He''d heard women would do that when they were on their- Maurice coughed awkwardly. "Ah, hm, do- do you need to take a break? We- we could continue your lessons at a later time if you aren''t feeling up to it."


    Victoria was about to shake her head, denying that anything was wrong, when she shifted nervously and felt a¡­ dampness. She froze, her flush deepening even further. "I-I could use a short break." She mumbled in embarrassment.


    Maurice nodded sagely. "You can return whenever you feel better." He assured her kindly.


    Victoria nodded, getting to her feet and rushing out, her legs tightly pressed together as she prayed to any being who would listen that no one could see the wet spot. Once she returned to her room, she quickly breathed out a sigh of relief as she examined her pants. The dampness had thankfully been mostly confined to her underwear, only some light spots seeping through at the crotch, not even visible unless someone was really looking for it. Groaning in a mix of shame and relief, she collapsed onto her bed. How could she be so stupid?!? Was she that horny? Had her lizard brain seen the orgasm button and just thought ''pleasure good''?!? And why- why had it lasted so long? Was that normal? Back when she was male, it barely lasted any time at all, maybe a few seconds, tops! A bit of build up and then boom, done! But this¡­ including the aftershocks, the entire thing had lasted practically an entire damn minute! She''d known males and females had different¡­ experiences, but she''d thought it was just that females could have more! She didn''t think they lasted for an entire damn minute!


    Victoria groaned again, completely embarrassed as she thought back to what had happened, curling up in shame. She''d done that right in front of Maurice! He was like her grandpa! And she had orgasmed in front of him! Gah! Thankfully he didn''t seem to realize what had happened, or at least, he was polite enough to not say anything, but still. Victoria couldn''t believe she''d actually done that! She just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.


    After a few minutes of sulking, Victoria finally picked herself up and put on some new pants and underwear, tossing the soiled clothes in the laundry before pausing, a flush slowly creeping up her neck again. Beatrice did her laundry¡­ what- what would she think when she found the soiled garments? Victoria quickly scrambled over to the laundry basket, fishing the clothing out again and balling them up, looking around nervously for a place to hide, or better yet destroy, the evidence. *Under the bed? No, Beatrice cleans the bed, she''d find it there. She- she cleans the entire room!* Victoria glanced at the fireplace. *I could burn them! But I''d need to start a fire¡­ which is what Beatrice does¡­* Victoria''s breathing quickened as panic began to set in. She needed to get rid of these clothes! If she could get them out of the room, she could bury them in her training courtyard or something, but how was she supposed to explain her carrying a bundle of clothing around the castle? She couldn''t sneak the clothing into someone else''s laundry either, because she was the only one in the castle who wore this style of clothing, and that would only cause more questions.


    Suddenly, she had an idea. Could she use points to destroy the clothes, or at least change them? She knew she could use points to make things or change people, but she''d never tried to use points on something that already existed that wasn''t actually alive. Pants couldn''t have the system, so how would that even work? However¡­ the points themselves worked like energy, didn''t they? Victoria hesitantly placed the bundle of clothing on her desk, before sending out a cloud of points, covering the clothing as if she were scanning them into her design space, infusing the points into them. She then paused. How was she supposed to actually put this into the system? A delete pants button? What pants? How was she supposed to define that? What was the relationship between her and the pants? "I just want to destroy these clothes!" Victoria groaned, and suddenly, they were gone, along with a little less than ten of her points.


    Victoria''s eyes widened for a moment, staring at the empty desk, suddenly remembering something she''d forgotten from when she first discovered points: she was the one who controlled them. The system itself was just a tool, an interface that helped to quantify everything, to make it easily understandable. It also let other people use and gain points, people who didn''t control them the way she did. But she didn''t actually need the system. The points responded to her will, not the system''s. The system only did anything it did because she wanted it to! The system was just an extension of her ability to use points, and she could use them without the system as well. "Huh¡­ how did I forget that?" Victoria muttered to herself, before pausing. "Probably could have just gotten rid of the mess too¡­ would have been cheaper. Am I just stupid?" Victoria stood there with a frown, considering it for a moment, before shaking her head and sighing. "I should get back to Maurice."

 Points: 23 - Making an effort

    Despite the awkwardness involved in her first use of the orgasm button, Victoria had to admit that it made her a lot more¡­ relaxed. Even AJ didn''t seem as annoying when she saw him at dinner that night. She still thought he was a horrible human being who needed to be punished, but his presence didn''t seem as offensive as it had the past few days. Thinking about it, it made sense. Since she was frustrated physically, she''d been feeling a bit more¡­ on edge. Like a wounded animal snapping at anything that comes near. She reflected at the importance of keeping your life in balance, in taking care of your needs and frustrations, before they spill over and make you do something you regret. Thankfully she hadn''t done anything terrible, at least, not to anyone who didn''t deserve it, though¡­ She may have been kind of a bitch to her father.


    Victoria glanced at the head of the table, before looking around at the rest of the table as well, beginning to frown as she realized something. She''d hardly even noticed, but ever since her outburst a few days ago, their dinners had become more and more quiet. All of them simply ate their meals, maybe making a few comments, such as AJ''s announcement that he''d finally Assimilated his Rune, but otherwise they sat in silence before going their separate ways. *Is- is this my fault?* Victoria wondered to herself, thinking over her behavior the past few days. She was argumentative, snippy, closed off, and just plain stubborn.


    The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she got. Yes, she disagreed with the way her father handled AJ, but¡­ that was a cultural problem. Plus, her father didn''t know everything AJ had done. In his world, AJ was just a little forceful in pursuing a maid he shouldn''t have been involved with in the first place. It wasn''t his fault Victoria couldn''t explain the entire situation. Right now, she and AJ were in a delicate balance. If she told their father about what he did, he would kill him, but then he''d tell their father about Beatrice. Even if he didn''t, it was a fact that Beatrice had helped AJ with his plan, and without an adequate explanation, she would still be in trouble, and the explanation would only make things worse. If her father would kill AJ, his own son, she didn''t even want to think about what he''d do to a random maid. Which, admittedly, was an issue of its own, but again, she couldn''t exactly blame him for the culture he lived in.


    *Shit, I have to fix this.* Victoria groaned internally as she wracked her brain, looking for some solution to the depressed atmosphere. Unfortunately, she hadn''t been the best at social situations back on Earth, let alone here, where she''d barely even adjusted to the culture. Suddenly, as she was struggling to find any way to ease some of the tension in the room, her Design Rune began to tremble. A slight trickle eased out of it, bringing with it the new ability she''d gained when she''d advanced the Rune earlier. It was a trick she could use to give someone an idea and make them think it was their own! Of course, it didn''t make them actually do it, but it would at least give them a nudge in that direction.


    Victoria cautiously released a small cloud of points, sending it towards Albert as she considered just what idea she wanted to give him. She could try just giving him the idea to say something, anything, just to get the conversation started, but that seemed like it could go wrong. What if he brought up politics or something? She didn''t want to start another argument. Victoria sighed to herself. It seemed like all she did was argue recently. No, she needed something else. Something benign, that wouldn''t draw out any strong opinions, but could still let people talk. *The weather? No, that''s stupid. Celebrity gossip? Does this world even have celebrities? Can''t talk about the latest superhero movie¡­ fuck! No more superhero movies!* Victoria got a little off topic, wandering down the hole of things that no longer exist after Earth was destroyed, before shaking herself and getting back on topic. Thankfully, with the amount of points she had, her thoughts were really fast, so it didn''t waste too much time. *Okay, okay, no pop culture¡­ books? They have books here, right? Do they have fiction books? Shit, I don''t even need to use my new ability for this one.*


    Victoria cleared her throat, looking over at Albert. "Uh, I was wondering¡­ There''s this¡­ idea, from my memories, of¡­ uh, well, stories of things that didn''t actually happen, I don''t actually know the word for it, but they write them in books and people read them for enjoyment. Do those exist here?"


    Albert looked up in surprise, before frowning. "You mean like the Saga of Sir Racha?" He asked hesitantly.


    "Was Sir Racha a real person?" Victoria replied, raising an eyebrow.


    "It''s debatable, but it''s generally believed that no, no he wasn''t. The Saga details many fantastical exploits of the Cultivator as he grew from a lowly commoner to the Grand Emperor of the Fuego Empire." Maurice explained. "There''s no solid evidence of a Fuego Empire ever existing, let alone Sir Racha, but the world is a large place and the Saga of Sir Racha is widespread. Either way, it is an enjoyable and inspiring tale."


    Victoria nodded along. "That sounds like what I remember. Are books like that common?"


    Maurice shook his head. "Scribes usually spend their time on more¡­ substantial works. I''m sure the royal library has some that you could request copies of though, for a price."


    Victoria frowned for a moment, before nodding in understanding. "Ah, right, you guys don''t have the printing press, do you?"


    Maurice froze. "The what now?"


    "The printing press. It''s this device that people used to copy books quickly." Victoria explained, before pausing. "I''m not entirely sure how it works, especially since the technology advanced a lot since it was invented, but I think it was like a stamp? You put letters or words on these blocks, so that when you stamp them down, they''d ink the page of the book you wanted to copy. Then you''d do that a few dozen, or maybe even a hundred times, depending on how many copies you wanted to make, before rearranging it for the next page and doing it again. At least, that''s how I think it worked¡­ There''s probably more details, like how to actually ink the letters and whatnot which I don''t know. Maybe they had dedicated stamps for each book? Like, whenever someone wanted that book, you''d just bring them out, ink them, stamp the pages, put it all together, and send it over." Victoria trailed off as she began to think of how she would design a printing press. You couldn''t just dip the stamps into the ink, or there would be too much ink, smudging the words. You needed some sort of ink pad that would only put ink on what was pressed into it¡­


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Maurice blinked at Victoria a few times, trying to process the device she was describing. As someone who used to be a scribe, he was well aware of what a painstaking process hand copying a book could be. If there was a machine that could make copies from pre-made molds¡­ it- it would revolutionize the industry! Books would become something that even commoners could enjoy! Knowledge would flow out to the masses! A simple booklet detailing the basics of cultivation would change so many lives if it was widespread. The amount of Cultivators who died attempting to reject a Rune or take on more than they could handle would decrease dramatically! With more Cultivators, the country itself would become stronger, more prosperous, and the people happier. Maurice lost himself in visions of a brighter tomorrow.


    Maurice finally shook himself out of his daze, grabbing Victoria by the shoulders. "You must tell me more! This- this device, it could change the world!"


    "It kind of already did. It was a big thing for the world I remember as well." Victoria replied.


    Calvin wrinkled his nose. "What''s so important about books? Books are boring."


    "Books are knowledge and knowledge is power." Ursa commented, patting the boy on the shoulder. "This is never felt more heavily than by one who doesn''t have it when they need it." Ursa added with a sigh, remembering his arduous trek through the deep forest, just to end up right by Tamara again. If not for Victoria''s timely arrival, he would have been tracked down again, possibly captured, without ever knowing how they had been able to reach him.


    Calvin crossed his arms petulantly. "I can know things without reading a book. I can just ask Maurice, or Father!"


    "The reason you can ask me or your father is because we read books! That is how we are able to pass that knowledge on to you!" Maurice interjected. "Additionally, what if we don''t know about the topic you''re asking about? What if you found a strange artifact, covered in mysterious runes from an ancient culture? No one could help you translate those runes, but you could possibly find a book, written by someone with a similar experience long ago, that could help you. That is what books are for. They carry knowledge from the past to the future, keeping it safe and secure until needed."


    "They also help spread knowledge." Victoria added. "There''s only so many people you can tell about something, but once you write it in a book, people can spread it around themselves, making copies, giving it to other people, or even just telling other people about what they read, like learning from Maurice."


    Albert nodded. "Much of what I have learned of rule and strategy has come from reading the memoirs of others in my position, how they thought, how they acted, the solutions they found. You can know that a certain general lost a battle, but if you can read his thoughts, know what he did and why he did it, you can learn why he lost that battle, and how to prevent such losses yourself if you find yourself in a similar position."


    Calvin''s expression turned serious as Albert talked about generals. As the second son, he wouldn''t be inheriting his father''s title, which meant that his path would lie in the military, possibly being one of those generals. He knew the importance of learning strategy and tactics. So far, all the books he''d read had been about dry, boring history, talking of wars, but never how they were fought and won. If books could teach him that, then maybe they weren''t so useless after all.


    There was a short lull in the conversation after Albert finished talking, but soon Melissa made a light comment, and the table returned to a more normal conversation. It was still a little forced, as people obviously were grasping for topics at times, but at least people were trying again. Victoria breathed a sigh of relief, before her mind drifted towards something else that was bothering her. Her Design Rune had taught her something on its own! She hadn''t meditated, hadn''t sought any knowledge or guidance from it, yet, when she was struggling for a solution to her predicament, it had reached out and handed one to her. She hadn''t ended up using it, sure, but¡­ how could a Rune show such agency? It was almost as if the Rune itself were alive.


    Victoria frowned as she considered the implications of that. What really were the Runes? Where did they come from? How did they exist? Were they alive? Were they sentient?!? Victoria paused. No, they probably weren''t sentient. Or very bright. The Design Rune hadn''t even shown her an ability she could use, at least, not normally. Unless it somehow knew about her points¡­ Victoria shook her head. That would be a whole other issue. If all her Runes were watching her¡­ Victoria shuddered at the thought of random, pervy old men watching her bathe. Yeah, no, she was going to assume that wasn''t the case, for her own mental health.


    Still, it was clear there was something up with her Design Rune. Something active. It was obviously helpful, whatever it was, but Victoria wasn''t exactly comfortable with the idea of something alive living in her head¡­ not that she could do much about it. She still needed her Runes, for cultivation, to get into a sect, to get more powerful. She''d just need to be a little more¡­ aware of the Runes. So far, all they did was give her knowledge, tools, but was that all they were capable of? What if instead of giving her ideas, they gave her desires, things she''d never want to do on her own, but the Runes implanted in her mind, like she''d done to Foratuna? As long as the Runes remained benign, she''d continue to trust them, but if she sensed something strange¡­ Well, she still had the system. It would be harder, but she would still become powerful, even without the Runes.

 Points: 24 - Blade

    The next day, Victoria continued to work on fixing the tension she''d created between her and the rest of the family. With Calvin, it was fairly simple. She just dedicated some of the time she usually reserved for cultivation to playing games with him. Since she didn''t need to sleep, it wasn''t that big a deal to give up an hour or two to bond with her little brother. As for her mother¡­


    "Victoria!" Melissa exclaimed as Victoria hesitantly entered her chambers, jumping up to pull her into a hug. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"


    Victoria flushed, internally chastising herself for not doing more to actually develop a connection with her new family as she awkwardly returned Melissa''s embrace. "I- I just wanted to apologize. I''ve been¡­ frustrated, and I''ve been taking it out on all of you, and you don''t deserve that. I- I just wanted to make sure you knew I was sorry and that I''ll be better from now on."


    "Oh, dear, I know." Melissa pulled her closer, rubbing her back consolingly. "With everything that''s happened, everything you''ve gone through, I''m amazed you''re handling it all as well as you are! If you need to vent sometimes, it''s more than understandable."


    "But my venting shouldn''t come at your expense." Victoria replied softly. "I shouldn''t make the lives of everyone around me miserable just because I''m having issues."


    "You can''t hide what you''re going through just to make the people around you feel better." Melissa chastised firmly, pulling away to look her firmly in the eye. "We want to be there for you! If you hide your pain, how are we supposed to help?"


    Victoria hesitated. "I- I guess, but¡­ shouldn''t there be a middle ground between pretending everything is okay and being a complete bitch to everyone around me?"


    "Ideally? Absolutely. But how many of us have the wherewithal to actually determine that in the midst of our struggles?" Melissa countered. "Everyone has bad days. Days where they can''t, or don''t, consider their actions, and simply react. And that''s okay. Trying to be perfect all the time will only make you miserable. The key isn''t to always respond perfectly, but to acknowledge that even when you respond poorly, the other person still loves and accepts you anyways. That even when you fight and argue, that doesn''t mean you hate each other."


    Victoria frowned. "I still don''t think that''s an excuse to abuse the people around you."


    Melissa sighed, shaking her head. "No, it isn''t, you''re right. You will still have to deal with the consequences of your actions. If you make someone angry, they will still be angry and you have to do what you must to deal with that. However, you''ll still have a relationship. If you hide everything you''re going through, then the relationship breaks down. It''s no longer a relationship between you and them, but between them and the person you pretend to be. That isn''t a real relationship."


    Victoria finally got what she was saying. Melissa wasn''t telling her it was okay to be a bitch, but that even if she was a bitch sometimes, it was better than walling herself off from everyone. People were messy and imperfect. They were going to piss you off sometimes, and you were going to piss them off sometimes. It was a part of life. If she hid herself from that, pretended everything was fine, smoothed over every little bump, she could make people like her, but it wouldn''t actually be her people liked. "I- I understand. I''ll still try to be better though. To be better at recognizing I''m going down a bad path, so I can fix it or get help before things get so¡­ tense."


    Melissa smiled. "I know you will. And I also know you''ll make mistakes, because you''re human. But that''s okay, because I love you." She pulled Victoria in for another hug, squeezing her tightly. Victoria hesitated for a moment, before squeezing back, holding onto Melissa tightly as a few tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes. She hadn''t even realized how much she missed the unconditional acceptance that could only come from a mother. She could almost feel a part of her loneliness evaporate under Melissa''s warm embrace.


    They held each other for a long moment, silently comforting each other. After a while, they parted, and began to talk of lighter things. Victoria talked about how her cultivation was going, the various projects she was working on, her ideas going forward, and her concerns about where all this was taking her. "It''s just¡­ the more I see, the more I realize how power obsessed this world is." Victoria sighed. "The more you have of it, the more people want to drag you down. Either that, or they just want to use you. I want to keep cultivating, to keep growing stronger, but¡­ it just seems like everything I do invites more and more problems. Sometimes I think I should just run away and forget all of this, find somewhere quiet and just live." Of course, she knew that was just wishful thinking. She couldn''t just ignore what had happened to Earth. Still, when she thought about the path in front of her, of the things she''d need to do, she just felt tired. It all seemed so insurmountable.


    "That''s the burden of power." Melissa nodded. "The more you have, the more you can do, which unfortunately means there''s more people want to stop you from doing. You don''t need to stop a farmer from overthrowing your kingdom, but if you piss off a sufficiently powerful Cultivator, you won''t even have a kingdom to overthrow! However, a sufficiently powerful Cultivator can also save millions, revolutionize a culture, or create an era of prosperity unlike any seen before! The Callowan Empire was born because of a single powerful Cultivator, and we are still benefiting from the stability it provided! Just the effect of clearing out the most dangerous gathering places for Rune Beasts has done wonders for our development. When a Beast Tide runs through your lands every decade or so, it''s hard to build anything that will last. I understand the desire to run away, to avoid the hardships that come with pursuing power, but for the good you can accomplish if you succeed, can you really live with yourself if you just gave up?"


    Victoria paused. The good she could do, huh? She remembered her time back on Earth, how the world had begun to change. Sure, the government didn''t like her, but the system was ready to make everyone''s life better! If she could do something like that here, take cultivation from something that a few powerful people lorded over the rest, to something that everyone had access to¡­ Victoria''s thoughts cut off as she remembered the end result of that on Earth. The Voice, or someone like them, would show up again and destroy everything, wouldn''t they? Victoria scowled. More power being used to oppress, instead of support! She was sick of it! If you didn''t use your power for good, you didn''t deserve to have it! Kingdoms that would kill people for showing too much promise, Sects that tricked desperate children into signing their lives away, powerful creatures that wiped out entire worlds just because of a little disorder¡­ they all deserved to burn!


    Victoria took a deep breath as she got herself under control. "Thank you. I needed to hear that."


    Melissa smiled. "I''m glad I could help."


    Victoria nodded. "I should probably get back to work¡­ Would- would you mind if I stopped by every now and then? To talk?"


    "You are always welcome, day or night." Melissa replied in a serious tone. "You come to me whenever you need me, understand?"


    Victoria smiled. "Yes, Ma''am. I will."


    "Yes, Mom." Melissa corrected her sternly, before giving her one last hug. "Now, go on, get back to work. I expect great things from you!" She pushed Victoria along with a smile.


    "I''ll try not to disappoint." Victoria laughed, hesitating slightly before adding one last word. "Mom."


    *


    Victoria was feeling good after her conversation with Melissa, but she still had one person to talk to: her father. She wasn''t going to apologize to AJ. He deserved everything she''d thrown at him, and more. The Marquis hadn''t. However¡­ she was still a little angry at him. She knew it was unreasonable, that it was the culture, that he didn''t know the whole story, that he had to consider how his actions affected the family as a whole, not just her or AJ, but¡­ the casual disregard for Beatrice was something she couldn''t get past. She knew she was being too harsh, too unreasonable, but to her, Beatrice was important. To not even consider the fact that dismissing her would literally ruin her life¡­ Victoria scowled. She was getting off track. The point was that she knew her father wasn''t a bad man, and he didn''t deserve to be treated as one. She needed to apologize for that. The problem was that she didn''t know if she could apologize without turning it into another argument over human rights¡­


    Victoria let out a pained groan. Why did this world''s culture have to be so backwards?!? And why couldn''t she seem to convince anyone that there was a problem with it!?! Everyone was so entrenched in these ideas, and no matter what she said, they wouldn''t budge! Objectively she''d known how hard it could be to change a person''s view on a subject. She''d had arguments over politics more than enough to realize that there was no way to change some people''s minds. It was just that this stuff seemed so basic to her! How could you even question that even the lowliest servant deserved basic human decency? How could any argument refute that? And yet over and over, they did! She almost bought into some of the arguments herself! She could at least see the logic behind it. She understood that no one deserves anything. Expecting someone else to do something for you as if you had some sort of right to it didn''t make any sense. It was their life. They got to live it however they wished, and if they didn''t wish to help you, well, sucks to be you. However, as a decent human being, you should at least feel some inclination to be good to the people around you, right? If you can help someone, why not do it?


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Victoria paused. "Shit, I''m already arguing and I''m not even there yet!" She cursed. Maybe she was too tense? If she slipped into the bathroom, she could- Victoria cut off that train of thought, flushing deeply. There was something deeply wrong about using the orgasm button right before she talked to her father. Plus, if she started using it every time she felt a little tense or stressed, wouldn''t she just be using it all the time? She didn''t need to be addicted to the thing. She should probably limit herself to only using it once a day, tops, and maybe not even that often. She didn''t want to get used to it or something and not be able to enjoy regular sex.


    Victoria let out another sigh. "Shit, I''m stalling." She grumbled, willing herself to keep moving towards the Marquis. She knew that even if it was hard, even if she ended up making things worse, she had to try. She had to put herself out there and apologize. She found the Marquis practicing in the courtyard where he''d taught her her dagger drills, swinging a giant blade as if it was as light as a feather, his eyes closed as he flowed through the large, sweeping motions, sending dust flying as wind billowed around him. Victoria waited by the entrance, watching quietly, mesmerized by the beautiful, yet violent motions, a union of skill and brutality. It was completely different from the way she used her daggers. Her dagger forms focused on precision, doing the most work with the least amount of effort. The goal was to be fast and efficient. The wide, arcing motions would never be used in any real fight using a dagger. However, despite their obvious differences, Victoria felt something click inside her as she watched, feeling her Bladework Rune react to the violent motions. She went into a daze as she watched, she felt as if she was on the verge of a breakthrough, when suddenly the Marquis stopped as he noticed her.


    "Victoria?" He asked in confusion. "What are you-"


    "Damn it!" Victoria cursed as she lost the feeling, before freezing as she remembered why she was actually here. "Uh, sorry. I didn''t- I- I wanted to apologize for the way I''ve been acting the last few days. I''ve been rude and even if we disagree, you don''t deserve that. You haven''t done anything wrong, we just¡­ have different views on how the world should work."


    Albert stared at her for a moment, processing her words. "I- I have been stubborn as well." He finally sighed. "You have¡­ legitimate views that, even if I don''t believe they would necessarily work in our society, I shouldn''t dismiss the way I have been. I should have been the one to talk to you, but¡­ I''ve been prideful."


    Victoria shook her head. "My behavior wasn''t even related to that. I was¡­ frustrated, due to something else, and I was taking it out on all of you. Even if you''d talked to me, we probably would have just gotten into another argument." She sighed.


    "I knew there was something else going on! If I''d actually talked to you, maybe I could have helped!" Albert retorted in frustration.


    Victoria flushed. "I- I don''t think you could have¡­ it was more of a personal issue."


    Albert frowned slightly, wondering what she could mean by that, but deciding not to pry. Their situation was already tenuous. It would be best to not push her. "Would you like to spar?" He offered tentatively.


    Victoria paused, before smiling and nodding. "I''d like that." Albert breathed a sigh of relief, moving to put his large sword away. "Wait!" Victoria called out to stop him. "Could¡­ could we use the large swords?" She asked hesitantly, remembering the feeling she''d gotten when she watched him practice earlier. Maybe if she fought with one, she could figure out what she was missing!


    Albert hesitated. "Are you sure? I know your cultivation gives you a strength boost, but even Essence Cultivators at the first stage of Core Strengthening struggle with a sledgeblade. I know I make it seem light, but this weapon weighs over fifty pounds." He explained, hefting the sledgeblade.


    Victoria nodded. "I''m sure." She didn''t need to worry about the weight anyway. With her points plus her cultivation, while the sledgeblade wouldn''t exactly be light, it wouldn''t be that heavy either.


    Albert eyed her with a weird look, before shaking his head. "If you really want to, I''m not opposed to a light spar. An introduction to sledgeblades would do you well in any case." He picked another, slightly smaller sledgeblade off the wall, handing it to Victoria.


    Victoria took the heavy weapon, feeling the weight in her arms as she gave it a practice swing, stumbling half-way through. The sheer momentum of the thing almost took her off her feet! She swung it a few more times, getting used to bracing herself against the force generated by swinging a weapon that heavy, before pausing with a frown. How exactly was she supposed to fight with this thing? Every time she swung, she''d leave openings that anyone with even a modicum of speed could take advantage of! She thought of how the Marquis had been moving when he was practicing earlier, almost like he was dancing¡­ at the time the movements had seemed excessive, but now¡­ Victoria began to swing again, but instead of bracing herself against the momentum, she flowed with it, letting it carry her along with it.


    She was clumsy at first, but as she continued, her steps began to fall in line with the motions as she felt a strange sensation come over her. She wasn''t meditating on her Bladework Rune, but she felt the lessons she''d learned before return, remembering how it had guided her through her dagger forms, teaching her how to think about them, how to adjust her movements to fit the weapons better, how to leverage her strength in the most optimal way. The lessons still applied to the sledgeblade, she just had to adjust in a different way! Daggers needed precise control. Small deviations could be the difference between a successful parry and your dagger breaking. However, with a sledgeblade, precision was a joke. Even a glancing blow could send your opponent flying! Instead, the problem was actually controlling the weapon. It was too heavy to fight, but she could guide its momentum, turning herself into a whirlwind of violent motion! It was all about maneuvering herself in the right way so that any opening would become a trap as the sledgeblade swung back around, or even using the momentum of the blade to dodge any potential attack. Where daggers would let her hold back and wear down the opponent through small, precise strikes, the sledgeblade demanded that she attack constantly, because any pause would turn into a real opening, which would leave her vulnerable.


    Albert watched Victoria adjust to the sledgeblade, once again awed by the sheer talent of his daughter. It only took her a few moments to go from stumbling about to flowing with her weapon! He could see her figuring out the principles necessary to wield a sledgeblade in a matter of seconds. It was almost like she was destined for combat, for power, and that thought sent a chill down his spine. If it had been AJ, or even Calvin showing this level of talent, he wouldn''t be concerned, but his daughter? It was rare for a powerful woman to lead a happy life. They were either pursued as trophies, or rejected for being too aloof, and if she thought Duke Duhallis was bad, then she was in for a rude awakening when she met the truly powerful Cultivators. It was an unfortunate fact that those who reached for power tended to be assholes. A rare individual may pursue power to help those around them, but the majority did it for themselves, searching for power so that they could live how they wanted, disregarding everyone else around them. If Victoria continued down this path she was so very, very suited for¡­ Eventually one of them would take a liking to her, and he just hoped she would be strong enough to stand her ground when they did.


    Victoria finished getting used to the sledgeblade, turning to Albert. "Ready?" She asked, hefting the weapon, a hint of excitement in her eyes. She was so close to the revelation! She could practically taste it! All she needed was a little push, and she was positive her Bladework Rune would Advance!


    Albert hesitated for a moment, before nodding. "Ready." He replied, hefting his own sledgeblade. He was worried for his daughter, but he was also incredibly proud of her. If she was going to face this danger, he needed to make sure she was as prepared as possible.


    *


    Victoria returned from the spar with her father sweaty and sore. Since she lacked an essence shield, and it was much too dangerous to truly spar using a sledgeblade without one, the Marquis had insisted on a mock spar, where they swung their sledgeblades slowly, mimicking the momentum as best they could. It was less dangerous, but much more difficult to do. Swinging a fifty pound weapon was hard. Slowly moving that same fifty pound weapon as if you had swung it? Victoria had felt like her arms were about to fall off not even five minutes in. Still, she''d learned a lot. For one, the Marquis had shown her that flowing with the momentum was only the start of wielding a sledgeblade. The next step was learning how to chain swings together until you returned to a ''stance''. This allowed you to pause without leaving yourself vulnerable to attack. Most fights between sledgeblade wielders involved shifting between these stances over and over, until one party made a mistake and left themselves vulnerable, or at least, appeared to do so, goading their opponent into an attack that left them vulnerable. It was a lot more mental and calculative than Victoria would have assumed people who wielded giant swords would be interested in. It was practically chess, but with swords!


    Not that it was much different with daggers, but she''d been under the impression that daggers were skill based weapons, while weapons like sledgeblades were purely strength based, acting more on a ''who can hit harder'' principle. Victoria paused, her eyes widening. That was it! She suddenly sat down, entering her Runescape and focusing on her Bladework Rune. She finally realized the piece she''d been missing! She''d been limiting her Bladework Rune to daggers, but it wasn''t a dagger Rune, it was a Bladework Rune! It taught her how to use blades. All blades! Daggers, swords, and sledgeblades! She felt a little dumb for not realizing it earlier. As the realization clicked, her Bladework Rune began to tremble, shaking as new lines formed, her stomach burning as the old lines etched themselves just above her belly button.


    Once the process finished, Victoria breathed out a happy sigh, smiling as she opened her eyes. She was officially an Essence Cultivator! All she had to do was condense her new core and she could begin exploring Essence abilities! Victoria paused. Did she even need to wait that long? She already had the Advanced Bladework Rune. Why not just use her points to simulate Essence and start now? Victoria closed her eyes, focusing on the new Bladework Rune, a stream of knowledge beginning to flow through her. She raised her hand, and-


    Victoria opened her eyes, frowning slightly. What was she supposed to be doing? She had ideas on how to take energy from her Essence core and layer it over her skin, but¡­ how was she supposed to make the energy layer?!? She didn''t know how to do that with her points! She frowned, returning to her Runescape, focusing on the Bladework Rune again. This time, the Rune wanted her to take energy from her Essence core and¡­ connect? To her skin? She sent her points to her skin with a frown. What was the next step here? She felt like she was missing something, like there was some previous step that the Rune just assumed she knew. Like she was trying to go from A to C, but she was missing B. Her points were sitting there, waiting, but she didn''t know what to tell them! It was like- like she was trying to make a sandwich without knowing what a sandwich was!


    Victoria''s eyes widened in understanding. She didn''t have Essence, so her points didn''t know how Essence worked, therefore they couldn''t simulate it! It was just like when she''d tried to have the system make a sandwich without having any idea what made up a sandwich. Essence was the foundation of all this, and until she learned how it worked, she wouldn''t be able to use the skills related to it. Victoria shook her head, grinning slightly. "No cheating today, huh? Just gotta do the work." She chuckled, before sitting down to start forming her Essence core.

 Points: 25 - Understanding Runes

    Over the next few days, life slowly returned to normal. Her apologies had handled a lot of the tension, and the rest went away as she continued to work on building real bonds with her family. She continued to spar with her father everyday, seeking him out if she had to, instead of just grabbing the nearest available Cultivator. She also began having lunch with her mother every other day, to talk about life and how things were going, while playing games with Calvin after dinner. She was determined to actually get to know these people who had suddenly become her family, instead of pushing them to the side while she worked on her own projects like she had been. Though, it did help that she remembered she didn''t actually need to sleep¡­ an extra eight hours to work with gave her a lot more wiggle room.


    However, while her relationship with her family was improving, there was a small¡­ issue beginning to develop in her relationship with Beatrice. As they continued to talk, they continued to get closer, and it became clear that Beatrice wanted more. Unfortunately, Victoria wasn''t ready to give her more. Well¡­ she was, but she was scared of what she''d need to do before she could. Of how Beatrice would react after learning everything she felt she needed to tell her. She was also worried about what would happen when she left. When she joined the sect, what would happen to Beatrice? Could she take her with her? Or would she have to leave her behind? If she could take her, would she? Did she really want to bring Beatrice into a place like the Hidden Blades, where they took advantage of young girls to grow their sect? No matter how she looked at it, Victoria couldn''t help but feel that her relationship with Beatrice had an expiration date, and it felt wrong to lay all her crap on the girl when she was just going to leave her in a year or so. It just seemed cruel.


    As for her cultivation, she''d had to put aside her Spirit cultivation for a moment while she focused on building her Essence core. She couldn''t focus on two Runes at once, and forming her Essence core so she could actually use Essence skills seemed more important than just increasing her Spirit cultivation. Thankfully she could dedicate the entire night to it, so instead of an entire week, it only took her a few days to build the Essence core.


    "I finished building my Essence core." Victoria announced at dinner. "I''m officially a dual-core Cultivator!"


    "That''s wonderful news!" Maurice exclaimed excitedly. "All you need to do is Assimilate a tier two Advanced Rune, and you''re ready for the sect entrance exams! At the rate you''re going, you could take the fall exam in a few months if you''re lucky, or the winter exam if not."


    Victoria paused. "Wait¡­ I thought I needed to be sixteen to take the exams."


    Maurice frowned. "Why would you think that?"


    Albert coughed awkwardly. "Victoria, I was setting sixteen as a goal, not a limitation. No matter your age, once you meet the requirements, anyone may take the sect entrance exams. Being able to meet the requirements after a year of being Awakened is generally seen as talented, while taking more than two years generally means you aren''t cut out for the higher realms of cultivation. I didn''t expect your talent to be at a level which would allow you to take the exams in a matter of months!"


    Victoria blinked at him. "So all I have to do is Assimilate a tier two Advanced Rune, and I''m good?"


    Albert frowned. "How long do you think that would take you?"


    Victoria considered the question for a moment. It''d taken her about a week for her Initial Rune and about two for her tier one Advanced Rune, so¡­ "About a month or so?" She replied tentatively. Following the progression, that should be about right, right?


    Albert let out a frustrated sigh. "For the average Cultivator, comprehending a tier two Advanced Rune could take years. Even for sect Cultivators, comprehending a tier two Advanced Rune in just half a year is impressive! No one comprehends one in a single month!"


    Victoria frowned. "But¡­ doesn''t increasing your cultivation make comprehending Runes easier? Particularly Spirit cultivation?"


    "Have you noticed it getting any easier?" Maurice asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    Victoria began to nod, before pausing, frowning slightly. She hadn''t, had she? Her Bladework Rune had taken about a week to comprehend, just like her Design Rune. With how much her comprehension had increased, it should have taken her a day! Victoria paused. Well, then again, she''d pretty much instantly comprehended that Study Rune¡­ However her Craft Rune was coming along just as slowly as the other two, so maybe Study was a fluke. "But¡­ our minds work better, don''t they? Why wouldn''t we have an easier time comprehending Runes?"


    Maurice sighed. "Because the actual comprehension of a Rune is only part of what we do when we meditate on a Rune. Master swordsmen who Awaken late in life still struggle to comprehend an Initial Sword Rune. Have you noticed that the Rune will continue to focus on a single topic over and over, even after you feel you''ve understood it, before moving on to something new?" Victoria nodded slowly, it didn''t happen often, but every now and then she noticed the Rune becoming repetitive. Particularly when she was close to Advancing it, and it began to repeat everything it''d previously gone over. "I believe this is because comprehending a Rune isn''t just about what you learn from a Rune, but what a Rune learns from you. You need to do something creative with what the Rune gives you, and cultivation does nothing to help with that."


    Victoria frowned at that. Was that true? She went over her experience with the Runes. Every time she''d caused a Rune to advance, she''d had a realization, some sort of epiphany that triggered the advancement. She''d thought it was just her finally comprehending what the Rune was trying to teach her, but what if it wasn''t? What if it was simply the final piece in putting together everything the Rune had been giving her? Like a puzzle! The Rune just kept giving her the pieces! It was up to her to put them together! Victoria paused again. "Wait, then wouldn''t knowing what the Rune is teaching you still help?" She asked. "Increased comprehension should still do something, right?"


    Maurice shrugged helplessly. "I don''t know what to tell you. I''ve been cultivating for years now, and an Initial Rune is still just as difficult to comprehend as it was when I first began, despite my increasing level of cultivation. I have theories as to why, but I don''t actually know. Maybe once you enter a sect, they''ll know more?"


    Victoria grimaced. Now that Maurice had pointed it out, this problem was starting to really bother her. Particularly since she''d been relying on her points to help with her Runes! Victoria paused. Did spending points on skills help? It had to, right? Spending points on her design skill had led to her first epiphany! Then again¡­ her epiphany didn''t have anything to do with being better at design. It was more of an understanding of what design was. Victoria blinked. All her epiphanies had been insights into the Runes nature, rather than its use. Was that the key? To figure out the Runes purpose, rather than simply learn its methods? Like learning how to use a screwdriver, but never realizing you could use it to turn a screw. No matter how well you learned, you''d be missing the point. You needed to learn how to do it, but you also needed to know why to do it.


    Victoria spent the rest of dinner lost in thought as she considered all this, before slowly pacing back to her room, barely paying attention to her surroundings as she walked along the halls. She waved Calvin off for the night, too focused on the implications from dinner to play games. She needed to consider her Runes. What was the purpose of them? What was Design used for? To take disparate pieces and cobble them together into a useful whole? Victoria paused. That wasn''t entirely it, was it? Design wasn''t about actually creating the thing, it was about planning to create the thing. Craft was for creat- Victoria froze as her Runescape began to shake, her Craft Rune suddenly beginning to shift as new lines etched themselves into her Runescape, while over her heart, the old Rune pushed from her skin.


    "Well¡­ that confirms that theory." Victoria muttered to herself, rubbing her temple due to the slight headache that came with the pressure from Rune Advancement. Should she tell Maurice? Or the Marquis? She should definitely tell Ursa. But first¡­ Design wasn''t about creating an object, but an idea. A plan that others could follow to create an object, or prescribed how a system should operate. That was the screwdriver. However, a plan was meaningless until someone executed it. People needed to be able to understand and follow the plan for the design to have any meaning. That was the screw. However¡­ Was there a next step? You had the screwdriver, you knew you could use it to screw in a screw, but¡­ you still needed to know where to screw the screw! Screwing a screw into a random board didn''t do anything! So, what was design supposed to accomplish? It created a plan for people to follow to bring disparate pieces into a useful whole. Why? Victoria frowned. "So that people would actually use it?" She muttered tentatively, thinking that the idea was too simple, but not able to think of any other idea. Designs were meant to be followed, weren''t they? If you never actually used it, what was the point?


    As this thought entered into her mind, Victoria felt her Design Rune begin to shake! It trembled within her Runescape as pressure began to build, until¡­ it settled down and returned to normal. "Eh?" Victoria grunted in disbelief. She delved into her Runescape, poking at the Design Rune. "Hey! What was all that! I had the epiphany, where''s my Advancement!" The Design Rune simply vibrated, sending her ideas on how to use her Spirit to scan people''s minds and simulate them, helping her predict how they would react to stimuli. "That-" Victoria paused. "Wait¡­ I still need to learn the skills, don''t I?" The Design Rune vibrated back at her, giving Victoria a vaguely happy impression. "Right¡­" Victoria sighed. Learning how to use the screwdriver was still an essential part of the process, even if she already knew why she was using it. She mulled everything over for a moment, before nodding firmly. She needed to tell her father and Maurice about this. She might as well invite Ursa as well, so she didn''t have to explain it twice. She jumped to her feet, heading out to find them.


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    *


    "So you''re saying we just need to consider the purpose of what we learn from our Runes, and we''ll be able to comprehend them faster?" Maurice asked, frowning slightly. Victoria had gotten him, the Marquis, and Ursa together to explain her theory the next day.


    "The metaphor I''ve been using is that you need to know what the screwdriver is, what the screw is, and where you need to use the screw. Without knowing all that, knowing how to use a screwdriver is pretty pointless, isn''t it?" Victoria explained.


    Albert frowned at her for a moment, before turning to Ursa. "What do you think? You have the most experience of any of us here."


    Ursa shook his head. "I am a rogue Cultivator. My formal training is essentially nonexistent. Her theory seems to fit with my experience, but I don''t have any way of confirming or denying its veracity."


    "Well, I can say it''s already worked twice." Victoria offered. "I''ve Assimilated my Craft Rune, and my tier two Design Rune reacted to the epiphany, though I still need to actually learn the skills related to it."


    Albert froze. "Cr-Craft Rune? A- a Qi Rune?!?"


    Victoria blinked. "Did Maurice not tell you?" She asked hesitantly.


    Albert whirled on Maurice. "You kept something like this from me!?!"


    "I kept it from everyone!" Maurice retorted. "You know what would happen if anyone knew!"


    Albert froze, his face going pale as he whirled on Ursa next, who backed away with his hands raised. "I''m not going to tell a soul, you have my word!" He rapidly assured the Marquis. If the Marquis turned on him, Maurice and he could pin him down long enough for the rest of the Marquis''s Cultivators to arrive, at which point Ursa would be screwed. Particularly since Victoria wouldn''t allow him to actually fight her father or his people.


    "Father, he''s trustworthy!" Victoria quickly assured Albert as well. If the two of them fought, she''d need to side with the Marquis, and without Ursa, how would she discover the sect behind Tamara? If she didn''t discover the sect, then she couldn''t warn the others, which would mean her family would have to face a sect backed nation on their own, which would almost guarantee their downfall!


    Albert hesitated, before letting out a sigh. "Yes, you''re right. You''ve already proven you''re willing to risk yourself to save her life. I shouldn''t be so suspicious." Ursa breathed a sigh of relief as Albert turned back to Victoria. "What are you doing blurting out such a dangerous secret like that!?! Do you know what could happen if the other lords, or gods forbid, the King discovered you were a tri-core?!?"


    "I''d either marry a prince or all of us would be killed?" Victoria replied. "But I trust everyone here¡­ That''s why I''m telling you all my theories on cultivation! I know no one here would sell me out!"


    Albert paused, before glancing at Ursa, narrowing his eyes. "I hadn''t realized the two of you were so close."


    Ursa paled, turning to Victoria in desperation. Victoria groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Father, there is nothing like that between us! He''s just a trustworthy friend and companion!"


    Albert frowned at Ursa for a bit longer, before snorting and shaking his head. "Of course. Right. You''re much too busy with your new apprentice to be bothering with my daughter as well."


    Ursa nodded, breathing out another sigh of relief. *Please don''t invite me to any more of these. My bear heart cannot handle the tumult of human politics.* He sent Victoria through the system.


    *Sorry, I didn''t realize this conversation would turn political. I was just trying to be efficient.* Victoria sent back with a sigh.


    "Returning to the topic at hand." Maurice interjected, attempting to diffuse the tension. "I find it hard to believe that the secret to cultivation could be as simple as ''figure out the purpose of your Rune''. If that was the case, then why are there so few talented Cultivators?"


    Victoria shrugged. "People don''t think about why they do what they do? They just do it? Have you ever considered a Rune beyond the skills it taught you? The larger implications? The various ways you could apply them beyond whatever way you usually use them?" She asked. "If I hadn''t lucked into an epiphany just as my Design rune was ready to Advance, I wouldn''t think about these things either!"


    "Ah, there!" Maurice interjected. "Your Rune was ready to Advance before you began to think this way! Explain that!"


    Victoria froze. That- that was a good point¡­ how did she comprehend her Runes so quickly then? It couldn''t be her comprehension stat, since as Maurice had pointed out, it was much higher than it''d been when she started, and it hadn''t sped up her Rune comprehension by any significant margin. Her skill page probably- no, definitely helped, but she couldn''t help but think there was something else going on. Suddenly it hit her. The Study Rune! Maurice had gone off like the Rune was some sort of miracle that would rocket her cultivation to the moon, yet she hadn''t gotten anything from it! What if that was because she already had it? How did she study? Victoria frowned as she considered the question. She really didn''t. Even before the system, back when she was Thomas, she''d never really needed to study like her friends did. For her, things either made sense, or they didn''t, and usually when things didn''t make sense, she was just missing some piece of information her teacher hadn''t gotten to yet. She just needed to sit there and take it all in. Was that it? Was she just more receptive to learning than most people? Victoria''s frown deepened. She felt like she was close, but still off slightly. Taking in information easily still felt like a memory or comprehension issue.


    Victoria suddenly paused. *Wait¡­ information?* The Runes didn''t give information! It seemed like they did sometimes, as new ideas began to pop into your mind, but that wasn''t it, was it? Runes didn''t teach, they inspired! There was never any new information from Runes, just new ways of looking at things! Like with her Bladework Rune, it hadn''t told her how to use her Essence, it just gave her the idea to try doing this. It was like the Rune simply opened her mind to the possibilities. Maybe her mind was just more easily opened to possibilities? Was her mind more easily influenced? More malleable? Victoria''s mind drifted to her original metaphor for the way her Runes taught her, like running water over sand. If her mind was less like sand, and more like rock, it''d be harder to etch the lines into it. It didn''t have anything to do with comprehension or memory or anything related to how well her mind worked, because the Rune wasn''t actually teaching, it was¡­ Victoria''s thoughts trailed off. What was it doing? Altering her mind? Helping her to think differently? Facilitating the development of new synaptic connections?


    Victoria sighed, rubbing her temple. She really didn''t have enough information to figure any of this out. Anything she could come up with would just be conjecture, and really, did it matter? Even if she knew how to make herself more receptive, would she actually do it? It was like when she considered creating a creativity stat, or when she created Foratuna''s stats. A stat like that would affect the intrinsic nature of who she was, and messing with that was dangerous. What she''d done to Foratuna was proof of that. If she ever saw evidence of a Rune doing something like that to her, she would drop it without hesitation. Thankfully, so far her Runes just gave her more ways to think, which still left her her. It didn''t affect her intrinsic nature, it just gave her more options.


    All this passed through her mind in a few seconds. "You''re right, that can''t be the key to comprehending Runes faster." She sighed. "Still, if you want to Advance your Runes, it''s vital, so I still say you should keep it in mind."


    Maurice nodded slowly. "True¡­ this ''Advancement'' of yours is something I''ve never heard of or even considered before! Truly a remarkable discovery." He paused. "And yet another secret we must keep to ensure your safety." He added with a sigh.


    "That reminds me." Albert interjected. "Do not forge a Qi core! Not yet."


    Victoria blinked. "Why not?"


    "There are ways for specialized Cultivators to discover the cores within a person." Albert explained seriously. "This skill is particularly prevalent among the Hunters, since it helps them determine just how powerful the Rune Beast they are hunting actually is. If you condense your third core here, someone is sure to discover it and report it to the King."


    Victoria grimaced, before releasing a sigh and nodding in understanding. "I''ll hold off on it then. I should be able to enter a sect soon anyway, right? All I need to do is finish comprehending my Design Rune, and I can take the entrance exam."


    Maurice sighed. "Unfortunately, your understanding of the Rune will degrade over time. Your Qi core will suffer because of this, but it''s better than dying."


    "Uh, I still have a Craft Rune to comprehend, you know." Victoria pointed out. "I don''t think I''ll have an issue."


    Maurice froze, before letting out a laugh. "Right! Yes, your Advancement does allow you to maintain your understanding of a Rune, doesn''t it? You don''t lose anything by waiting!"


    "I mean, I still have to put my Qi cultivation on pause, but¡­ I guess? I can keep working on Essence and Spirit in the meantime." Victoria agreed tentatively. Not forming a core was one thing, but missing out on the Craft skills was another. She didn''t care about missing out on the power boost from not cultivating Qi, but learning how to use Qi would help her develop her points. It wasn''t exactly a problem to put it aside for a while, but Victoria still wasn''t happy about it.

 Points: 26 - Having the Talk

    Victoria returned to her room after finishing discussing everything with the other three, once again lost in her own thoughts. Runes seemed to get more and more complicated the more she discovered about them. At first they were just these strange, magical things that taught her how to do things and gave her the ability to cultivate. Then she learned they could Advance, and they became a puzzle she needed to figure out and piece together. And now¡­ now they were these things that tampered with her mind! Admittedly the tampering was benign, if not beneficial, but still! She wasn''t about to stop cultivating, but she didn''t like the fact that foreign objects had an influence on her mind. Particularly since these objects existed within her mind and couldn''t be removed.


    She wasn''t too concerned, as she''d seen no evidence that the Runes were actually dangerous. There were plenty of powerful Cultivators out there, and they were all their own people, doing amazing or terrible things as their heart desired. Still, the potential for harm was there, and it bothered her. It was like inviting a stranger into her home, giving him a knife, and going to sleep! Now, it did help that all her friends and family vouched for the guy and the moment she gave him the knife, he started chopping vegetables to make a nice soup for her, but still!


    "Victoria? Are you okay?" Beatrice asked hesitantly as Victoria entered the room.


    Victoria jumped slightly, not expecting Beatrice to be in her room. "Beatrice! What are you- I''m fine. Just- some thoughts. About cultivation. It''s not important. Why are you here? Is something wrong?" She asked, giving Beatrice a concerned look.


    Beatrice flushed. "No, nothing is wrong. I just- I wanted to talk to you."


    Victoria cocked her head. "About what?"


    "Nothing in particular. We just haven''t been talking as much recently¡­ I know you''ve been reconnecting with your family, I just¡­ I miss you." Beatrice explained, her flush deepening.


    Victoria felt her heart warm, before it clenched as she began to feel guilty. While she hadn''t exactly been avoiding Beatrice, she hadn''t been making the time she should for her either. She still wasn''t sure how she wanted to move forward with Beatrice so she''d been hesitant to show too much interest. She didn''t want to lead Beatrice on if she ended up having to leave her. Unfortunately it was too late, wasn''t it? With everything they''d already done¡­ Beatrice was already hooked. Victoria was already hooked! Admittedly Victoria was easy to hook and used to ignoring it, but still, even if she denied it, the relationship was there, and it had to be dealt with. Victoria let out a sigh. "Look, Beatrice, I- we need to talk."


    Beatrice''s eyes widened as her face paled, before turning sad. "This isn''t going to work, is it?" She asked in a quiet voice.


    "No- wait, not no no, I mean that isn''t what I''m saying no." Victoria quickly explained. "I like you. I do. It''s just¡­ I''m going to be joining a sect soon, and I don''t know what that means for you. Will you come with me? Would you want to come with me? What about your brother? Where would he go if you came with me? There are so many things that are going to change soon and I don''t want to start something I can''t finish. I- I don''t want to burden you with my issues and then leave you all alone¡­"


    Beatrice hesitated. "I don''t- I know things are going to change and- and I''m not sure how to handle that yet, but¡­ even- even if it''s just for a moment, if I can make you happy¡­ that''s all I want."


    Victoria let out a pained groan. "Beatrice, I- this isn''t just about being happy! If- if you get too close to me, you could be in danger! There are things happening right now, and if you get involved¡­ you aren''t strong enough to face them. I''m not strong enough! How could I ask you to risk your life just because I''m too selfish to let you go?"


    "What life do I even have without you?!?" Beatrice retorted. "A life of loneliness and frustration? A life spent hiding who I am in fear of what will happen if I don''t? I''ve lived that life, and I- I can''t go back! I- I don''t want to feel hopeless anymore¡­"


    All Victoria wanted to do at that moment was pull Beatrice into her arms and hold her tight, but¡­ something held her back. "If- if I suddenly changed into a man, would you still like me?"


    Beatrice froze, her eyes widening. "Wh-what?"


    "I just- what is it you like about me?" Victoria elaborated. "Is it me? Or is it my body? I just- this whole gay thing has had my mind going all over the place recently, and I''ve been thinking¡­ What actually makes a person like another? Attraction isn''t everything, obviously, but it does open the door. If I wasn''t attracted to you, I probably wouldn''t have gotten close enough to give you a chance. But after you''ve given someone a chance and figured out you actually like them¡­ how important is attraction? Old people still love each other, and they''re ugly as shit! So, I got to thinking, if I gave a guy a chance, a good guy who seemed like someone I''d actually like¡­ would being gay or not actually matter? I mean, it might be awkward at first, but¡­ people can adapt to anything, right?¡±


    "Victoria what- what are you saying?!?" Beatrice asked, completely confused by the sudden shift.


    Victoria let out a breath. "I''m saying¡­ if I''m going to be with you- I want to have the option to be a man, if I want to. I''m not sure if it will ever actually come up, but I need to know that if it does, you''ll be okay with it. And if not¡­ then I think us actually being together would be a mistake. Though, on that same note, if you wanted to be a man, I''d have to be okay with that too¡­ which I think I would be? I''d at least give it a try, because, to me at least, the important part isn''t what our genitals look like, it''s who you are¡­ and I kinda like who you are.¡±


    Beatrice blinked, flushing slightly. "I- I like who you are too, but¡­ Is- is that even an option? Turning into men?¡±


    "It is. I''m not going to explain how though. Not yet." Victoria replied with a nod.


    Beatrice stared at Victoria for a moment, before her gaze fell and her brow scrunched together as she began to seriously consider Victoria''s words. She wanted to be a man? It seemed insane, but¡­ Victoria was a Cultivator. They had strange abilities, and the ability to change someone''s sex was probably a rather basic one. However¡­ would she really be okay if Victoria turned into a man? Her expression twisted slightly at the idea of being with a man, shuddering slightly at the memory of the things AJ had forced her to do, a dirty feeling itching at her skin. However¡­ her thoughts turned to the memory of Victoria rescuing her, saving her, comforting her, making her feel like she was worth something. If Victoria was the man¡­ "If- If it''s you¡­ I think I''d be okay with it. I- I can''t imagine rejecting you, no matter what form you''re in." Beatrice finally answered, flushing deeply.


    Victoria smiled brightly, stepping closer and pulling Beatrice into her arms, holding her tightly. As she did, she willed the system to her. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. She would share everything with Beatrice, starting with the system. "I have a lot to tell you." She whispered as Beatrice''s eyes widened.


    *


    "So, you''re actually a man?!?" Beatrice asked incredulously after Victoria finished explaining everything.


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    "What makes a person a man or a woman?" Victoria shrugged. "My genitals may have changed but I am who I am. Having a vagina instead of a penis hasn''t really changed that. Though admittedly, the fact that I know I can change back at any point may skew my perspective on that." Victoria frowned, before letting out a weary sigh. "I don''t know. Transgender issues were rather big back in my world, but I never quite got it. I mean, whatever makes people happy I guess, but my genitals have never had anything to do with the way I feel about myself. Maybe I''m weird though."


    Beatrice blinked at her. "But¡­ are you a man or not?"


    "That''s the question, isn''t it?" Victoria shrugged. "I''d say that I''m a woman right now, but I don''t exactly act like a girl, do I? But what is it to act like a girl? Is there a certain way girls are supposed to act? Or are we all just people being who we are, and it just so happens that most people who are this way are girls while most people who are that way are guys for some reason. So, we decide that girls have to be this way, and guys have to be that way, when really, it''s just bullshit averages and outliers are just as valid as the mean."


    Beatrice groaned in frustration. "Just- do you prefer being a man or a woman!?!"


    Victoria paused. "Both? Neither? Women do seem to get a rawer end of the deal, but that''s more of a societal issue than a woman issue. I guess periods are kind of a pain¡­ and I hear childbirth is no picnic either. But, I mean, someone needs to deal with all that. I wouldn''t say it makes it worse to be a woman, just slightly more inconvenient." Victoria thought about it some more. "If I had to choose, I''d probably want to be a man? But I wouldn''t complain about being a woman either. Case in point.¡± Victoria gestured to herself. ¡°The only thing that really feels off about my current situation is the fact that I feel like I kinda stole this body¡­ If I''d been born this way, I''d be perfectly okay with it.¡±


    Beatrice frowned. "So¡­ What are you?"


    Victoria shrugged. "I''m me. Why go any further than that? Why? Do you think if you turned into a man, you''d be fundamentally different than you are now?"


    Beatrice hesitated. "Well, no, but¡­ I''d- I''d still be a woman! Inside!"


    "Okay, well, what makes you a woman?" Victoria asked.


    Beatrice considered it for a moment, beginning to list traits off on her fingers. "I''m caring¡­ I enjoy cleaning and cooking¡­ I like taking care of children¡­"


    Victoria shook her head. "Those aren''t female traits, they''re personality traits! Yes, a lot of women have those traits, but that doesn''t make them intrinsically female! The only trait I could see as absolutely female is the desire to physically give birth to a child, because only females have the necessary equipment to actually do that."


    Beatrice threw up her hands in frustration. "Then what makes anyone anything then!?!"


    Victoria shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe it''s ineffable? Maybe it''s culturally manufactured? Maybe I''m actually one of those non-binary things people talk about and I''m just not equipped to see the difference? I mean, it''s obvious that men and women are different. On average men are one way, and women are another. It''s verifiable. I''m just not sure how much that should actually matter to the individual."


    Beatrice grimaced before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I- I''m sorry. I don''t- this isn''t what''s bothering me, I''m just¡­ It''s- it''s a lot to take in."


    "I understand." Victoria nodded, echoing her sigh. "If- if you need some time¡­" Victoria trailed off.


    Beatrice immediately latched onto her arm. "No! No, I just- can- can we just¡­ sit together? For a moment?" She pulled Victoria towards the bed, taking a seat as she gave her a pleading look. Victoria sat next to her, wrapping her arms around her as Beatrice rested her head on her shoulder. "This- this Jessica¡­ you loved her?" She asked after a moment.


    Victoria nodded. "I did¡­ We weren''t together long, but- I already knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her."


    Beatrice was silent for a moment. "I''m sorry you lost that¡­" She whispered, a hint of something that almost sounded like pain creeping into her tone.


    "I lost a lot of things that day¡­ Jessica. My family. My world. And that hurt. It still hurts. However, that doesn''t mean I can''t find something good here." Victoria explained, placing a finger under Beatrice''s chin to lift her face towards hers, looking into her eyes with a firm expression. "I won''t lie and tell you you can replace Jessica. That isn''t how this works. But that doesn''t mean what we have can''t be something amazing as well! That''s between you and I. Whatever I had bef- mmmph!" Victoria cut off as Beatrice pressed her lips against hers, kissing her deeply. Victoria was stunned for a moment, before leaning into the kiss, pulling Beatrice closer.


    "You talk too much." Beatrice muttered as she pulled away from the kiss.


    "Maybe I need a better way to keep my tongue busy then~" Victoria teased.


    Beatrice flushed. "If- I- I could think of a few-" She stammered nervously, trying to think of a way to tease Victoria back and failing miserably.


    "You''re adorable." Victoria snickered. Beatrice scowled, before suddenly pushing Victoria back on the bed and climbing on top of her. Actions spoke louder than words anyways.


    *


    "That was better than the button~" Victoria purred, pulling a limp, exhausted Beatrice close, snuggling into her.


    "You have¡­ too much¡­ energy!" Beatrice groaned.


    "Cultivation and points, dear. They work wonders." Victoria chuckled, letting her hands wander as Beatrice whimpered slightly.


    "Please, no more!" She pleaded.


    Victoria tsked. "Fine, fine. I''ll let you recuperate¡­ for now." She chuckled. "Maybe you should take up cultivation yourself. Build up your own stamina."


    Beatrice''s eyes widened. "That- that''s an option?"


    "Should be." Victoria nodded. "I haven''t exactly tested it, but turning someone into an Awakened couldn''t be harder than turning a bear into a human, right?" She pulled up the system, going to the cultivation page and adding an Awaken option, sending it over to Beatrice. "There, ten points to Awaken! Not bad, eh?"


    Beatrice stared at the screen before her, stunned. "This- I- I can''t- I- I need to think about this."


    "I understand. You''ve had a long day. Get some rest and we''ll talk in the morning." Victoria pulled her closer, petting her hair. Beatrice paused for a moment, before snuggling closer to Victoria herself. She didn''t want to think of all the complicated implications of everything she''d learned today. She just wanted to enjoy being with the woman she was becoming more and more certain she loved.


    *


    The next morning, Victoria let out a soft groan as she woke up, carefully extricating herself from the messy pile that was her and Beatrice''s cuddle puddle, yawning as she rolled out of the bed and stretched. It''d been a while since she''d actually slept. She blearily blinked at the wall for a moment, before activating her healing and clearing away the last vestiges of any minor aches or tiredness. She stretched again, sighing in satisfaction as she enjoyed the feeling of all her joints loosening, pausing as she noticed Beatrice watching her. "Enjoying the view?" She asked, grinning cheekily.


    "Always." Beatrice replied absently, before flushing brightly as she realized what she''d just said.


    Victoria snickered, before crawling back onto the bed and kissing Beatrice softly. "I have to get to work." She explained with a sigh as she pulled away. "Let me know if you need any help with the system, and I''ll see you for lunch?"


    Beatrice nodded, still flushing slightly. "I- I should get to work as well¡­ I- I should probably clean all this¡­" She gestured to the bed, her flush deepening again.


    Victoria looked around with a frown. "Yeah¡­ sex is a lot messier than I''d thought it''d be. Not that I''d really thought it''d be clean, but¡­ I mean, married people aren''t constantly washing their sheets, are they?"


    "Well¡­ according to the other maids, the Marquis and your mother require a towel to be kept within reach of the bed¡­" Beatrice replied, her flush refusing to go any deeper despite her obvious embarrassment.


    Victoria blinked a few times. "I- I''m not sure I wanted to know that¡­" She muttered, before shaking her head. "Anyway, we don''t need to worry about that." She raised a finger, sending out some of her points towards the wet spots, identifying the excretions, and destroying them for a small point cost. "There, all clean." Victoria turned back to Beatrice, smiling proudly.

 Points: 27 - Semloh

    Victoria got dressed and gave Beatrice one last kiss before heading to her training yard to complete her daily tasks, humming happily. Before she reached it though, she noticed the Marquis walking with a group of strangers, talking in low voices with serious expressions. "Father?" She asked, stepping forward to greet him. "Is there something wrong? Who are these people?"


    "This is Lord Inspector Semloh and his retinue." Albert explained in a serious tone. "It appears that Duke Duhallis has disappeared, and the last time he was seen was at your birthday party."


    Victoria froze, her eyes widening. "Oh¡­ that- is unfortunate. Um¡­ do- do they- er, you have any leads?"


    Lord Inspector Semloh frowned at her. "So far, all that is known is that shortly after leaving your party, Duke Duhallis slipped away from his guards, disappearing into the night. On its own, this is a rather common occurrence, and given the Duke''s proclivity for stealth based Runes, one that is difficult to prevent. However, he never returned, and we believe something untoward occurred during whatever diversion he occupied himself with that night. We know he is still alive, but as to where and in what condition? We have no idea."


    "I was just informing them of your encounter with the Tamarin War Bear. If one of their War Bears ended up here, then it is likely Tamarin infiltrators could be in the area as well. If they came across the Duke on his own, then it is likely they would have captured him simply as a matter of convenience, to use as a potential bargaining chip. It wouldn''t be the first time such a thing has occurred." Albert sighed.


    "The Tamarins would not capture a Duke to use as a bargaining chip! Not unless they wished to start a war!" Lord Inspector Semloh retorted. Victoria choked at that, drawing the gazes of both men. "Do you have something to add, young Lady?" Semloh asked, narrowing his eyes.


    "Not- not really, just- what- what if the Tamarins do want to start a war?" Victoria offered tentatively.


    "The Tamarins don''t have the resources to start a war!" Semloh exclaimed. "They have crippled themselves by feeding too many resources to their damn War Bears, leaving the rest of their country in disrepair! They spend all their time using their War Bears to put down the rebellions developing their War Bears have caused! They don''t have time to start a war with Farova!"


    Victoria hesitated, wondering whether she should say anything more. If she claimed that Tamara was working with a sect¡­ she didn''t have enough proof for the Lord Inspector to actually believe that. She''d only draw attention to herself and potentially get her and her family killed because of it! Farova couldn''t do much against a sect either way. She needed proof that she could bring to the other sects. Plus¡­ Well, the Tamarins hadn''t actually done anything to Duke Duhallis anyway. She was the one who''d made him ''disappear''. Victoria sighed in defeat. "I just thought it could be an option. I''m sorry for disturbing you. I should be going now. I have to return to my training." She bowed slightly towards the Lord Inspector, before continuing on her way to her training courtyard.


    The Lord Inspector watched her go, following her with a complicated look in his eyes. "Your daughter and the Duke were to be engaged, yes?" He asked, turning back to Albert.


    "They were¡­ However, my daughter has shown a remarkable talent for cultivation, and decided to focus on preparing for the sect entrance exam, putting off the engagement." Albert explained, giving Semloh a weird look as he wondered why he was bringing the engagement up. Did he think that somehow Victoria had had something to do with the Duke''s disappearance? That was impossible! She''d only been cultivating for a month and a half! Though she was more powerful than she technically should be¡­ The ease with which she wielded a sledgeblade betrayed her. Even if she was using her Spirit threads to help, she should still struggle more than she did. It wasn''t a drastic difference, but the last he''d heard she was at stage four of Spirit Gathering, and she''d need to at least be at stage seven to wield a sledgeblade as easily as she did. Unless she somehow jumped three stages in a few days, it didn''t make any sense. Still, that level of power wouldn''t even be close to threatening Duke Duhallis!


    "I can''t imagine the Duke took that very well." Semloh continued.


    "He¡­ was less than pleased, yes." Albert agreed hesitantly.


    "He must have gone somewhere to vent his frustrations." Semloh sighed. "I''ll need to inspect the local brothels. Let''s hope he went to one of those instead of forcing himself on some poor peasant girl again."


    Albert snorted, half in relief, half in commiseration. "The diversions our boys find for themselves, eh? My boy recently had a run at my daughter''s maid. The tension at the dinner table could be cut with a knife!"


    Semloh shook his head with a sigh. "If only they would realize how empty it all is."


    "Did we when we were their age?" Albert replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "They''ll come to their senses soon enough, once they find a good woman to mold them into shape."


    "If only the engagement with your daughter would have worked out." Semloh commented.


    Albert coughed awkwardly. "I think Duhallis may be better off¡­ My daughter is not one to sit at one''s side and gently guide."


    "A fiery one, eh? I don¡¯t envy you there." Semloh chuckled. "But alas, we can discuss the difficulties of raising children later. I should continue my investigation. Oh, I''ll need to talk to your son as well. He and Duhallis were close. Maybe he has an idea of what Duhallis may have been up to that night."


    "I''ll let him know to make himself available." Albert nodded, before they went their separate ways.


    As Semloh and his retinue headed towards the town, one of his attendants stepped forward. "The girl was hiding something." The attendant whispered to him.


    "I am aware. However, I sense that her secrets are related to Tamara, and are much deeper and more complicated than the situation concerning the Duke. The hesitance I felt from her was laced with concern, not guilt. I fear her encounter with the War Bear was not as simple as the Marquis believes." Semloh replied in a serious tone. "We need to ensure that the Marquis has enough support, just in case." He paused for a moment. "Send the King a missive requesting the assistance of the Duke''s men in this investigation."


    "At once, Lord Inspector." The attendant bowed, disappearing in the next moment as they rushed off to fulfill his order.


    *


    *An official has arrived to investigate Duke Duhallis''s disappearance. Make sure Foratuna knows her place.* Victoria sent Ursa after she left.


    *I will, but¡­ I believe you underestimate the effectiveness of what you have done to her. A maid told her to pretend she didn''t exist a few days ago as she cleaned the room and she now ignores the woman to the point of insanity. I cannot get her to stop either! I believe the only person who could get her to stop would be the maid herself, but since she won''t acknowledge the maid''s existence¡­ I had to request a new maid.* Ursa explained, a hint of frustration creeping into his tone.


    Victoria blinked. *That- huh¡­ so when I told her that Duke Duhallis no longer exists¡­*


    *It may be impossible for her to actually acknowledge her past self''s existence.* Ursa nodded.


    *Well, that solves that. Still¡­ we should probably do something to mitigate any more issues with her being too obedient.* Victoria muttered. She considered the issue for a moment, before connecting with Foratuna through the system. *Anything someone tells you to do through the system supersedes anything else anyone has told you to do, understood?*


    *Yes, Ma''am.* Foratuna replied in a serious tone.


    *Good. You will acknowledge that maids existence again. Do you know what I''m talking about?*


    *I do, and I will.* Foratuna responded.


    *Good.* Victoria nodded in satisfaction, pausing to consider what she wanted to say next. *Forget everything anyone other than myself has told you to do. From now on, the only commands you have to obey are ones that come through the system. Otherwise, before you obey, you will first ask yourself whether what you are being asked to do contradicts anything you''ve been told to do through the system, whether it is illegal, and finally whether what you''re being asked to do is abnormal. If the answer to any of those questions is yes, you will not obey. Is all that clear?*


    Stolen novel; please report.


    *Yes, Ma''am.* Foratuna acknowledged once again.


    *Good, then, to confirm, you are Foratuna Richards. You have no knowledge of the man you used to be. As far as you know, he doesn''t exist.* Victoria added, making sure Foratuna wouldn''t give anything away.


    *I understand.* Foratuna sent back.


    Victoria closed the connection, reconnecting with Ursa. *I think I fixed it. I made it so she obeys anything said through the system before anything else. You might want to see if she acknowledges the existence of that maid first, just to be sure.*


    *I''ll do that. Thank you.* Ursa replied.


    Victoria breathed out a sigh of relief as she finished, closing the connection. As long as Foratuna was under control, she wasn''t worried about anyone figuring out what happened to Duke Duhallis. Only Victoria, Ursa, and Foratuna knew what had happened, and she and Ursa could simply tell the truth, leaving out the system craziness. Duke Duhallis tried to rape her, Ursa saved her, but he had to let him go unharmed because of who he was. After that, they hadn''t seen ''him'' again. No lies, no problem. No one would suspect them of being capable of anything more due to their low cultivation, so the questioning should end after that. If it didn''t¡­ Well, Victoria had much bigger secrets that would be revealed by such a line of questioning. People finding out what she''d done to the Duke would be the least of her worries.


    *


    Semloh returned from the town, frustrated by his lack of progress. So far, it didn''t appear that the Duke had visited any of the brothels. There were still a few he hadn''t checked yet, but they were all lower end establishments that the Duke wouldn''t be caught dead in. It appeared that he wouldn''t find any leads that way, which meant he was either looking for some random peasant or whatever had happened to the Duke had happened before he reached his destination. Either way, the difficulty of his investigation had increased dramatically. He hoped his conversion with AJ would at least yield something. Even a vague direction to investigate in would help.


    As Semloh stepped into the foyer, Maurice arrived as well, smiling politely. "Lord Inspector, my name is Maurice, the Marquis''s humble steward. The Marquis is currently occupied with another matter. May I be of assistance in his place, or would you wish me to deliver your request to him in your stead?"


    Semloh waved his hand. "There''s no need to bother the Marquis. I simply wish to speak with Young Master AJ."


    Maurice smiled, nodding. "Very well, sir. If you would follow me to the lower sitting room, I will inform Young Master AJ of your presence." He flicked a finger at a nearby servant who rushed off to get AJ, before gesturing for the Lord Inspector to follow him. A few servants set up some snacks and drinks for the guests as everyone got comfortable, waiting for AJ to arrive. The moment AJ arrived, both Maurice and Semloh frowned, staring at the suspiciously nervous boy. "Young Master, there''s no need to be nervous. The Lord Inspector is simply here to see if you have any insight into the activities of Duke Duhallis the night of Victoria''s birthday party." Maurice attempted to sooth him, which unfortunately only caused AJ''s nervousness to spike into a full on panic.


    Semloh stood to his feet, approaching AJ with a narrow gaze. "You know where the Duke was that night, don''t you? Do you know what happened to him? Why he has disappeared?"


    "He- he disappeared?!?" AJ exclaimed, going pale. "I- no, I- she- she wouldn''t-" AJ gulped. "I- I know what Duke Duhallis planned to do that night, but¡­ I know things didn''t go as planned and I don''t know the results of that. You would have- have to ask Victoria."


    Semloh frowned. "Victoria? What would she know of the Duke''s activities that night?"


    AJ glanced towards Maurice nervously. "He- he returned to the castle that night, in- intending to¡­ seduce Victoria, to renew their engagement. I- I helped him get into her quarters, and¡­ occupied her maid. I have not seen the Duke since, but not much later, Victoria barged into my quarters and¡­ we had an altercation."


    "You snuck that-!" Maurice began angrily, before remembering where he was and getting himself under control. He continued to glare at AJ. "Your father will hear of this." He spat, causing AJ to flinch.


    Semloh scowled. When he''d talked to Victoria that morning, and¡­ he paused, frowning. Her reaction when she''d heard the news had been a little strange. It was¡­ muted. Then again, all the girl''s reactions had been muted¡­ Semloh sighed. He''d have to talk to the girl again. First however¡­ "Is there anything else you can tell us? Where the Duke might have gone after his encounter with Victoria?"


    AJ hesitated. "I- I can''t imagine Victoria would be polite about kicking him out¡­ he''d probably have needed to see a healer. Otherwise¡­ there- there''s a secret establishment down by the river¡­ for exotic forms of entertainment. If I had to guess, he would have gone there to vent his frustrations."


    Semloh''s scowl deepened. He knew the type of establishment AJ was referring to, dens of perversion that catered to the basest desires of their clientele. Unfortunately, even if the Duke had visited such a place, any evidence would be gone. Such establishments were very particular about cleaning up after their clients. He let out a frustrated sigh. "Thank you for your help. You''re free to go." Semloh waved, dismissing AJ before turning to Maurice. "Please call for Miss Victoria to join us."


    *


    "I didn''t kill him, I didn''t imprison him, and I haven''t seen him since that night." Victoria immediately stated the moment she arrived in the room, sitting down with a stubborn scowl.


    "So you have no idea where the Duke might be?" Semloh asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    "He could be lying dead in a ditch for all I care." Victoria sneered.


    Semloh frowned. "What happened between the two of you that night?"


    "Duke Duhallis attempted to rape me." Victoria stated flatly, causing Maurice to crush his cup. "Thankfully, Ursa noticed something and saved me before he could get very far. I would have killed him for it, but the King apparently frowns upon people actually holding nobles accountable for the shit they pull, so instead I delivered a light punishment and sent him on his way. Whatever happened after that is none of my concern."


    Semloh blinked, stunned for a moment at the frankness of Victoria''s accusation and explanation of the night''s events. "I- I see¡­ what exactly was this punishment?"


    "He wasn''t happy about it, but he was fully capable of leaving on his own two feet." Victoria replied, not saying another word.


    Semloh frowned. "I''m going to need a better explanation than that."


    Victoria paused. "I removed his manhood. Happy?"


    "You what!?!" Semloh exclaimed, jumping to his feet.


    "He tried to rape me." Victoria growled, glaring up at Semloh. "I was angry. In retrospect, my reaction may have been a bit extreme, but I''m not going to apologize for what I did to a fucking rapist, no matter how noble his blood is."


    Semloh glared back down at her, before grunting in frustration and sitting down again. "And you have no idea where he might have gone after that?" He asked through gritted teeth.


    "As far as I''m concerned, Duke Duhallis doesn''t exist anymore. For what he tried to do to me, he doesn''t deserve to! Wherever he is, I hope he''s suffering." Victoria spat.


    "It isn''t good to live with so much hate, young Lady." Semloh replied in a lecturing tone.


    "It isn''t good to tolerate so much evil, Lord Inspector." Victoria retorted defiantly.


    Semloh frowned at her for a moment, before shaking his head with a sigh. "I''ll need to speak with this Ursa person then."


    Victoria shrugged. "I figured. He''s waiting outside." She gestured to the door with her thumb.


    *


    Ursa got through his own interrogation easily with Victoria''s help through the system. All he had to say was that he hadn''t done anything other than pull the Duke off Victoria, and that he hadn''t seen Duke Duhallis since that night. Of course, none of this helped Semloh, leaving him even more frustrated. He had no idea how to handle all this. The Duke had attempted to rape the daughter of the Marquis! Even if he did find him now, he''d need to find a way to hide him again so that Albert wouldn''t murder the damn idiot! He wouldn''t be surprised if he found AJ''s head mounted on the gates come morning!


    Additionally, underneath all that, was whatever Victoria was hiding about Tamara. If they truly were preparing for war, then the Duke''s forces would be vital, yet if what Victoria said was true, then there was no way he would maintain a troop presence in the land of the woman who had deprived him of his manhood! At least, not in any way that would be beneficial to the situation. Semloh hesitated. Was it even a good idea to find the Duke at this point? Wouldn''t everything be better if the Duke simply stayed gone? For the moment? A little bit of hardship might even do the boy some good¡­ Attempting to rape a damn noblewoman! How far gone was the damn fool?!?


    "HE WHAT!?!" Semloh heard a voice roar from outside the castle. Yes, it was a good idea for the Duke to stay gone for a while. He was still alive and healthy according to his life crystal, and if that hadn''t changed between the time of his disappearance and now, the odds of it changing any time soon were slim. Not until after some demands were made at least.


    "Father, please, I- I can explain!" AJ cried, before a loud thud echoed through the castle, accompanied by a scream of pain. Semloh nodded. The Duke needed to stay gone for a while.

 Points: 28 - Change

    Albert threw a battered and broken AJ at Victoria''s feet. "Apologize!"


    AJ painfully maneuvered himself into a bow. "Um sowwy! Pwease fowgib me!" He pleaded through swollen lips, not taking his eyes off the floor.


    Victoria looked down at him with a cold glare for a moment, before looking up at Albert. "I''m not forgiving someone who only regrets they got caught. If he was really sorry, he would have apologized on his own, long before now." A soft whimper came from AJ as she said that.


    Albert growled in frustration, running his hand through his hair. "Why didn''t you tell me he''d done this?!? I wouldn''t have defended him if I''d known!"


    "Because what would it accomplish?!? Do you really think a beating is going to change him?!? He''s lost all sense that anyone other than himself is an actual person! All he thinks about is himself! All you''re going to do is teach him to avoid beatings! The moment he''s in power, he''ll be right back to doing the same evil bullshit!" Victoria retorted.


    "Then he''ll never be in power!" Albert roared back.


    "Fabber, no!" AJ exclaimed.


    "Shut up!" Albert yelled at him, sending a powerful kick at him that sent him rolling into the wall. "I have taught you time and time again, that your priorities are family, people, land, then power! If you can''t keep that straight, you don''t deserve power!"


    "She dib it burst!" AJ cried back. "She refoozed to mawwy da Duke for powah!"


    Albert stared at him in pure incredulity. "There is a gods damned difference between deciding to pursue cultivation and helping a man rape your sister!" He was about to hit AJ again, before stopping himself and waving to some servants. "Get this disgrace out of my sight before I end up killing him!"


    Victoria shook her head, sighing in disappointment. AJ was horrible, yes, but you couldn''t get that bad without the right environment to foster that mindset. She knew she couldn''t exactly blame Albert for it, but if he continued to just follow the culture of the times, how different would Calvin end up? He already thought he was above socializing with peasants. If one group of people was already below him, why couldn''t everyone be below him? She didn''t even think Albert actually thought that way! He obviously valued Maurice as both a friend and an advisor. "Why do you think commoners and nobles should have different rules?" She suddenly asked, startling Albert.


    Albert frowned. "Victoria, this isn''t the time for that! It has nothing to do with this!"


    "Oh, but I think it does." Victoria retorted. "Think about it. What''s the difference between what Duke Duhallis wanted to do to me, and what AJ did do to Beatrice?"


    Albert scowled. "Servants are there to serve! We provide everything for them, so that they will do anything we ask of them! It is the arrangement that they agreed to!"


    "And you can''t see how that sort of logic is a slippery slope?" Victoria pointed out. "The problem is the implicitness of it. If it was outright stated and agreed to, then yes, I agree, but it isn''t. It''s just the way things are assumed to be by most of the parties involved. Since it''s an assumption, then how far can that assumption spread? How many people can you see as dependent on you? Servants? Family? Subjects? You could get to the point that you believe anyone you give even a tiny bit of assistance to is now obligated to do whatever you ask!" Victoria paused. "I''m pretty sure that''s the logic the [fae] use, and they''re evil. Not great examples to follow."


    "That isn''t-" Albert began.


    "Can you really say there aren''t nobles like that out there?" Victoria interrupted him. "I''ve gotten to know a total of three since I lost my memory, and two of them were AJ and Duke Duhallis."


    Albert hesitated. She may have a point¡­ one of the reasons he''d initially pulled away from politics was due to his disgust at the way many of the nobles treated the common people. As if they were simply objects to be used, instead of people with thoughts and feelings. To blatantly disregard someone''s humanity like that wasn''t something Albert could stomach, and it was unfortunately quite common in noble circles, particularly in the younger men. That wasn''t to say he hadn''t had his fair share of dalliances with his father''s maids when he was younger, but he''d never abused them in the way he''d seen other nobles treat their servants. He''d even grown rather fond of one, considering running away with her, before the early death of his father had forced him into responsibility and he realized how selfish such an action would have been. It was natural to enjoy the benefits of one''s position, wasn''t it? However, if that led to the development of people like AJ and Duhallis¡­ Albert grimaced, rubbing his temple in frustration trying to reconcile the rights he believed nobles had with the horror of what they had obviously led them to become.


    "You think slow." Victoria commented after watching Albert stew for a few seconds.


    Albert scowled at her. "I''m an Essence Cultivator for a reason. Thinking has never been my strong suit and this is a complicated subject! You''re suggesting that the very nature of how nobles and commoners interact allows- encourages nobles to turn into- into degenerates!"


    "Yeah?" Victoria replied, as if it was obvious that yes, that''s exactly what was happening. "If you tell someone their entire life that they deserve to take advantage of people, you can''t really be surprised when they start taking advantage of people."


    "It isn''t-" Albert began, before stopping himself and letting out a frustrated sigh. "Nobles fulfill a necessary role in society, and that role comes with certain benefits. We provide safety and prosperity for the people, and all we ask is that we be free to enjoy the comfort of a few maids." He replied in a steady tone.


    "Do you ask? Or do you just take and expect them to be okay with it?" Victoria retorted. "There are many women who would love to sleep with nobles! All you have to do is ask! Why do you have to force yourselves on the few women who wouldn''t?"


    "Why would you become a maid if you didn''t want to sleep with a noble?!?" Albert countered


    "What choice do these women have?!? Their only options are to be a wife, a whore, or a maid!" Victoria shot back.


    "Then they should find a good man and settle down!" Albert declared.


    Victoria scowled at him, before clicking her tongue and looking away. "This is off topic. The point is that the idea that you can simply take whatever you want from another person, without considering their desires, turns you into an asshole. Even if you have the right, taking advantage of it indiscriminately isn''t healthy. For the nobles or the people." Victoria paused. "It''s like food. You can eat whatever you want, in whatever quantity you like. However, if you eat sweets all the fucking time, you turn into a giant fatass! By the same principle, if you indulge in abusing your maids, you turn into a giant asshole! Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. It isn''t saying you can''t, it''s saying you shouldn''t."


    Albert blinked. "I can agree with that¡­ but what does it change?"


    "Well, for starters, I''d say that if you don''t want Calvin to end up like AJ, you should encourage him to build some real relationships with a few of the servants. Help him learn to see them as people, not as objects." Victoria replied. "It''s harder to treat someone like crap when you can''t dehumanize them."


    Albert shook his head. "Maintaining a distance from the people is healthy. There will be times he will be called to make hard decisions that will hurt or even kill men. These decisions need to be made, and if he hesitates because the men involved are his friends, then everyone suffers."


    "Making decisions to hurt people should be hard!" Victoria retorted. "Even if it needs to be done, it shouldn''t be easy. That''s how you turn into an asshole."


    "Yes, but caring too much will only hurt you! If you live and die over every difficult decision, how long can you continue to make those decisions? How long until you shrink from any decision, just to save yourself the pain? Such a lord would be more than useless." Albert countered.


    Victoria frowned, taking that in. If Tamara invaded, people would have to be sent out to fight, and most likely die. If every time you did that, you saw your friends dying¡­ How long could you keep doing it? "Okay, I can see that. I don''t necessarily agree, but I can understand where you''re coming from." Victoria sighed. "Still, I think Calvin would benefit from some healthy interaction with commoners. Maybe not as a friend, but maybe a sparring partner or something? Or just encourage him to thank the servants for what they do. Something to drive in the concept that people aren''t simple objects you can use and throw away for your own convenience."


    Albert clicked his tongue. "I''ll consider it." He agreed, before freezing as it suddenly hit home that he was talking to his daughter, not an advisor like Maurice. He was treating her as a peer, not someone to be taught and lectured at. And she was making good points! Where had this insight into human nature come from? From the strange knowledge she received from that other world? Or had losing her memory simply allowed her to view everything from a new perspective? Either way, it was clear his little girl wasn''t so little anymore. He''d been fighting it, but it was now unmistakably clear. She didn''t need him micromanaging her life anymore. She was an adult and while he might disagree with her at times, she was more than capable of making her own decisions. All he could do was support her.


    *


    Victoria returned to her room, grabbed Beatrice, and dragged her onto the bed, burying her face in her chest and letting out a long, weary groan. "V-Victoria, wh- what-" Beatrice stammered, flustered by her actions.


    "Shhhhhh." Victoria interrupted her, lifting her head to place a finger on Beatrice''s lips. "Long day. Need cuddles." She murmured, before shoving her face back into her cleavage. Beatrice flushed, unable to keep from smiling as she carefully held Victoria''s head, pulling her a bit closer. They laid like that for a few minutes, before Victoria let out a sigh and sat up. "Sorry about that. Just¡­ today was rough."


    "Do you want to talk about it?" Beatrice asked.


    Victoria hesitated. "It''s¡­ complicated, and until certain things pass, it wouldn''t be good for you to know too much. Basically, the Lord Inspector came to investigate the disappearance of Duke Duhallis and I had to go over everything that happened that night. The only positive is that AJ got thrown under the [bus] without you getting dragged in after him."


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Beatrice''s eyes widened. "Oh, no, that- that must have been horrible! Reliving all that¡­ are you okay? Do- do you want me to-"


    "I''m fine." Victoria insisted. "It was just stressful, mentally, not emotionally. I''m not too bent out of shape over what happened. He tried, he was stopped, he was punished, and that''s that."


    "It- it doesn''t bother you? That something like that could be done to you?" Beatrice asked in a disbelieving tone.


    Victoria frowned. "Not really? Nothing actually happened, and as long as I keep getting stronger, the risk of anything like that happening again gets smaller and smaller. Even if it does¡­ I''ll deal with it. I''m more than capable of making the life of anyone who crosses me a living hell." Victoria finished with a growl, a dangerous glint flashing in her eyes.


    Beatrice curled in on herself, her eyes going dull. "I- I wish I could be that strong¡­ I still flinch sometimes when I''m walking through the halls and I think I hear someone behind me¡­ I- I have nightmares¡­ that all this has been a dream and I''m still- he still-" Her voice caught, unable to continue as tears began to pool in her eyes.


    Victoria pulled her into her arms, carefully consoling her. "Shh, shh, it''s okay, you''re safe! He can''t do anything to you anymore. He can''t do anything to anyone anymore." She whispered, doing her best to help as Beatrice began to actually sob, breaking.


    "Why- why am I so weak?!?" Beatrice cried. "I-I couldn''t keep myself from- from peeking. I-I betrayed you to keep myself safe! I did everything he asked! All I do is give in, over and over and over!"


    "Beatrice, you-" Victoria froze, feeling her chest tighten as she struggled to find the words to help. "Why- why don''t you just change?"


    Beatrice froze. "Wh-what?"


    "Well, if- if you don''t like something about yourself, then shouldn''t you work on changing it?" Victoria elaborated. "I''m not saying it''d be easy, but¡­ you can at least try, right? Learn from what you did wrong and try to be better next time. That''s how people improve." She continued more confidently. "Life isn''t about being perfect all the time, but constantly improving, always trying to be more and more the person you truly want to be. It''s hard, and sometimes you''ll make mistakes, but you only lose when you stop trying. Does- does that help?" She asked hesitantly.


    Beatrice nodded slowly. "I-I think so¡­"


    Victoria breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good. Good. Now¡­ why didn''t you tell me you were going through this shit!?!" She hissed angrily. "How am I supposed to help you if you hide everything you''re going through!" Victoria paused for a moment as she felt a bit of whiplash from being on the opposite side of this conversation after only a few days. She shook her head, refocusing. "If we''re going to make this relationship work, you can''t just pretend everything is okay. I need to know when you''re in trouble, when you''re hurting, or angry, or- or anything!"


    Beatrice flushed, looking away in embarrassment. "You- you have so much bigger things to worry about¡­ how can I bother you with my insignificant problems?"


    Victoria grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at her, staring her directly in the eyes. "You are my girlfriend. None of your problems are insignificant to me. If something is making you unhappy, it makes me unhappy."


    Beatrice''s eyes widened. "G-girlfriend?"


    Victoria nodded. "Yup. So stop being dumb and let me help you!"


    Beatrice blinked. "What- what''s a girlfriend?"


    Victoria blinked back at her. "Uh¡­ huh. It''s- well, it''s a relationship stage from my world. Basically it goes, stranger, friend, girlfriend, fiance, then married." She paused. "I suppose that doesn''t make it seem terribly significant, but it means that I''m serious about being with you. If things keep going like this, I may even like to spend the rest of my life with you! But that isn''t going to happen if you keep hiding things from me!"


    "You- you- r-really?" Beatrice stammered, stunned. Victoria wanted to spend the rest of her life with her? Or at least considered it a possibility? But¡­ she- she was just a servant! They could enjoy their time together, but¡­ they- they couldn''t actually have a future could they? Eventually Victoria would find the person she actually wanted to be with, and she would be put aside. If she was lucky, then Victoria would keep her around as a mistress, and maybe they''d have a bastard together¡­ Beatrice still wasn''t sure how she felt about that, but if Victoria wanted it¡­ Beatrice flushed. All she wanted was to make Victoria happy. But¡­ would- would Victoria really be satisfied with her? Only her?!? "I- I''m not- why would you choose me?!?"


    Victoria paused. "Well, for starters, you''re the only other [le-] crap, you don''t know that word either¡­ uh, nevermind, not important." She attempted to make a joke before abandoning it. Probably wasn''t the best way to assuage Beatrice''s worries anyway. "Why wouldn''t I choose you? You''re sweet, ridiculously adorable, insightful¡­ not too shabby in the sack." Victoria chuckled. "You''re always there when I need you¡­ I mean, I know that''s what you do, but¡­ you care about me. It isn''t just a job to you. I always enjoy talking to you, playing games, talking through whatever we''re going through¡­ even when I''m angry at you, I still want what''s best for you. If that isn''t love, I don''t know what is."


    "I- I- but- but I''m just a servant!" Beatrice exclaimed. "How- how could- I''m not-"


    "You''re not just a servant!" Victoria retorted fiercely. "Being a servant is your job! Who you are is Beatrice, and I like Beatrice!"


    "But- but you''re a noble- a Cultivator! I''m- I''m just-" Beatrice stammered back, before Victoria interrupted again.


    "I''m just Victoria. That''s all that matters. Everything else is just fluff." Victoria stated firmly, before pausing. "Also, just spend ten points and you''ll be a Cultivator, too."


    Beatrice hesitated. "But¡­ if I become a Cultivator, I- I wouldn''t be able to be your maid anymore¡­"


    Victoria frowned. "That- that''s a good point¡­ we could keep it secret? I could help you with your Runes and training¡­ though, apparently people can notice cores once you have them, so that would be an issue, though not for at least a week or so. Probably more, unless you happen to be just as talented as I am. By normal standards, you should have a few months until you need to worry about that, which would be when I''m supposed to go to the sect anyway, so¡­ if I can bring you in as my servant, the sect shouldn''t care about you until you have two cores, right? If you ever do¡­"


    "But all- all I want to do is be your maid¡­" Beatrice replied, flushing. "I don''t- I don''t need to be a Cultivator for that."


    "Beatrice¡­" Victoria sighed helplessly. "Look, being a Cultivator¡­ it just makes you better at whatever you do. If you want to be a soldier, the Runes help you be a better soldier. If you want to be a seamstress, they''ll help you be a better seamstress! If- if you just want to be my maid, then¡­ they''ll help you be the best damn maid in the entire world! There really isn''t a downside."


    "I- I guess¡­" Beatrice agreed hesitantly, still not sure. She''d seen how much work Victoria put into her cultivation¡­ the only time she could give up to do that would be the time she spent with Victoria, and that- she wouldn''t do that. Still, if Victoria wanted her to Awaken¡­ it wasn''t as if she had any other use for these points she kept getting. She still had no idea why it would reward her just for doing what she was already going to do¡­ She let out a sigh. Everything around Victoria was just so strange!


    "So, are you going to do it?" Victoria asked expectantly. "I can help you Acquire your first Initial Rune right now! The main thing you need to watch out for is you can''t reject the Rune, you have to accept whatever comes." Victoria paused. "You also can''t get distracted. You have to focus on the Rune as it forms to keep it stable. We have a special room for it here, but¡­ I''m not sure if I can sneak you in. But don''t worry! I''ll make sure no one disturbs you." She assured her.


    Beatrice hesitated, before letting out another sigh. She was just going to have to do this, wasn''t she? She focused on the strange symbols in her vision, thinking of pressing them like Victoria explained, pulling up the ''status page''. She focused on the ''Awaken'' option, hesitating again for a few moments, before hardening her resolve and firmly pressing it¡­ Beatrice blinked. She- she didn''t feel any different¡­ "Did- did it work?" She asked.


    "It should have¡­" Victoria frowned, not sure how to tell. "Try closing your eyes and emptying your mind? If you''re Awakened, you should be able to enter your Runescape that way."


    Beatrice nodded, taking a deep breath and doing as she said. Victoria watched her carefully, looking for any sign that she''d succeeded or if she was in trouble. Suddenly her eyes shot open in shock. "I-I saw it! It- it was like a blue sky full of fireflies!"


    Victoria breathed out a sigh of relief. The system worked! Of course, it always worked, but still, whenever she did something new, there was a vague anxiety that somehow the system would fail as she finally found its limit. Not today though. "Okay, now, get back to that state and just call for a Rune. And remember, no matter what it is, don''t lose focus or reject it."


    Beatrice nodded, closing her eyes again, returning to her Runescape. She stared off into that strange sky full of lights, a hint of trepidation making her hesitate yet again, before she cursed herself and pushed through it. If she was going to do it, she should just do it! Why did she have to be so fucking scared all the time! She refocused on the deep blue expanse with a determined gaze. *Come, damn you!* She called, and the sky shook! She let out a small yelp as the pressure descended, lines etching themselves into the sky, a hint of fear tempting her to shrink back, but she quickly hardened her resolve and refocused on the forming Rune. She would not let fear control her anymore! It was fear that kept her silent and obedient after AJ caught her. If she''d been braver, she could have gone to Victoria and told her the truth, or denied AJ and faced whatever consequences came her way! Even if she died, it would have been better than becoming AJ''s puppet, a toy for him to use. She hated that she''d allowed that to happen, and she wouldn''t let anything like that happen to her again!


    Beatrice let out a breath as her Rune finished forming, opening her eyes. "What did you get?" Victoria asked curiously, suddenly feeling like she''d jumped the gun. What skills did Beatrice have? She should have helped her train up a few decent skills before letting her Acquire her Initial Rune.


    Beatrice smiled. "I got Clean!" It was perfect! Her entire job as a maid was making sure everything stayed clean and tidy! This Rune could help her do her job so much better!


    Victoria''s expression twisted. "Damn it! We should have waited! You could have used the system to develop some real skills first."


    Beatrice frowned. "But¡­ I like Clean. I- I want to be useful to you, and cleaning is something that always needs to be done¡­ everything gets dirty."


    Victoria blinked at her. "But-" She began, before pausing with a frown. She was about to say it wasn''t powerful, but¡­ why couldn''t it be? Was Clean any less of a skill than Craft or Bladework? Sure, it had a lower barrier of entry, but that didn''t mean it was easy. You could plainly tell the difference between a maid who''d just started and a maid who had been working for years. Victoria couldn''t say exactly what the difference was, but clearly one cleaned better than the other. Her thoughts turned to the garbage Runes Maurice had told her about when she''d first arrived, Runes like Jump and Eat. Sure, they seemed like simple Runes, but¡­ She remembered the jumping competitions from the Olympics, how skilled those athletes were. She remembered competitive eating, and how intense that got. Was it really that the skills were simple, or was it that it was easier to be decent at the skills, and most people just gave up and Assimilated the Rune once they were at the level of decent? If Beatrice did the work and took Clean all the way to the point of Advancement¡­ Who''s to say Clean would be any less than Craft or Design? "Okay, yeah, nevermind. It''s a good Rune." Victoria nodded, causing Beatrice to smile happily. "Now all you have to do is learn from it. Don''t forget to spend points on the skill in the skills page as well. That will help you a lot. Also, try to think outside the box. Is cleaning just sweeping floors and washing clothes? Or is it something more? What is it at its core? Figuring all that out will help you Advance the Rune, which will let you use your¡­ Qi? Clean is probably a Qi Rune, right? Doesn''t matter. You''ll learn how to use whatever type of cultivation you get to help you clean even better." Victoria explained. "Oh, and don''t forget to use your points to get rid of your exhaustion. No need to waste valuable time sleeping."

 Points: 29 - Shifting gears

    In a small, cramped room covered in maps and reports, the woman who had given Victoria the Potion of Awakening held a report in her hands, staring down at it with a dark expression. The paper crumpled in her hands as she clenched her fists. "All my plans¡­ ruined!" She cursed through gritted teeth.


    A low chuckle sounded out as another woman entered the room. "You''re so cute when your precious little plans go awry~ Don''t worry. My forces can break through any defense Farova can conjure up. If a single nation could cause us any problems, then this entire operation would be pointless."


    "That isn''t the point!" The first woman retorted petulantly, turning to face her. "This was supposed to be my contribution! I was supposed to pave the way into Farova, weakening their defenses so that we could simply roll over them like the insignificant speck they are! Now- now they''re going to be more prepared than ever! We''re going to waste time and resources on Farova!"


    "Shhhhh, it''s okay. I understand. It''s frustrating when things go wrong, I know." The second woman cooed, pulling the first into an embrace and petting her hair. "Now tell me, what was supposed to happen?"


    "The girl was supposed to die!" The first woman exclaimed in frustration. "The Marquis would be broken, the Duke would abandon him, and our forces could roll over the border and break through their patchwork defenses like paper! Even if she did survive, I guaranteed her entrance into the sect! She''d break off the engagement and the Duke would still break off any support to the Marquis. But then! Then the damn fool goes and disappears on everyone, causing the Lord Inspector to arrive and send for the Duke''s men! The border will have twice the manpower to defend it now, right where Farova is best placed to withstand our invasion! This one, annoying bottleneck that could have been weakened to the point of insignificance, is now stronger than ever!"


    "So we take a little more time. It''s okay!" The second woman comforted her. "It might even be better! If we''d simply rolled over Farova, then the other kingdoms would be alarmed, and they''d harden their defenses. If it looks like we''re struggling with Farova, then the other kingdoms will dismiss all this as something that isn''t going to affect them, because if we struggle with Farova, then obviously we''re no threat to them."


    The first woman scowled. "So I was foolish for even attempting all this, is that it?"


    The second woman shook her head. "Of course not! If you''d succeed in weakening them, then we could have simply dedicated less resources to the invasion and gotten the same effect, which would help us appear even weaker while preserving our forces. Now we''ll have to show a bit more of our hand in order to take Farova. But it''s merely an annoyance. It isn''t something to be concerned about. Besides! Look at what your actions have accomplished! This Victoria girl is a marvel! Awakened for barely a month and a half, and she''s already a dual core! And you''ve already guaranteed that talent is ours! No competition with Wisdom''s Curse or those damn Champions of Battle!"


    The first woman hesitated. "True, but¡­ she''s cultivating Spirit and Essence! She hasn''t even touched Qi! I''d almost swear the little bitch is doing it just to spite-"


    "You know that isn''t how it works." The second woman snapped. "Runes aren''t chosen, they chose. Besides, her cultivating Essence and Spirit isn''t a problem, it''s a gift! We specialize in teaching Qi skills! We can practically guarantee she''ll Acquire a Qi Rune, which means we''ll have yet another high level Cultivator to add to our ranks!"


    "Yes, but one who despises us!" The first woman retorted. "She already dislikes us for forcing her to join our sect, and once she learns we''re the ones behind Tamara¡­ all that power will be turned on us!"


    "She won''t learn that until the late stages of our plan, at which point she will have spent years in our sect. Years I will use to Train her." The second woman grinned wickedly, her hands lightly trailing along the first woman''s hips, causing a shiver to run through her body. "You know how effective my Training can be."


    The first woman let out a small whimper as she curled into the second woman''s arms. "But- if she does find out-"


    "She won''t know a thing until after she''s firmly under my thumb." The second woman declared firmly. "The value of a potential tri-core is worth delaying our plans for the moment. We''ll wait until she enters the sect, and then we''ll act."


    The first woman nodded weakly, unable to do anything other than agree to whatever this woman said as her hands roamed her body. "As long as I can have the Rogue Cultivator Ursa." She murmured. "He owes me a bear!"


    *


    After skipping dinner and staying up all night to cultivate, Victoria finally had enough Essence to experiment with. "Okay, so¡­ layering." Victoria muttered to herself, drawing Essence from her core and moving it towards her arm. The moment the Essence left her body, it turned¡­ thick. It was like a slightly more liquid rubber. She reached out to touch it, feeling the resistance of it, pushing her fingers through it to reach her skin, and finally smacking it. "Huh¡­ it''s like a non-Newtonian fluid." She then attempted the ''layering'' she''d learned from her Bladework Rune, which actually involved splitting the Essence into different sections and letting it ''flow''. This time, when she tried to touch it, the Essence felt hard, more like rock, or shell. "Huh¡­" Victoria grunted. "Why layers?" She frowned. What was happening was that by keeping the Essence flowing, it would harden no matter how fast something hit it, because the flow naturally brought the necessary speed. But couldn''t she just spin it? That''d be less taxing mentally. Not that she had much of an issue since her points and Spirit gave her mental capabilities a significant boost, but still, the flow her Bladework Rune gave her was complicated. It swirled up and around and side to side in a complex map. She was sure there was a good reason for it, but she couldn''t figure out what it was.


    Victoria frowned at the Essence barrier for a moment, before sighing and letting it return to her core. She''d need to experiment more with that later, but for now she had the next trick to try: attaching her Essence to her skin. Which¡­ didn''t really seem to do much until she tried cutting it. As soon as she did, the wound visibly began to close. Not at any insane rate, but over the course of the next few minutes, it went from a dark red line to a barely pink mark. "Eh, points are faster." Victoria muttered, which brought her to her next experiment of the day: attempting to do all this with points instead of Essence. Just as she did before, she sent her points towards her skin, but this time she knew what to do with them. Unlike Spirit, Essence was more¡­ cohesive. Victoria didn''t have the words to explain why, because while there definitely were principles to how it all worked, it didn''t work in any way Victoria was familiar with. She knew that with matter, molecules were either more or less attracted to each other, based on their composition, and that was how viscosity was determined, but Spirit, Essence, and Points weren''t made of particles. They simply were, and part of that could mean being more or less viscous. The question then became, could her points adjust their viscosity?


    Victoria focused on her points in a way she never had before. So far, her points had been able to do anything she thought of, but this wasn''t a matter of making the points do something, but of changing the nature of what the points were. Just how mutable were they? As she focused on them, attempting to gaze into the very nature of what they were, she began to feel something else, a strange draw from the points. She frowned, focusing on the sensation, until she felt a sudden shift. One moment she was a person focusing on points, and the next she was the points! They weren''t just connected, they were one and the same! Her body slumped as she- or they? It? Whatever the points were drifted out of Victoria. It only had a vague awareness of its surroundings as it began to panic. All it could see was a world of red, the red denser in some areas and lighter in others. In particular, there were two incredibly dense pockets where it remembered Victoria''s body being, the one above glowing brighter than the one below. In a panic, the points shot back towards the brightest spot, trying to reconnect with Victoria''s body. As the points touched her body, they were suddenly sucked back in, and Victoria reopened her eyes with a panicked gasp. Her heart was pounding in her chest as her mouth went dry. What the fuck just happened?!? Why- why had she become the points?!? Why had they left her body!?!


    "Victoria? Is everything okay?" Beatrice asked, her tone full of concern as she rushed to Victoria''s side. She''d been cleaning after a session of meditating on her Rune, putting what she''d learned into practice, when she''d seen Victoria collapse, then sit back up with a gasp. Had- had something gone wrong with her cultivation?


    "I''m fine. Everything''s fine." Victoria assured her, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. While the experience had been jarring, it hadn''t been painful or anything like that. It was simply confusing and disconcerting.


    Beatrice frowned at her. "Victoria, you said we weren''t supposed to hide things from each other¡­"


    Victoria flushed. "I- I''m not! Nothing bad happened, I just- I kinda¡­ merged with my points and had an out of body experience. I only freaked out a little bit because I didn''t expect it. I''m fine, really."


    Beatrice narrowed her eyes at her for a moment, before nodding slightly. "If you say so¡­ just- let- let me know if you need anything, okay?"


    Victoria smiled, shaking her head. "I will, don''t worry." She snickered lightly, before pulling her in for a quick kiss. It felt good to have someone to care for her. As Beatrice went back to cleaning with a slight flush, Victoria refocused, frowning slightly. After her little¡­ excursion, a few things had changed. First, that red world was still there, all around her. It suffused everything, the only difference between the air and the walls a slight difference in density. She could vaguely make out objects, but she had to concentrate. People on the other hand¡­ Victoria glanced towards Beatrice. Most of her body was like everything else, but her head, specifically her brain, glowed. Sparks of red lightning played through her mind, moving in circuits before disappearing as a new thread was born. However, in her mind¡­ there was nothing. She could see maids through the floor, with brains just like Beatrice''s. Beatrice was normal. She- she was not. *What- what am I?!?* Victoria''s breathing began to quicken as a quick existential crisis set in, before she shook her head, pushing it aside. No matter what, she was who she was, be it as Thomas, Victoria, or even as the points. Worrying about things she couldn''t change wouldn''t do anything.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Speaking of change, Victoria turned her attention to her points. The vision of the red world hadn''t simply given her a view of her cores and the energy within, but it also gave her an insight into its nature. The cores didn''t just glow, they glowed at a certain¡­ Victoria wanted to call it a frequency, but that wasn''t quite it. It wasn''t like the energy was vibrating in waves, it was just¡­ shifted. However, her points weren''t. Her points were like the red world, with no shift, only concentrated. However, when she sent out her points to turn into a mist to analyze an object, the points shifted to match her Spirit! She then shifted her points in a different direction, and the points turned to sludge just like Essence, and summarily plopped to the floor. Victoria snorted, returning her points to their blank state and calling them back. No floating barriers for her. Though¡­ if she plastered the points across a door or something¡­


    Victoria paused as she felt a pull from somewhere beyond her new¡­ point vision? She followed the pull and- a sweaty, well rounded butt gripped by large, rough hands filled her vision, accompanying the feeling of being inside someone, and a surge of euphoria. Victoria sputtered as she flinched away from the sight. ¡°What- was that-!¡± Victoria gagged, shivering in horror at what she''d just experienced.


    ¡°Victoria?¡± Beatrice asked hesitantly. ¡°What-¡±


    ¡°You don''t want to know.¡± Victoria cut her off with a shudder, still trying to scrub what she''d just experienced from her mind. ¡°Just- no.¡±


    Beatrice frowned. ¡°Victoria¡­¡±


    Victoria sighed. ¡°Beatrice, I''m not hiding anything! I just don''t think you need to know I just saw Ursa and Foratuna having sex!¡±


    Beatrice immediately flushed. ¡°Oh. But- how?¡±


    Victoria shook her head. ¡°I don''t know. Something to do with the points. I''m just-¡± She shuddered again. ¡°Still processing.¡±


    Beatrice paused. ¡°Maybe- maybe a distraction would help?¡±


    ¡°What do you-¡± Victoria cut off as Beatrice began to slip out of her dress. ¡°Oh¡­ yeah, that could work.¡±


    *


    After a brief, but thoroughly cleansing diversion, Victoria continued through her normal routine, slowly adjusting to her new vision, which allowed her to see all the energy within an about ten meter radius sphere around her, though if there were walls or other obstructions in the way, it did shorten her vision. She could still see through them, just not as far as she could if they weren''t there, and she had no idea why. She also learned she could instinctively locate anyone who had the system now, which only included Beatrice, Ursa, and Foratuna at the moment, and she could see cores and judge their relative strength based on how bright they glowed.


    There was a slight hitch as she began her daily tasks, when she was about to send her points out again to weaken herself, she froze as she remembered what had happened earlier. If she sent her points out and she ended up leaving her body again¡­ Victoria hesitated, before letting out a frustrated groan and just doing it. She could do it before, why not now? She winced as the last point left, letting out a sigh of relief as she stayed in her body. Of course she could always return if she hadn''t, but somehow it just felt wrong to leave her body like that. Or maybe it was just the fact that it reminded her that it wasn''t really her body¡­ Which actually hurt a little, because she was starting to like being Victoria. To love her family. To feel like she belonged. And the reminder that she probably didn''t set an ache in her chest that she just couldn''t shake.


    Victoria grimaced as she refocused on her tasks, focusing on them to distract herself from the dark thoughts circling her mind. When that didn''t help as much as she''d hoped, she began planning for the future as well. With her Essence core formed and the Assimilation of her Design Rune being only a matter of time, it wouldn''t be long until she entered a sect. Unfortunately, if nothing changed, the sect she''d be forced to enter would be the Hidden Blades¡­ Victoria couldn''t be certain, but it seemed like a good bet that the sect that thought it was a good idea to give out Potions of Awakening to people it''d most likely kill on the off chance that it wouldn''t would also be the sect that thought it was a good idea to go Empire. Being forced to join the sect that would most likely murder her entire family did not sound pleasant.


    Unfortunately, she didn''t see any other option. She didn''t have any way to contact another sect without alerting the Hidden Blades. Not only that, she didn''t have any proof that the Hidden Blades were the ones working with Tamara, so even if she did have a way to talk to any of the other sects, why would they believe her? If she could somehow gather some proof, hide it until the sect entrance exam, and present the proof without the Hidden Blades simply offing her the moment she opened her mouth, she might be able to save herself, but her family? They were screwed. They''d be the front line of any war, and unlike the other sects, the Hidden Blades were prepared. She was sure eventually the other sects would win, but it would take time, and in that time, her family, and probably the rest of Farova, as well as more than a few of the other small nations in the area, would take the brunt of Tamara and the Hidden Blades wrath.


    Victoria''s expression twisted as she faced the inevitable loss of everything she''d come to care about again. She might be able to save Beatrice, and Ursa could disappear on his own, but the rest? Her parents? Maurice? Calvin? What was she supposed to do for them? There was no way the Marquis would abandon his lands. He would remain and face the Tamarins with his people, the damn noble bastard. He might send Calvin and Melissa away, but to where? And what kind of life would they have after he inevitably fell to the Tamarins? They would lose everything and end up either dependent on the mercy of someone else or left with nothing and forced to fend for themselves. At least Melissa was a Cultivator as well, so she had something to use to support herself, but still, it wouldn''t be pretty. And that was if everything went well! At the moment, all she could do was watch helplessly as the Tamarins rolled over her family, crushing their people, and moving on to the rest of Farova, before whatever the next step was in their plan to take over everything.


    Victoria let out a frustrated sigh. "If only we were on their side." They''d still end up being the grunts in this stupid war, but at least they''d have support. No one would give two shits about defending Farova, but Tamara and the Hidden Blades needed all the support they could get. Victoria suddenly paused. Could they be on their side? If she found that woman who''d given her the Potion of Awakening¡­ if it was the Hidden Blades, then she might be able to negotiate a deal, right? Make them agree to protect her family and let them keep their lands, and in exchange they could simply march right into Farova. Victoria didn''t give two shits about Farova either, not when she had to hide her cultivation or be killed by them for being too talented. The Marquis may have some issue with that, but when forced to choose between the well-being of his people and loyalty to his nation, Victoria was almost certain he''d choose his people. If it wasn''t the Hidden Blades¡­ Well, then she''d just have alerted a sect about the fact that one of the others was going Empire, and after that it wasn''t her problem any more. She''d let them investigate, and then whatever happens happens. It''d almost definitely be better than anything she could do.


    The question was, would the Hidden Blades actually be interested? Or would they just kill her? It wasn''t like Farova was much of a hurdle. Maurice had made it very clear that they were one of the weakest nations. They didn''t have any notable resources, they hadn''t developed any great technology (though Victoria had some ideas on that), they weren''t part of any major trade network, and even dual-core Cultivators were rare, let alone tri-cores. The only thing they really had going for them were large tracts of land for farming, but they didn''t really have the population to take advantage of it, or the strength of arms to retake it from the Rune Beasts. If they were just dealing with Tamara, which was in a similar situation, maybe her offer would mean something, but the Hidden Blades wouldn''t give two shits about Farova. Then again, if they were just dealing with Tamara, she wouldn''t need to make the offer.


    Victoria let out a frustrated sigh. "I need more leverage." How could she make the Hidden Blades more interested? What did they care about? Victoria paused. Well, obviously they wanted more Cultivators. That''s sort of how she got into this situation, isn''t it? Quite literally, actually. Without the Hidden Blades, Victoria, or Thomas she supposed, would have probably ended up in some other poor dead schmuck. Or just dead¡­ the specifics of how she actually became Victoria were still fairly fuzzy. However, the point was, Victoria could absolutely make Cultivators. She''d already proven she could spread the system like wildfire in her last world, and she didn''t imagine it''d be much harder in this one. She''d also proven the system could make people Awaken just yesterday with Beatrice. What burgeoning Empire wouldn''t be excited about the ability to Awaken literally anyone without endangering their lives? Without worrying about the resources needed to make a potion? Or the skill required to actually make the potion? Victoria paused at that last point, the Hidden Blades push to go Empire suddenly making sense. They were Qi Cultivators! They specialized in Qi skills, like alchemy! With the Potion of Awakening, plus their skill in alchemy, they could afford to waste them on things like Awakening bears. That is, if the sect behind Tamara actually was the Hidden Blades¡­ It did make more and more sense the more she thought about it though.


    Victoria frowned as she considered the wisdom of actually sharing the system with the Hidden Blades. If she did, then it essentially guaranteed their victory, no matter which side they were on. There were simply too many advantages to it. Even if the Hidden Blades weren''t the ones planning on going Empire, after getting their hands on the system, they might just go for it anyway. Did she really want that? Victoria scowled. No, not really. Not yet anyway. She did have to admit that most of her dislike for the sect came from her interactions with a single member, which didn''t necessarily represent the nature of the entire sect. Maybe she''d just met a bad egg? It was certainly possible, though the state of Tamara and Ursa''s stories didn''t make her all that optimistic either¡­ but what other options did she have? Even if she spread the system to the Marquis''s troops, it''d take years before any of them were any sort of threat to a sect, and according to the conversations Ursa had overheard back when he was still a War Bear, they only had a few months, max. Probably less.


    So, if she had to do it, she had to be smart about it. She''d need to gut the thing down to barely anything. No skill page, no heal, no spending points to increase cultivation, no nothing. Just tasks and a button to Awaken, and that''s it. If they wanted anything more, they''d need to make it worth her while. Honestly, if she was being honest, she''d really rather avoid giving the system to any of them¡­ maybe she could use her points to Awaken someone, without using the system? Victoria paused. It should be possible, right? Though¡­ that might not be enough for the Hidden Blades. They already had the Potion of Awakening after all. Yes, her method was safer, but if she was the only one who could do it, it had limited usefulness. Additionally, it''d still cost her points every time she did it, so they''d need to constantly feed her cores to keep her going. If she was just giving out the system, they could do their own tasks and spend their own points, which would be better for everyone involved.


    Victoria paused as she suddenly remembered her reserve plan, which she''d completely forgotten about after everything with the woman from the Hidden Blades, Ursa, and Duke Duhallis. If she gave the Hidden Blades the system and gave them enough motivation to give the system to all their people, making them gain more and more points, building up that reserve¡­ then at any point she could basically overthrow whatever they built, couldn''t she? The moment she released that reserve and the whole sect would erupt as the lower ranks jumped in power! Given what she''d seen so far, she couldn''t imagine the rank and file of the Hidden Blades were very satisfied with their treatment, so the moment they had the power, they''d riot, overturning whatever plans the Hidden Blades may have had! Now she just needed to figure out if she could actually do that¡­

 Points: 30 - Meeting the Elder

    *Have you had any luck finding suspicious individuals in town?* Victoria asked Ursa. If she wanted to do what she''d planned, she needed to actually find the bitch who''d gotten Victoria killed. Unfortunately, it was the one thing she had no idea how to actually do. Gutting the system was easy. So easy, she''d already done it by simply deactivating every button but the one to Awaken. She figured her plan would work better when the Hidden Blades could see the options, but not actually be able to use them, giving them more motivation to actually gain points. Just knowing what the points could do would make them so much more attractive. She''d also made the rule to reserve seventy-five percent of all points gained, but neither Ursa or Beatrice had gained points since, so she didn''t know if it worked.


    *Unfortunately, no.* Ursa sent back in a frustrated grumble. *Your town simply has too much traffic, Hunters always coming and going as they please. It''s like trying to find a needle in a constantly shifting haystack!*


    Victoria frowned. *So there''s no way to find her?*


    *There is a minor chance I will happen to run into her as I walk around, but otherwise? No. The town is simply too large with too many people moving through it.* Ursa replied.


    Victoria sighed in frustration. *Damn it!* If Ursa couldn''t find his handler, then finding the woman who''d given her the Potion of Awakening wouldn''t be any easier. Particularly since both of them were probably trying to hide, not just living in the town like normal Hunters. However, if she couldn''t find at least one of them, then no matter what she wanted to do, she''d be helpless. Victoria paused. Maybe there was another way? The one was obviously watching her, or at least she had been. If she could do something to draw her attention¡­ The best way to find a needle was a magnet after all. Or a fire.


    The question was how. Obviously if she started mouthing off about the Hidden Blades trying to go Empire, she''d get their attention, but they''d probably just kill her at that point. Plus, if she wanted to actually work with them, giving away their plans probably wasn''t the best idea. Maybe if she spread a rumor that she was looking to get in contact with the Champions of Battle? The Hidden Blades hated them, and vice-versa, so the woman might think she''s trying to escape and come to threaten her again. The problem was, Victoria had no way of actually contacting anyone, and the woman probably knew that, so she might not take the rumor seriously.


    Victoria paused. What if she spread the rumor that she was looking for the person who''d given her the Potion of Awakening? What if she actually just started looking, offering rewards for any leads? Though¡­ the Marquis was probably already doing that. Still, the woman knew she knew who had given her the Potion of Awakening. If she started looking for her, it''d be clear that she was looking for her, and if she was paying attention¡­ maybe she''d show up? It was better than any other idea she had.


    Victoria nodded, turning her attention back to Ursa. *Start spreading the rumor that I''m looking for the person who gave me the Potion of Awakening.*


    Ursa blinked. *Why?* Wouldn''t she actually want to just look for the person? Why spread a rumor?


    *Because I want the person who gave me the Potion of Awakening to know I''m looking for them.* Victoria replied. *I have something I want to talk to them about.*


    *Ah, you know who gave you the Potion of Awakening. I see.* Ursa nodded in understanding. No wonder Victoria had been asking him about his progress. She had someone she wanted to find herself. *You think this rumor will actually draw their attention?*


    Victoria shrugged. *I''m hoping. If not, then I have to rely on luck, and I''d really rather not. Particularly since I don''t have the freedom to simply wander around town like some people do.*


    Ursa snorted. *As if anyone could stop you if you really wanted to. Maurice already warned me of your proclivity to wander off. I''ve been warned to not take you anywhere in the wilderness, no matter how much you beg.*


    Victoria paused. *Just the wilderness? Not town?*


    *I asked the same thing, and Maurice replied that if you aren''t safe with me in town, you aren''t safe with anyone.* Ursa replied.


    *That- is good to know.* Victoria muttered.


    *


    The rest of the day passed normally, with the sole exception that family dinner had replaced AJ with Semloh, which¡­ Well, it wasn''t exactly awkward, but it wasn''t comfortable either, everyone keeping the conversation surface level and avoiding sensitive topics, like what happened with AJ and what Dude Duhallis had tried to do to Victoria. Victoria reminded herself that she really needed to talk things over with her mother and Calvin. They both kept giving her concerned glances throughout dinner, and she needed to assure them she was okay. She could probably talk to Calvin tonight, actually¡­


    "Hey, you want to play some games?" Victoria asked Calvin as dinner finished. He nodded and they headed towards Victoria''s room.


    "So¡­ the Duke-" Calvin began


    "The Duke tried to do something, but he failed. You really don''t need to worry about it." Victoria interrupted him.


    "But-"


    "But nothing! He failed, and he can''t do anything to me any more, trust me." Victoria assured him. "I made sure of it."


    Calvin gave her a weird look, before nodding. "Okay. Is that why you were acting so weird for a bit? All angry and¡­"


    "Bitchy?" Victoria offered, grinning slightly. "It definitely didn''t help. Though¡­ there were other factors that made me get angrier than I really needed to¡­ it''s been a rough month."


    Calvin snorted. "I honestly don''t know how you''re doing as well as you are. If I suddenly woke up one day with no memory of who I am, strange ideas about how the world should work, and faced with either getting powerful or marrying some jerk¡­ I don''t think I''d have done as well as you have."


    "I think you would have done fine. Honestly, I was so busy for the first few weeks, I barely had time to think, let alone freak out. As long as you just keep focusing on the next thing you need to get done it''s pretty easy to just ignore everything that could absolutely ruin your life. Do what you can, don''t focus on what you can''t." Victoria replied.


    Calvin frowned. "Isn''t that just like¡­ delusional?"


    Victoria shrugged. "Maybe? But don''t you think it''s better to be a bit delusional than to be miserable? If there''s nothing you can do about a problem, why not ignore it?" Calvin grunted noncommittally, not arguing, but not completely agreeing either as he mulled the idea over. Victoria grinned as she watched him think, before freezing as they got close to her quarters, her expression hardening. "I''m sorry Calvin, but we''re going to need to play later."


    Calvin''s eyes widened. "What? Why!?!"


    "I just realized I have something else to deal with." Victoria sighed. "I promise, we''ll play tomorrow, alright?"


    Calvin grimaced, before letting out a sigh of his own. "Fine. I''ll see you tomorrow." He grumbled, before turning and stalking off.


    Victoria watched him go with a complicated expression, sorry she was canceling on him, but unable to do anything else. Because waiting in her room was a person with two very bright cores. "Your senses have improved." The woman replied, raising an eyebrow at Victoria as she entered the room, emerging from the shadows and crossing her arms.


    "And you got here pretty quick." Victoria retorted. "I was thinking I''d have to wait at least a week."


    The woman snorted. "Your friend is far from subtle. We''ve been watching him from the moment he began poking around in town."


    Victoria tsked. "Figures. I probably shouldn''t have expected a powerful Cultivator that suddenly appeared and gained the local lord''s favor to just be ignored."


    The woman let out a sharp laugh. "No, no you shouldn''t have. Now, why did you want to see me? You''ve already missed the Summer exam if you''re looking to enter the sect early. You''ll need to wait until Fall."


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Look, are you guys the ones trying to go Empire with Tamara?" Victoria asked. She probably could have been more surreptitious about it all, but why? It''d all boil down to asking her straight out either way.


    The woman froze, her eyes widening, then suddenly she was across the room, pinning Victoria to the wall by her throat. "How did you learn about this?!?" She hissed in a threatening tone.


    "I''ll-" Victoria coughed. "I''ll take that as a yes. Don''t worry, I haven''t told anyone. I don''t plan on telling anyone either. I''d rather not see my home turn into the front lines of a sect war."


    "How. Did. You. KNOW!?!" The woman asked again, pressing harder against Victoria''s throat, causing her to choke a bit before she released enough to let her talk.


    "The bear told me!" Victoria choked out.


    The woman froze. "My Pookie told you?" She asked dumbly.


    Victoria blinked. "Pookie?" She repeated, struggling to suppress a laugh, though she wasn''t sure whether it was because she was incredulous that this was Ursa''s handler, or the fact that she called a literal war bear Pookie. She let out an awkward cough as she mentally filed that information away, promising to tease Ursa later. "Uh, yeah. Your¡­ Pookie and I talked for a bit, and apparently you all talk about ''the sect'' a lot when you''re taking care of the bears. Putting that together with the fact that you''re here giving Potions of Awakening to young girls and threatening them into joining your sect, it seemed like the logical conclusion."


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "And then you just let that bastard kill him!?!" The woman exclaimed angrily. "Even after you learned how sweet and caring he was?!?"


    Victoria blinked. "Uh¡­ no? I didn''t let anyone kill him. But that gets into my next point. See, I get that Farova is screwed no matter what here. There''s no scenario where they can avoid getting conquered, and if this turns into a sect war, it gets even worse for them. But I don''t care about them. What I do care about is my family, and to a lesser extent our people. I want them all to be safe and our lands to remain ours, at least to the same extent they are now. In exchange, I''ll let you guys use the system. Which may not mean anything to you at the moment, but the basics are that it will let you Awaken as many people as you like without worrying about resources or them dying or something." Victoria paused, considering whether what she was going to say next was all that wise, before deciding it was better than having the woman stay angry at her for no actual reason. "It also lets you do things like turn bears into people, and I''ll let you connect those dots on your own."


    The woman frowned for a moment, before her eyes widened in sudden realization. She backed away from Victoria, her hands flying to cover her mouth as tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes. "My- my Pookie is alive?!?" She asked in disbelief.


    *I think I may have just screwed Ursa over¡­* Victoria thought to herself as she watched the woman get way too emotional over the fact that a bear she pretty much enslaved and forced to kill people was still alive. She remembered Ursa''s scars and they didn''t speak to a real caring experience. "Yeah¡­ so, back to the whole ''killing everyone I know and love'' issue. Is the system enough to convince you to not? Cause I really have nothing else to offer."


    The woman froze, before visibly getting herself back under control. "Ah, hm, yes, uh¡­ if- if it actually is what you say it is¡­" She trailed off, frowning as she actually began to process what Victoria had told her about the system, something that could Awaken people without any risk, that could turn a bear into a person¡­ if she was talking to a high level Cultivator, something like that might make sense. They all had unique abilities that defied common sense. But¡­ this little girl? A little girl who''d only been Awakened for about a month and a half? Who showed a frightening amount of talent? The woman''s eyes narrowed. "Who are you? When did you steal this girl''s body?"


    Victoria froze. How did she- her eyes narrowed. "Can high level Cultivators actually do that? Steal someone else''s body? Either way, that isn''t what''s happening here. All I know is that I have no memory of this world from before I took the Potion of Awakening, but plenty of memories of another world, where cultivation wasn''t even a thing. It''s also true that when I woke up, I had the system which has been very helpful. I can confidently say I didn''t purposefully steal this body, but it would explain a few things if it were true, wouldn''t it? Still, now that whatever happened has happened, I am Victoria. I''ve been Victoria ever since I woke up from taking the Potion of Awakening."


    The woman eyed her carefully for a moment, before grunting. "What do you mean when you say you would let us use the system?"


    "I can give other people the system." Victoria shrugged. "The basic version will allow anyone to complete tasks and use points to Awaken. If things go well, I can upgrade it to allow access to more features, such as using points to increase your cultivation, or to help you comprehend skills. You could even use it to communicate, allowing you to coordinate over vast distances in an instant. It can also track anyone else with the system, so the next time you lose your bear, you don''t lose your bear. Honestly, even I don''t know what the limit on this thing is. I haven''t exactly had it long, you know?"


    The woman blinked. "And- and what is the cost of all this?"


    "Uh¡­ points? Or tasks, I suppose¡­ you do tasks, get points, and then you get to spend them. Not everything costs points though¡­ talking and tracking for example. That just happens." Victoria replied. "Oh, wait, do you mean what I want? Cause that''s pretty much just the safety of my family and people. Plus, you know, don''t piss me off, or I''ll take it away."


    The woman scowled. "And who controls these tasks?"


    Victoria paused. "Me, in a sense? But in practice, tasks are generated based on personal desires and morality. Plus, you don''t have to complete a task. You just don''t get the points unless you do. Also, tasks don''t give you points for doing something unless you actually want to do it. There''s some metric which takes into account effort and desire, and if there''s no desire, there''s no points. So even if I give you a task, if it''s something you''d never want to do, you wouldn''t get anything for it, so why would you do it?"


    "I see¡­" The woman muttered, before shaking her head. "This isn''t a decision I can make. You''ll need to speak with the Elder. Come with me." She moved to grab Victoria, pulling her towards the window. Spirit threads emerged from her head, wrapping around the two of them, before latching onto the walls of the castle, lifting them into the air. A thin mist of what Victoria assumed was Qi emerged next, covering them in shadow as the threads carried them out and over the walls and into the town.


    For the first few moments, Victoria was too stunned to react. Not because of what the woman had done, but because she could see her do it! Until that moment, Victoria hadn''t truly understood the advantage her red world vision had given her. The main threat of most Cultivator skills came from the fact that they couldn''t be seen, not without a Spirit or Qi field. Essence Cultivators with invisible weapons, Spirit Cultivators with their invisible threads, Qi Cultivators cloaking skills¡­ they all took advantage of the fact that most people couldn''t actually see whatever energy the Cultivator was using! Even if they could, using their energy to do so would weaken them in some other area. However, with Victoria''s new vision of the red world, all that became meaningless. She just saw energy. All around her, no matter what form it was in. Even if a Cultivator was using their Qi to cloak themselves, it wouldn''t matter, because Victoria could just see the energy they were using! It was like constantly maintaining a Spirit or Qi field around herself, one that no one else knew she had, and didn''t use any of her resources.


    After that, her focus was drawn to what the woman was actually doing. The way she was using her Spirit. She was actually using it to lift the both of them, almost like flying! All she had to do was maintain a connection with something stable, and she could move them around as she liked! It made Victoria think about how she used her points to lift things¡­ she didn''t maintain a connection with anything¡­ *Does this mean I can fly?* Victoria wondered to herself incredulously. She had to test that. Later though. If she suddenly started floating for no reason, the woman may have issues.


    The woman took the both of them towards a small building near the edge of town, pulling them inside through a small open window, putting Victoria down as she retracted her energy. "Follow me." She commanded, waving for her to follow as she headed towards a hidden hatch in the floor. She led Victoria down a ladder and through a few twisting tunnels, until they arrived in a small room full of maps and reports.


    "Ah, Tiffany, how did-" A new woman raised her head to greet the woman, Tiffany apparently, before freezing as she caught sight of Victoria. "You brought the girl here?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "You must have a good explanation for this." She added in a tone that suggested that if she didn''t, there would be consequences.


    Tiffany gulped. "Yes, Elder. The- she already knows of our plans¡­ and she has an offer for us."


    The Elder turned her raised eyebrow towards Victoria. "An offer, you say? What could someone like you offer our sect?"


    Victoria gulped, tearing her attention from whatever the energy was doing inside the Elder to meet her gaze. "Uh¡­ the system. Basically, it''s a tool that will help you do whatever it is you want to do, better. Just complete some simple tasks, and use the points you gain to do things like increase your cultivation, help you comprehend Runes, stuff like that. Oh, and the important point, anyone with the system can Awaken without worrying about dying. All they need to do is spend ten points, which you can gain pretty easily." Victoria paused. "Also, you can change all your War Bears cultivation to manual if that''s something you''re interested in. Or change some people''s cultivation to automatic?" Victoria paused. "Actually, I wonder if you could do a mix of the two¡­ heh, semi-automatic." Victoria then smacked herself in the head. "Shit! I forgot the most important point! You can use points to get rid of your need to sleep or eat or pretty much any other physical need you might have. Which, I''d imagine, would be very useful for any army. I don''t know much about war, but I do know that the main issue is usually logistics. Making sure everyone is fed, healthy, and well equipped. My system takes care of two of the three pretty easily." She hesitated as she remembered something else. "Actually, it could be three of the three¡­ my system can make items based on whatever I''ve scanned, for ten points per [kilogra-] er, a little over two pounds¡­ two and a quarterish? Seriously, why do you guys have pounds, but not kilograms? Though I guess I should at least be thankful I''m not working with gills and stone or some other bullshit. Shit, if I had to adjust to some completely foreign weight system, I think I''d stab someone. Doing all those stupid conversions just to get things in a context I can actually compre-"


    "Is this relevant to the matter at hand?" The Elder asked, her skeptical look deepening as she stared at this strange little girl making some rather outlandish claims.


    Victoria blinked. "No, not really I suppose¡­ it doesn''t really matter what unit you use, the stuff is always going to cost the same. You might as well just use points as a unit."


    "Mhmm. And do you have any proof of your claims?" The Elder asked, giving Tiffany a distasteful glance. Why would she bring this delusional girl to her? Talking of things that were clearly impossible! Making matter from nothing! Ridiculous! Victoria paused, before shrugging and pointing at the table in front of the Elder, making a point worth of iron. A perfectly round ball of iron formed as the Elder''s eyes widened in disbelief, slowly beginning to roll towards the edge before the Elder snatched it up, examining it closely, a cloud of some sort of mix of Spirit and Qi emerging from her and covering it. "This- this is pure iron!"


    Victoria frowned. "Yeah? Is that important? I mean, I made it out of points. Obviously it isn''t going to have any impurities."


    The Elder blinked. "That- hm, yes. Good point." She coughed, pocketing the sphere. She paused for a moment, quickly reprocessing everything Victoria had told her from the perspective that it was actually true, not the mad ravings of a desperate little girl. As she had said, just removing the need for complicated supply lines to keep their soldiers fed would make this system a vital part of their future plans! All the people and resources they''d dedicated to keeping their growing army hidden and well fed¡­ this system could free them all! The forces they could bring to bear would practically double! The Elder calmed herself down, narrowing her eyes at Victoria. "And what, may I ask, would you be asking from us in exchange for this¡­ system."


    "Well, for starters, safety for my family and our people. I''d honestly settle for just my family, but my father would never agree to something that selfish. He could be convinced to betray Farova for his people, particularly since Farova is doomed either way, but just for the family? That''d be a harder sell." Victoria explained. "Anyway, that''ll get you one feature. I was going to make it Awakening, but¡­ well, now that I think about it, the heal button would probably be more attractive to you all. That''s the one that lets you remove your need to sleep or eat. It also keeps you healthy, healing any injuries or diseases, though that will cost more points depending on how serious the condition is. After that¡­ Well, we can talk about unlocking more features and what I want for that later. I''ve only been around for about a month and a half so far, and I don''t have all that good a grasp on what I actually need yet. A few ideas on what I want though. Such as some info on what the fuck is happening with your cultivation." Her attention returned to the complicated mess that was strung all through the Elder''s body, energy flowing between her cores like some sort of circulatory system. "But then again, that probably comes with being part of the sect, so I''ll hold off on that."


    The Elder let out a chuckle tinged with a slight hint of frustration. "A smart one. You''ll be fun to work with."


    Victoria blinked. "So¡­ is that a yes?"


    The Elder gave her a tight smile. "Your system would increase our chances of success to the point that we would have to work to fail, simply by sparing a small piece of land in an insignificant country. How could I say no to that?"


    Victoria let out a small sigh of relief. "Ah, good. Now all I have to do is convince my father to go along with it¡­ that won''t be hard at all."

 Points: 31 - Making a deal

    "Could- could you repeat that?" Albert asked, not quite believing what he was hearing.


    "Tamara is being backed by the Hidden Blades in an attempt to go Empire, but I''ve arranged a deal for us to defect in exchange for the safety of us and our people." Victoria repeated. "We don''t have to take it, obviously, but if we don''t, I''m pretty sure we''re all dead. Or at least, everyone except me. The Hidden Blades are actually the ones who gave me the Potion of Awakening, along with a guarantee of admittance into the sect, so I''d probably just get taken by them, because they probably wouldn''t want to kill someone with my potential. Unless, of course, they consider me a potential threat, in which case, yes, we''re back to all of us being dead."


    Albert blinked at her a few times, before letting out a groan and covering his face with his hands. "Victoria, I can''t-"


    "Hey, you''re the one who said family, people, land, power." Victoria pointed out. "The land isn''t salvageable. Farova is done. We can maintain a bit of power, and save our people and our family. I don''t think we can get a better deal. Even if we managed to get this to the other sects, it''d turn our lands into the front lines of a sect war, and that- that would be bad."


    Albert a pained groan. "Okay, yes, but¡­ do you even comprehend the gravity of all this?!? You''re asking me to betray my nation! My oaths! This isn''t just stepping back and letting the Tamarins through. The Lord Inspector has already called for the Duke''s men! If we don''t fight the Tamarins, how do you think they''ll react? No, not even that! In order to keep our deal with the Tamarins, we will have to fight the Duke''s men, to keep them from fighting the Tamarins!"


    "Well, actually the deal with the Tamarins, or more accurately the Hidden Blades, doesn''t really hinge on not fighting them. I¡­ sort of promised them access to this thing I have which will make their attempt to go Empire a whole lot easier. I mean, let''s be honest, if they were in a position where they would be worried about Farova, they wouldn''t be trying to go Empire." Victoria explained. "I''m sure they wouldn''t give two shits if we fought them. The issue would be our people would end up dying when they don''t have to. Same thing if we fight the Duke''s men, though¡­ shit, that will be a problem, huh?" Victoria sighed. "Damn it! All I''m trying to do is avoid turning our lands into a damn battlefield!"


    "Victoria¡­" Albert sighed. "Okay, if-" He paused. "Wait, what are you giving the Hidden Blades!?! How-" He froze, unable to articulate all the questions and concerns he had.


    Victoria coughed awkwardly. "I have this¡­ well, I call it the system. It''ll let the Hidden Blades pretty much ignore all their logistical issues, which as you know, makes war a hell of a lot easier. I''ve had it ever since I woke up from the Potion of Awakening. It''s sort of been helping with my cultivation."


    Albert pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you have this ''system'', how does it help them?"


    "I can give it to other people." Victoria replied.


    "Then¡­ why did you not tell me about it?!?" Albert exclaimed.


    "Well¡­ the last world it spread in sort of got destroyed by what I can only assume was a god." Victoria responded with another awkward cough. "I''ve been trying to be careful, since I don''t want the same thing to happen to our world, but¡­ Well, I couldn''t think of any other way to save us, and if I''m going to have to choose between absolutely being fucked and maybe being fucked, I''m choosing the latter. Plus, the system was way more¡­ disruptive in the other world, which may have been the issue, but here it''d just be a cultivation aid, so it should be safer.¡±


    Albert took a deep breath, paused, took another one, blinked, turned around, and walked away. Victoria blinked in confusion. "Uh¡­ Father?" Albert kept walking, simply raising a hand and waving. "Uh¡­" Victoria blinked again. Did she break him? She broke him. That- that could not be good.


    *


    "My Lord?" Maurice asked tentatively, approaching Albert as he stood at the edge of the castle wall, staring blankly at the town. "Is- is everything alright?"


    "Oh, it''s fine." Albert replied blandly. "Everything is fine."


    Maurice frowned. "I see¡­ it''s just you''ve been standing here, not moving, for about four hours now¡­ the men are becoming concerned." Albert grunted, continuing to stare out over the town, not saying anything. Maurice sighed, settling in to wait for the Marquis to be ready to talk. "If you had to choose¡­" Albert began after a few moments, "between the security of the people, or the security of the world, which would you choose?"


    Maurice frowned as he considered the question. "Would not the security of the world include the security of the people?"


    "Yes, but one is an absolute threat, while the other is unsure¡­ possibly even unlikely." Albert elaborated blandly. "However¡­ Even then, could I justify the risk, simply for my own safety? How much risk is our own security worth?"


    Maurice hesitated. "I- I couldn''t say. Without any details¡­ how- how is any of this possible?"


    "My daughter¡­ if indeed she is my daughter¡­ I''m beginning to have doubts about that. She has this- this thing, that caused another world to be destroyed. And she''s attempting to use it to bargain for our safety." Albert explained.


    "You- are you actually doubting Victoria?" Maurice asked incredulously. "I can''t believe- have you seen the amount of trust she puts in us at every turn?!? How could you even consider such a thing!?!"


    Albert hesitated before sighing in frustration. "Yes, you''re right. I''m just frustrated and lashing out. It''s just¡­ I can''t make a decision. I can''t give up on my people, but I can''t damn the world in the process. Either way, I must do something I can''t and¡­ I can''t." Albert explained, his tone drained of all emotion.


    "If we let ourselves be destroyed¡­ would it prevent this risk? Would the world be safe?" Maurice asked.


    Albert paused. "Possibly? Though¡­ this ''system'' found Victoria from that original world¡­ if she dies, it may just find a new host. If it happened once, it can happen again."


    "System?" Maurice asked, confused, before shaking his head. "Nevermind. How credible is this risk?"


    "Victoria believes it to be minimal. You know the differences between our world and the world she remembers. She believes this ''system'' will be less disruptive to our world, and therefore less dangerous." Albert explained.


    "Then, if there''s nothing we can do to stop it, and the risk itself is minimal, why not save ourselves?" Maurice offered. "Noble sacrifice is one thing, but sacrificing yourself to prevent something that may not even happen seems foolish to me."


    Albert frowned, before sighing again. "You''re right. I know you''re right. Still, I can''t help but feel this is a mistake. That somehow- somehow this will destroy us all."


    *


    "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Elder¡­" Albert began, trailing off politely. They were meeting in the Hidden Blades secret base, as required due to the Elders status, to discuss the specifics of their deal. Albert, Victoria, Ursa, and Maurice were all there, along with the Elder, Tiffany, and another Hidden Blade.


    "Jocelyn." The Elder introduced herself with a smile. "There''s no need to be so formal, Lord Tyverus. Your daughter is about to become one of our greatest benefactors! That earns you a significant degree of familiarity."


    "I- I see¡­" Albert replied nervously. A Sect Elder was so far above his position that offending her could wipe his fief off the map! To treat her casually would be a grave sin, yet she requested such treatment, leaving him unsure whether to do as she asked or pay her her due respect. "This- this deal my daughter has brokered¡­ what, exactly, do you require of us?"


    Jocelyn smirked. "My dear Marquis, I believe you misunderstand the value of what your daughter has offered us. It is not what you can do for us, but what we can do for you."


    Albert froze at that. "We- we only require the safety of our people¡­ what we need to know is what needs to be done on our end to ensure that."


    Jocelyn sat back in her chair, pursing her lips in consideration. "The main problem is the presence of the Duke''s men and the Lord Inspector. On our end, we had already planned on delaying our invasion until after the fall sect entrance exam, in order to secure Victoria''s entrance into the sect, which gives us time. We will need to find an excuse to demand that the Duke''s forces leave. Ideally we can locate the Duke and send them off with him, but if not-"


    "Wait, you- you don''t have the Duke?" Albert asked, confused. He had assumed that the Hidden Blades had snatched him as some sort of bargaining chip.


    "No, we do not." Jocelyn grimaced. "Believe me, I wish we did, but the man seems to have completely disappeared! We have no idea what happened to him."


    Victoria coughed awkwardly, drawing everyone''s attention. "I may have an idea¡­" She muttered, causing Ursa to snort.


    Jocelyn and Albert glanced between the two, their eyes narrowing. "What did you do?" Albert asked, just knowing this was going to be yet another ridiculous revelation.


    "Uh, well¡­ so, you know Foratuna?" Victoria asked tentatively.


    Albert frowned. "Ursa''s disciple? What-"


    "You didn''t!" Tiffany suddenly exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief, before she let out a deranged cackle. "You evil bitch!"


    Jocelyn glanced at Tiffany with a frown. "I don''t understand. What did she do?"


    "She turned him into a girl!" Tiffany exclaimed, cackling in delight. "Brilliant! Oh, but how do you keep her under control?" She asked, frowning.


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    "She turned him into-" Albert''s eyes widened as he whirled to face Ursa. "You''ve been fucking the Duke!?!"


    "Wait, you''re fucking her?!?" Tiffany suddenly snapped at Ursa as well, a furious expression on her face.


    Ursa raised his hands defensively. "I was ordered to!" He protested, and everyone turned to look at Victoria again.


    Victoria coughed awkwardly. "I was very angry¡­"


    "So- so when you said that you took his manhood¡­ you meant- oh my." Maurice covered his mouth, looking at Victoria as if she''d suddenly grown a second head.


    "And the Duke is just okay with this?!?" Albert asked incredulously. "I''ve spoken to Foratuna, and she showed no indication that anything was wrong!"


    "Yeah, I kinda used the system to mindfuck her and make her so obedient that she couldn''t even fathom the idea of not doing whatever anyone told her." Victoria explained. "Then I told her Duke Duhallis didn''t exist anymore, and that was that."


    Jocelyn raised an eyebrow at her. "And this is the same system you want to give us?" She asked, a dangerous tone creeping into her voice.


    "Kinda, but not really. The system is really modular, so I can give different people different types. Plus, in order to force anything to happen, I have to fight against the user''s own willpower. So as long as your will is stronger than mine, you''re safe. Or, you know, just don''t piss me off by doing something like trying to rape me." Victoria explained.


    "Hm." Jocelyn grunted lightly. "Yes, well, I can assume this still leaves us in a position where the reappearance of the Duke is not an option, yes?"


    Victoria paused. "Well, we could turn him back to normal and feed him some fake story to believe, but he''s still going to be in the state where he has to do whatever anyone else tells him, so I don''t think they''ll buy that he''s actually him if we do. The dude was a complete asshole before."


    Jocelyn sighed, rubbing her temple. "Fine. Then, we still have to find a way to make the Duke''s men leave without finding the Duke. We could manufacture some conflicts between the Duke''s men and your own, giving you an excuse to request they leave your lands, or even demand it if the conflicts are bad enough." She explained, turning back to the Marquis.


    "That- that could work." Albert replied, still processing the fact that his daughter had turned the Duke into a woman, then handed her over to a Rogue Cultivator to use like some sort of- of object! To think she was even capable of such a thing¡­


    "Good. The next issue is how we will explain this all to your men." Jocelyn continued. "Obviously they cannot know that the Hidden Blades are behind Tamara. The more people who know, the larger the chance of the other sects learning of our plans, which would not be good for either of us. So how do we convince your men to stand down when the Tamarins invade?"


    Albert frowned. "My men¡­ there will be some¡­ adjustment, but if I tell them to stand down, they will stand down. The King has neglected our lands for years now, and the men are well aware of the fact that they depend on me, not the kingdom."


    "How commendable." Jocelyn smiled. "Then our final concern is how to handle the Hunters. As you may know, Hunters have the annoying habit of going to ground and becoming a force of resistance when lands are conquered. They all seem to have this annoying hero complex which drives them to ''fight oppression''."


    "Have you tried not being oppressive?" Victoria offered. "If the Hunters have nothing to fight, then they aren''t an issue, now are they?"


    "Hunters consider the mere act of conquering a land to be oppression!" Jocelyn retorted. "No matter how well we treat the people, the Hunter''s defy us because we ''stole'' the land. As if the previous owners hadn''t stolen the lands themselves centuries ago!"


    "Then how about we bribe them?" Victoria replied. "If they join us, they get the system. If they continue to resist¡­ well, you gotta do what you gotta do." Victoria shrugged.


    Albert frowned as he glanced towards Victoria. "Victoria, could you please take the potential slaughter of our citizens with a bit more gravitas? Even if it must be done, it is a shameful and disgraceful matter. It is a failing on our part that we could not find an adequate solution which would allow us to avoid such action."


    Victoria paused. "I guess? But¡­ Well, someone is always going to be unhappy, no matter what you do. If they decide to become violent over it, and there''s no way you can convince them otherwise, then they bring the consequences of that on themselves. You can''t punch someone and expect them not to punch you back."


    "Yes, but violence should always be a last resort, and not something to casually suggest." Albert stated firmly.


    "I agree, but when someone attacks you, you can''t just roll over and take it! You have to do what''s necessary to keep you and your people safe." Victoria retorted.


    "Are they actually arguing over something they agree on?" Tiffany leaned in to ask Maurice, a hint of incredulity in her tone.


    Maurice sighed. "They are both¡­ strong willed. Give them a minute."


    "Even if it''s necessary, it isn''t to be taken lightly!" Albert countered.


    "Why force yourself to be miserable for doing something you need to do? Yes, it sucks, but making yourself suffer because of it won''t change anything!" Victoria shot back.


    Albert scowled at her, about to retort back, when Jocelyn let out a small cough. "Could we get back to business?"


    Albert and Victoria froze, quickly recomposing themselves. "Yes, my apologies." Albert replied. "As Victoria suggested, we will do our best to give the Hunters a chance to join us, but if they bring violence, then violence shall be returned to them in equal measure."


    Jocelyn nodded. "Then I believe that''s everything. Reginald here is in charge of coordinating our forces in Tamara, while Tiffany has overseen our infiltration of your lands. You may discuss the specifics of our operations with them." She gestured to the two of them, before turning her attention to Victoria. "Now, I believe we have to discuss the particulars of how we shall be spreading this ''system'' of yours." She stood to her feet. "Shall we adjourn to a more¡­ comfortable location?"


    Victoria hesitated for a moment, before nodding and following Jocelyn to a small, but comfortable room a few tunnels away. She took a seat on a well padded couch, practically sinking into it. "Would you care for some tea?" Jocelyn asked, gesturing towards a small kettle.


    "Uh¡­ sure?" Victoria shrugged. She''d never been a huge fan of tea, but she wouldn''t mind drinking something.


    Jocelyn smiled, quickly heating the kettle and concocting the tea. "Milk or honey?" She asked as she poured the tea into a small glass.


    "A bit of both?" Victoria replied hesitantly, not sure if it was a good idea or not.


    Jocelyn nodded, adding a bit of both to the glass, before pouring one of her own, only adding a bit of honey. She handed Victoria her glass before taking a seat on the other end of the couch, which given the small size of the couch, left their knees touching as they were forced to turn to face each other, before Victoria pulled hers away slightly. "So, this system. How exactly is it transmitted? Are there requirements? How many can receive it at once?" Jocelyn asked.


    Victoria took a sip of her tea, feeling a relaxing warmth spread through her chest as she considered Jocelyn''s questions. "To transfer it, all you have to do is touch someone and click the transfer button. Very simple. I haven''t noticed any requirements, as of yet, but maybe I just haven''t had a chance to encounter one. As for how many can receive it at once¡­ I''ve never tried giving it to more than one person at once, so I''m not sure." She took another sip. "The real question is, whether I should allow you to spread it around yourself or not. If it''s just the heal button¡­ Well, the heal button doesn''t provide any permanent effects. If it was the Awakening button, then you could use it to Awaken everyone and have no more use for me, but if I turn off the heal button, then you''re back to square one again."


    Jocelyn blinked, glanced at the tea, then back to Victoria. "How very¡­ forthright of you."


    Victoria shrugged. "I''ve never been one to beat around the bush. Unless you''re an idiot, you''re going to realize the implications of all this yourself either way. Why pretend you don''t know something you obviously know? Makes no sense." She took another sip of tea. "This is delicious, by the way."


    "I''m glad you enjoy it¡­" Jocelyn muttered, feeling like she''d wasted some herbs. "So then, you give me the system, this¡­ heal button? And then I can simply give it to anyone else? And then they can give it to anyone as well, and so on?"


    "Yup." Victoria nodded. "The system is simple like that."


    Jocelyn frowned. "Something of such utility being so easily distributed¡­ It seems wrong for some reason."


    Victoria shrugged. "I don''t make the rules." She paused. Wait¡­ she kind of did, didn''t she?


    "Well, since that is the case¡­ May I have the system now?" Jocelyn asked, holding out her hand with a glint in her eye.


    Victoria nodded. "Sure, uh¡­ hold on." She quickly adjusted the system, altering it to just the heal button, making it the default system that everyone received first. She then took Jocelyn''s hand and sent her the system. "There, you have it?"


    Jocelyn stared blankly into empty space as her vision was filled with a series of prompts. She ''clicked'' through them, setting up her tasks in a matter of seconds, examining the grayed out sections before focusing on the only lit up option labeled ''recovery''. She frowned. "Why do you call it a heal button when it says recovery?"


    Victoria shrugged. "I just do? It''s pretty much the same thing anyway."


    "Not entirely, but I see your point." She looked over the system a bit more. "I see a few features that seem¡­ inefficient."


    Victoria sighed. "The system is still growing. It changes and adjusts based on what I experience. So as I develop, so will the system. I''m sure all the inefficiencies will resolve themselves."


    Jocelyn nodded slowly. "I see." She turned her attention back to Victoria, lightly caressing the back of her hand with her thumb as she leaned forward to place a hand on her knee. "You''re a very brave young woman, aren''t you? Putting yourself in danger just for the chance you might save your family¡­ It''s inspiring! I truly hope you find everything you desire through all this."


    Victoria frowned slightly. "Is it? I was facing death or worse either way. I would have lost my family, been forced to ignore the fact that I now worked for the very people who killed them, probably been carefully watched and controlled by you to make sure I never turned on you¡­ I wouldn''t call choosing the only path that offered even a little hope brave."


    Jocelyn hesitated. "Ah¡­ well, you''ve still shown an incredible amount of insight. Not many would be willing to look to their enemies for salvation."


    Victoria shrugged. "Yeah, I''ve always been pretty smart. Maybe if the kingdom had shown more loyalty to us, I would have hesitated to betray them, but why would I save people who would kill me themselves if they discovered even a fraction of my secrets?"


    "And practical too~" Jocelyn purred, her hand sliding slowly up Victoria''s thigh. "You really are such an interesting young woman."


    Victoria almost shrugged again, before she paused, glancing down at the hand creeping up her thigh, then back to Jocelyn. "Are- are you trying to seduce me?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    Jocelyn blinked, quickly taking back her hand as she faked a flush. "Ah, sorry! I didn''t mean to offend. I''m simply an admirer of unique individuals, which you certainly are! I meant nothing by it."


    Victoria eyed her weirdly. For a supposedly minor and suppressed group, she sure ran into a lot of lesbians. "It''s fine. I mean, as long as you don''t try to force me into anything. You know how I feel about that." Victoria commented, a hard edge creeping into her tone.


    "I would never do anything until you''re completely willing." Jocelyn assured her, a mysterious grin playing across her face as her thumb continued to caress the back of Victoria''s hand.

 Points: 32 - Tri-core

    Victoria and Jocelyn continued to chat, mostly just confirming a few details. Obviously Victoria still had to join the Hidden Blades. They weren''t going to let her join some other sect given what she knew and what she was capable of. They''d rather see her dead. "This is actually an opportunity for you." Jocelyn explained with a smile. "All you lack to be a tri-core is a Qi Rune, which is what we specialize in! Our specialized training will give you the best chance you could ever have-"


    "I already have a Qi Rune." Victoria waved her off, not interested in hearing a sales pitch for something she didn''t need, before pausing. Wasn''t she supposed to be keeping that secret? Eh, Jocelyn already knew enough to want to kill her if she couldn''t control her. Knowing she was a tri-core as well wouldn''t change that.


    Jocelyn froze. "You- do?" She asked, a slight stutter the only sign of her surprise.


    Victoria nodded, pulling down her shirt slightly and concentrating on her Craft Rune, causing it to push out from her skin. "See? I''ve just been hiding it because¡­ well, you know. Apparently the King doesn''t take kindly to anyone actually having talent in his kingdom."


    "I see." Jocelyn muttered, staring at the Rune with a thoughtful expression. The girl was already a tri-core! And not a weak one either! Not with a Rune as clear as that. Plus this system of hers¡­ so much promise wrapped up in such a small package. Jocelyn was conflicted between the urge to nurture the girl''s talent for her own benefit and the urge to snuff it out before it became a threat to her. After a brief struggle, nurture won. She was confident in her ability to manipulate, particularly when the target was so young and naive. "Such a talented~ young lady." Jocelyn purred, reaching out to caress Victoria''s thigh again. "I can''t wait to see how you turn out. So exciting~"


    Victoria''s lips twitched slightly at Jocelyn''s continued insistence on touching her, wondering how she was supposed to handle it. She didn''t want to offend Jocelyn, at least, not yet. Their partnership was just starting out, and if she offended Jocelyn so soon, she might turn and break their deal, and at this point, there was no way her family would survive that. Their options were to work with the Hidden Blades or die. However¡­ Victoria was with Beatrice, and she really wasn''t comfortable letting another woman be so forward with her. Particularly not after what she''d gone through with Jessica¡­ oh, shit, did Beatrice get a task- Victoria paused as she checked Beatrice and then Jocelyn''s tasks. Jocelyn did have a task to seduce her, but Beatrice didn''t have a task to stop it. Did- did that mean Beatrice would be okay with her doing something with Jocelyn? And the fact that Jocelyn still had the task meant it was possible for her to actually do it, right? But¡­ she really liked Beatrice, didn''t she? She definitely didn''t want to throw it away because some random woman took an interest in her, even if that woman was a powerful sect Elder¡­ who did essentially hold the fate of her family in her hands¡­ Maybe she should think about this a bit more. "Uh¡­ What- what''s so important about being a tri-core?" Victoria asked, trying to change the subject and buy herself some time to think.


    Jocelyn hesitated. "Well¡­ you are going to learn this once you enter the sect. In order to reach higher realms of cultivation, you need multiple cores. Once you''ve reached the peak of Core Strengthening, purifying your energy to the highest degree you can, you need to Acquire a Dual Rune. This Dual Rune will teach you how to circulate energy between two cores, growing your energy pool and allowing you to convert between the two energies. Once you''ve done this for all three energy combinations, filling the circulation system and purifying all the energy, you can Acquire a Tri Rune, which teaches you how to connect all three circulation systems together and allows you to mix them all into a single, pure energy. Without access to all three cores, this step becomes impossible, forever preventing you from reaching the higher realms of cultivation. Dual-cores stop at the end of the Circulatory realm, while single cores can only ever reach the peak of Core Strengthening. That''s why tri-cores are so important. They''re the only ones who can cultivate without limit."


    Victoria frowned. "That''s it? You just need three cores and you can cultivate as far as you want?"


    Jocelyn blinked at her, before bursting out in laughter. "Just she says! No, no, one doesn''t just Acquire all three types of Runes. The amount of work and luck involved¡­ Those born into sects and trained since childhood rarely Acquire all three. The problem is how Runes affect your mind. As you meditate on a Rune, your mind¡­ adjusts to grasp the concepts it teaches you. The more adjusted your mind becomes, the harder it becomes to Acquire a Rune of any other type. However, in order to Acquire new Runes, you need to meditate on your Runes until you can Assimilate them, freeing your Runescape so that it can bear an additional Rune. The more Initial Runes you Acquire, the less likely it is you will Acquire the Rune type you are missing. In general, if you haven''t Acquired all three Rune types by your fourth Rune, you''ll never be a tri-core. There are exceptions, but they are rare."


    Victoria frowned. That¡­ made sense? The more accustomed you became to thinking one way, the harder it''d be to start thinking another, right? She''d have to make sure Beatrice didn''t fall into that tra- Victoria''s eyes suddenly widened as she processed what Jocelyn had said about Assimilating a Rune to make room for another. Capacity! She''d completely forgotten about Capacity! If Beatrice advanced her Rune without increasing her Capacity¡­ Victoria shuddered. No wonder more people didn''t know about Rune advancement! If you did it before you had the Capacity to handle the Advanced Rune, you''d just die! If she hadn''t had the system¡­ Victoria shuddered. That would not have been pretty.


    "But you don''t need to worry about that." Jocelyn continued with a light smile as her hand inched up Victoria''s thigh. "You''ve already done what so many fail to do, with a fraction of the resources they receive. The sheer talent you''ve shown~"


    Victoria shifted uncomfortably. "It- it''s not really talent¡­ the system helps a lot, you know? Especially the skill page¡­ if I hadn''t been able to spend points on skills, I probably wouldn''t be a tri-core."


    "There''s no need to be humble~" Jocelyn purred, before suddenly freezing as she processed what Victoria had said. "Wait, what do you mean when you say you can spend points on skills?" She asked in a serious tone that demanded a response.


    Victoria blinked. "That? You can spend points on skills to help you get better at them." She paused. "It''s sort of like how you learn from Runes, but reversed, if that makes any sense. The Runes show you new ways to think, while the points take what''s already there and expand on it, like- like they add experience or something."


    "Okay, but when you say skills, what do you mean?" Jocelyn prodded.


    "Anything you can do? Like, you can spend points to get better at pooping if you want." Victoria replied with a shrug.


    "How interesting." Jocelyn muttered, looking Victoria over with a calculating, almost hungry look. "The things people would do for such a tool¡­ for themselves or their children¡­" Jocelyn paused, her eyes narrowing before a slow grin spread across her face. "If you like, I wouldn''t mind helping you reach out to certain¡­ interested parties who would be willing to pay hefty prices for something like this."


    Victoria hesitated. "Maybe¡­ but not yet. My cultivation is still low, and I''m not even sure what I need, let alone what I want."


    Jocelyn nodded with a small smile. "Of course, I completely understand. I''ll be here whenever you''re ready." There was no need to rush. Once Victoria entered the sect, she''d have all the time she''d need to bring her under her thumb.


    *


    Victoria and Jocelyn rejoined the rest of the group, who were finishing planning what they needed to do to make sure the invasion went as smoothly as possible. Albert glanced at them as they walked in, looking between the two with a nervous, wary look. The Hidden Blades seemed to be dealing with them in good faith, but he still wasn''t comfortable leaving Victoria to them. Even before he knew their plans, they had a reputation for being a sneaky, backstabbing, shifty lot. And now¡­ they were willing to throw the entire region into chaos for power, ruining innumerable lives! How could he feel at ease leaving his daughter to people so obsessed with power? But¡­ What choice did he have? It was either this, or death. For all of them. He simply had to trust Victoria and hope she stayed safe.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Jocelyn turned to Reginald, placing a hand on his shoulder and transferring the system to him. "You''ll be in charge of spreading this to the troops. Start with a single battalion, to test. If everything goes well, spread it to the rest."


    "Yes, Elder." Reginald nodded, taking the sudden appearance of the system screen in stride.


    Jocelyn then turned to the rest, smiling. "Well, I must say, this seems to be a promising start to a wonderful partnership! I look forward to a long and profitable relationship for all of us!"


    Albert nodded hesitantly. "A hope we all share, Elder."


    Jocelyn nodded back, her smile widening. "In the spirit of that, I must make one, small request: that Tiffany and a small group of Hidden Blade disciples be given positions as servants in the castle."


    Albert blinked. "Excuse me? I don''t- you want them to be servants?"


    "I''m afraid that with the knowledge you have gained, and the presence of Lord Inspector Semloh, you could easily betray us." Jocelyn explained with a nod. "Doing so would doom yourselves, but we all know how people can get strange ideas in their heads, thinking they have to sacrifice themselves for the ''greater good''." Jocelyn scoffed, waving her hand dismissively. "It''s purely a precautionary measure, a way for all of us to feel more comfortable with this arrangement."


    "But- they''ll all be Cultivators, won''t they?" Albert asked hesitantly, glancing towards Tiffany who he knew was a Cultivator. "Won''t Semloh become suspicious when a large group of Cultivators suddenly appear, let alone when they act as servants."


    Jocelyn smirked. "Not to worry. The Hidden Blades cultivate a secret technique which allows us to mask our cultivation, hiding the fact that we are Awakened at all. I can''t imagine the Lord Inspector would become suspicious over a new batch of servants, particularly when you''ve recently acquired a batch of long-term guests in the form of his retinue."


    "I- I suppose¡­ but you''re- you''re actually willing to pretend to be servants?!?" Albert asked incredulously, finding it hard to comprehend the idea of mighty Cultivators willingly taking up such humble positions.


    Jocelyn cocked her head. "Why would we not? Servants are largely ignored, can go pretty much anywhere, and listen in on sensitive conversations without arousing undue suspicion. If you want to spy on someone, there''s no better position."


    Albert blinked at that. She wasn''t wrong¡­ servants were everywhere, to the point that Albert largely ignored them. If any of them were spies¡­ his head began to ache as he rubbed his temple. He did not want to think about that. Matters of espionage left him confused and paranoid. He had no desire to deal with any of it. "If- if that is what you wish, I have no objections."


    Maurice stepped forward with a slight cough. "May I ask, what sort of positions would be best? I would not wish to offend anyone by giving them a position they deem¡­ inconvenient."


    "I shall be Po- Ursa''s personal maid." Tiffany declared confidently, glaring at Ursa as if she was daring him to object.


    Jocelyn glanced at her with a slight frown, before turning back to Maurice. "Any positions will be fine. Preferably they''ll be able to move freely about the castle, but if not, they''re more than capable of doing what needs to be done in their free time." Maurice hesitated before nodding in understanding and stepping back, getting a distant look in his eye as he began to figure out where he could place a group of extra servants. Jocelyn''s smile returned as she took a look around the room. "Good, then I believe that is all! I look forward to our continued cooperation!"


    *


    Victoria fell into her bed with a weary groan. The meeting had been a lot more stressful than she''d expected. She hadn''t quite processed how precarious their position was. Yes, the system was valuable, but if the Hidden Blades ever decided it wasn''t worth the hassle, Victoria and her family were screwed! If they started to demand more access to the system in exchange for her family''s safety¡­ Victoria shuddered. She had not thought this through. She''d been focusing on the benefits of the system, while ignoring the fact that in the end, the Hidden Blades didn''t need it. Their plan was already in motion. With or without the system, they were going Empire. Thankfully, Jocelyn seemed to be more focused on her at the moment, which¡­ well that was a different issue. One she hopefully wouldn''t need to deal with any time soon. Not until she got to the sect.


    Right now she needed to focus on getting stronger. She wasn''t even in the Core Strengthening realm yet! Her points helped but she couldn''t just rely on points. Points were raw power, but she needed Runes to figure out how to use that power. Which meant she needed to meditate. She stared at the ceiling, unmoving. *Come on, just do it!* Victoria urged herself, but still, her body refused to do it. She just felt¡­ tired. She''d already spent the points to deal with her exhaustion, but it didn''t help. Her exhaustion came from somewhere deeper. She was just- she couldn''t handle the thought of losing everything again, and it just seemed like there was nothing she could actually do about it. They had one path to safety, and it all hinged on the Hidden Blades being willing to play along. Thankfully, it seemed like things were working, but¡­ Victoria let out a weary sigh. She just hated that she was at someone else''s mercy. That they could simply decide to ruin her life, and there would be little to no consequences. That she was so- so insignificant!


    Victoria groaned in frustration. She needed power! She was sick of all these people who thought that simply because they were strong, that meant they could do whatever they wanted, no matter how it affected anyone else! Was it really so hard to just be a little considerate? To spare a moment of thought for how what you''re doing will affect another person? Especially when you already have power! You have the leeway to not, to go without, to take your time, because you already have so much available to you and you don''t need more. How can you justify taking from those who do?


    Victoria continued to stare at the ceiling for a few more minutes, lost in thought, before eventually letting out a final, defeated sigh and sitting up, getting in position to meditate. She had to do something. She wasn''t exactly sure what yet, or how, but she knew building her cultivation was a start. She needed to focus on doing what she could do, not give up because of what she couldn''t do. It was the only way to move forward.


    *


    "We''re still using this system? Even after knowing what she can do with it?" Tiffany asked Jocelyn, sounding slightly concerned. She''d been on board with using Victoria''s system, but after hearing what she''d done to the Duke¡­ she had reservations.


    Jocelyn snorted dismissively. "It''s a simple mental construct. Anyone with a modicum of training could dissolve it at any time. I don''t know how she made it, or how it does what it does, but it''s a simple matter to free yourself of its influence. There is no need to worry about her using it against us. The only people who need to worry are the weak willed and untrained."


    Tiffany frowned. "A simple mental construct? That''s all? To do all she claims?"


    Jocelyn nodded. "I was surprised myself. Yet, I''ve tested it, and it works. A few simple tasks, a few points, and my exhaustion is gone! Like I''ve consumed a stamina potion with no side effects! And it''s instant. The construct itself may be simple, but its effect is not. If I could study the more advanced functions¡­" A frustrated tone creeped into her voice, before she stopped herself, shaking her head. "No, it is important we take this slow. Haste makes waste, after all. To ruin such a ripe opportunity would be the gravest of sins." She refocused on Tiffany with a deathly serious look. "Keep a close eye on the girl. I want nothing to go wrong. Am I clear?"


    Tiffany gulped nervously, nodding. "Yes, Elder."

 Points: 33 - Repentance

    "Victoria?" Beatrice asked hesitantly as she opened the door to Victoria''s room, peeking inside nervously. Victoria had told her about the meeting last night, the details about what they were discussing and what could go wrong. She was terrified of opening the door and finding Victoria missing, possibly dead because something had gone wrong. She wished she could have convinced Victoria not to go, but¡­ she knew Victoria was right, and it was the only chance they had to save everyone.


    Victoria''s eyes popped open. "Oh, shit, Beatrice!" She exclaimed as she jumped to her feet.


    "You''re okay!" Beatrice cried, rushing in and wrapping Victoria in a tight embrace. "I- I was so worried!"


    "I know, I''m so sorry!" Victoria apologized, returning the hug. "I should have messaged you the moment I got back, I just- sorry."


    Beatrice shook her head. "No, you must have had a lot to think about. I understand. I''m just- I''m glad you''re safe." She replied, tightening her grip.


    Victoria smiled, tightening her hold on Beatrice as well, before her eyes suddenly widened again. "Oh, shit, I almost forgot! You have to increase your Capacity!" Victoria began in a panicked tone, pulling away and quickly opening Beatrice''s system, adding the Capacity stat.


    Beatrice blinked at her. "I- okay, but- why?" She asked hesitantly.


    "Because, when you Advance your Rune, the pressure doubles, and if you don''t have the Capacity to handle it¡­" Victoria explained, trailing off towards the end as Beatrice''s eyes widened. She''d remembered Victoria''s warnings about the dangers of having too many Runes. Victoria flinched slightly at Beatrice''s horrified expression. "Yeah¡­ it would have been bad."


    Beatrice hesitated, before letting out a shaky breath. "At least you caught it in time. Before- before anything went wrong."


    Victoria nodded, though she still felt guilty. She''d set Beatrice on a path of destruction! If she hadn''t talked with Jocelyn¡­ she shuddered at the thought. Beatrice would have died, and it would have been her fault. "I just- I can''t believe I was so stupid!" Victoria groaned.


    Beatrice hesitated, not sure how to actually comfort Victoria. Usually she was the one beating herself up! She didn''t know how to handle it from the other end. "Victoria¡­ we- we all make mistakes, right?" She offered tentatively. "At least you fixed yours before anything could go wrong." Her expression darkened as she thought back to the mistakes she''d made. "Not all of us do." She finished in a low mutter.


    Victoria shook her head. "It''s still a mistake I shouldn''t have made. Beatrice, I almost got you killed!"


    Beatrice''s expression hardened as she looked up at Victoria. "And I helped someone attempt to rape you!"


    Victoria froze. "Beatrice, you didn''t know-"


    "And you didn''t know!" Beatrice snapped back. "You- you can''t beat yourself up over something you can''t change." She continued slowly. "You just- we just need to be better."


    Victoria stared at her for a moment, slightly stunned, before slowly beginning to smile, pulling Beatrice back into her arms and holding her tight. "Yeah, we do." She agreed. Beatrice held her back, and they both stood there, holding each other for a moment, before slowly parting. Victoria smirked slightly at Beatrice. "I think that''s the first time you''ve yelled at me."


    Beatrice flushed. "I- I''m sorry. You just-"


    Victoria snickered, shaking her head. "Don''t apologize! You were right. Besides¡­ I kinda like it when you''re a little forceful." She added with a wink.


    *


    After talking with Beatrice about what happened during the meeting, making sure to tell her about the requirements for the higher levels of Cultivation so she could make plans, Victoria returned to her daily schedule, getting her daily tasks done, sparring with one of the Cultivators since Albert was busy dealing with getting the Hidden Blades set up as servants with Maurice, and meditating after lunch. Beatrice had to do laundry that day, so she was all alone, in the middle of meditating on her Design Rune when there was a loud knock on her door. She frowned as she noticed two people through her point vision, one with a single weak Qi core and another with two bright cores, one for Spirit and one for Qi. *Ursa? Or Tiffany? And-* They knocked again, more insistently. *Ugh, dammit!* She cursed internally, getting to her feet and opening the door. "What- Hey!" Victoria protested as Tiffany shoved Foratuna into her room.


    "Stop making my Pookie deal with your mess!" Tiffany growled. "You did this, you deal with it!" She demanded before stomping off.


    Victoria stood there stunned for a second. "You can''t just-" She began, but Tiffany was already gone. She scowled, turning to Foratuna, glaring at her while she shifted uncomfortably. "Shit¡­ what the fuck am I going to do with you now?"


    Foratuna bowed. "I am at your command."


    Victoria clicked her tongue. "I''m aware. The problem is not knowing what that command is." She paused as she looked Foratuna over with a grimace. As time had passed, most of her anger at Foratuna had subsided. Yes, what the Duke had tried to do was horrible, but¡­ well, her response wasn''t any better. The problem was, she had no idea how to actually fix what she''d done. For one, she didn''t want to bring the Duke back. He was an asshole and if she could kill him, she would. However, leaving Foratuna all mindfucked to hell didn''t feel right either¡­ mostly because Foratuna didn''t really feel like the Duke. She just seemed like¡­ some woman. Letting Ursa use her for sex was one thing, but anything more just seemed wrong. And if that was no longer an option¡­ "Ugh! What should I do with you?!?" Victoria groaned in frustration.


    Foratuna hesitated. "Punish me?" She offered tentatively. "That''s what I deserve."


    Victoria paused, glancing at Foratuna with a frown. "What do you mean by that?"


    "I- I was a horrible person¡­ the things I did- I deserve to be punished. To be used like- like I used them." Foratuna replied, her last statement coming out in a hoarse, shameful whisper.


    Victoria blinked, before narrowing her eyes. "You shouldn''t remember that¡­"


    Foratuna flushed, falling to her knees before Victoria in a full bow. "I- I am sorry! I-I tried to forget, but I can''t! The memories¡­ They haunt my dreams!" She explained in a distressed tone.


    Victoria scowled. "Get up." She ordered, and Foratuna immediately jumped to her feet, though she refused to meet Victoria''s eyes. Victoria studied her for a moment, considering something. "How do you feel about your past self?" Foratuna almost seemed to choke as she struggled between answering the question and refusing to acknowledge she had any knowledge of her past self. "Oh for fucks sake!" Victoria rolled her eyes, opening a connection to her through the system. *You can remember your past self!*


    Foratuna took a deep breath, as the choking stopped, before quickly beginning to answer. "He was horrible! The things he did¡­ it was like he didn''t even think of people as people! I- I hate that I used to be him, and I will do anything to redeem myself!"


    "Huh¡­ how did you realize this?" Victoria asked, frowning. What would make Foratuna suddenly believe she deserved to be punished?


    Foratuna hesitated. "When- that night when- he- I- you- you turned him into me, and you made me feel¡­ shame. The more I thought about what I''d tried to do, the more I thought about the things I''d done, the more I hated myself. I realized- I realized I deserve this. I deserve everything. I deserve more! Sir Ursa- he- he is actually quite nice¡­ even when I beg him to punish me, he-"


    "Stop! I do not need to know what you two do together." Victoria held up her hand, stopping her. The mental image she''d already gotten was bad enough.


    Foratuna bowed her head. "I deserve to suffer." She continued in a low whisper. "Nothing you could do would be enough¡­ not to pay for what I''ve done." She choked out, a few tears dripping down her face.


    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Victoria frowned at her, before letting out a frustrated groan. "Fuck! You can''t- if you''re that sorry, I can''t punish you any more! You- you''re repentant! More suffering won''t fix anything. What you need now is the chance to be better. But how the fuck am I supposed to give you that chance?"


    Foratuna blinked at her. "What- what do you mean? I am irredeemable! I don''t deserve to be better!"


    Victoria scowled at her. "That''s literally what you say when you deserve the chance to be better. It''s the recognition that you suck that pushes you to never make the same mistakes again."


    Foratuna hesitated. "But- how- how else can I pay for what I''ve done?" She asked in a pained tone.


    "By trying to put more good into the world than the bad. Find a way to help people, or to prevent others from doing the things you''ve done." Victoria replied absently, still considering how she could give Foratuna the opportunity to actually do this. The problem was, if she wanted to actually have a chance to accomplish anything, Victoria would need to unmindfuck her. However, if Victoria unmindfucked her, what would prevent her from turning back into Duke Duhallis? Victoria sighed. If only she could get rid of the Duke and keep Foratuna! Victoria paused. Wait¡­ could she? If she could get rid of Foratuna''s memories of the Duke using the system¡­ would that be possible? It should be, right? The system obviously had access to people''s minds. It could figure out desires, morals, skills¡­ memories shouldn''t be that much of a stretch, right?


    Victoria narrowed her eyes at Foratuna for a moment, before shrugging. "Fuck it, let''s just try." Victoria muttered, opening up Foratuna''s system and creating a memories page. *Let''s see¡­ What are memories?* Victoria wondered to herself. Memories¡­ things people knew? No, that was knowledge¡­ Events people remembered? That seemed¡­ closer. Knowledge of events? Hmmm¡­ memories came from experiences¡­ you experienced something and your memory of that experience shapes who you become¡­ crap, she was going in circles. Victoria rubbed her temple in frustration. Was she making this too complicated? "Let''s just try this." She sighed, defining memories as knowledge of events that happened in the past, before smirking victoriously as the page filled with entries.


    Victoria''s smirk turned into a frown as she studied the page. To say it was disorganized would be an understatement. The memories seemed to be grouped by similarity, but the similarities were¡­ strange. A formal dinner and a visit to the tavern would be grouped together solely because both times the Duke had eaten similar sandwiches. Then there were all the memories of the times he''d had sex¡­ Victoria''s expression twisted as she looked over some of the titles. No wonder Foratuna felt she deserved to be punished. At least half the memories involved rape! Then there was the torture¡­ Victoria shuddered. She couldn''t believe she''d almost fallen into this monster''s hands! If not for Ursa¡­ Victoria shook herself, trying to get the thoughts of what could have happened out of her mind. She quickly created an option to delete memories, which¡­ was surprisingly expensive. To delete all of them would take over four hundred points! Why would it cost that much? Victoria frowned, before shaking her head. It wasn''t important. It just made what she needed to do more expensive.


    Victoria turned her focus back to Foratuna. "Okay, here''s what I''m thinking. Right now, you''re essentially two people. Foratuna and the Duke. At the moment, what I did to you is keeping you as Foratuna, through shame and obedience, however, that shame and obedience cripples you, making it so all you can do is go along with whatever anyone else wants you to. I want to get rid of that, let you figure out your own path, but¡­ if I do, you might turn back into the Duke, which¡­ I believe we can both agree that would be bad, yes?" Foratuna nodded vigorously. She had no desire to go back to being that person. "So we need a way to get rid of the Duke¡­ which I believe I''ve found, but¡­ well, it''s tricky. I have the ability to erase your memories. Any of them. I want to erase what makes you the Duke, and leave what makes you Foratuna. What do you think about that?"


    Foratuna hesitated. "How- how do I know what makes me me, and what makes the Duke¡­ him."


    Victoria frowned. "That¡­ is a good question." She muttered thoughtfully. "Part of what makes you you, is the shame you feel from the Duke''s actions¡­ so those probably need to stay. The question is, what happened to make the Duke feel like he could actually do those things¡­ you don''t just wake up one day and decide to be a monster. You have to consistently and deliberately get away with doing worse and worse things, until you feel like the rules just don''t apply to you anymore." She paused. "Seems like it''d be tied in pretty deeply with the thing''s the Duke has done though¡­ memories of the act without any memory of the consequences¡­ without shame to make you feel bad, just remembering what you did might backfire, making you remember how you enjoyed yourself, rather than how horrible it was." Victoria frowned. "Would it be better to just erase everything then?"


    "But then¡­ who would I be?" Foratuna asked. "Without any memories¡­ I''m no one."


    "True¡­ shit, this is harder than I''d thought." Victoria''s frown deepened. People were just too complicated. Maybe¡­ were memories not the answer? Foratuna was built on Duke Duhallis¡­ so if she got rid of the Duke, she got rid of Foratuna. She paused. Wait¡­ didn''t she already have the answer here? Foratuna was who she was because of shame. All she needed to do was make it so the shame wasn''t so debilitating. It needed to turn from something that made her feel worthless to something that motivated her to do better¡­ "Okay, new plan." She announced, pulling up Foratuna''s system page. "First, Horniness and Obedience¡­ Let''s do three for Horniness and five for Obedience. That seem okay to you?"


    Foratuna hesitated. "Could- could my Horniness be set a bit higher?" She asked, flushing slightly.


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at her. "Is that you talking, or the fact that your Horniness is still at fifty?"


    Foratuna''s flush deepened. "M-maybe¡­ b-but- sex- sex is fun. I don''t- I don''t want to lose interest in it." She muttered in embarrassment.


    Victoria paused, before shrugging. "Well, I can''t really argue with that." Sex was fun. "Then five for both then? That should be normal¡­ maybe on the high end of normal?" Victoria frowned. She really didn''t have enough data to figure this out. "Fuck it, we''ll just do it and adjust as needed." She shook her head, pulling up Foratuna''s system page, transferring points over to her and beginning to reduce her stats. She spent ninety points to put Foratuna''s Horniness and Obedience to five, before moving on to shame. "Hmmm¡­ how about we start by putting Shame at¡­ twenty? Twenty should be fine¡­" She muttered, mostly to herself. Spending another thirty points to put Foratuna''s Shame at twenty. "Alright, how do you feel now? About yourself?"


    "I''m not- like- like I''m a horrible person, and- and I need to be better?" Foratuna offered tentatively.


    Victoria frowned at her. "I feel like you''re just saying that because that''s what you think I want to hear."


    Foratuna flushed. "N-no, I just- I don''t- I don''t think my perspective can change that fast¡­ but, I know that''s how I''m supposed to feel, so¡­ that''s how I want to feel."


    Victoria''s frown deepened. "That''s¡­ something, I guess? We can just let you adjust and then go from there I suppose¡­ ugh, this is too complicated." She grumbled, rubbing her temple in frustration. "You know what? We''re good for now. Though¡­ hold on." Victoria quickly gave Foratuna the Cultivation system, activating her task system as well. "Start getting stronger. You can''t help anyone if you''re weak."


    Foratuna nodded, before hesitating. "Uh, where- where should I live now?"


    Victoria blinked, having completely spaced on the fact that Foratuna was here because Tiffany had kicked her out of Ursa''s room. "Oh. Right. Huh¡­ I think there''s an extra room around here somewhere¡­ Come on, let''s talk to Maurice and see if we can get you set up."


    *


    Once Victoria got Foratuna settled, talking to Maurice and getting her set up in a room near Victoria''s, she opened a connection to Ursa. *So, Pookie, how are things with you and Tiffany?*


    *Do not call me that!* Ursa growled back. *I cannot believe you told her who I am! The woman is insane, even by human standards! She refuses to let any other females anywhere near my quarters! She got rid of Foratuna! I don''t know if she killed her or-*


    *Oh, Foratuna is with me. Tiffany showed up a bit ago and just shoved her in my room before running off.* Victoria interjected.


    Ursa breathed out a sigh of relief. *Good, good. I''ll come by to pick her up-*


    *Actually, that''s what I wanted to talk to you about. I''m going to need you to leave Foratuna alone for a while. I''m trying to give her a chance to figure herself out, and I don''t want her to fall back into thinking she''s just there to be used for sex.* Victoria interrupted again.


    *I- but- what am I supposed to do for sex then?* Ursa asked hesitantly.


    Victoria frowned. *Find a girl who actually wants to have sex with you, like a normal person?*


    Ursa groaned. *You humans are too complicated! All I seem to do is offend females when I ask if they''re interested in sex! It''s a simple question! Yes or no!*


    *Wait, wait, hold on. Are you seriously just walking up to women and asking if they want to have sex with you?* Victoria asked incredulously.


    *Of course. How else would I know?* Ursa sent back, sounding confused.


    *You just- fuck, that''s a good point¡­* Victoria frowned. Life would be a lot more convenient if you could just walk up and ask people if they were interested in sex without anyone getting offended. *But essentially, you don''t get to know. Not really. You have to¡­ woo them. Get them to like you so that they''re comfortable with the idea.* Victoria paused. *I think¡­ I''ve never actually done it, so I couldn''t really tell you anything specific.* Even back on Earth, with- Victoria''s expression twisted as a dull ache settled in her chest as she thought of Jessica. Even with her, he''d had no real idea what he was doing. He''d pretty much been ready for anything right from the start, and he''d always been surprised when she went along with things.


    *Humans.* Ursa spat in a way that came across as a curse.


    *Yeah, I know, we suck.* Victoria replied with a sigh.

 Points: 34 - Obanonos

    Over the next few days, Victoria focused on helping Beatrice, Ursa, and Foratuna work on developing skills for the Rune types they were missing. Now that she knew how important it was to get all three types, she wanted to make sure none of them ended up locking themselves out of the higher realms of cultivation without at least giving it the best shot they could. Ursa was the easiest to deal with. All he needed was an Essence Rune, and he wanted it to be combat focused. Specifically, he wanted to learn how to wield a warhammer. All Victoria needed to do was send him in the direction of one of the Cultivators who used warhammers, and that was that. The other two were a bit more¡­ indecisive.


    "Should I work on organization?" Beatrice asked hesitantly.


    Victoria frowned at her. "Do you want to work on organization?"


    "I- it would be helpful, right?" Beatrice asked. "Keeping things orderly¡­ making sure everyone knows what they need to do¡­"


    "That isn''t the question." Victoria shook her head. "The question is do you think you would enjoy organizing? If you aren''t going to enjoy it, then what''s the point?"


    Beatrice hesitated. "Maybe? I- I''m not sure¡­"


    "Then maybe try something else." Victoria sighed.


    Foratuna wasn''t any better. She barely knew who she was as a person, let alone which skills she wanted to pursue. Thankfully, that issue was mostly on the Spirit end. For Essence, they just needed to choose a weapon and find someone to train them. At least they weren''t in any real hurry at the moment. The two of them could take the time to figure out what Spirit skills they wanted to pursue while they worked on their Essence skills.


    Other than that, there was a bit of awkwardness during family dinners due to the deal with the Hidden Blades, particularly when Lord Inspector Semloh joined them. Albert had difficulty talking with a man he knew he''d likely have to kill in the near future. Thankfully, Semloh just seemed to take it as awkwardness related to what had happened with Duke Duhallis, deciding to keep his distance for now. Still, even then, Albert had descended into a dark mood, which only seemed to be getting worse, making any conversation a tense, forced affair. The only times Victoria saw him brighten up was during their morning spars, when all his focus turned to helping her train.


    Otherwise, things were fairly normal. Victoria continued to cultivate, making time to develop her relationships with Calvin, Melissa, and Beatrice in between. Things with Calvin and Melissa got a bit awkward once she told them about what had happened with Duke Duhallis and what AJ''s part had been in it. It took Victoria a bit to get them to calm down and stop either trying to make sure she was okay or threatening to do something horrible to AJ. Then, four days after the meeting with the Hidden Blades, Victoria paused in the middle of her daily exercises as she felt spots begin to appear at the edge of her point vision, grinning slightly as she realized the Hidden Blades were finally spreading the system to their soldiers, forming the first layer of her eventual maybe subversion of the potentially evil sect, particularly since her reserve idea worked. Of course, it''d take time for those reserves to get to a point where they''d actually matter¡­ years even.


    Victoria sighed, shaking her head. ¡°The hell am I even doing?¡± No matter what she did, the Hidden Blades were going to start this war, and with the help of her system, they were almost definitely going to win. Did it really even matter what happened after that? The region would already have been devastated by the war. Even if she activated her reserve plan, what would it do? Tear the Hidden Blades apart and send the region right back into another war? What good would that do? None. Unless the Hidden Blades were really evil¡­


    Victoria sighed again, turning her attention back to the growing number of spots she was aware of, reminding her of her ability to essentially jump into someone''s mind, which she had rather pointedly tried to forget after her last experience, but was honestly something she should probably pay more attention to, particularly if she wanted to know what the Hidden Blades were up to. She needed to figure out how obtrusive it was¡­ Ursa hadn''t seemed to notice, but he''d been a bit distracted at the time and she hadn''t exactly stayed very long. So¡­ who could she test it on? Someone who wouldn''t be too upset by the invasion of privacy¡­ Victoria snorted as she slipped into Beatrice''s mind. If Beatrice was comfortable having sex with her, she doubted she''d care if she saw her cleaning.


    Victoria grinned slightly as she found Beatrice humming happily as she cleaned the mirror in Victoria''s room, before focusing on exploring this new capability, immersing herself in Beatrice''s mind, finding the sensation similar to when she used her Study Rune''s ability. She was still fully aware of her own body, but now she had access to more. Much more. At first it was just a vague awareness of what Beatrice was feeling, then it deepened into what she was thinking, and finally an entire mindscape opened up before her, revealing structures that Victoria instinctively connected with Beatrice''s various traits. There was a tall pillar representing her relationship with her brother at her core, seeming to give the whole mindscape structure, as if without it, Beatrice would fall apart. Meanwhile, her relationship with Victoria looked more like a cloud, warm and comforting but ultimately insubstantial, representing her fear that at any moment it could disappear, leaving her with nothing. Victoria scowled when she saw the black, necrotic scar that was AJ and everything he''d forced Beatrice to do, though thankfully she could see signs of healing.


    Victoria paused as she found a strange¡­ bundle in Beatrice''s mind. That was the only way Victoria could describe it. It was like a part of her mind was sealed off by some strange energy, all wrapped up like some sort of package, which was slowly unraveling, and Victoria was drawing a blank on what it might represent. It honestly didn''t seem to be a part of the mindscape at all¡­ Victoria frowned as she considered what she should do about it. She should definitely tell Beatrice about it before she did anything, considering it was her mind they were dealing with, but that was going to be a very awkward conversation, because while she didn''t think Beatrice would mind her sharing her senses, being in her mind was probably a step too far. What was she going to say? ''Hey, Beatrice, I was poking around in your head without permission, and wouldn''t you know, I found this strange bundle there. What do you think we should do about that?'' Not a conversation Victoria was particularly looking forward to.


    *You- you what?!?* Beatrice asked incredulously.


    Victoria''s eyes widened. *Beatrice?* She messaged her tentatively.


    *What did you mean when you said you were poking around in my head!?!* Beatrice sent back. *And what do you mean there''s a bundle in there?!?*


    *How-* Victoria began, before stopping and shaking her head. Figuring out how Beatrice had heard her was a problem for later. Her current priority was dealing with the minor panic attack Beatrice was having. *Okay, so, I didn''t expect you to hear that, but- shit, how do I explain this? Basically, I can jump into the mind of anyone who has the system, because¡­ I''m not really sure why, actually. It just started happening after I merged with the points. I thought it just let me share someone else''s sense, which I was pretty sure you wouldn''t mind, because it''d just let me feel your body and you let me feel your body anyway, but then I realized I could go deeper, which I''m only now realizing is a pretty significant invasion of privacy, and in there I found this strange bundle blocking off part of your mind. It seems to be going away though, so¡­ I dunno, it''s weird.*


    Beatrice blinked in confusion. *You- what- huh?!?*


    Victoria paused. *Let me go a bit slower. First, I recently merged with my points. If you remember when I randomly collapsed for seemingly no reason, that was what happened. I also learned I could share the senses of anyone who has the system, which was how I saw Ursa and Foratuna having sex, and due to that experience, decided to ignore the ability entirely. Second, the Hidden Blades just began to spread the system to their soldiers, causing me to be aware of a bunch of new minds I could jump into and reminding me of the ability. I then thought it might be a good idea to use it to spy on the Hidden Blades, but I wasn''t sure how obtrusive it was, since the only other time I''d used it was for a split second on a very distracted individual. So I wanted to test it on someone to see if they would notice, and you were the only person I could think of who probably wouldn''t mind. But that was when I thought all it did was let me share your senses, and once I got in there, I- kinda got caught up in exploring and didn''t realize I was way overstepping my bounds until it was too late¡­ Sorry. And finally, since I was in your head, I noticed a section of your mind that seemed to be blocked off by some kind of energy, the ''bundle'' I mentioned earlier. I was going to talk to you about it, but somehow when I thought about talking to you about it, I ended up actually talking to you about it¡­ might have something to do with the fact I''m actually in your mind right now, now that I think about it¡­* Victoria paused, before shaking her head. *Anyway, that''s the situation and I''m really sorry. If you''d like I can leave now, but if you''re comfortable with it, I''d really like to take a closer look at this bundle.*


    *Is- do you think it''s dangerous?* Beatrice asked hesitantly.


    Victoria cocked her head as she studied the bundle. *I don''t think so? I don''t really see how it could be¡­ it only exists in your mind, which is why I haven''t noticed it until now. The only effect it could have is on your mind- actually, no, that could be a problem.* Victoria scowled. She knew how much effect she''d had on Foratuna just by messing with her mind¡­ she didn''t want anything like that to happen to Beatrice.


    Beatrice hesitated. *Could- could we talk about this face to face?*


    *Yeah, I''ll be up as soon as I can.* Victoria agreed, quickly getting cleaned up and changed, before heading to her room, where Beatrice was waiting for her, pacing anxiously, both of them freezing as they caught sight of each other. ¡°Hey¡­¡± Victoria greeted her awkwardly, not sure how to approach this situation. She felt like she should be doing everything she could to apologize, but she also felt like she needed to focus on dealing with the bundle first.


    Beatrice took a shaky breath. ¡°Victoria, I''m scared. What if- What if AJ did something to me, and-¡±


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, hold on.¡± Victoria quickly cut her off, frowning. ¡°I don''t know what this is, but it definitely wasn''t AJ. Whatever this bundle is, it wasn''t made with Spirit or Qi or even Essence.¡± She paused. ¡°Which¡­ Is probably worse. But don''t worry! I''m not going to let anything happen to you, okay? We''ll figure this out." She assured her in a firm, calm tone. Beatrice took a deep breath, before nodding, still looking anxious, but she at least wasn''t panicking anymore. "Here, just¡­ lay down and try to relax while I take a look at this thing, alright?" Victoria insisted, trying to keep a level tone as she guided Beatrice towards the bed, on the verge of freaking out herself as she realized this bundle might be a bigger deal than she''d thought.


    Once Beatrice got situated, Victoria knelt by her head, cradling it in her hands and closing her eyes, all of which was completely unnecessary, but somehow felt right to do anyway. She examined Beatrice with her point vision, but she couldn''t find any sign of the bundle outside her mind, pretty much confirming that the bundle was purely mental. *If that''s the case¡­* Victoria muttered internally, frowning as she turned her focus to Beatrice''s mind. She could see the bundle, but she didn''t know how to actually interact with it. Since she''d used the system to affect Foratuna''s mind, then points should be able to interact with people''s minds, right? But how? Victoria carefully sent her points into Beatrice''s head, probing slightly. Tapping into her Design Rune, she spread her points through Beatrice''s brain, examining it like she''d examine a new material. She started to get a weird sort of double vision, as she began to pick up Beatrice''s thoughts through both examining her brain and through her connection with her mind. However, the method given to her by her Design Rune only picked up on Beatrice''s surface thoughts. It didn''t even let Victoria tap into her senses!


    *Well that isn''t going to get me anywhere.* Victoria frowned. She felt like she was coming at this from the wrong direction. She was already in Beatrice''s mind! Maybe she should start from there? Victoria turned her attention back to the bundle. *Okay, let''s see¡­ can I-* Victoria reached out mentally, trying to poke the bundle, carefully. The moment her intent crystalized, the bundle shuddered. *Oh shit.* The bundle''s unraveling quickly sped up. "Shit shit shit!" Victoria cursed, trying to stop the unraveling, which only made it go faster! "No!" Victoria exclaimed as the bundle suddenly burst open.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Beatrice''s eyes flew open. "Victoria, what- ah!" Beatrice exclaimed as the bundle burst open, clutching her head in pain.


    "Don''t move, don''t move, I can-!" Victoria panicked, before suddenly pausing as Beatrice''s mind calmed down, revealing¡­ a snake? "Eh?"


    The snake let out a long, weary yawn, looking around blearily, glancing at Victoria, then continuing to examine Beatrice''s mind, before its eyes suddenly widened and it did a double take, refocusing on Victoria. *Who the devil are you?!? What are you doing in my master''s mind!?!*


    *What are you doing in my girlfriend''s mind!?!* Victoria shot back.


    *Your- hm, I see, female this time. Unfortunate. A rougher start, but we''ve had worse. There was that time we ended up as a fish. Blessedly short, thankfully.* The snake muttered to itself in a rambling, almost nonsensical manner, before looking back up at Victoria. *Still¡­ you shouldn''t be here! How dare you invade the innermost being of a person, no matter how close your relationship with them is!*


    Victoria blinked. *I- she asked me to! To deal with you!*


    The snake narrowed its eyes at her. *And how would she know about me unless you already intruded into her mind!?!*


    Victoria flushed. *I- it was an accident!*


    The snake scoffed. *You can''t accidentally invade someone''s mind!*


    *Stop!* Beatrice''s voice suddenly boomed through the mindscape. *Stop- stop arguing in my head!*


    Victoria and the snake shared an awkward look. *Can you leave?* Victoria asked.


    The snake narrowed its eyes. *I can. But I won''t as long as there is an intruder in my master''s mind!*


    Victoria grimaced. *If you think I''m leaving you in here alone-*


    *Both of you get out, now!* Beatrice snapped. Victoria paused as the snake immediately disappeared, quickly pulling out herself. "Ah!" Beatrice shrieked as the snake suddenly appeared on her face.


    "I apologize, Master. This hooligan''s antics caused me to forget myself." The snake bowed, shooting Victoria a withering glare. "Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Obanonos, the Avatar of Reincarnation."


    "Ouroboros?" Victoria interjected, cocking her head.


    The snake glared at her again. "No, Obanonos."


    "Do you bite your tail?" Victoria asked, getting a weird look on her face.


    Obanonos blinked. "I- I don''t see how that''s any of your business." He replied, almost sounding embarrassed.


    "You do, don''t you!" Victoria exclaimed.


    "So what if I do! It''s a natural comfort response!" Obanonos snapped defensively.


    "Freaking- this world is ridiculous." Victoria muttered, shaking her head. An Ouroboros that claimed to be the Avatar of Reincarnation! With a name like Obanonos, at that! It was official. She was in some kind of crappy anime. Cultivation, magical equipment, monsters, reincarnation, a bunch of lesbians¡­ it all checked out. Now if only the plot wasn''t trying to wipe out her family¡­ Victoria shook her head. Ridiculous or not, this world was still real, with consequences and everything. She''d just have to deal with the craziness as it came.


    "Victoria? What- what''s going on?" Beatrice asked nervously as she sat up, looking between Obanonos and Victoria.


    Victoria shook herself out of her thoughts. "I tried poking the bundle and¡­ well, he came out. After that, I don''t know any more than you do."


    "Hmph. At least you''re intelligent enough to admit your own ignorance." Obanonos commented arrogantly. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I am Obanonos, the Avatar of Reincarnation. I am bonded to you, my master, following you through every life, learning everything you do and passing that knowledge on to your next life, allowing you to reach greater and greater heights each time."


    "Unless you''re a fish." Victoria muttered.


    Obanonos glared at her. "That fish ruled an entire sea for over a century before it was cut down! A mighty accomplishment for a Rune Beast!"


    "But was it better than she did in her last life?" Victoria prodded.


    Obanonos hesitated. "Not- not in exact measurements, but comparatively-"


    "Yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses." Victoria waved dismissively.


    Obanonos shook angrily. "I will not be mocked! Dozens of times I have helped my master reach the pinnacle of cultivation, mere steps from godhood and immortality! Our most recent failure only occurred due to an unlucky coincidence! The Path we chose was already taken! This time, we shall find an empty Path and Ascend, taking our place among the gods!"


    Victoria blinked. "Eh? Wait, gods? Like, real ones?" She paused, remembering the thing that had destroyed Earth. "Actually, no, that makes sense. What do you mean by path though?"


    "The Path to Ascension." Obanonos began. "For each Dao- wait a minute! I don''t owe some random interloper any explanations!"


    Victoria snorted. "Fine, keep your secrets. I''m probably already immortal anyway."


    Both Obanonos and Beatrice immediately turned to look at Victoria, Obanonos with an incredulous sneer and Beatrice with stunned shock. "You- you''re immortal?" Beatrice asked.


    "Impossible! The only way to achieve immortality is through the Path to Ascension, and you are no god!" Obanonos retorted.


    Beatrice scowled, turning on the snake. "Stop talking down to Victoria!"


    Obanonos''s eyes widened. "Master, I-"


    "No! Ever since you showed up, you''ve been nothing but rude! Apologize!" Beatrice demanded.


    "I- I''m sorry, I just-" Obanonos began, bowing to Beatrice.


    "Not to me, to her!" Beatrice snapped, pointing at Victoria.


    Obanonos''s expression twisted as with great difficulty, he turned his bow towards Victoria. "I apologize for my rudeness. I will endeavor to be more polite as we continue our discussion." He muttered as if he was literally dragging the words out of his mouth, each one more painful than the last.


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "I don''t accept apologies from people who don''t mean them."


    "Victoria, please, he''s trying." Beatrice pleaded for Obanonos, feeling the honest effort he was putting in through the bond they shared.


    Victoria sighed. "Fine. I didn''t particularly mind it anyway. It''s just sort of funny that you seem to know so much, yet still can''t accept that you might not know everything."


    Obanonos frowned. "I have followed my master through a hundred lives-"


    "And I can pretty confidently say you''ve never encountered anything like me." Victoria interjected with a grin. "If you had, well¡­ I don''t think your world would still look like this. Unless¡­ maybe if they went wild and got the world destroyed¡­ then reset¡­ hmmm."


    "Victoria? Could- could you explain the immortality thing?" Beatrice asked tentatively, not wanting the two to start arguing again.


    "Huh? Oh, yeah. Well, ever since my out of body experience, I''ve been thinking. My existence doesn''t seem to be tied to my body, it''s tied to the points. As long as they exist, I exist, and¡­ well, I suppose I could spend myself out of existence, maybe, but as long as I don''t¡­ even that crazy god thing that destroyed my original world didn''t hurt the points." Victoria explained with a shrug. "Plus there''s the fact I can change men into women and bears into humans, which makes reversing the aging process seem like a joke."


    Obanonos snorted. "There are many who have managed to discover the secret of eternal youth, but eternal youth does not grant eternal life. No matter how young you look, age will always catch up with you. Believe me, we have tried every method possible. Only the Path to Ascension can provide true immortality."


    Victoria cocked her head. "How does that work? If your body doesn''t fail you, shouldn''t you be able to live as long as you want?"


    Obanonos sighed. "One would think, but no. Once you reach a certain age, the wasting takes hold. For seemingly no reason, your strength begins to drain from your body, slowly at first, and then progressively faster and faster, until you can barely even lift a finger, or breathe. Then, as you lie there, a shell of what you once were, you die."


    "Huh¡­ depressing." Victoria muttered, frowning as she considered what Obanonos had said. Why would something like that happen? Were their methods missing something? Not truly reversing the aging process, but only superficially fixing things? Or was it something else? "Gotta remember to experiment with that one at some point."


    "You do that." Obanonos rolled his eyes, turning to Beatrice. "Master, I apologize, but I must insist we begin working on your cultivation. We must work quickly to Acquire all three Rune types so you can begin the Path to Ascension."


    "We''re already doing that." Victoria commented. "She already has her Qi Rune, she''s working on her dagger forms for Essence, and she just needs to pick a Spirit skill to work on."


    Obanonos blinked. "You- You''re already Awakened?" Beatrice nodded. "But- how is that possible?!? You shouldn''t have Awakened until I emerged!"


    "I did it." Victoria replied. "Or, at least, I gave her the system, which allowed her to Awaken."


    Obanonos scowled at her. "If your meddling has hurt my master''s chances at Ascension, I will-"


    "Victoria has only ever tried to help me!" Beatrice interjected fiercely. "You will not threaten her for that!"


    Obanonos''s expression twisted again, before he let out a groan, bowing toward Beatrice. "Yes, Master, I understand. I apologize for letting my passion for your Ascension get the best of me."


    Victoria snorted at the non-apology, but Beatrice accepted it, so she didn''t comment any further. "Look, she''s only been Awakened for like a week. I doubt she''s done anything all that terrible in that time, and I''m positive the system can help her get back on track even if she has." Victoria explained.


    Obanonos frowned. "What is this ''system'' you keep mentioning? How is it supposed to aid my master''s cultivation?"


    "The system is¡­ well, it''s a system." Victoria replied with a shrug, not sure how to explain it any better. "It gives you tasks, which let you earn points, which you can then spend on various things, like Awakening, increasing your Capacity, helping you learn skills, increasing your cultivation, healing¡­ probably more, but I haven''t figured it all out yet."


    Obanonos blinked. "It increases your- It- it helps you learn skills?!?"


    Victoria nodded. "It sort of deepens your understanding of what you''re doing. Instead of needing to practice hundreds of times, you just spend a few points and you get it."


    "That- how-" Obanonos paused, his eyes narrowing. "May I see these ''points''?"


    Victoria frowned, before shrugging and sending out a small cloud of points. "Go for it."


    Obanonos stared at the cloud of points blankly. "This- this is just energy."


    Victoria cocked her head. "Yeah? What was it supposed to be?"


    "No, it''s just plain energy! Look around, it''s everywhere!" Obanonos exclaimed.


    Victoria looked around with her point vision. He had a point¡­ the points were unshifted, just like the energy which swirled all around them. "I suppose, but that''s just their base state. They shift when they need to actually do anything. Like so." Victoria shifted her points to Spirit, then Essence, then back.


    Obanonos''s eyes widened. "How did you- that''s impossible!"


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "Obviously not, right? I mean, I just did it."


    "Well, yes, but- you- you shouldn''t be capable of doing it! Energy doesn''t just change! Or at least, it doesn''t change back!" Obanonos groaned, rubbing his head with his tail. "Energy continually shifts as it is drawn through Runes, but it never loses an aspect! It simply continues to become more and more complex!"


    Victoria frowned at him. "Okay¡­ but that doesn''t change the fact that I can."


    Obanonos paused. "No. No, I suppose it doesn''t." He gave Victoria a strange look. "I apologize¡­ when you said you were unique- I have been a fool." He bowed, true sincerity in his apology.


    Victoria shrugged. "It happens. Don''t worry about it."

 Points: 35 - Responsibility

    After making sure Beatrice was on the right path cultivation wise, Obanonos retreated into her Runescape to give them some privacy. He''d been slightly surprised that they already knew about Rune Advancement, though he was more excited about the fact that the system could increase Capacity, allowing Beatrice to start with Rune Advancement immediately. Usually they had to Assimilate a Rune first, to cultivate enough to increase their Capacity before they could pursue Rune Advancement. He also hadn''t been excited to learn that Beatrice''s first Rune was Clean, but Beatrice wouldn''t budge in her determination to focus on Runes that would allow her to support Victoria. Obanonos was frustrated, but Beatrice seemed to be his weakness, and once she dug in her heels, he had to relent.


    "So¡­ you want to talk about it?" Victoria asked, wrapping an arm around Beatrice and pulling her close. She''d had a lot dumped on her today.


    Beatrice sighed as she rested her head on Victoria''s shoulder. "I just¡­ I don''t know. This whole thing is just so weird! I''m the reincarnation of some powerful Cultivator? It isn''t that I don''t trust Obanonos, it''s just- what does that make me?"


    "It doesn''t make you anything." Victoria replied firmly. "You are who you are, and nothing is going to change that unless you want it to. This is just¡­ a neat fact. Like the fact I used to be a guy named Thomas before all this."


    Beatrice blinked. "Huh¡­ wait, does this mean we''ve both been men before?!?"


    "From the sound of it, it looks like everyone has been a lot of things before." Victoria commented, frowning slightly. "Freaking reincarnation¡­ who''d have thought? Though¡­ if you don''t remember your past life, I''m not sure how much it actually counts¡­ considering it has to have little to no effect on who you are now, you know? Like, I remember being a dude, so I can make decisions based on that, but you don''t, so you really can''t." Victoria paused. "Though¡­ if you really wanted to try being a man, we could make that happen."


    Beatrice flushed. "If- if you wanted to¡­"


    Victoria pulled away slightly, giving Beatrice a surprised look. ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    Beatrice wiggled in embarrassment. "I- I wouldn''t mind giving it a try? Just- for a night? Maybe- maybe tonight?¡±


    Victoria''s eyes widened as she got what Beatrice meant. ¡°Oh, you mean- Oh¡­¡± She paused. ¡°Are- are you sure? I- just kind of majority violated your privacy¡­¡±


    Beatrice hesitated. ¡°It- it was weird, but¡­ I know you wouldn''t do anything to hurt me. Not on purpose¡­ I- I don''t mind if you look inside my mind every now and then.¡±


    Victoria frowned. ¡°Beatrice¡­ you- you know you can be angry with me, right? You don''t have to be okay with everything I do. I''m not going to leave just because you set some very appropriate boundaries, like staying outside your mind!¡±


    Beatrice blinked. ¡°I- okay? But I''m really okay with this. I trust you.¡±


    Victoria eyed her suspiciously. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Beatrice rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you want to look in my mind and see?¡±


    Victoria sighed. ¡°No. I trust you. I just- it''s hard to believe you''d just be okay with it¡­¡±


    ¡°It- helps that you already know all my deepest, darkest secrets.¡± Beatrice muttered. ¡°What more do I have to hide from you?¡±


    ¡°That''s- fair.¡± Victoria agreed. ¡°I suppose it doesn''t particularly matter if you have nothing to hide¡­ Damn, I almost wish I could let you into my head now, but I don''t even know how I got in yours.¡±


    Beatrice smiled, cuddling closer to her. ¡°So¡­ tonight?¡±


    Victoria smiled back. ¡°Yeah, tonight. Let''s make a date out of it. Our first official one, huh?¡±


    Beatrice flushed. ¡°That- that sounds nice.¡±


    Victoria grinned. ¡°Then it''s a date.¡±


    *


    "The Duke''s men arrived this morning." Albert commented blandly as he and Victoria rested between spars.


    Victoria paused. "Oh¡­ is- is there anything I need to do or be aware of?"


    Albert shook his head. "No, your part in all this is simply to focus on your cultivation."


    Victoria nodded slowly. "Then¡­ Do you want to talk about it?"


    Albert sighed. "These are good men. Brave soldiers simply fighting to protect their land, their people¡­ Their only crime is being too weak and having nothing to offer to save themselves. A position we would be in without you, without the strange twist of fate that connected you with this system during your Awakening¡­"


    Victoria frowned. "I don''t like it either, but what choice do we have? We''re too weak to stop the Hidden Blades. Our choices are either to save ourselves or die with them."


    "I know." Albert groaned. "I have come to terms with what needs to be done, but¡­ it doesn''t make it easy!"


    "I don''t think it should be easy." Victoria replied. "If it was¡­ well, we''d be monsters."


    Albert blinked. "That¡­ is a good point." He paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "I just wish we had some other option."


    Victoria sighed. "Yeah, me too. But unless you know some way to get strong enough to defeat the Hidden Blades within the next few months, we''re screwed."


    "There''s no solution your system could provide?" Albert asked, a hint of desperation in his tone.


    Victoria shook her head. "The system can''t make something from nothing. If we worked ourselves to the bone, we might be able to take all our guards to the first or second stage of Core Strengthening, but¡­ I don''t think that would help much."


    Albert frowned. "No¡­ that Elder could probably handle such a force on her own."


    Victoria sighed. "So we''re back to square one. Go through with the deal with the Hidden Blades, or die."


    Albert''s frown deepened. "Indeed."


    *


    "Victoria? Are you okay?" Beatrice asked hesitantly. The two of them were in Victoria''s room, eating a small meal by candlelight. However, Victoria had just been picking absently at her food, not seeming very present.


    "I''m fine, it''s just¡­ something I talked about with my father earlier." Victoria sighed. "This whole situation with the Hidden Blades¡­ it just sucks." She paused, before shaking her head. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t be focusing on this right now. This is our first official date! I should be focusing on you."


    "But¡­ aren''t dates for talking to each other? About what''s going on in our lives?" Beatrice asked hesitantly. "This is what you''re going through¡­ I want to talk about it with you."


    Victoria shook her head again. "There really isn''t much to talk about¡­ you know what the situation is, you know why it sucks, and you know there''s nothing we can do about it. It''s just¡­ depressing. Not really good to talk about."


    Beatrice''s expression twisted. "I guess¡­ maybe it''d be better to focus on the good? The fact that you''re saving so many people?"


    Victoria sighed. "I suppose¡­ everyone who''s dying would have died anyway. The only thing we did was make sure some people wouldn''t die. Which¡­ is good? Still, there''s the fact that so many more are going to die¡­"


    "Victoria¡­" Beatrice chided her.


    "Sorry, sorry." Victoria shook her head. "Let''s see¡­ as long as we survive, we can continue to get stronger¡­ which means, we can try to prevent things like this from happening again. Try to create something stable so that people don''t need to claw for power just to make sure they can live their life the way they want to."


    Beatrice nodded slowly. "Okay¡­ but how?"


    Victoria frowned. "Well¡­ I think the foundation would be the system. If everyone had access to something that could ensure they stay in perfect health, eliminating the need for food and water, just by performing a few exercises, then a lot of problems would be solved. The skill page would help too, letting everyone pursue what they''re passionate about¡­ the issue would be Awakening. People would still Awaken naturally, which is fine, but if everyone Awakened, then the balance of the world might be broken, which would be bad. So¡­ how do you decide who gets to Awaken?"


    Beatrice considered the question for a moment. "You could give each noble an allotment based on rank?"


    Victoria frowned. "I was thinking we wouldn''t have nobles¡­"


    "But then who would run the nation?" Beatrice asked hesitantly.


    "The people. Or at least, their representatives. The people would choose who they want to be in charge by voting, and whoever they picked would deal with making sure the country runs smoothly. And then, if people think the guy they chose has been doing a bad job, in a few years they do it again, and they can pick someone else." Victoria explained.


    Beatrice frowned. "That- that just sounds chaotic."


    "No, it''s really-" Victoria paused as she remembered the politics from Earth. "Okay, no, it is chaotic, but it''s also the best way to make sure the most people''s interests are considered. A noble only has to consider the people enough to make sure they won''t rebel. A politician has to consider the interests of enough people to make sure he keeps getting elected. Ideally, at least¡­ that process always seemed to get fucked up somewhere.¡±


    Beatrice hesitated. "I- I guess¡­"


    Victoria shook her head. "We can figure out the details of how the government is going to work later. It''s definitely something that''s going to take a lot of long, detailed talks with a bunch of people to get right, not something we''re going to just ''solve'' over a meal. I just don''t think the nobility system is the one that''s going to work the best." She paused. "As for Awakening¡­ the question becomes, should we make people earn it, or do we do a lottery or something? The lottery is probably the most fair, but¡­ should Awakening be fair? Randomly giving people power for no reason is kinda the system we already have and look how that''s turned out. Just a bunch of assholes killing people for power. Then again¡­ would earning it be any better? Shit, it might be worse. People who pursue power tend to do it for the wrong reasons¡­"


    Victoria''s expression twisted as her mind went in circles. The ultimate problem was that cultivation itself encouraged the production of powerful assholes. You had to work to be powerful, and who would put in that work for no reason? Who would spend all their time working to make other people''s lives better? She knew they were out there, but they were rare. She wasn''t even sure if she could count herself among them. She didn''t want power to abuse other people, but she didn''t want to serve them either. She just wanted to be able to protect herself and the things she cared about. Other than that¡­ if it was easy, she''d do it, but she''d never been much for self-sacrifice. Not for people she didn''t even know.


    Should they Awaken anyone then? If cultivation was a problem, then just get rid of it, right? Except¡­ They needed Cultivators. Rune Beasts weren''t going away, and without Cultivators, they wouldn''t be able to defend themselves. Even without the Rune Beasts, people would still Awaken randomly, and if they just let them do whatever they wanted¡­ things would probably just turn back into this mess. So they needed to Awaken people, but they needed to Awaken good people, who would be motivated to become stronger to protect others. Or at least, decent enough to not abuse people. The question was how to actually determine whether someone was good or not. Victoria sighed, shaking her head. Yet another thing she''d need to talk to people about before she decided anything. "Fucking¡­ fixing the world is hard." Victoria grumbled.


    Beatrice hesitated. "Why- why do you need to fix the world?"


    Victoria blinked. "Because I can? Or at least, I think I can¡­ the system has the potential to fix a lot of problems, you know? It just feels wrong to not when it''s so easy to spread it around."


    "I suppose¡­ but¡­ you can spread the system without worrying about what people do with it, right? You can''t- you can''t control what other people do¡­ you can give them the tools to make their lives better, but you can''t force them to actually do it. Putting that burden on yourself¡­ I-I don''t think it''s healthy." Beatrice responded tentatively.


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Victoria frowned, before shaking her head and sighing. "You''re probably right, but¡­ I don''t know. It isn''t so much about making people live better lives, I guess, it''s just¡­ I don''t want to make things worse. I don''t want to put the system out there for people to abuse. If things stay kinda crappy, that''s- well, no, that would still kinda suck, but that''s life, you know? But if somehow the system starts ruining people''s lives because I didn''t think about some unintended consequence¡­ that''s a problem. Like the Capacity thing for Rune Advancement¡­ I don''t want to get someone killed just because I didn''t think of something."


    Beatrice slowly nodded in understanding. "Then¡­ Why not just stick to the things you know are beneficial? Like the recovery button. Just¡­ leave it at that. I can''t see how people would abuse being able to sustain themselves with just points¡­"


    Victoria snorted. "Oh, there are ways. When you don''t need to worry about feeding your army, it''s a lot easier to go to war. That''s essentially the premise of our deal with the Hidden Blades. Subsequently, that destabilizes the relationship between noble and commoner, since if the noble doesn''t need food to feed their army, and the commoner doesn''t need food to survive the winter, how much do the two actually need each other? I guess people would keep growing food for the taste¡­ but it''d turn into more of a specialty thing. You wouldn''t see people farming for a living, they''d only do it for fun. So many people who would simply no longer need to work¡­ What would that do to society? To the economy? Would it be better? Or worse? I just¡­ I don''t know! On the surface it seems like a good thing, right? But who knows what hidden dangers lurk underneath?"


    Beatrice frowned. "That- it would really affect that much? It- it''s just food, isn''t it?"


    "Food is like half- ninety- eighty? percent of what we do. Three meals a day, deserts, snacks, farming, ranching, hunting, cooking¡­ all food." Victoria shrugged.


    Beatrice paused, thinking about how many things involved food, even just in the castle. How many people would be out of work if food suddenly wasn''t a thing¡­ "Oh¡­ then¡­ if anything you do will cause problems, why do it?"


    "Because any time things change, there are going to be problems. Things will need to adjust, and the adjustment can leave people lost and confused, sometimes even hurt. However, that doesn''t mean the change doesn''t need to be made. If you never change, you never develop, and things will never get better¡­ I''m just not sure if the change brought by the system will be better. It definitely could be, but¡­ it could also not be. Like what if the people in power just decide to kill all the commoners because they no longer need them to make food?" Victoria replied. "I mean, I don''t think it''s likely, but it''s possible. People can be crazy sometimes, and if they see the masses as dangerous for some reason¡­ ugh, it''s just so complicated." Victoria groaned, rubbing her temple.


    "Then¡­" Beatrice began, before trailing off, clearly having no idea what to say next.


    Victoria glanced at her, smiling lightly. "It''s okay, you don''t need to find a solution. I''m not sure there is a solution, not really¡­ we kinda just have to try it and see what happens. Plus, once the system gets out¡­ it''s out. It spreads like a virus, and once it does¡­ I kinda have to turn it all off or leave it all on. The sheer amount of people precludes making individual decisions for everyone." She shook her head. "Okay, enough about me. Talked to death and way too depressing. What''s up with you? How was your day? Have you talked any more with Obanonos?"


    Beatrice''s eyes widened. "Yes! I- he- he told me what he was! He''s not- uh, he- hmmm¡­ okay, basically, when you fully Advance your Rune, it gains an Avatar. Basic Rune Avatars are like tools, Dual Rune Avatars are like animals, and Tri Rune Avatars are actually sentient! Obanonos is the Avatar of the Tri Rune Reincarnation, which his original master comprehended, binding him to all their future lives. Oh, and also, Avatars are given form by energy, so as my cultivation increases, I can feed Obanonos more energy to help him get bigger, and the bigger he is, the more helpful he''ll be. Once he''s big enough, he''ll even be able to fly while carrying me!"


    Victoria''s eyebrows rose appreciatively as Beatrice explained, nodding slowly. She had been wondering what the whole deal was with Obanonos being the Avatar of Reincarnation. Obviously he wasn''t a god or anything, which is where her mind usually went when she thought of Avatars, so what did he mean by it? But Rune Avatars, huh? That was interesting. She was in the middle of wondering what kind of Avatars her Runes would produce, when Beatrice made her final comment and she froze, before smirking slightly. "So you''re excited to ride the big snake, huh?"


    Beatrice nodded excitedly. "Yeah! And once he gets even bigger he can take both of us! We could go anywhere!"


    "You want me to ride your big snake?" Victoria asked, her smirk widening as she raised an eyebrow at Beatrice.


    Beatrice hesitated, noticing that Victoria was acting sort of weird. "I- if- if you want to?"


    Victoria snorted, shaking her head. "Man, I have got to teach you about innuendo."


    "Innuend-" Beatrice began, before suddenly flushing brightly as she got what Victoria had been hinting at. "Oh."


    Victoria nodded, not noticing Beatrice''s shift as she focused on her food for a moment. "Innuendo, right. It''s basically using euphemisms to hint at something more¡­ sexual than it would appear on the surface. Like, for example, when talking about riding snakes, riding is a euphemism for sex, while snake is a euphemism for dick. So when you said you wanted me to ride your snake¡­ well, you can probably connect the dots from there."


    By this point, Beatrice''s flush had spread all across her face and even a bit down her neck. What made it worse was that she knew what innuendo was! She just¡­ hadn''t thought of it. Suddenly, she had a thought, and her expression shifted as she smiled slightly. "Then¡­ I didn''t hear you say you didn''t want to ride my big snake~" She murmured slowly.


    Victoria froze, coughing slightly as she choked a bit on her food. "I- no, but¡­" She stammered, before pausing and narrowing her eyes at Beatrice. "Ah. Well, I suppose I didn''t, did I?" She slowly smirked. "But didn''t you say your snake still needs to grow?"


    Beatrice bit her lip. "It does¡­ but if you feed it energy¡­ I think- I think it could be big enough to ride tonight?"


    "How much energy do you think it needs?" Victoria asked, wiggling her eyebrows.


    "How much snake do you want?" Beatrice replied, flushing nervously.


    Victoria hesitated at that, not actually sure how to answer. "Well¡­ let''s feed it just a little to start. Then¡­ we can always give it more."


    *


    Victoria cuddled with Beatrice after a long night of experimentation. "I''ve come to a conclusion¡­" She muttered. "No matter how you do it, sex is just an enjoyable experience. Would recommend. That, or I''m just a freak."


    "Yeah¡­" Beatrice agreed hesitantly.


    Victoria frowned. "Are you okay? I didn''t hurt you or anything, did I?" She''d moved her points outside her body, but her cultivation still made her way stronger than normal. She''d tried to be careful, but¡­ well, it was pretty easy to get a little too into things.


    Beatrice shook her head. "No, you- you were great. I just- it''s stupid, nevermind."


    "Hey, no, don''t do that. If it''s bothering you, it''s not stupid." Victoria replied, sitting up to look at Beatrice. ¡°Don''t make me get in your head for answers.¡±


    Beatrice seemed to struggle with something internally, before letting out a sigh and beginning to talk in an almost hauntingly empty tone. "I- it''s really- I just- I couldn''t stop- stop thinking about- about- about him." She finished, shuddering slightly as Victoria froze. "I know I shouldn''t. You''re nothing like him. It''s just- the way it felt- I- I''m sorry, I just- I can''t get it out of my head."


    "Beatrice¡­" Victoria began in a pained tone. "I''m so, so sorry, I- I should have realized- I didn''t think-" She pulled Beatrice into her arms, holding her tight. "We don''t ever have to do anything like that ever again!"


    Beatrice''s expression twisted. "But- but I want to be able to do that with you! I want to be able to do everything with you! I don''t want to be held back by- by him!" She spat bitterly.


    Victoria hesitated, not sure what to say to that. If doing that hurt Beatrice, she had no interest in doing it, but if Beatrice wanted to do it¡­ "Beatrice¡­ look, you don''t have to force yourself to do more than you''re comfortable with. What you went through¡­ shit, I''ve been putting so much on you when you just went through this huge trauma!" Victoria groaned. "You shouldn''t be dealing with any of my shit! I should be helping you with yours!" She''d just been trauma dumping on Beatrice, using her for comfort, when Beatrice had just been through something¡­ well, not worse, though maybe more personal? But she had her own shit to deal with, and Victoria had been making it all about her! "Beatrice, I''m so sorry, I- I''ve been selfish."


    "Victoria, no, you- you''ve been looking out for me this entire time! Pushing me to be better, to grow, to- to look out for myself, to see my own value¡­ you''ve done so much for me!" Beatrice protested, pulling away and grabbing Victoria''s hands.


    "But- but whenever we talk, it''s always about my issues! We never talk about what you went through!" Victoria retorted.


    "I don''t want to talk about what I went through!" Beatrice snapped. "It- it was horrible, and it was all my fault! If I''d been stronger, more determined, more- just better, I''d never have gone through it!"


    Victoria''s expression twisted. "What- no! Beatrice, that''s so- so twisted! What happened to you was all because of AJ! He''s the asshole who blackmailed you, who used you! You shouldn''t need to take extreme actions to avoid something like that! Blaming yourself for someone else being an evil asshole- it''s- it''s just wrong."


    "But if I''d-" Beatrice began.


    "You can''t be expected to live your life perfectly! No one can! You''re human. You have faults. That doesn''t give anyone the right to hurt you for them!" Victoria stopped her before she got into it. "Could you be better? Yes, obviously, we all could. We all should. But that doesn''t mean we deserve to have bad things happen to us! We don''t- we don''t blame ourselves for being human. For having failings. We accept it, we try to be better, and then we move on. You can''t hate yourself for something you can''t change¡­ it''ll break you. I don''t- I don''t want you to break."


    Tears streamed down Beatrice''s face. "But- but how can I accept her? How can I not hate a person who was so focused on her own suffering, that she would have put you through the same thing! How can I not hate someone so- so- weak!"


    Victoria reached up to hold Beatrice''s cheek, wiping away a tear with her thumb. "Because it wasn''t her fault. You couldn''t have known AJ''s plans. You had to think about your brother. You had to think about yourself! There''s a saying from my old world, ''hindsight is twenty twenty''. It means, you always see the past more clearly than the present. You can look back and judge yourself for things you could have done better, but you''re doing it with knowledge you didn''t have at the time! You can''t blame yourself for being ignorant."


    Beatrice hesitated before shaking her head. "I still let myself be used! I should have- if I''d killed my-"


    Beatrice suddenly cut off as Victoria grabbed her by the jaw. "Never, ever think that way!" She hissed fiercely as Beatrice''s eyes widened in shock. "What do you think you would have changed by killing yourself?!? Do you really think AJ wouldn''t have found some other way to go through with his plan!?! And even if you were the only way he could make his plan work, I am not your responsibility! Your brother is your responsibility! Your own safety is your responsibility! I am responsible for my own safety! As is my father, and many other people. You were not. You had to do what was best for you, and killing yourself would have only benefitted me, and most likely not even that! So never talk like you would have been better off dead, understand!?!" Beatrice nodded stiffly, and Victoria released her jaw. "Good." She nodded back, her expression softening. "I''m sorry, that- I got a little too hot there."


    Beatrice shook her head. "No, that''s- I- I think that''s what I needed to hear¡­ I- I put myself in that situation, but¡­ I couldn''t have stopped AJ from trying to hurt you. The part I played¡­ it- it could have been played by anyone. I just- I hate that it was me."


    "And that''s okay." Victoria replied, pulling her close again and wrapping her arms around Beatrice''s shoulders, resting her head against hers. "Regretting the mistakes we made is good. Just don''t turn that hate on yourself. You aren''t a bad person because you messed up. You''re a bad person if you don''t care that you messed up."


    Beatrice snorted. "It certainly feels like I''m a bad person."


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "Do you think I would like you if you were really a bad person?"


    Beatrice paused. "No, but-"


    "What? You think you''ve hidden parts of yourself from me?" Victoria asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. "I''ve been in your head. You''re a good person, with an amazing heart. It''s just that sometimes- sometimes good people end up in bad situations, where there are no good options. But that''s a problem with the world, not with you."


    Beatrice hesitated, before letting out a sigh. "The world sucks."


    Victoria nodded. "It does. And that''s why it needs to change."


    Beatrice nodded as well. There was only one thing that bothered her about what Victoria had said. She wasn''t responsible for Victoria, but¡­ she wanted to be. She just- she wasn''t capable of it. Not yet. But- Beatrice''s eyes hardened with determination- she would be.

 Points: 36 - Horace

    Over the next few days, Victoria got better about pressing Beatrice about what she was going through. She was beginning to realize Beatrice was one of those people who would suffer silently if you let them, and if she wanted her to actually talk things through, she needed to be very intentional about it. It got frustrating at times, but seeing Beatrice slowly shift, her steps getting a bit lighter, her smile coming a bit easier, made it all worthwhile. She also started getting a bit¡­ bolder, which was an unexpected surprise, though not an unpleasant one. Victoria was finding that she rather enjoyed being pursued, being desired.


    However, in the rest of the castle, things had become¡­ tense. Whatever was going on between Ursa and Tiffany, Ursa didn''t seem to be handling well. Whenever Victoria saw him, he looked jumpy, constantly looking over his shoulder as if he was scared she''d suddenly pop out somewhere. Things between Albert and Semloh weren''t much better, Albert blatantly avoiding the other man by this point. Additionally, Calvin and Melissa seemed to have figured out that they were missing something, and were beginning to ask questions, getting frustrated when no one would offer any explanations. It was frustrating Victoria herself, particularly when she''d just started fixing things again! It seemed like every time she started to actually build her relationship with her new family, something would come around to fuck everything up again, their family dinners once again dissolving into sullen silence. At least Victoria could still talk with all of them outside family dinners this time.


    Victoria was considering how to fix the growing tension in the castle as she went through her daily exercises, when suddenly she heard what sounded like a crack of thunder! She frowned, looking up at the clear, blue sky. "What-" *Whoomp!* Victoria''s eyes widened as something crashed into her courtyard, sending up a massive cloud of dust! She quickly recalled her points, heading towards it, before she froze, her eyes widening as she saw the sheer amount of energy it had through her point vision. Definitely more than Jocelyn. A lot more.


    Victoria gulped, taking a step back, when she heard a coughing laugh coming from the energy source. [Wooo! That was- ha! It worked! Need to work on the landing, obviously, but-] A man''s voice muttered to itself in a language Victoria didn''t understand as the energy stood up. Suddenly the dust blew away to reveal a youngish looking man, waving his hand powerfully, before pausing as he caught sight of Victoria. "Oh, hel-" He began in Callowan, before freezing, his entire face flushing brightly as he got a full view of her in her exercise outfit. "M-my apologies, I-I was- you see-" He began to stammer, quickly covering his eyes.


    Victoria glanced down at herself, flushing slightly herself. She had grown a bit since she''d first arrived in this world, so the form-fitting outfit was more form than fitting. She''d been meaning to get a new one, but it didn''t quite bother her enough yet and no one else saw her in it, so she hadn''t cared enough to actually do so. "What are you- why did you fall out of the sky like that!?!" Victoria yelled at him, quickly grabbing her shirt with some Spirit and pulling it on. She paused as she remembered the sound she''d heard. "Was that a sonic boom? Did you break the sound barrier?"


    The man looked at her in surprise, flinching and going to cover his eyes again before he realized she''d covered up. "Did you say ''sonic boom''?" He asked hesitantly. "And what do you mean by ''sound barrier''? I''ve never heard these terms before."


    "The sound barrier is¡­ well, it''s when you go faster than the speed of sound, and it creates a sonic boom, which sort of sounds like thunder, because¡­ the sound waves stack? Something like that." Victoria frowned as she tried to recall what she knew about the sound barrier, but she didn''t remember much. She''d never learned it while her memory was boosted, so she could only vaguely recall the general details.


    "What a fascinating concept." The man muttered, seeming to ponder Victoria''s words seriously. "Where did you learn of such a thing?"


    Victoria froze, before frowning. "Look, you''re the one who landed in my courtyard! You should be answering my questions! Like who you are, where you came from, and why you''re crashing into my courtyard!"


    The man coughed awkwardly. "Ah, yes, well, I suppose that''s only fair." He then bowed elaborately. "My name is Horace Sebasti¨¢n Fried. I hail from the Avinter continent to the west as a member of the United Sects of Avinter-"


    "Hold up." Victoria interrupted, raising a hand. "You''re saying you''re from the USA?"


    Horace blinked. "You''ve heard of us?"


    "For fucks sake." Victoria groaned. This fucking world! Sometimes it felt like one big joke. "Just- why are you here, instead of there?"


    "Ah, yes, well, I''m a traveler, you see, exploring the world, experiencing different cultures, and meeting interesting people. As for why I''m here specifically, well¡­ I was experimenting with a new method of flight, which¡­ well, you saw the results." Horace coughed, flushing slightly in embarrassment. "I shall need to work on control¡­"


    Victoria frowned. "You realize that if things had gone even slightly differently, you could have killed someone, right? You could have killed me! What were you even thinking, trying to do something like that so close to civilization!?!"


    Horace''s eyes widened. "I-I wasn''t- I hadn''t expected my method to be so effective! Or so uncontrollable¡­"


    "What did you do?" Victoria asked, narrowing her eyes.


    "I- I came up with a method to draw in air and compress it, before rapidly heating it to create thrust." Horace explained vaguely.


    Victoria blinked at him. "You created a damn [jet engine]?!?"


    Horace cocked his head. "You use many strange words and terms¡­ I had thought myself rather proficient in this region''s language."


    Suddenly the entrance to Victoria''s courtyard burst open as Albert rushed in, followed by several armed guards and Cultivators. "Victoria! We saw- you! Step away from my daughter!" Albert snarled, leveling his sledgeblade at Horace.


    Horace raised his hands, taking a step back. "Sir, please, I vow, I have no untoward intentions towards your daughter." He stated calmly. "I simply landed here by accident after an experiment got out of hand."


    "Dad, calm down." Victoria sighed. "He''s not a problem, he''s just an idiot."


    "My lady, I resemble that remark." Horace smirked, causing Victoria to roll her eyes.


    Albert hesitated. "I see¡­" He coughed, lowering his sledgeblade. "Still, I must ask that you vacate my daughter''s courtyard." He gestured for Horace to leave.


    "Of course." Horace nodded, quickly heading to leave, before pausing at the door, turning to face Albert. "I apologize for the rough introduction, however, I hope that you would accept an audience at a more¡­ opportune time." He commented, bowing slightly. "I would like to remain in the area for a time, and I would hate to leave my first meeting with the local leadership on such an¡­ awkward note."


    Albert paused, considering the offer for a moment, before nodding. "We would be happy to accept an audience. Perhaps later today? Once you''ve found accommodation in town, of course."


    Horace nodded, smiling. "Of course. I look forward to making a better impression at that time." He replied, before turning and finally making his way out.


    The rest began to file out as well, Albert glancing at Victoria. "You''re sure you''re okay?"


    Victoria nodded. "I''m fine. Unless you count getting covered in dust. Which I can fix as soon as you leave, so¡­"


    Albert chuckled, shaking his head. "Of course, yes, I''ll leave you to it."


    Victoria smiled lightly as Albert left, watching as he shut the door, before letting out a weary sigh. Why did shit like this keep happening to her?!? First she randomly ran into Ursa, then that crap with Duke Duhallis, the Hidden Blades, Obanonos, and now this! Some of it kinda made sense¡­ and she supposed Obanonos was always there, just hidden¡­ but still! It was weird! She honestly just hoped this Horace guy didn''t end up being a problem. The amount of power he had¡­ Victoria''s expression twisted. If he tried to do anything, no one around here could stop him.


    *


    Horace hummed to himself as he headed into town. *What an interesting woman.* He thought. *To think of something like a ''sound barrier''... I wonder what she meant by [jet engine].*


    A crow materialized on his shoulder. "Horace, that woman-"


    Horace scowled. "Philmore, what have I said about materializing in public? This region lacks knowledge of Avatars. They will think you''re a Rune Beast and we don''t want to frighten the locals."


    "Horace, this is important!" Philmore hissed. "When you fell, there was this energy¡­ a lot of pure energy floating around the courtyard. I saw the woman absorb it in an instant! There is something strange going on with her."


    Horace paused. "Are you sure? Pure energy?" Philmore nodded. "Interesting¡­ Do you think it''s some sort of technique we''ve never heard of?"


    Philmore shook his head. "You saw her cultivation. To control so much energy with so little¡­ if it is a technique, it would be revolutionary! I doubt some random girl in the middle of nowhere could develop such a thing."


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "The ingenuity of those who have no idea what they''re not supposed to be able to do is a surprising thing." Horace chuckled. "Plus this woman''s strange ideas¡­ I would not be surprised if she has developed some revolutionary technique."


    Philmore froze, before letting out a groan. "Horace, please tell me you don''t have another crush! It took you months to get over the last one!"


    Horace flushed. "I-I don''t- we''ve barely even talked! At most she''s interesting."


    Philmore sighed. "At least make sure this one isn''t already engaged first. You know how the nobility around here like to marry their daughters off young."


    Horace frowned. "Do you think that''s possible?"


    "Ha! You do have a crush!" Philmore cackled.


    "Damn bird!" Horace cursed. "Fine, yes, I have a crush! But can you blame me? Intelligent, bold¡­ attractive¡­" Horace flushed in embarrassment as he remembered the view of her in that skin-tight outfit. "She''s¡­ interesting in a way few women are."


    "That''s what you always say!" Philmore retorted.


    "But this time I mean it!" Horace countered. "She''s really- she''s special Philmore, I can feel it!" Philmore just rolled his eyes, wondering what he''d done to be bound to such a ridiculous man.


    *


    Horace returned to the castle later that day with a mind full of complicated thoughts due to what he''d discovered during his investigations. Victoria did have a fiance, but the man was missing and the engagement half broken due to Victoria pursuing entrance into a sect. Then there was this Ursa character who had saved her from a Rune Beast¡­ There were a few rumors going around that they might be involved, though nothing definite. He also learned of the accident that had occurred with the Potion of Awakening, causing the young Lady to lose all her memories. Apparently it hadn''t hurt her much though, since in just under two months, she was already a dual-core, and not a weak one either. At least one of her runes had to be in the first tier already. Which meant she probably had no hopes of becoming a tri-core at this point¡­ Horace cursed this backward region and their lack of education, ruining such an obvious talent. Still, all that could be managed. The problem was her age.


    *Seventeen or older would have been ideal. Sixteen could have been managed. But she just turned fifteen?!?* Horace groaned internally as he struggled with the idea. According to this culture, her age wasn''t a problem, and in the larger scheme of things, given his cultivation, he''d outlive her by decades, if not centuries, but¡­ Horace''s expression twisted. It was only two years outside his ideal range! A blip! Yet¡­ it was too much. For him it might be a small amount of time, but for her? That time wasn''t insignificant at all. Horace sighed. Yet another crush, doomed to failure. Was this his fate? To constantly fall in love with women he couldn''t have? It seemed that way sometimes. *Still¡­ we can be friends, right?* He muttered to himself internally. *Then in a year or so¡­* Horace hesitated as he felt the spark of hope reignite, before letting out a weary sigh. *I''m a degenerate.*


    No matter how much he chastised himself, however, he couldn''t keep his heart from fluttering as he entered the small sitting room, catching sight of Victoria sitting beside her father. He quickly scolded himself for being the dumbest man in the world as he turned his focus to Albert. "My Lord Marquis." He began with a bow. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Horace Sebasti¨¢n Fried of the United Sects of Avinter, Cultivator of the Unification realm. I have journeyed far from my home in search of adventure, to study different cultures, and to learn ever more of this vast and interesting world we reside in. I would hope for your hospitality, or at least your tolerance, as I may reside in the area for some time in pursuit of these goals."


    Victoria watched Horace''s performance with a bored expression. She''d talked to Albert about being careful of the man, and after a brief explanation of her point vision, he''d insisted she join him for the audience to make sure Horace didn''t attempt anything. A powerful Cultivator like him could have many tricks that Albert would be completely defenseless against. Victoria was of the opinion that Horace didn''t need tricks, so even if she could see what he was doing, it wouldn''t help, but Albert was insistent, so here she was.


    "As long as you obey the laws of this land, it would be my pleasure to welcome you to stay as long as you like." Albert replied, smiling politely, while sweating internally. It seemed like all he did nowadays was deal with powerful Cultivators who could end him in an instant! All he wanted to do was peacefully manage his lands, look out for his people, raise his children, give them the best future he could, and die at a ripe old age! Dealing with crap like this was precisely why he''d been avoiding politics his whole life! He resisted the groan as he gestured for Horace to take a seat. "Please, tell us more about this¡­ Avinter, was it?"


    Horace nodded, taking a seat. "Indeed. I''m actually surprised by how little is known of our continent, given our history. Our nation began as sub-sects of the Callowan Empire."


    Albert blinked. "Is that so? I never knew the Callowan Empire branched beyond Emarta¡­"


    "We were a minor colony, barely established by the time the Empire fell." Horace explained. "When we lost contact with Emarta, we had no choice but to band together to survive. Avinter at the time was much more wild than Emarta, full of powerful Rune Beasts we had no hope of defeating, not to mention the Beast-men. However, since no sect could claim dominance, we needed to rely on a different system, one where all the sects have a say. Slowly, as we grew more powerful, the bonds between the sects grew deeper and what was initially a temporary alliance became something more, a true nation!"


    "How does this system work?" Victoria asked curiously, wondering how close it actually was to the USA from her old world.


    Horace glanced at her, smiling lightly as he raised three fingers. "There are three pillars of any nation. People, Power, and Leadership. As such, we have three branches of government. The Council of People, in which each Sect has a number of representatives based on how many Cultivators are in their sect. The Council of Power, in which each sect has a number of representatives based on the effectiveness of a sect''s cultivation methods. The sect receives one representative if the cultivation of their strongest member is in the Core Strengthening realm, two if they are in the Circulatory realm, three if they are in the Unification realm, and four if they are in the Aspect realm. Additionally, the member must have reached that realm and the previous one as a member of the sect and must be a part of the sect''s leadership. Finally, there''s the Chancellor, who is appointed by the two Councils as the nation''s voice and overseer of the law."


    Victoria nodded slowly. "Not bad, not bad." It wasn''t quite a democracy, since the commoners obviously still didn''t have a say, but it was definitely better than what was going on here.


    Albert frowned. "Seems overly complicated in my opinion."


    Victoria rolled her eyes. "It isn''t overly complicated. It just takes work to make sure everyone''s voice is being heard. It''s better than just letting some random dude do whatever he wants simply because he was born to the right parents."


    "The nobility system works!" Albert retorted. "Nobles raise their children to be leaders! It isn''t random. I would rather be led by someone trained from birth by a legacy of good leadership than some upstart with fanciful ideas that could never work in reality."


    "What, like AJ?" Victoria snorted.


    Albert scowled. "One bad egg does not mean you need to discard the entire batch." He growled, gritting his teeth.


    "True, but if you keep finding bad eggs, it''s probably a sign something is wrong." Victoria countered.


    Albert rolled his eyes. "Do you really believe these representatives are bastions of moral integrity?!?"


    "No, obviously not. People suck and people who pursue power suck more than most." Victoria shook her head. "However, a system that allows others to judge those in power forces them to at least appear good, for fear of losing that power. Power without accountability is just a recipe for disaster. Even good people can abuse it if there''s no one around to call them on their shit." Albert grimaced, shaking his head, before turning back to Horace, pausing as he saw the man staring at Victoria looking absolutely stunned, eyes wide and unblinking. Victoria glanced at him too and frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"


    Horace blinked, before suddenly coming to his senses and flushing. "I-I apologize, I was just- I- I never expected to hear such views outside of Avinter, particularly not from someone so- so¡­ young." He finished with an almost depressed sigh. She was so perfect in every way but age! Curse his damnable timing! If only he''d found her a few years later¡­ Though by then, the odds were she''d already have a partner. Damn this region and their rush to marry their daughters off as soon as possible!


    Victoria gave him a weird look, before shrugging. "My ideas aren''t exactly common around here, or well accepted¡­ but I''m in a sort of unique situation."


    Horace nodded. "Ah, yes, the amnesia, I heard."


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "You heard?"


    Horace froze. "Uh¡­ it''s- it''s a common topic in the town. The Lord''s daughter who lost her memory and became a genius. At least, that''s how they put it."


    Victoria snorted. "A genius, huh?"


    "Hm, something of an understatement all things considered." Albert muttered.


    Victoria turned to frown at him. "You agree?"


    Albert raised an eyebrow at her. "Victoria, you managed to relearn an entire language in a matter of weeks, recreate toilets and indoor plumbing from memory, design and create yourself an entire new wardrobe, discover-" He paused, glancing at Horace. "-everything you''ve discovered, and it hasn''t even been two months! Even with the advantages you have, your part in accomplishing all this is no less than genius."


    Victoria considered his points, expression twisting slightly. He obviously wasn''t aware of how much the system boosted her capabilities. She obviously wouldn''t say she was dumb, but genius? She doubted it. She sighed, shaking her head. "Whatever." It didn''t particularly matter what people thought. She turned back to Horace. "The short answer is that I received a¡­ baptism of knowledge when I took the Potion of Awakening. Wiped out all my old memories and filled my head with knowledge of another world, which had advanced political theories, hence my unique views on government."


    Horace''s eyes widened again at that. "Truly? You- you received knowledge from another world?!?"


    Victoria nodded. "Like I''d grown up there instead of here. The details are a bit fuzzy sometimes, but I know of a lot of things."


    Horace hesitated. "I- I would be interested in discussing the details of this other world with you, at length, if you are amenable. I have a fascination towards other cultures, and I would cherish the opportunity to learn of one from a completely different world." He paused. "If- if you''d like, in exchange, I can teach you a few techniques from Avinter, which I promise will help you greatly with your cultivation."


    Victoria glanced at Albert, who shrugged. "It is your knowledge. I will not determine who you can and cannot share it with."


    Victoria nodded, frowning as she considered whether she wanted to accept Horace''s offer. It was tempting, but¡­ with Obanonos around, she didn''t really need his help. However¡­ Victoria grinned slightly. This might actually be the perfect excuse! No one would know what she learned from him, so anything she did later, she could always claim it''d been taught to her by the strange, foreign Cultivator! She''d be able to use any techniques she learned from Obanonos without restraint! It could work for Beatrice as well, once she finally came out as a Cultivator, claiming she learned from Victoria, who learned from a strange, foreign Cultivator.


    The question was where could she fit him into her schedule? Victoria considered it for a bit before nodding. "Okay. Once a week, four hours Sunday afternoon. Two hours you can ask questions about the other world, and the other two you teach me techniques. Deal?"


    "Deal!" Horace exclaimed excitedly, before flushing and letting out an awkward cough. "I mean, I believe that would be acceptable, yes, thank you."


    Victoria gave him a weird look. "Right¡­"

 Points: 37 - Scheming

    Victoria opened her eyes and let out a slow breath, processing what she''d learned as she meditated on her Design Rune. This stage of the Rune had been both incredibly helpful and incredibly frustrating. It was divided into two parts: understanding people and¡­ manipulating people. The understanding part was great! Figuring out how people worked, how they understood things¡­ It was helping her manage her relationships with other people way better than she ever had before. Even without using any Spirit tricks, she could read people a lot better now than she could before. She didn''t think she would have picked up on even half of Beatrice''s little cues before.


    However, the manipulation part¡­ she supposed it made sense in a way. Once you know how a person works, you can push their buttons to make them more inclined to do what you want, but¡­ it just felt wrong. It was one thing to make sure people understood something, but it was another to make sure they understood it in the way you wanted them to. It was more about managing people instead of working with them. What bothered her even more was how tempting it was. Knowing that she could just do this, and the other person would be happy, instead of having the long, usually uncomfortable talk it took for them both to actually understand each other¡­ Victoria was tired of long, uncomfortable talks! Knowing she could just take a step back and keep everyone happy¡­ She sighed, shaking her head. It wouldn''t be right. It wouldn''t be real! It''d be like Melissa had said. Everyone would develop a relationship with this fake self of hers, rather than who she really was, and¡­ Victoria didn''t want that, even if it would be easier.


    Victoria let out a sigh, falling back into her bed and pulling up her design space, specifically a new section she was calling the character profile map. Images of the various people in her life floated around, faint lines connecting them all. Ursa and Tiffany''s profiles were orbiting each other, red, pink, and yellow threads tightly binding them together. That was a mess waiting to happen. From what Victoria had observed, Tiffany seemed to like, possibly even love, Ursa, in a weird, definitely messed up way. However, Ursa feared Tiffany, for good reason in Victoria''s opinion. And more than anything they were both angry at each other. Tiffany felt betrayed that Ursa ran away, not to mention the mess with Foratuna, while Ursa was bitter over what he''d been forced to go through as a War Bear. Victoria was sure that at some point they''d either fuck or kill each other, possibly both, and the fallout from it all wouldn''t be pretty.


    That was a side issue though. Victoria turned her attention to the profiles for Albert and Semloh, her expression twisting. Semloh felt guilt over what Dule Duhallis had tried to do to Victoria, so he''d been keeping his distance, but with the arrival of the Duke''s men, he needed to start preparing the defenses in case of a Tamarin invasion, which meant he needed to work with Albert and he''d already begun to make moves to repair the relationship. Albert, on the other hand, felt guilt over the fact that he would inevitably need to betray Semloh for the sake of his people and his family, so he didn''t want to repair the relationship. He had no interest in being friends with a man he might need to kill soon.


    Furthermore, there was the issue of Semloh''s continued investigation. He hadn''t stopped searching for Duhallis or more information on a possible Tamarin invasion. One of the first things he''d done after the Duke''s men had arrived was send scouts over the border. He''d also been asking the locals about any suspicious activity they''ve noticed, which had already gotten him pretty close to the Hidden Blades old headquarters. Tiffany didn''t appear to be too concerned, but Victoria was worried she was putting more focus on Ursa than the matter at hand, clouding her judgment. The last thing she wanted was for Semloh to discover the relationship between Tamara and the Hidden Blades and start a sect war in her family''s backyard.


    Victoria carefully examined her character profile map for any loose threads Semloh could latch onto. The Hidden Blades were professionals, presumably, so he shouldn''t be able to catch anything there¡­ unless he was just better than them, she supposed, but that seemed unlikely. Ursa¡­ Ursa should be good? He wasn''t used to interacting with people, but he knew what not to say, and he could always contact Victoria if he was in trouble. Beatrice wasn''t even on the radar, so that wasn''t a problem. Maurice was good, Melissa and Calvin didn''t know anything¡­ The weakest link was Albert himself. He couldn''t even bear to look at Semloh, and eventually the Lord Inspector would begin to suspect it wasn''t because of Duke Duhallis and Victoria. Victoria sighed. She was going to need to talk to him about this, but she wasn''t sure how he could fix it. Albert wasn''t an actor, and he couldn''t change how he felt. It was just¡­ going to be a problem, and they needed to be ready to deal with it.


    Victoria glanced at the newest character profile, focusing on it to expand it. Horace¡­ Victoria frowned as she considered him. He seemed like a decent guy. Bit of an airhead maybe? He didn''t seem to be all there, at least, though she was beginning to think that was common among high-level Cultivators¡­ Tiffany and Jocelyn seemed to have a few screws loose as well. Still, at least Horace seemed benign, unlike the other two. Jocelyn and Tiffany gave the impression of snakes waiting to strike. Horace¡­ Horace was more like a panda. Probably dangerous, but it seemed like he was more likely to hurt himself than anyone else. The only thing that worried her was the strange amount of interest he seemed to have towards her. Every time someone took an interest in her, it seemed to go bad, either for her or for them. Admittedly, so far it''d only happened twice, the situation with Jocelyn yet to be determined, but still, she didn''t like her track record. It got even worse when you considered Earth¡­ total destruction of the world was a pretty bad outcome in her opinion.


    "What''s got you all mopey?" Beatrice asked, walking in with a pile of laundry.


    Victoria let out a sigh. "Just seeing all the things that could go wrong and get us all killed."


    "Ah, so the usual." Beatrice rolled her eyes, setting the laundry down and hopping onto the bed next to her. "Victoria, you''re the one who said it isn''t good to focus on things you can''t change¡­ you''re already doing everything you can. Don''t put so much stress on yourself."


    Victoria shook her head. "That''s the thing. I can do something about a lot of this crap, I''m just not sure what yet. Which is why I have to think and plan and stress." Victoria explained with a groan, covering her face with her hands.


    Beatrice hesitated. "Well¡­ maybe I can help? Or at least let you talk things through? Oh! Do you think Obanonos might have any ideas?"


    Victoria paused, sitting up. "He¡­ actually might. He has been through a lot, hasn''t he?"


    Beatrice nodded. "A lot. You should hear some of the stories he''s told me. Apparently there''s a nation on another continent where they actually have a government like the one you talk about! It''s called-"


    "The United Sects of Avinter, yes, I know. Remind me to tell you about Horace later." Victoria interjected.


    Beatrice''s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You- Horace?"


    "Yeah, he''s from there. Crashed into my courtyard this morning. Kind of an idiot, but he seems alright." Victoria shrugged. "Now come on, bring out the snake!"


    Beatrice began to nod, before pausing and smirking. "I could but don''t you want to talk to Obanonos first?"


    Victoria froze before letting out a snort. "You''re getting better at that. But seriously, bring him out."


    "Fine." Beatrice pouted slightly as she called Obanonos out of her Runescape.


    "Yes, Master?" Obanonos asked, yawning, before pausing as he caught sight of Victoria and scowled. "Oh, it''s you."


    "It''s good to see you too, Obo." Victoria replied, rolling her eyes.


    "My name is Obanonos." He hissed back.


    "O-bananas, yes, I know." Victoria retorted with a smirk.


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    "Obanonos!" He cried in response.


    "Would you two quit it!" Beatrice snapped, looking between the two of them with a fierce expression. "Why do you both insist on antagonizing each other!"


    "She started it!" Obanonos protested.


    "He''s an arrogant dipshit." Victoria shrugged.


    Beatrice gave Victoria a look that was half stern, half pleading. "Victoria¡­"


    Victoria sighed. "Okay, okay, I''m sorry. Obanonos, I- I need your help."


    The snake puffed up, his tongue flicking out on satisfaction. "Of course. How may the great Obanonos assist the Master''s companion?"


    "Obanonos¡­" Beatrice growled, narrowing her eyes at him.


    The snake coughed awkwardly. "Ah, I''m sorry. How may I help you, Victoria." Victoria quickly explained the situation with the invasion, the Lord Inspector, Albert, the Duke, everything while Obanonos listened intently, his expression growing more and more serious as she continued. "I see¡­ this is a¡­ difficult situation. I question the wisdom of handing over this system of yours so freely, but¡­ I''m not sure if a better option was available. Long-term it could put you in some difficult situations, but without it, you wouldn''t survive the short-term¡­ truly a difficult situation." Obanonos sighed. "The problem at hand is this Lord Inspector Semloh, yes?" Victoria nodded. "Do you believe it''s possible to win him over to your side, much like you have these Hidden Blades? I cannot believe he would be eager to fight a losing battle."


    Victoria frowned. "I suppose it''s possible¡­ I don''t know. He seems a lot like my father, and my father only agreed to do this to save his people. I don''t think there''s anything like that we can hold over Semloh though¡­ His loyalty is directly to the King and the nation as a whole. There''s no way the Hidden Blades would spare the entire nation." An isolated, spurned noble betraying their nation was one thing, but an entire nation submitting to another for seemingly no reason would definitely throw up some red flags, which the Hidden Blades couldn''t allow.


    "No, no, of course not." Obanonos muttered, nodding along. "Then I see two options: assassination, which would only delay the problem and leave potential complications, or give the Lord Inspector something more¡­ urgent to focus on. Something that would keep him occupied, preventing him from focusing on any investigations."


    Victoria cocked her head. "That¡­ could work. The question would be what." She considered the question for a moment, before shaking her head. "Honestly, I should probably leave the specifics to the others. I don''t have a firm grasp on our capabilities, so I don''t know what''s possible."


    Obanonos nodded. "A good idea. Always make use of the resources you have at your disposal. Attempting to do everything on your own is simply foolish."


    Victoria nodded back. "Thank you for your help."


    "Yes, Obanonos, thank you." Beatrice thanked him as well, before recalling him to her Runescape and turning to Victoria with a grin, biting her lip. "Now about that other snake~"


    *


    "So, what do you guys think?" Victoria asked, looking between Albert, Maurice, and Tiffany after she''d laid out her concerns and offered Obanonos''s advice.


    Albert let out a sigh. "I wish it weren''t so, but she has a point. I- I cannot maintain my composure around Semloh. It will make him suspicious sooner or later."


    Tiffany clicked her tongue. "Annoying. How are we supposed to sow discord between your men and the Duke''s if we draw them away?!?"


    "We could manufacture an emergency which requires the skills of Cultivators, such as Semloh¡­" Maurice muttered. "Something to do with the Rune Beasts, perhaps? Though the Hunters would probably jump all over that¡­"


    Victoria''s eyes suddenly widened as an idea occurred to her, before frowning as she considered how to actually implement it. "What if-" She began. "What if someone went missing in the wilderness, someone important, deep within Rune Beast territory? Say¡­ me?"


    "Absolutely not!" Albert exclaimed immediately. "I cannot allow you to place yourself in such a dangerous situation!"


    "But it works so well!" Victoria retorted. "First, it gives you an excuse to act as weird as you want, because you''re worried about me. Second, it gives both you and Semloh excuses to get out of the castle to search for me. And finally, I don''t actually have to be lost in the wilderness. It just needs to seem like I''m lost. I don''t even have to be gone. I can change my appearance like I did with Foratuna and Ursa and act as a maid or something. Oh! I could be a Hunter! I''ve wanted to get back out there anyway. I still need to study Rune Beasts, you know." She paused, turning to Tiffany. "If you could teach me that technique to hide your cultivation, that''d be very helpful as well¡­ probably should have asked earlier so I could begin working on my Qi core."


    Tiffany shook her head. "It''s a Qi technique. If you want to learn it, you''d need to have Qi already. That''s why I haven''t already taught you. However, there is another option here. If you plan to go missing, we could simply take you to the sect directly! There''s no need to go through the sect entrance exam to get in. That was only necessary to keep up appearances. It would be strange if the Marquis''s daughter was specially inducted into the sect right before an invasion. However, if you go missing and join the sect as someone else¡­ there''s nothing to be suspicious about!"


    Maurice coughed. "I believe you''re both missing a factor that may make all this¡­ difficult. A new Cultivator has arrived in the area, a powerful one. One who has taken an interest in Victoria¡­ I cannot imagine he would simply sit by while she goes missing."


    "Oh, fuck, Horace." Victoria groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "He is going to be a problem."


    Tiffany looked between the two of them with a frown. "The foreign Cultivator? How much trouble could he cause?"


    "He''s in the Unification realm." Victoria sighed.


    Tiffany''s eyes widened. "He''s what?!? The fuck is someone like that doing here?!?"


    "Exploring." Victoria sighed in frustration.


    "Gods damned- fuck!" Tiffany cursed.


    "Hold on, hold on." Victoria waved her hand, frowning. "It may not be so bad. I can''t imagine a foreign Cultivator is going to care about our politics¡­ could be wrong, of course. I may have to be a bit more proactive in telling him about the other world, however¡­"


    "Or we could consider a plan that doesn''t involve sending my daughter into the middle of a wilderness full of Rune Beasts who could tear her apart in an instant!" Albert growled.


    Victoria shrugged. "Sure, but I don''t have any other ideas. Unless you wanted to just start the invasion or something, which would be pretty distracting. Plus, you don''t need to hide that you''re going to betray him if you just betray him. Of course, Horace might still be an issue there¡­ freaking wild card." Victoria cocked her head. "Huh¡­ actually, there are other options. We could just start killing people, like a serial killer or something, which he''d need to investigate. Kinda evil though, but so is a lot of what we''re doing here¡­ alternatively, we could kill Semloh, and use the system to change one of the Hidden Blades to match his appearance, letting them pretend to be him for a while. Wait, shit, they have that thing that lets them know when someone dies¡­ maybe kidnap him instead? Change his appearance, maybe fuck with his brain a little-"


    "You are not doing to Semloh what you did to the Duke!" Albert exclaimed, pounding the table.


    "I wasn''t suggesting anything like that!" Victoria protested. "I was only thinking of making him a bit more compliant. So we wouldn''t need to lock him up somewhere to keep him from talking."


    Albert shook his head. "Even that is too far. Messing with someone''s mind like that¡­ I understand why you would do it to someone like the Duke, but to do that to someone like Semloh, a good man¡­ I would rather see him dead!"


    "That''s¡­ fair, I guess." Victoria muttered, her expression twisting slightly, feeling a bit judged. She hadn''t planned on hurting the man! It would have been like¡­ mental prison. She paused. She really needed to take the time to examine Foratuna''s mind at some point¡­ see what she''d actually done to it.


    Albert sighed. "I- I''m sorry, I''m a bit¡­ frustrated by all this. Every choice available to me seems to lead down a path I never wanted to take."


    Tiffany snorted. "Yeah, yeah, life is hard. Get used to it." She shook her head. "You nobles¡­ always thinking life should go your way, and unable to handle it when it doesn''t. Some of us have never had good options available to them!"


    Victoria blinked at her. "Well, that''s a bummer." Tiffany snorted again. "But we still need a plan. If we let things keep going like they are, we''re going to have issues."


    "Replacing Semloh seems like the best plan to me. The least variables, and the least likely to be disturbed by this Horace person." Maurice offered.


    Tiffany shrugged. "That could work. Just let us study him for a few days to nail down his mannerisms. Alternatively, I still like the plan to send Victoria to the sect early, as long as we can deal with Horace."


    They all looked to Albert, who hesitated before letting out a sigh. "Fine, we shall kidnap and replace Semloh. But no mind fucking!"


    "No mind fucking." Victoria agreed.

 Points: 38 - Mental adjustment

    Victoria made sure the Hidden Blade set to replace Semloh had the system and was earning points. She was sick of paying for these plans out of her own earnings. Not that she could have reasonably made anyone else pay before this, but still, it was getting annoying. It seemed like every other week she''d need to spend a large amount of points to fix some bullshit that was either about to either ruin her life or had tried to ruin her life. This freaking world. Victoria sighed, shaking her head. And here she was about to do it again, because she needed to take a look and see what the fuck she''d done the Foratuna''s head. "At least she has points I can use now." Victoria grumbled.


    Victoria didn''t even bother knocking as she barged into Foratuna''s room to get this over with, having seen in using her point vision. Foratuna was alone, just standing in the middle of the room for some reason. Victoria immediately regretted this as she froze at the sight of Foratuna¡­ appreciating herself in the mirror. Victoria let out a small cough, drawing Foratuna''s attention as she quickly moved inside and closed the door.


    Foratuna jumped with a small yelp, grabbing a blanket to cover herself and flushing furiously. "V-Victoria! I- I was just-" She began to explain, before Victoria cut her off.


    "Save it, I don''t care. What you do with you is your business." Victoria replied, shaking her head as Foratuna''s flush deepened and she let out a small, shame-filled groan. "I''m just here to take a look at your mind, maybe make some adjustments, okay?"


    Foratuna hesitated before nodding stiffly. "I- o-okay, but¡­ can- can I put on some clothes first?"


    "Go for it." Victoria shrugged, leaning against a nearby wall.


    Foratuna paused as Victoria was still looking at her. Well, not at her, but she was still looking around the room, not seeming to care that she was naked. "Could- could you turn around?" She asked nervously.


    Victoria frowned. "I guess, but I''m literally going to be in your head in a moment. Seeing you naked is probably the least invasive thing I''m going to be doing tonight." She commented as she turned around.


    Foratuna hesitated again as she wondered just what Victoria meant by that, before shaking herself and quickly pulling on a shift to cover herself. "O-okay, I''m- I''m ready." She announced.


    Victoria turned back, nodding. "Good, just lay down on the bed, head at the edge here." She ordered, grabbing a chair and sitting, patting the place where she wanted Foratuna''s head. She supposed theoretically, she didn''t even need to be in the same room to do this, but it just felt wrong to mess with someone''s head without even being in the same room as them.


    Foratuna quickly did as Victoria asked, lying down and staring up as Victoria grabbed her head, doing¡­ something. Foratuna couldn''t feel anything, despite what Victoria had said about being in her head. Was it something to do with the system? Probably. Foratuna let out a small sigh as her thoughts drifted. The system. There was a part of her that hated it, that hated what it had done to her. What Victoria had done to her. However¡­ that part was getting smaller and smaller. The more she looked at who she''d been before, the more she hated him, and the more she appreciated the system for giving her a chance to change. The more she appreciated Victoria for giving her a chance to change.


    She glanced up at Victoria''s slightly frowning face, hesitantly biting her lip. Gods she was beautiful. She at least agreed with her old self on that. If she could be with her- she froze as Victoria''s expression twisted into a grimace, her eyes opening as she glared down at her. "Please don''t think about me while I''m doing this. It''s very distracting." Foratuna''s eyes widened. How did- she- she was actually in her head?!? Reading her thoughts?!? "Yes, now shush!" Victoria snapped, before closing her eyes again and getting back to work.


    Foratuna quickly tried to clear her mind, to think of something- anything else! Victoria was in her head! She knew what she was thinking about! She knew how horrible her thoughts were! Foratuna hesitated, her expression falling. Not that Victoria could have any worse of an opinion of her. She knew what she was like before. As much as she tried to change, had changed, that person¡­ That person was still her. A version of her that didn''t care, that didn''t see how awful their actions were, but still¡­ there was a part of her that missed what she''d done. She knew it was horrible, that she''d hurt people in ways that could never be forgiven, but¡­ her expression twisted. She''d still enjoyed it! Holding that much power over another person, being able to make them do anything, being able to do anything to them¡­ Listening as someone begged you to stop, and refusing¡­ Foratuna shuddered in a mix of shame and longing, wanting it and hating herself for wanting it.


    "Fucking- go back to thinking about me, damn!" Victoria cursed, shaking her head. Foratuna was one fucked up bitch. No wonder her mind was so messed up. She was constantly fighting herself! One side wanting to do horrible things and the other never wanting to hurt anyone again, both stuck in a constant tug of war. A tug of war her good side consistently won, but still, the darkness was always there, waiting. Victoria studied Foratuna''s mind a bit more as she noticed something. The good, or more accurately, the shameful part of Victoria''s mind was¡­ over defending itself. It didn''t just beat back her more disturbing urges, it lashed out at everything. Every part of her was subjected to the shame, until she hated even her good qualities.


    *Okay, that needs to change¡­* Victoria thought to herself, trying to ignore Foratuna as her thoughts refocused on her. She''d managed to stabilize her thoughts by focusing on picking out the attractive parts of Victoria''s face, which was awkward but better than the thoughts about what she''d done as Duke Duhallis. Victoria shook her head, focusing on the shame. It couldn''t be so general. It needed to be focused. She had absolutely no idea how to do something like that with the system, so she had to rely on direct point manipulation, which¡­ she just hoped she didn''t end up breaking something. As carefully as she could, Victoria began to nudge the shame away from the areas she liked and towards the areas she didn''t. Mostly she focused on grouping the shame around any area that found pleasure in hurting or controlling anyone else. She was tempted to put some shame on the area that seemed to be way too attracted to her, to the level that Victoria thought it might be more of an obsession than attraction, but ultimately that was a personal matter that wasn''t really hurting anyone, so she couldn''t justify it. She did leave a baseline level of shame over pretty much everything though, taking a quick look around a few random soldiers'' minds to get the ratios right. Foratuna couldn''t be completely shameless outside of her issues. The end result was a positive mountain of shame, crushing down on Foratuna''s bad side, while the rest was probably normal? Eh, close enough. And since she''d just moved things around, she''d barely used any points!


    Victoria opened her eyes, looking down at Foratuna. "So, how do you feel?"


    "Your eyes are beautiful." Foratuna sighed, before her eyes widened and she flushed. "I-I mean, I feel¡­ fine?" She hesitated, considering herself for a moment. She still felt guilty about what she''d done, hating who she''d let herself become, but¡­ there was also a sense of¡­ accomplishment? Pride? Satisfaction? She wasn''t that person anymore and that- that was a good thing. She felt like she could be happy about who she was, instead of hating herself for who she used to be. Slowly tears began to fill her eyes, falling down her cheeks as she covered her mouth with her hands. A weight had been lifted! She was no longer being crushed under the sins of her past. "Victoria, I- thank you!" She choked out, scrambling to turn around and hug her. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried as she latched onto Victoria, squeezing her tight.


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    Victoria shifted awkwardly, glad she didn''t have a dick at the moment. Barely clad women you knew were attracted to you rubbing themselves against you were a recipe for disaster. Particularly when they weren''t too shabby themselves¡­ if not for Beatrice- Victoria quickly cut off that line of thinking. Even if she wasn''t with Beatrice, with the amount she''d fucked with Foratuna''s mind and body, being with her would just be wrong. Foratuna wasn''t an equal, couldn''t be an equal¡­ she was Victoria''s victim. No matter how much she justified what she''d done, the plain, honest truth was that she''d tortured Foratuna, turning her into what she wanted her to be. That wasn''t something you could build a relationship off of. It was too bad Victoria''s hands didn''t quite get the memo as they unconsciously gripped Foratuna''s butt.


    Foratuna pulled back in shock, looking down at Victoria, her eyes widening as far as they would go. Victoria stared back, her eyes wide as well. Why the fuck had she done that?!? Victoria cursed herself. Maybe she was just too used to Beatrice? And Jessica¡­ was she just conditioned that when a woman sits in her lap, she grabbed her butt? Shit, was she still doing it?!? She was. Stop! Victoria''s hands finally quit squeezing Foratuna''s ass, just in time for Foratuna to lean in and press her lips against Victoria''s, tongue immediately darting into her mouth.


    "Mmph!" Victoria protested, jumping up and tossing Foratuna back onto the bed. "No! Shit- fucking- no!" She groaned.


    "I- I''m sorry, I just¡­" Foratuna apologized, her expression falling. "I-I thought¡­ since- since you knew how I felt about you¡­"


    Victoria frowned at her, before letting out a sigh. "Fuck¡­ that- I didn''t mean to do that. It''s just¡­ instinct, I guess. Us¡­ there are so many things wrong with an us. The things I''ve done to you¡­ no, it can''t happen. Plus, I already have a girl-" Victoria froze immediately. Shit!


    Foratuna''s eyes widened. "You- you have a girl?" She asked in disbelief.


    Victoria let out a frustrated sigh. "Yeah. I like women. Part of the reason I was so against¡­ well, you know." She shook her head. "Just, please don''t tell anyone? I mean, we all have bigger things to worry about I suppose, but¡­ well, it isn''t something I want passed around."


    "I- I understand." Foratuna nodded, before hesitating. "But¡­ I just- I don''t- I don''t mind what you''ve done to me." She stammered out, flushing in embarrassment. "You- you''ve made me a better person¡­ All I can do is thank you."


    "Yeah, see, that just sounds like Stockholm syndrome to me." Victoria muttered, shaking her head. "Listen, just- let''s just forget any of that happened alright? It doesn''t matter, we''re not doing anything about it, and it''s not going to affect anything. I fixed your brain, you were grateful, and that''s it, okay?"


    "O-okay." Foratuna nodded back, feeling a dull ache in her chest. Being rejected was one thing. Being told your heartfelt feelings were meaningless? That was another. "I- I should get to sleep¡­" She muttered. "Thank you, for- for everything."


    Victoria hesitated, before letting out another frustrated sigh, knowing she''d hurt Foratuna, again. Damn it, she didn''t want to deal with this shit! "Fucking- Fuck! You know we can''t be together, right? So why are you sad?!?" She paused. "Wait, no, being sad because you can''t be with someone does make sense¡­"


    "Victoria, I''ll be fine." Foratuna sighed. "You don''t- you don''t need to fix me anymore. I can deal with this myself. Please, just- just go."


    Victoria frowned at her, before letting out another sigh and shaking her head. "You know what? You''re right. I can''t micromanage your life." She turned to go, before pausing at the door. "Still¡­ if you ever do need someone to talk to¡­ I''m probably not the best person for it, but I am available. Just¡­ think about it." She then left, heading back to her room.


    Foratuna curled up in her bed, feeling numb, feeling like an idiot. Of course Victoria would reject her! Even if she found her attractive, so what? Victoria was the one who had made her attractive! She could make anyone attractive! If she wanted Victoria to be interested in her, she had to show she was worth it! Be someone who was worth it! A task suddenly appeared.


    [Become someone Victoria would actually consider being with: 0%]


    Foratuna nodded with a determined look in her eye. She would! And then¡­ Foratuna''s thoughts trailed off. Victoria had said she already had someone, but¡­ it wasn''t that uncommon for powerful Cultivators to have multiple partners, right?


    *


    Victoria let out a groan as she left. Why did this keep happening?!? Why were people so interested in her!?! She paused. She guessed it made sense for Foratuna¡­ she''d been obsessed with her before, and just because her body had changed, didn''t mean she wasn''t still that person. The only real difference at the moment was shame and that just meant she wouldn''t try to force Victoria to like her. Victoria sighed, shaking her head. It was annoying, but what could she do about it? Well, she could mess with her mind again and get rid of whatever was causing it, but¡­ she''d fucked with her mind enough as is. Going down the path of adjusting whatever she found bothersome about people seemed like it''d end in a place she''d regret, surrounded by a bunch of robots with no real connection, just¡­ following whatever programming she''d shoved into their minds. Yeah, no, that wasn''t a path she was willing to follow.


    Victoria frowned for a moment as she considered something. How much mind fuckery was she willing to tolerate? Say what you will, Foratuna was definitely better than Duke Duhallis. She was glad she''d helped her become a better person, though she did regret she didn''t see the possibility of it earlier. Not that Foratuna seemed to have minded her time with Ursa, but still. So what was good about it, and what was bad? Obedience was definitely bad. It didn''t discriminate, forcing the person to do anything anyone wanted them to, no matter what they actually wanted. So that was off the table.


    Shame, on the other hand, seemed beneficial, at least when applied correctly. Forcing someone to look at what they''ve done wrong and see how awful it really is¡­ at least in Foratuna, it facilitated growth. Victoria could see how it might mess up someone who didn''t deserve it, like Beatrice feeling shame for just existing, but for people who didn''t seem to care how their actions affected anyone else? Yeah, they could use some shame.


    As for Horniness¡­ Victoria didn''t know how to feel about Horniness. There was nothing inherently wrong with wanting to fuck, but if it got to the point where you needed to fu- Victoria froze. That was it! She needed to keep things to a point where they were influences, not compulsions! Making someone a little bit hornier so they''d be more inclined to say yes? Not so bad. Making someone so horny they''d sleep with anyone? Not so good. Like the difference between hiring models to make people more interested in buying a car and getting someone drunk and forcing them to sign a contract.


    Victoria nodded slowly. Yeah, she could see that working. Of course, even then she wanted to avoid messing with people''s minds as much as possible. Foratuna was better, but there''s a reason she called her Foratuna, not Duke Duhallis. They weren''t the same person anymore. She''d essentially killed the Duke and replaced him with Foratuna. Victoria paused. That was the line she''d have to draw. If she would kill someone, she could fuck with their brain. If not, then she wouldn''t. Either way, the original dies. She might as well give someone else a chance to live in the process.

 Points: 39 - Stubbornness

    Semloh frowned as he walked the streets of the town, an anxious knot growing in his gut. Stretched out in front of him, all he saw were problems and no solutions. The Duke was missing, and he had absolutely zero leads on where to find him. Whoever had taken him had done so in a way that left no trace at all, which meant¡­ Semloh''s expression twisted. Whoever was behind all this was powerful. If it was the Tamarins, it meant they were putting their all into this invasion, and it was unlikely even the combination of the Duke''s men and the Marquis''s would be enough to stop them. It would at least give the rest of the nation enough time to prepare for war, which would hopefully be enough. If it wasn''t the Tamarins¡­ that was the more terrifying option. A powerful force acting for unknown reasons to cause havoc in the area¡­ whatever their aims, it couldn''t be good. He honestly, truly hoped Tamara was invading.


    The problem was, he couldn''t plan for the invasion, because the Marquis had stopped talking to him, and he didn''t have enough evidence to prove the invasion was happening! Albert would simply brush him off whenever he attempted to talk to him, a cold look in his eye. Semloh knew what Duhallis had attempted to do was horrible, so he didn''t blame Albert, but this was for the sake of the kingdom! If only he could find some evidence, something to force Albert to pay attention¡­ Semloh let out a sigh, shaking his head. He was already doing all he could. He had his agents spread throughout the fief, searching for suspicious activity. Scouts had been sent to the border to search for evidence of Tamarin activity. He''d even taken out a task in the Hunters Guild, offering a reward for any leads on suspicious activity in the area! Not that it''d done any good. Semloh was beginning to suspect he was making more of this than it was¡­ he needed to talk to Victoria again, to see if she really knew anything about a potential invasion, but Albert wouldn''t allow anything like that. Not after what happened. Semloh rubbed his temple in frustration. Damn Duhallis! Why couldn''t he have disappeared before he tried to rape the girl?!? All this would have been so much simpler then.


    Semloh turned down an alley to cut between streets, as he usually did when taking this path, when just as he passed the sole door in the alleyway, it burst open, several threads of Spirit shooting out to wrap him up tightly, covering his mouth, and pulling him into a dark room! "Alright, copy, and¡­ paste." A voice muttered as Semloh struggled against the restraints. He tried sending out a few Spirit threads of his own, but they were immediately cut. "You''re good, go, quickly." The door opened quickly and Semloh''s eyes widened as he saw a man who looked exactly like him step out, setting into his normal stride, picking up his journey as if he was Semloh himself.


    Before Semloh could process what was happening any further, he was bundled up and carried down below, dragged through rough hewn tunnels, a few of which collapsed behind them closing off the path of retreat. He was then set in a chair in a small, dimly lit room, finally getting a look at his captors. "V-Victoria?!?" He cried in shock as his mouth was uncovered, the two Cultivators to either side moving their Spirit threads to focus on binding his arms and legs.


    "Hello." Victoria waved with a tight smile. "Sorry about all this, but¡­ you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" She sighed, shrugging helplessly.


    Semloh struggled against the Spirit restraints again, but it was hopeless. "Why are you doing this?!? Who are these people!?!"


    "These are disciples of the Hidden Blades, who are working with Tamara in a bid to go Empire." Victoria stated blandly, causing Semloh to freeze, his eyes widening. "Recently, I''ve managed to broker a deal in which the Hidden Blades will spare our people in exchange for a certain benefit, which I''m not going to get into. Which means¡­ Well, we''re working with the Hidden Blades now, so having you snooping around, potentially discovering things and alerting other sects, turning this entire area into a war zone¡­ not good for us. Not good for anyone, really. Best to get things over with quickly, with minimal damage, rather than a prolonged, bloody war. So we''re going to need you to stay here for a bit, and just chill, alright?" She paused. "Oh, and one last thing." She tried to force a cloud of points into Semloh, and¡­ ¡°Uh¡­ could you relax a bit?¡± Victoria asked tentatively. Semloh was much harder to force her points into than the Duke. She honestly wasn''t sure she could even do it!


    Semloh just scowled at her. "This- this is treason!"


    "It is." Victoria agreed. "But see, as a tri-core Cultivator, your king would kill me anyways, or force me to marry some random prince. Not feeling a whole lot of loyalty towards the man. As for the people¡­ well, there isn''t much I can do to save them. What I can do is save my people. The rest aren''t my responsibility."


    Semloh blinked, struggling to come to terms with all the new information he''d just been bombarded with. The Hidden Blades were going Empire? They were invading with Tamara? Victoria was a tri-core?!? They were- "Does- does Albert know of this?"


    Victoria nodded. "Yeah. It was my idea, but¡­ he knows it''s our best chance for survival."


    Semloh hung his head. "Then that''s why he''s been so distant. Not because of the Duke."


    "Well, Dudipshit didn''t help, but yeah, it''s mostly the betrayal thing." Victoria sighed. "It wasn''t an easy decision, it''s just¡­ the only one we have."


    Semloh scoffed. "You don''t seem too broken up about it."


    "True¡­" Victoria paused, considering it for a moment, before shrugging. "But I''m a very practical person. If it''s something you have to do, what''s the use in beating yourself up over it? Does it suck? Absolutely, but that doesn''t mean I''m wrong to do it, and if it isn''t wrong, I''m not going to regret it."


    Semloh shook his head. "Justify your actions however you like. You''re still damning your own nation to destruction!"


    "The nation is already damned." Victoria snorted. "The Hidden Blades have been preparing for this for years, if not decades. Even if the other sects respond immediately, the Hidden Blades are just going to roll over Farova, and probably cause more destruction in the process. As long as they''re trying to hide, they aren''t going to go too overboard. If they go all out, we''re just screwed." Semloh just scoffed again, not responding anymore. Victoria frowned at him, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Alright, well, agree with me or not, unless you want Tiff here to cut your core out, you''re going to need to relax so I can drain it. And trust me, you really don''t want that, because we will make sure you live and brain damage is a bitch.¡± Semloh continued to scowl at her, but the resistance Victoria felt did relax. It didn''t go away, but it was enough that Victoria could actually force her way in and start draining his core.


    Once she finished draining his cultivation, she signaled the other two to release him, all of them leaving and locking Semloh in the room. It was built to hold Cultivators up to the mid-levels of the Core Strengthening realm, so with his cultivation drained, there was no way he''d be getting out. "Well done!" Tiffany congratulated her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Well planned, well executed¡­ you could have a promising future as an operations commander."


    Victoria''s expression twisted, shrugging out from under her arm. "This isn''t a win, Tiffany, it''s a necessary evil. The only saving grace is that this means we don''t actually have to kill Semloh anymore. We can just keep him imprisoned until the invasion is over."


    Tiffany rolled her eyes. "You still did a good job. You''re going to go far in the Hidden Blades. Not that that wasn''t already the case, simply due to your status as a tri-core, but being powerful and talented is always better than simply being powerful. One is a weapon, the other is a leader."


    "And what does that make you?" Victoria asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.


    "A tool, to be used and discarded when it is no longer useful." Tiffany shrugged.


    Victoria blinked. "And you''re okay with that?"


    Tiffany snorted. "Do I have another choice? Without the sect, I have no place, no future. Their support is the only thing keeping me afloat, and they can do what they wish with me."


    Victoria frowned. "That can''t be true. You''re a dual-core Cultivator. You could find a place anywhere."


    Tiffany shook her head. "People don''t just trust powerful Cultivators, particularly not ones with my skill set. They entertain them, they placate them, but they don''t trust them. I may be able to get by traveling from place to place, doing odd jobs, a bit of hunting, whatever, but if I ever stayed anywhere too long, people would begin to get nervous and start trying to push me out. Imagine if the Horace person decided he wanted to settle down in the area permanently. Would that make you comfortable?"


    Victoria paused, before frowning. No. No it wouldn''t. She''d constantly question his motives, what he wanted, if he planned on taking over¡­ it''d put her constantly on edge, and she''d just wish he would leave. "Okay¡­ but couldn''t you join a different sect?"


    "The other major sects wouldn''t be interested in me at all." Tiffany sighed. "I''m past my prime, with no chance of becoming a tri-core. They don''t need another dual-core, particularly not one with skills they have no use for. As for the minor sects, it''d be the same as a kingdom. They would constantly question my motives, and keep me at arms length. No, the only place I belong is with the Hidden Blades."


    Victoria''s frown deepened. "That still seems wrong to me¡­ yeah, it might be hard to gain people''s trust, but if you put in the work, you should be able to get there eventually, right? I mean, right now Horace sticking around would make us nervous, and if he stuck to himself, never interacting with anyone, it''d just get worse, but if he actually tried to integrate with the community, making friends, letting us get to know him¡­ well, if he is trustworthy, eventually we''d come around. It''d just take time and effort."


    Tiffany sneered. "People don''t just ''come around''. They aren''t persuaded by ''effort''. They either look down on you for being lesser, fear you for being stronger, or exploit you if you''re useful. Pity, fear, and exploitation. That''s all people have to offer."


    Victoria frowned at her. "You can''t believe that? What about families? Friends?"


    Tiffany snorted. "Obligations forced on people by society. If you don''t take care of your children, if you don''t play nice with others, you''re ostracized. People don''t actually care, they''re just doing what''s expected of them."


    Victoria shook her head. "That''s a pretty bleak view of the world."


    "The world is bleak. You just haven''t realized it yet." Tiffany muttered.


    *


    Victoria studied her personal point total, before snorting and shaking her head. "I really need to start hunting." She''d gotten almost a thousand points from draining Semloh! If she started hunting and collecting cores from Rune Beasts, think of how many points she could get!


    [Collect cores: 0%]


    "Well, that works too." Victoria snorted, shaking her head. Not that she particularly needed more motivation. The question was how to actually use the points. With the points from Semloh''s core she was now well past her point limit, so she needed to figure out whether it''d be smarter to raise her point limit or spend those points on increasing her cultivation? She could increase her cultivation just by meditating though¡­ maybe it''d be better to spend her points on increasing her energy capacity? She glanced at her Essence max, which was at about twelve fifty, just like her Spirit had been before she raised it to fifteen hundred. She wanted to at least raise it to match, same with her Qi, but she wondered if she wanted to raise it even further¡­ What were the benefits of a higher energy capacity? Obviously if she was going to stop at the peak of Core Strengthening, it''d make her stronger than any other mono-core, but as a tri-core, she''d continue advancing beyond her cores as she moved onto the Circulatory realm, then the Unification realm, and so on¡­ a larger energy capacity just meant she had to work harder to fill it, right? Maybe she should talk to Obanonos about this¡­ or maybe Horace? She did have an appointment with him soon, and he was in the Unification realm.


    Still, that would only take so many points. She didn''t want to spend all her life in the Energy Gathering realm, after all. Skills only took so many points, same with the heal button, and increasing her point limit had diminishing returns¡­ Victoria frowned, before shrugging. Might as well just increase her cultivation then, right? At least there she wouldn''t have to deal with diminishing returns. Her Spirit core was already pretty much maxed out, and her Essence had just reached the third stage¡­ though that was before increasing the energy capacity, so¡­ Victoria quickly spent the two hundred and fiftyish points to set her Essence capacity at fifteen hundred. Back to stage two, though it didn''t really affect anything. Stages were kinda arbitrary, weren''t they?


    Now she should probably keep enough points around to max out her limit, which left her¡­ about seven hundred points to work with. "Huh¡­" Victoria grunted. She hadn''t quite processed just how many points she really had. When she was gathering them, they never felt like enough, since compared to any established Cultivator, she was still weak. Now that she was looking to spend them though¡­ seven hundred points disappeared as she maxed out her Spirit core and dumped the rest into her Essence, getting it to about two thirds full. She was about to close the system, when she paused, frowning at her Spirit, noticing that the option to increase it was blanked out. Why- Victoria rolled her eyes as she realized the problem. The core was full! Obviously she couldn''t put more into it! She needed to start on Core Strengthening now, which¡­ Maurice had said something about using the pressure from her Rune to purify her energy, forcing out the impurities? Victoria sighed. Yet another question she''d need to ask Obanonos. Definitely not Horace. She didn''t need him asking questions about why her Cultivation had suddenly shot up.


    Victoria froze. Wait, shit, Maurice had said some people could sense other people''s cultivation! If anyone was capable of it, it''d be the freaking Unification realm Cultivator! Shit, shit, shit! She''d fucked up! How the fuck was she supposed to explain her Essence cultivation practically doubling in just a few days! Victoria quickly connected to Beatrice through the system. *Beatrice, quick, ask Obanonos if there''s any way for a Spirit/Essence Cultivator to conceal their cultivation!*


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    *Victoria, what- O- Okay!* Beatrice stammered back, confused but sensing urgency in Victoria''s tone. *He- he says it''s possible, but¡­ you''d need to be in the Circulatory realm.*


    "Fuck!" Victoria cursed out loud. She was screwed. She only had a few hours, and there was absolutely no way she could condense a Qi core, and learn a cloaking technique in that amount of time. Unless¡­ Victoria concentrated on what she''d seen when she saw Tiffany and the others using the cloaking technique, focusing on the shift of the energy and the way it surrounded the cores as she took a deep breath and concentrated on her points, willing them to do the same! She should be able to do it, right? Her points had absorbed Qi before. She''d seen the energy''s shift. She''d seen the technique! All she had to do was copy it! Her points flowed, shifting as they surrounded her cores, settling into place, copying the Hidden Blades technique exactly.


    Victoria breathed out a sigh of relief. It worked! She''d done it! Her cultivation was concealed! Victoria froze. Wait, shit, her cultivation was concealed! If Horace saw that, he''d know she was either a Qi Cultivator or in the Circulatory realm! Either option was way worse than simply doubling her cultivation! *Ask Obanonos if the Qi technique used to conceal cultivation can be adjusted to only show part of it!* She quickly sent to Beatrice.


    *He- he says that isn''t how it works¡­ if any part gets through it all gets through.* Beatrice sent back. *Victoria, what''s going on? Are you in trouble?*


    Victoria groaned in frustration. *Fuuuuck¡­ no, shit, I''m just, god damn it, going to have to deal with some awkwardness.* Horace would be confused, but she didn''t have to explain shit.


    *Awkwardness?* Beatrice asked hesitantly.


    *I got caught up and used my points to increase my cultivation, forgetting that I have a meeting with a damn Unification realm Cultivator in a few hours! He''s definitely going to see that my cultivation has jumped and ask questions, which I''m absolutely not going to answer.* Victoria explained bitterly. *There''s nothing I can do to fix it, so fuck it. Let the man be confused! I''m weird and he can suck it.*


    *But- a Unification realm Cultivator!?!* Beatrice asked incredulously. *Victoria, if he wants anything¡­ you can''t! Just- just don''t go to the meeting!*


    *Oh yes, act suspiciously.* Victoria retorted, rolling her eyes. *The dude''s a Unification realm Cultivator! Do you think he''s just going to be like ''oh, I guess she''s not showing up'' and fuck off?!? No, dude''s going to come and find me, still see my cultivation, and now suspect something is up because I''m trying to avoid him!*


    *But something is up!* Beatrice countered.


    *Yeah, but he doesn''t have to know that! I''m just going to act like nothing''s changed and if he asks questions, brush him off. Maybe give him some weird looks like he''s crazy or something.* Victoria sighed. *Hopefully that''ll throw him off enough for him to drop it. If not¡­ Well, we''re screwed, but what else is new?*


    *


    Horace waited nervously in the sitting room for Victoria. *This is not a date, this is not a date, this is not a date!* He repeated over and over again in his mind, hoping at some point it''d stick, and knowing it wouldn''t. He was in trouble. If she showed any interest at all- if it even seemed like she might show interest- the girl was just too perfect, and if she was willing¡­ rules be damned, he was going for it! Did that make him a bad person? Hmmm¡­ yeah. Yeah it did. Fuck. "My next reincarnation is going to be a cockroach." Horace groaned, covering his face with his hands.


    He wallowed in misery for a moment, before quickly composing himself and standing to his feet as he heard footsteps approach the door. A grin unavoidably pulled at his lips as Victoria entered the room. "Lady Victoria, it is a pleasure to be graced with your presence once again." Horace greeted her with a slight bow. Gods the woman was perfect. Even with the strange, form concealing garments she wore, her beauty was plain as day, in the slight crest of the cloth which promised the alluring figure underneath. That was simply the icing on top, however. The real perfection was in the way she looked at him, like she didn''t care a single bit how far his Cultivation outstripped hers. And she truly didn''t! She''d called him an idiot! To his face! Ah, he would have married her on the spot if he could. It was so rare to find someone completely unintimidated by his power. Unless, of course, they were of equal power, but women like that were rare.


    Then there was the way she talked, the strange and interesting ideas she had, the intelligence behind her gaze¡­ ugh, he was screwed. Maybe they could have a long engagement? Agree to be wed, but wait two or three years? He wouldn''t mind, and she''d want to focus on cultivation anyway¡­ she hadn''t been Awakened very long, and there was still a chance she could Acquire a Qi Rune, if not a very large one.


    *Horace. Horace!* Philmore hissing through their connection. *Look at her cultivation!*


    Horace blinked. Her cultivation? What- his eyes widened slightly. Her Essence had practically doubled! And her Spirit core was giving off energy at the level of someone in the middle of the first stage of Core Strengthening, except¡­ the purity was off, or more accurately, it wasn''t. She clearly hadn''t purified her energy at all yet¡­ just how large was her Spirit capacity?!? And how had she doubled her Essence core practically overnight! To do that, she''d need¡­ if- if she had a perfectly Assimilated Rune at the second tier and did nothing but cultivate for an entire day, it might be possible, but that itself was an impossibility! No one could comprehend a second tier Rune in less than two months! Particularly not with everything else she''d done!


    "Yeah¡­ good to see you too." Victoria returned Horace''s greeting as she walked in, giving him a weird look. Had this dude ever heard of the concept ''trying too hard''? Seriously, even if she was interested she''d be put off by how strong he was coming on. She shook her head, taking a seat. She just had to get through this. "Where should we start? Otherworldly knowledge or foreign cultivation secrets?"


    "V-Victoria, your- your cultivation!" Horace exclaimed.


    Victoria froze. Well, guess they were just jumping right into it, huh? "My cultivation? What about it?" She asked, cocking her head, feigning innocence.


    "It- it''s grown! You have to have twice the Essence you did when I last saw you!" Horace replied.


    Victoria frowned. "Are you sure? That doesn''t seem like it should be possible¡­"


    "It shouldn''t be!" Horace agreed. "So how did you do it?!?"


    "How did I do what?" Victoria asked, looking confused.


    "How did you double your Essence!" Horace replied insistently, beginning to get frustrated. Why wouldn''t she just answer his question?!?


    "Why are you insisting that''s what I did?" Victoria retorted, glaring at him.


    "Because you did!" Horace exclaimed.


    Victoria crossed her arms, scowling at him. "No."


    Horace blinked. "No?"


    "No." Victoria confirmed with a slight nod.


    "You- you can''t just say no!" Horace protested.


    "I can absolutely just say no!" Victoria countered. "My life is mine and I can share it with whoever I like, and I don''t want to share it with you! If you keep trying to force this, I''m just going to leave."


    Horace felt his heart clench at her words. She- she didn''t want to share her life with him? *Horace, focus!* Philmore insisted. *This isn''t about your stupid crush, it''s about potentially world changing techniques this girl is hiding from us!* Horace froze. Right! It wasn''t about romance, it was about Victoria not trusting him! He just needed to convince her he was trustworthy and everything would be fine! *No, no, no! Grill her for information you stupid- gah!* Horace shoved Philmore away, locking him in his Runescape, before refocusing on Victoria. "I apologize. I- I can be a bit overeager when I see something I don''t understand. The curse of curiosity if you will. I shall respect your secrets."


    Victoria cocked her head. "What secrets?"


    "The ones that- oh." Horace began, before realizing what Victoria was doing. "Y-yes, what secrets? Um¡­ should- should we get started then? Tell me about this other world."


    Victoria gave him a final weird look, before nodding. "Alright, so the first thing to know is that in that world, cultivation wasn''t a thing. It didn''t exist. Everyone was unawakened."


    Horace blinked. "Then¡­ how did they defend themselves for Rune Beasts?"


    "Rune Beasts weren''t a thing either. Energy wasn''t a thing. No Spirit, no Qi, no Essence, no nothing. Just people and animals with muscles and brains." Victoria elaborated.


    "Fascinating¡­" Horace muttered, trying to imagine what such a world might be like. "It sounds peaceful."


    Victoria frowned. "Eh? No more than I''ve noticed around here¡­ people were always trying to get more, more power, more resources, more whatever, and they were willing to fight for it. I suppose you didn''t have to worry about a random Rune Beast or Cultivator jumping out to kill you, so in that way you could say it was more peaceful¡­ but you could still get randomly attacked by a mountain lion or a guy with a [gun], so maybe not."


    Horace frowned. "What''s a ''gun''?"


    "It''s a weapon¡­ a small projectile propelled by a minor explosion down a small tube at great speeds. I think it was faster than the speed of sound? And since force is mass times acceleration, it could do a lot of damage." Victoria explained, before pausing. "You know that one, right? The heavier something is, the faster it''s going, the more damage it''s going to do?"


    Horace rolled his eyes. "I''m not a savage, Victoria. I know basic physics."


    Victoria raised her hands. "Hey, I don''t know what you know. We didn''t really start exploring physics until we were out of the middle ages, so when I see castles and feudalism, I don''t think ''wow, this place must have a firm grasp of the hard sciences''."


    Horace cocked his eyebrow when Victoria said ''we''. Did she identify as coming from this other world? Not that he would blame her¡­ if he woke up one day with a head full of knowledge from one world, and none of another, he''d probably feel like he belonged in the one he knew as well. He then frowned as she continued. "This region is hardly representative of the rest of the world. So much progress was lost when the Callowan Empire collapsed because everyone was so busy fighting over it they forgot to actually preserve it! And anything that was preserved has been hoarded by your sects, leaving the vast majority of you to wallow in ignorance! There has been an astounding lack of progress here, because you''re all too backwards to get your heads out of your asses and actually work together!" Horace complained.


    Victoria''s eyebrows rose in a mix of surprise and appreciation, lightly clapping as he finished. "Well said." She commented as Horace flushed in embarrassment. He hadn''t meant to get so passionate¡­ "Then tell me, how advanced is the rest of the world? Do you have guns?"


    Horace hesitated, before shaking his head. "No, I can''t recall anything like what you described¡­"


    "Hmmm¡­ you may not need them, what with all the Cultivators, so I guess that makes sense." Victoria muttered. "How about [engines]? They make things move using steam or fuel?" Horace frowned before shaking his head again. "Huh¡­ What else could you have?" Victoria muttered, frowning.


    "I- we recently developed a way to mass produce books?" Horace offered hesitantly.


    "Ah, the printing press. That''s a good one." Victoria nodded. "I think the next step is the assembly line¡­ don''t quote me on that one though."


    "Next step?" Horace asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "The next step in industrial advancements." Victoria explained. "Basically, technology sort of¡­ builds on itself. The printing press is huge because it allows people to share knowledge more easily, making it something common rather than something held by a few dedicated scholars. Books will become something anyone can collect. Then the assembly line brings in the concept of specialization, everyone getting really good at one part of a task, then working together to do it better and faster than they could apart, which makes goods more common and easier to get. Then comes automation, which- yeah, this is where engines come in. You make tools that run by themselves, specialized in performing one aspect of a task, doing it faster than any person could. You then make a series of these [machines], so now things are getting made and you don''t even need a lot of people to do it! There are some problems with it, because as jobs are replaced by machines, people don''t know what to do with their lives anymore, but since the machines make life cheaper, more jobs become available, so it''s kind of a trade off. Like, it got to the point where someone could make a living just by taking [pictures] of themselves as they traveled. You can''t do that if everyone has to be on an assembly line, hand making everything." Victoria paused. "If you think about it, the printing press is one of the first steps into automation¡­ you set up a tool so that you don''t need to hand write everything, just put it in and stamp. Am I mixing up my timelines here?"


    Horace sat back in his chair, struggling to process everything Victoria had just explained, the future she painted. It sounded good, but he had a hard time visualizing how it would actually work. How could you divide the making of a sword or potion into disparate steps? Maybe you could have someone prepare the materials while you focused on the actual work, but it was a complex, interconnected process to make either one! Dividing it up would ruin the final product! Wouldn''t it? Horace glanced at Victoria. "Do- do you think you could create these things?" He asked tentatively.


    Victoria paused, before shrugging. "Probably? The ideas are actually pretty simple, it''s just a problem of getting people interested and on board. Well, up to a point¡­ I have a vague idea how engines work, and machines can be pretty complicated¡­ but I can at least get people started in that direction. Probably."


    Horace hesitated. "If- if you were willing to come to Avinter¡­ I can assure you, we would welcome your ideas immeasurably more than anyone in this region. No one here cares about advancement! All they care about is strength! If you come to Avinter, you''ll be appreciated for your mind, not looked down upon for simply being a dual-core!"


    Victoria cocked an eyebrow at him. "Is that so?" She wasn''t a dual-core, but still, it might be nice to live somewhere that wasn''t so power focused¡­ She sighed, shaking her head. "I can''t abandon my family." If she left, she''d be leaving her family to the Hidden Blades, and they would not be happy. They may not touch her family, for fear of losing the part of the system she''d already given them, but they wouldn''t make their lives easy.


    "Your family could come too!" Horace insisted.


    Victoria snorted. "My father would never abandon his people like that, and I couldn''t force him to. No, my place is here, at least for now."


    "But-" Horace began again.


    "Drop it." Victoria stopped him with a firm look. "I''m not interested in being persuaded when I know what I have to do. Now, what else do you want to know about the other world?"

 Points: 40 - Intent

    Victoria spent the next two hours answering Horace''s questions about Earth. He seemed weirdly fascinated with the internet and the fact that they had an online culture, which was probably good since that was actually the one Victoria was the most knowledgeable about. In particular, they talked a lot about memes. "I''m not sure I get this ''pepe'' concept." Horace frowned.


    Victoria shrugged. "Honestly, I don''t really get it either. It''s just this dumb frog in different poses that people send each other. Like emojis, but weird."


    "Emojis?" Horace asked.


    "Emoticons." Victoria elaborated. "Little generic representations of emotional states. They started as text, where something like a colon and a parenthesis would make a smiley face, but then people made these little yellow faces that actually had the expressions on them and it just kinda blew up from there."


    Horace blinked at her. "What''s a colon and a parenthesis?"


    "Dot dot swoosh." Victoria replied, drawing in the air. "Dot dot is the colon, swoosh is the parenthesis. They''re extra forms of punctuation beyond the period, question mark, and exclamation point."


    "And what do they mean outside of these ''emoticons''?" Horace continued.


    Victoria frowned. "That''s-" Suddenly there was a ping from the candle as the pin fell out, and Victoria let out a relieved sigh. "That''s time, so we can talk about it next week. Now it''s your turn to teach me."


    "But-" Horace began, before Victoria cut him off with a look and he sighed. "Very well. Let''s start with what you already know. You have both Essence and Spirit, yes?" Victoria nodded. "Good. Have you formed your Essence armor?" Victoria nodded again, rolling her eyes. That was literally the first thing she learned how to do! It was like asking if she knew how to make Spirit threads. "Alright, show me." Horace gestured for her to get up and demonstrate. Victoria frowned slightly, but did as he asked, getting up and letting out her Essence, slowly getting it moving in the complex pattern described by her Rune. "Okay stop." Horace interjected before she could finish. "It looks like your Rune provided a decently complex pattern, which is good, but you''re forming it all wrong. You''re leaving entire sections unguarded as you set up! The first thing you have to do when your armor forms is get it to swirl, then add in a current going the opposite direction, then start adding complexity. A mediocre defense is better than no defense at all. Start again from the beginning."


    Victoria frowned, but did as he said, restarting by getting her essence to flow in one direction, then the other, before starting to add in complexity. Horace began pacing around her as she did, making a few comments, such as telling her to focus on her heart and head first, before moving on to her torso and limbs. It took a minute or so before Victoria had the whole thing going. "Okay, done."


    Horace reached out to poke the armor, nodding. "This is a good pattern. Feels almost solid." He commented. "However, your formation speed is atrocious! Have you practiced it at all?!? You need to be able to form your armor in under ten seconds, minimum, and be able to get a basic defense up almost instantly! No enemy is just going to sit and wait while you take your sweet time getting your defenses up. By the time you''re done, the fight will already be over, and you''ll be dead!"


    Victoria paused for a moment, a bit stunned. Horace was actually yelling at her¡­ she didn''t know he had it in him. She nodded. "So, practice it over and over until I can form it without even thinking, got it. What''s next?"


    Horace blinked, a bit put off by the fact she''d just agreed. "I- I don''t think you understand how important this-"


    "No, no, I got it." Victoria assured him. "But I''m not wasting time that could be used to learn practicing. Unless you have some tricks I can use to help me get faster, I can practice later."


    Horace considered her words for a moment, before nodding. "My only suggestion would be to start small, then expand. Make each step second nature before moving onto the next." Victoria nodded in understanding. "Now, do you have any other Essence skills?"


    "No." Victoria shook her head.


    Horace frowned. "Are you sure? No way to form an Essence weapon? To make yourself more flexible? To alter your center of balance?"


    Victoria frowned back, shaking her head again. "Nothing like that¡­ though, I haven''t focused too much on my Essence Rune recently. I''ve been more focused on my Spirit Rune."


    Horace''s frown deepened. "You have both?"


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "Why wouldn''t I?"


    "Usually people don''t like to assimilate too many Runes at once. It''s better to focus on one at a time, without getting distracted." Horace replied. "Splitting your focus may allow you to take in more information, but it lacks depth, only giving you a superficial understanding, which- Ah! Right, you don''t know about Rune Advancement! You see, when you fully comprehend a Rune, if you wait for an epiphany-"


    "Dude, I know about Rune Advancement. That''s why I have both an Essence and Spirit Rune. They advanced." Victoria rolled her eyes.


    Horace froze. "You- you know about Rune Advancement? But- how?!?"


    "I was comprehending a Rune, and it Advanced?" Victoria replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "It isn''t that complicated."


    Horace''s expression twisted at the thought of how many struggling disciples would throttle her for that statement while reevaluating what level Victoria was at. If she could Advance her Runes so easily¡­ he shook his head. It just made the fact that she was only a dual-core that much more tragic. Unless¡­ Horace paused. If she truly was this gifted¡­ if he gave her enough training¡­ would there still be a chance? He gave her a look that mixed calculating and hopeful into one. "Do you think- would you be interested in learning Qi skills?"


    Victoria gave him a look, before shaking her head. "This kingdom doesn''t take kindly to those who excel. Even if I had a Qi Rune, I would have to hide it, because if I didn''t, the King would feel threatened, and either kill me or force me to marry into his family. So I have no interest in Qi skills until I enter a sect, at which point I will be outside the King''s influence."


    "But at the rate you''re progressing, if you don''t Acquire a Qi Rune¡­ you''re already at risk of missing any opportunity you may have! Even if I did my best to teach you¡­ I''m not sure it would be enough. You have to learn now!" Horace explained with an almost pleading look in his eye.


    Victoria shook her head. "Qi skills are off the table. Do you have anything more to teach me about Essence or should we move to Spirit?"


    "No, you have to listen to me!" Horace exclaimed. "If you don''t Acquire a Qi Rune, you''ll be stuck in the Circulatory realm! If you want to advance, you need all three Rune types!"


    "And that is my decision!" Victoria snapped sharply, glaring at him. "A Qi Rune would be a problem for me! If that cripples my future, so be it. At least I''ll have a future."


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    "But-" Horace began again.


    "No, buts!" Victoria stopped him. "You will respect my choices, or we are done here."


    Horace''s mouth closed with a click as he gritted his teeth, before nodding stiffly. He wanted to say he could protect her from some stupid king, but he didn''t think she would listen at this point. He once again cursed this stupid, backwards region internally, before moving on. "Fine. Let''s focus on Essence for now. Essence is all about the body and your control over it. Ways to treat your skin and bones to make them more durable, to massage your joints to make them more flexible, to encourage muscle growth, to enhance your senses¡­ anything that has a physical basis is touched by Essence, though the more detailed you get, the more difficult it is to accomplish without the guidance of a Rune. For now, let''s focus on something simple: body strengthening. Start by infusing the area you wish to strengthen with as much Essence you can. I would Suggest starting with something small, like a finger."


    Victoria nodded, putting as much Essence as she could into the pointer finger on her left hand. It felt weird, almost like her finger was pressurized. "Okay, now what?"


    "Do you remember your pattern for your armor?" Horace asked and Victoria nodded hesitantly. "Slowly begin to move the Essence in your finger in that pattern."


    Victoria narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, before turning back to her finger and doing as he said, carefully getting the pattern moving in her finger. At first it just felt a little weird, but as the speed picked up, her finger began to burn! The faster it went, the worse it got, until Victoria was gritting her teeth in pain.


    "There are better patterns to use for this, but they''re complicated and not better enough to be worth the effort." Horace began to explain as Victoria struggled. "As the Essence moves, it damages you, while its infusion heals you. This cycle of destruction and restoration increases your body''s resistance to damage. It''s most effective on skin and bones, but every area of your body benefits from the process. The more Essence you can pack into an area, the better. Though¡­ avoid using it on your head or heart, at least until you have a lot more Essence. If you can''t heal those areas fast enough¡­"


    "Yeah, that sounds like a good way to get dead." Victoria grumbled absently, keeping her focus on her finger. The damage was slowly starting to outpace the healing, her skin starting to peel under the force of the Essence''s movement.


    "Don''t push too hard." Horace warned. "You don''t want the damage to outpace your healing. You want to find the balance, where the two are in equilibrium."


    Victoria nodded, letting the Essence slow down, her finger slowly healing as she kept the movement at a slow burn, getting somewhat used to the pain, or at least, getting used to ignoring it. They spent a bit longer on body strengthening, Horace emphasizing a few more dangers, which pretty much amounted to not destroying anything you need to live, before moving on to flexibility training, which went hand in hand with body strengthening. Body strengthening made your body tougher, but that meant it was harder to stretch as well. Thankfully flexibility training was fairly simple as well, if no less painful. Again, you had to flood the area you were focusing on with Essence, and then¡­ Well, you had to stretch. Not to the point of burning, but to the point of pain. "Is every Essence exercise just breaking your body so it heals right?" Victoria growled after getting her shoulder stretched so hard it popped out of the socket.


    Horace shook his head. "Only to start. The more advanced techniques require visualization. However, if you don''t have the focus and perseverance to do it right, you can end up worse than you started. Thankfully, that''s exactly what the early exercises teach you: to persevere and maintain focus through pain."


    Victoria sighed. "Right. So what''s the next torture in line?"


    Horace shook his head. "No torture this time, though it will require you to strengthen your legs. When Essence moves, it gives itself weight. So, if you condense your Essence in your legs and begin to move it, your center of gravity moves down with it."


    Victoria nodded. "So essentially body strengthening, but not."


    "Right, you don''t want to move it to the point of pain, just enough to help you balance." Horace explained.


    The rest of the time was spent on little tricks like that. No revolutionary uses of Essence, just better ways to make use of it and learning about its properties. Namely, the property of intent. Intent was a feature of all three types of energy, which came naturally from Runes. Whenever she did something beyond the basic function of the energy, it came from intent. Through intent, Essence Cultivators could make their bodies as hard as iron, or as flexible as rubber, but according to Horace, developing an intent outside a Rune was difficult to say the least. Runes naturally adjusted your perspective to view your energy in a certain way, like she was already viewing her Spirit as an extra sensory organ through her Study Rune. She believed that if she did this, she could see out her Spirit, and if she did this, she could hear out her Spirit, and so on, and because she believed it, it was true.


    Victoria frowned at Horace. "So you''re saying that all I have to do is believe that swirling my Essence in a certain way will make my body tougher, and it''ll be true?"


    Horace hesitated. "Not quite. Belief is certainly a large part of the process, but you also need to structure your energy in a way that can carry that belief. For example, with this sensory skill you have, if you simply believe you can see out your Spirit, you may get something back, but not much. However, if you give this belief structure by making an eye, the view becomes much clearer. The more detail you give the eyes, the more basis you give your belief, the better the results."


    Victoria''s frown deepened, finding the idea¡­ not confusing, but too- too- simplistic? You just believe that something could happen, and then find a reason why it would happen, right? Why did Horace make it sound so difficult? She held up her hand, putting her Essence into it, considering the idea of turning her skin to iron. Through her design space, she knew what iron was, how it was composed¡­ straight turning her skin into iron wouldn''t be good though. Not flexible enough. She just needed her skin to be harder¡­ or rather, her Essence needed to be harder. It needed to be like iron in her skin. Victoria focused on her understanding of iron, willing her Essence to condense, to harden, to make her hand like iron. Slowly her hand began to take on a metallic sheen. "Huh¡­ that didn''t seem so hard?" She commented, turning to a dumbstruck Horace.


    "You- you just-" He stammered, staring at her hand, before turning to her, his expression hardening. "You need to learn Qi skills. Your talent can''t be allowed to stall out at the end of the Circulatory realm!"


    Victoria rolled her eyes, pulling her Essence back as her hand turned back to normal. "It isn''t talent, it just isn''t that hard to get. I know iron because of my Spirit skills, so I just took that understanding and put it into my Essence."


    "But that''s what''s so impressive!" Horace exclaimed. "You can''t simply push intent into your energy! You have to develop it, teach the energy the intent you want it to have! And you- your energy accepted your intent almost instantly!"


    Victoria raised an eyebrow at him. "You have to teach your energy?"


    Horace nodded. "Like when you comprehend a Rune. Intent flows through it, influencing you and subsequently your energy. Without the Rune, you have to infuse the intent into your energy yourself, which takes time- usually takes time¡­" Horace trailed off. "You- you seem to have a gift for influencing energy. One that could take you further than you could imagine, if you''d just Acquire a Qi Rune!"


    Victoria paused. A gift for influencing energy? That¡­ made sense? She practically was energy! Though after that out of body experience, maybe she should drop the practically¡­ she simply was energy. Did that help her with her cultivation? Probably? Not important at the moment. "I''ve made my position on Qi clear. Stop pushing." She retorted, glaring at Horace.


    Horace gritted his teeth. "But your future-"


    Victoria rolled her eyes, turning to leave. "Yeah, we''re done here. I''m not putting up with this crap over and over."


    "Wait!" Horace exclaimed.


    "We can try again next week." Victoria added, with a small wave over her shoulder. "Maybe you''ll remember what is and what isn''t yours to worry about by then."

 Points: 41 - Original (1)

    Victoria returned to her room with a thoughtful expression, considering her lesson with Horace. Besides the insistence on Qi, he had some good points. In particular, she''d never really developed her skill at controlling energy. She was always focused on finding something new to do, not perfecting what she could already do. She never really practiced controlling her Spirit threads, and while she knew she could use her Spirit mist to create illusions based on the objects she''d scanned, she''d never actually done so or practiced with it. Which meant she had no real idea how to actually use all these things she could do. She needed to find more practical uses for her skills¡­


    Victoria paused, before turning and heading out instead, moving towards her father''s training yard. Once she arrived, she studied the array of weapons lining the wall, her Spirit threads reaching out to snag various daggers while she picked up the sledgeblade. She moved to the center of the yard, closing her eyes and taking a breath as she considered her next step. Slowly, she began to swing the sledgeblade, her enhanced strength making it feel as light as a¡­ well, not a feather, but like a regular sword at least. Though its weight still threatened to throw her off balance, the ease with which she could now swing it only made the problem worse since her swings had that much more force behind them. As she readjusted to the sledgeblade, the daggers she''d grabbed began to flow with her swings, the Spirit threads moving out of the way of her sledgeblade as it began to whip through the air, swinging the daggers after it. However, as she kept going, the daggers began to get¡­ tangled, Victoria struggling to keep the Spirit threads out of the way of the sledgeblade while keeping the daggers under control. It was pushing her ability to multitask to the limit, and she wasn''t quite pulling it off.


    Victoria dropped the sledgeblade with a groan. "Maybe I should just focus on controlling the daggers first." She sighed. Trying to immediately integrate the daggers into her sledgeblade forms probably wasn''t the best idea. She shifted to just getting the daggers under control, focusing on getting them to move in concert without getting tangled. Four daggers ended up still being a little much, so she dropped it down to three, then two before finally starting to make some progress. Despite how much faster her mind worked due to her cultivation and points, it was still difficult to focus on more than a single thing at once, and every time her attention shifted, the daggers began to go off course or even stop entirely, so she had to almost juggle them, getting one going, then the other, switching back and forth to keep them both on track or make minor adjustments.


    She kept working on it for a few more minutes, before the daggers dropped and she let out a sigh. It was increasingly clear that while her power had been steadily increasing, her skill had not. She was going to need to make some adjustments to her training schedule.


    *


    "How do I purify my energy?" Victoria asked Maurice. She''d returned to her room and gone to cultivate, only to be reminded that she still needed to learn how to purify her energy for her Spirit core. Which she''d forgotten to ask Horace about. Cursing his bullheaded insistence on teaching her Qi skills, she''d gone to find Maurice, who was thankfully in his office.


    Maurice looked up from his desk, blinking at the sudden question. "Purify your energy?" Victoria nodded. "Are you-" He began to ask, before cutting off as he remembered her system, his expression twisting slightly. She would be ready to start purifying her energy, wouldn''t she? "Yes, well, it''s a fairly simple process. Simply compress your energy as you cultivate, creating space for the new energy. The more you can compress your energy, the faster you can cultivate, at least, until you compress it faster than you bring it in. The pressure will naturally purify the energy in the process."


    Victoria frowned. "How do I compress my energy?"


    "There are a few methods, but the most common is to focus the pressure from the Runes in your Runescape on your core. The better you can focus the pressure, the better the results. Alternatively, you can push your energy out of your core while you cultivate, before attempting to pull it all back in, but if you fail to do so, any energy left outside the core will dissipate. It makes it easier to absorb energy, but you risk losing already purified energy if you fail, which in my opinion isn''t worth the risk. Finally, you can attempt to compress the energy through sheer force of will and energy control, which is required to a certain extent with either of the other two methods as well, but is unnecessarily difficult on its own, in my opinion." Maurice explained. "Oh, additionally, there are certain formations and treasures that can help, but those are things only found in sects."


    Victoria''s frown deepened. "But¡­ how am I supposed to focus the pressure from my Runescape?"


    Maurice shrugged. "There isn''t any trick to it, you just will the pressure to focus on your core. It''s a matter of willpower, not skill."


    Victoria blinked. The idea that she could just will the pressure to focus on her core seemed a little weird to her, but then again, she''d shown she could just will her Essence into iron, so why the fuck not? "Okay, thank you." She nodded to Maurice, turning to go, before remembering the other question she''d had. "Oh, yeah, I also wanted to ask, what''s the benefit of having a larger energy capacity?"


    Maurice gave her a look that suggested she was asking a very dumb question. "It- means you can have more energy¡­"


    Victoria flushed. "I know that! What I mean is, if you want more energy, you can just keep cultivating, right? If cultivation is endless, then the stage or realm is more important than the amount, isn''t it? If that''s the case, then wouldn''t it be better to have a smaller energy capacity? So you could progress faster?"


    Maurice sat back in his chair, considering her question with a thoughtful expression. "Huh¡­ I never thought of it that way. For most, a larger energy capacity means that when you hit your limit, you are stronger than someone with a smaller energy capacity at that point. Hence why your father is stronger than I am, despite both of us being at the peak of Core Strengthening. However, if you aren''t limited, and can simply continue higher and higher¡­" Maurice pondered the question seriously for a few more moments, before shaking his head. "I''m afraid I couldn''t say." He sighed. "My insights stop at the Circulatory realm, and even then they are theoretical, not practical, since I will be forever barred from that realm. Maybe Sir Freid could give you an answer? As a Unification realm Cultivator, he would have a better grasp on the subject than I would."


    Victoria sighed. "Yeah, he probably would, but the jackass keeps trying to pressure me into learning Qi skills so I don''t ''ruin my future''. Why can''t he just mind his own business?"


    Maurice chuckled. "Because those who think they know better don''t take the refusal of their wisdom very well. I admit, it''s a trap I fell into rather often myself, in my younger years. I spent a long time frustrated with everyone around me, wondering why they just didn''t get it. It took time and not a few arguments and mistakes before I finally realized that my perspective was not the end all be all of reality, that others had different goals and priorities that my advice was useless for." Maurice paused. "Though in your case, I imagine the problem would resolve itself if you''d simply tell the boy you already have a Qi Rune. I believe it is highly unlikely that he''d inform the King or anyone else of the matter, particularly if you asked him to keep it a secret."


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    Victoria snorted. "I''m sure, but that isn''t the point. He needs to learn to respect my decisions. I''m not going to let the overpowered goofball get used to the idea that he can push me around, because if he ever got serious about pushing me around, there''s no way I could actually stop him. Better to set boundaries now."


    Maurice cocked his head in consideration, before nodding in agreement. "A very good point. I sometimes forget that it isn''t about the battle, it''s about the war. A small concession at the start may not seem like that big a deal, but over time it could snowball and crush you."


    "It''s always the little things that get you." Victoria agreed with a sigh. It was something she''d picked up as Thomas, growing up. He was always weird, so he had a tendency to get picked on, and it always started as something little. A small comment, a bump in the hall, a minor joke at his expense, something that was easy to let slide. But the more you let slide, the less you stuck up for yourself, the more people took from you. Comments became scathing insults, bumps became shoves, jokes became cruel pranks, because once you let people get it in their head that they were allowed to treat you in a certain way, they would take full advantage. You needed to set boundaries before people got invested in the idea that you were a suitable punching bag. Sure, sometimes it made you look like a jerk, but it was better than dealing with abuse.


    Victoria shook herself out of the small funk she''d fallen into as certain less than pleasant memories resurfaced. "Well, that''s everything I wanted to ask. I''ll see you at dinner." She bid Maurice goodbye as she left. It was time to see how well she could compress her energy.


    "Oh, one last thing." Maurice called out, stopping her. "Once you enter Core Strengthening, be sure not to use your energy for at least an hour after you finish, so that it has time to purify. Otherwise, you''ll risk the energy getting stuck outside your core, which¡­ well, I already told you the dangers involved in that." Victoria paused, before nodding and continuing out the door. It was a good thing he''d mentioned that. Literally the first thing she did after cultivating was meditate on her Runes and explore new uses for her energy. That would have been bad.


    *


    It turned out that the hardest part was actually making herself aware of the pressure. With the amount of points available to her, her Capacity was ridiculous, and the pressure from her Runes didn''t really affect her anymore. Her Spirit and Essence gave her a boost as well, making her think Capacity was only something you really had to worry about when you were first starting out. Which was unfortunate, since that was the period you needed it most. The reason it was hard to Acquire all three Rune types was because you had to cultivate to increase your Capacity and Acquire more Runes, which made it more difficult to Acquire the other types of Runes. With enough Capacity, you could simply Acquire all the Runes you needed before you even began to cultivate¡­ Victoria paused. She should tell Beatrice that and make sure she wasn''t focusing on her Clean Rune.


    Victoria put that aside for the moment as she turned her focus back towards her own cultivation, frowning slightly. The pressure was definitely still there, she just had to find it again. She examined her Runescape, seeing if she could feel the pressure by studying the source. It took a few moments, but eventually she began to feel the soft touch of the Runes emanating from within. The more she studied it, the more she became aware of its presence, flowing through every piece of her being, until she finally let out a breath. "Fucking finally." She grumbled, shaking her head. It was amazing how easy it was to adjust to things. It wasn''t that long ago that this pressure felt crushing, like it was about to tear her apart at the seams, and now¡­ meh? It just wasn''t an issue anymore.


    "Alright, let''s do this." Victoria muttered to herself, getting back on track as she focused on the pressure, trying to focus it on her Spirit core. Slowly the pressure began to condense, concentrating on her Spirit core until the energy inside began to slowly compress to make room for more. Victoria focused more and more pressure on it until there was more than enough space for a few hours of cultivation, which was when she ran into her first problem. The moment she went to cultivate, her focus on the pressure lapsed and it began to disperse again, letting the energy expand again! She quickly shifted her focus back to the pressure, but that caused her to stop cultivating instead. Victoria''s expression twisted as she struggled to find a balance between the two, before she finally broke down in frustration. "Fuck! I need a whole ass second brain for this shit!" She cursed, before suddenly freezing, her eyes widening as an idea wormed its way into her mind, one so audacious, yet so undeniably feasible that she couldn''t believe she hadn''t thought of it before. Why- didn''t she- use her points- to make herself- a second body?!?


    She glanced at her point total. She still had about a thousand points to work with. She opened the creation page, gulping slightly as she created a new entry: Victoria. And the cost? Just a bit under five hundred points. "Holy shit." She gasped, barely even believing this was actually possible. It could be. It had to be, but¡­ if she was wrong, then she''d be wasting a fuckton of points. Was it worth it for the experiment? For the chance? Victoria hesitated for a moment, before her expression hardened and she nodded. Fuck yes it was! Victoria reached out, five hundred points flowing out of her and pooling on the bed, as Victoria made¡­ herself. The points suddenly shifted, collapsing from possibility into reality as in an instant, a body formed. Victoria paused, frowning slightly as she didn''t suddenly feel like she had another brain to use. Had it not worked?


    She froze as the body suddenly gasped awake, looking around with a panicked expression. ¡°What- Where- Who- Why-?!?¡± She stammered as she took everything in until she finally settled on Victoria and pointed an accusatory finger at her. ¡°Who are you!?! And why do you look like me?!?¡±


    Victoria blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ I am you? Do¡­ you not remember?¡±


    The copy frowned. ¡°Remember what?!?¡±


    ¡°We- I was trying to make a second body to help with cultivation?¡± Victoria provided tentatively.


    ¡°You- you''re a Cultivator!?!¡± The copy exclaimed, going pale.


    Victoria frowned. ¡°You don''t even remember that? How-¡± Victoria cut off, her eyes widening. ¡°You- are you¡­ Victoria?!?¡± She asked incredulously.


    ¡°Y-yes?¡± The copy replied hesitantly. ¡°Who else would I be?¡±


    ¡°You- right, obviously.¡± Victoria muttered. ¡°Do- Do you remember being Victoria before you drank the Potion of Awakening? Or after?¡±


    The copy froze. ¡°The Po- No, I- I-¡± She began to shiver as she remembered, the memory of wild, chaotic energy tearing her body apart flashing through her mind, and then¡­ ¡°I- died.¡± She curled in on herself with a horrified expression.


    Victoria grimaced. ¡°Yeah, that- doesn''t actually say much one way or the other. Again, before the potion or after?¡±


    The copy blinked at her. ¡°Be- Before?¡±


    Victoria nodded slowly, pretty much expecting the answer at this point. ¡°So¡­ you''re the original Victoria.¡±

 Points: 42 - Original (2)

    ¡°So you''re the real me? But you lost your memory of being me¡­ and then you remade me? Using a system?¡± OG Victoria summarized as she finished getting dressed.


    ¡°I wouldn''t necessarily qualify myself as the ¡®real¡¯ Victoria, but yeah, essentially.¡± Victoria nodded. ¡°I may have the original body, but you have the original mind and I''d say that''s more important than keeping the original fleshy bits.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ I don''t have the original mind?¡± OG Victoria pointed out. ¡°I''m a copy. That you made. With a system.¡±


    Victoria paused. ¡°Well when you put it that way¡­ ugh, cloning is a mindfuck, and does it really matter? We both exist now, as our own individual selves.¡±


    OG Victoria hesitated. ¡°But- how do we determine which one of us inherits the original¡¯s life? Who gets our room? Our possessions? Our- engagements?¡±


    ¡°Well, no offense, but I''ve kinda taken over the room, so I''m going to keep that. Most of your stuff is in storage anyway, so it doesn''t really make sense to move me out and you in when you could just move in somewhere else. I also don''t think there are any real possessions we need to divy up¡­ our interests seem to be pretty divergent. But if there''s anything you want, let me know and we can work something out. As for engagements¡­¡± Victoria grinned slightly. ¡°What engagements?¡±


    OG Victoria frowned. ¡°With- with the Duke? Did- has that not happened yet?¡±


    ¡°I''m afraid the Duke isn''t in a position to be engaged to anyone at the moment.¡± Victoria replied. ¡°You can rest assured that we are well and truly done with him.¡±


    OG Victoria''s eyes widened slightly. ¡°R-really? Then¡­ What about the- the Hidden Blades?¡±


    Victoria''s expression twisted. ¡°That- is a bit more complicated, but firmly a me issue, so you won''t have to worry about that either. Unless you want to, I suppose, but they definitely aren''t letting me go, so I guess we''d just be in it together.¡± She paused. ¡°Now that I think about it, with the way things are going, there really isn''t much point in not joining the Hidden Blades¡­ but again, it''s up to you. At the moment, you have no obligation to do anything. Hell, since no one but me even knows you exist yet, I could totally change your appearance and sneak you out of the castle. From there, you could do literally whatever you wanted. Though you wouldn''t have any money¡­ and honestly, I feel like our parents would really like to see you. Calvin too. AJ not so much, but we don''t have to worry about him anymore either.¡±


    OG Victoria sat on the bed, looking a bit overwhelmed. ¡°I- I want-¡± Tears began to fill her eyes. ¡°I want to see my mom.¡± She choked out with a sob.


    Victoria nodded, smiling slightly as she sent a message to Beatrice, asking her to let her parents know she needed to see them in her quarters, promising to explain what was going on later. ¡°We can do that.¡±


    *


    ¡°Mom!¡± OG Victoria cried, rushing into Melissa''s arms as she arrived.


    Melissa frowned. ¡°Victoria? What''s-¡± She froze as she caught sight of Victoria.


    ¡°Hey Mom.¡± Victoria waved.


    Albert groaned, quickly closing the door behind him before anyone could see inside. ¡°Victoria, why are there two of you?!?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wanted another brain to help me with core strengthening, cause I was having a hard time keeping my energy compressed while I cultivated, and then I thought it might be nice to just have two of me period, because why wouldn''t it be? So I decided to make another Victoria, and now¡­ here she is. Didn''t work out quite the way I thought it would.¡± Victoria explained.


    ¡°Of course it didn''t.¡± Albert sighed, rubbing his temple.


    Melissa looked between the two of them incredulously, absently rubbing OG Victoria''s back. ¡°Vict- Alb- How could you make another you?!?¡±


    ¡°I have access to a system from the other world which helps me with my cultivation and lets me do things like make clones of people.¡± Victoria replied. ¡°It led to some bad things back there, so I''ve been keeping it a secret, but with her here, there''s no real way to hide it anymore. Not from you at least.¡±


    Melissa blinked, then turned to Albert. ¡°Did you know about this?¡±


    Albert shifted awkwardly. ¡°I only learned about it recently, and I''ve had¡­ other concerns.¡±


    Melissa narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°We will be talking about this later.¡± She warned, before turning back to Victoria. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Victoria cocked her head. ¡°Me? Yeah, I''m fine. Why wouldn''t I be?¡±


    Melissa glanced down at OG Victoria. ¡°You''re¡­ clinging to me pretty tightly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, that''s not me.¡± Victoria shook her head, realizing the confusion. ¡°That''s Victoria. I mean the original Victoria¡­ one of us should change our name, huh? Go by Vicky¡­ or Tori? I could be a Tori.¡±


    Albert and Melissa froze. ¡°What- what do you mean by original?¡± Albert asked nervously.


    ¡°I mean she has all the memories from before the Potion of Awakening.¡± Victoria explained. ¡°You know, the ones I lost.¡±


    Melissa held OG Victoria tighter. ¡°She- She does?¡±


    Victoria smiled, a hint of sadness creeping through. ¡°Yeah. She''s your real daughter.¡±


    Melissa immediately scowled at her. ¡°You are our real daughter.¡± She paused, glancing down at OG Victoria. ¡°You both are.¡±


    ¡°How- how is this even possible?¡± Albert asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I- don''t know.¡± Victoria admitted, frowning slightly. ¡°I think¡­ maybe when the system- connected to me, it copied my old self?¡±


    ¡°Then why didn''t it let you keep those memories? Why replace them?¡± Albert grimaced.


    ¡°Because my old self didn''t know about the system? If I didn''t know what had gone wrong before, then it''s possible I would have made the same mistakes here as what happened back there?¡± Victoria answered tentatively, wondering if that was what had actually happened. She didn''t remember actually deciding to become Victoria¡­ the points had just kind of done it. Then again, she was the points¡­ She felt her sense of identity go fuzzy for a moment, before quickly shaking it off. No matter how it''d come to be, she was who she was, and there wasn''t much point in questioning it. ¡°I honestly don''t know one way or the other, but that''s my best guess.¡± Victoria sighed. ¡°But you know how screwy the system can be mentally.¡±


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    Albert''s expression twisted. ¡°Right.¡±


    Melissa rolled her eyes at the two of them, mentally chiding them both for always focusing on the wrong things as she pulled away from OG Victoria to get a good look at her. ¡°How are you feeling about all this?¡± She asked softly.


    OG Victoria sniffed. ¡°I''m just- lost. I- I remember being so desperate, and then- then I died and now¡­¡± She trailed off, glancing back at Victoria with a slightly nervous expression.


    ¡°It''s okay, be honest.¡± Melissa assured her. ¡°She isn''t going to hate you for simply expressing how you feel. Isn''t that right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, vent away.¡± Victoria confirmed, giving her a thumbs up. ¡°I mean, I feel like an imposter most of the time, so I get if that''s how you think of me too. Kinda hard not to, given the situation.¡±


    OG Victoria bit her lip. ¡°If- If you''re an imposter, then what does that make me? You''re confident, calm, collected, and I''m- I''m a mess! You''re a better me than I''ll ever be!¡±


    Victoria blinked. ¡°I- what? That''s-¡±


    ¡°Completely ridiculous!¡± Melissa snapped. ¡°The only person who can be a better you is you! Vic- She is just different. She has her own issues, just like we all do.¡±


    Victoria nodded. ¡°Right. I''m not calm and collected, I''m cold and distant. It''s hard for me to get close to people. Well, no, it isn''t hard, it''s just- Hm, well, I don''t really click with most people? Like there''s this barrier that makes interacting¡­ difficult, even when we''re both trying, and I have no idea how to get through it.¡±


    Melissa frowned. ¡°You aren''t cold and distant, you simply express warmth and closeness differently. Which, yes, does make interacting with you more challenging sometimes.¡±


    Victoria shrugged. ¡°However you want to put it, the facts are I don''t get all huggy and crap and I''m not that big into sharing. Which sure, has its advantages, but it''s pretty shitty for developing close relationships.¡±


    Melissa gave her look, trying to decide whether she wanted to press the issue, before deciding it wasn''t important at the moment. Though she''d definitely be talking with Victoria later. She refocused on OG Victoria. ¡°My point is that you can''t think of Vic- her as a better you, because she isn''t you. The loss of her memories and the challenges she faced in the process changed her in ways that you will never know, because you didn''t experience it. How can you compare yourself to someone you''ve never been, and never will be?¡±


    OG Victoria hesitated for a moment, before nodding tentatively. ¡°I- I''ll try.¡±


    Melissa smiled. ¡°That''s all I ask. Now, what are we going to do about your names? We can''t call both of you Victoria, no matter how much I wish we could.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Tori.¡± Victoria, now Tori, commented. ¡°I kinda like the name, and it''ll help you distinguish between the two of us.¡±


    ¡°I- I think I should be Vicky then?¡± OG Victoria offered. ¡°It- doesn''t seem fair for only one of us to have to change our name.¡±


    Tori raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Does it need to be fair? Whether you''re Vicky or Victoria, it doesn''t change the fact that I''m Tori now.¡±


    ¡°No, but- it- it just feels right for me to be Vicky now.¡± Vicky explained. ¡°I just- I don''t feel like Victoria anymore.¡±


    Tori gave her a weird look, then shrugged. ¡°If you say so.¡± She then turned to Melissa and Albert. ¡°Does that work for you guys?¡±


    Melissa nodded. ¡°I''m happy to call you by whatever name you wish.¡±


    Albert sighed. ¡°The names are fine. The problem is how are we supposed to explain how our daughter suddenly became a pair of twins without letting the entire nation know about the system?!?¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°That''s a good question¡­ hide one of us? I can change my appearance. Or hers¡­ Actually, I''ve been meaning to start hunting, so I wouldn''t mind spending some time in town as a Hunter. I could actually make some progress on some of those projects I keep ignoring.¡±


    Albert shook his head. ¡°The Hidden Blades aren''t going to let you slip away like that, and I doubt Horace is going to appreciate it if Vicky shows up to your lessons.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the Hidden Blades and I can come back for my lessons with Horace. Vicky will just need to stick to her room during that time.¡±


    ¡°Why are we dealing with the Hidden Blades?!?¡± Melissa hissed.


    Albert froze. ¡°I- I will explain later. It''s- complicated.¡±


    Melissa narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°We are going to be discussing many things later.¡±


    Albert grimaced slightly as he turned back to Tori. ¡°I don''t like the idea of you living outside the castle, particularly if you''re acting as a Hunter. A Hunter''s life is dangerous, and not only because of the beasts they face. I also don''t think it''s wise for Vicky to take your place. The servants and guards have grown used to your eccentricities, and if they suddenly change, people will grow suspicious. Not to mention those who might notice when your cultivation goes from the peak of Energy Gathering to zero. No, the wisest course of action is to have you remain and disguise Vicky in some way.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but the problem there is that Vicky wants to be treated like your daughter.¡± Tori pointed out. ¡°You can''t do that if she''s disguised as a servant or something. On the other hand, my emotional needs can be met with a good chat every now and then. Very low maintenance. As for my eccentricities, we can just tell everyone I got my memories back, which is halfway true anyway. I have no idea what to do about the cultivation though¡­ Maybe the Hidden Blades can help? And if not, all we need to do is get her Spirit and Essence Runes so she can form her cores and then we can pump her cultivation up to match mine. If we can get her Runes that match mine, that''d be best, but probably not likely. Unless¡­¡± Tori trailed off as a crazy idea occurred to her. ¡°Can I give people Runes using the system?¡± Almost faster than she could think it, a Runes page formed, listing all the Runes she had, plus all the Runes everyone with the system had, which told her she could gain an Initial Rune for the low, low price of fifty points¡­ and she could Assimilate it for five hundred. She glanced at Albert. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to have a few extra cores lying around, would you? If I get three thousand points, we can make her cultivation match mine in about a week.¡±


    Albert just stared at her. ¡°You- you can take a non-cultivator to the peak of Energy Gathering with two cores in a week!?!¡±


    ¡°With three thousand points, yes, probably.¡± Tori nodded. ¡°But she''d need to spend literally that entire time cultivating to form her cores. No sleeping, no eating, no nothing until those cores are formed, subsisting entirely on points. So, you know, if you don''t want to do that we could still do it in two. I can give her the Runes and energy, but I can''t build a core for her.¡± She paused. ¡°Actually¡­¡±


    Albert shuddered. ¡°Stop! Please, just- this is- if- if anyone found out about this- No, I don''t care if the entire region learns of the system, no one can know you can do that! Vicky can cultivate on her own, you- you can go be a Hunter, and we- we will handle whatever happens. Just- never ever use that ability, do you understand? Not unless you can be absolutely sure no one will ever find out!¡± He insisted, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking her dead in the eyes.


    Tori gave him a weird look, glancing at Melissa and Vicky who were both staring at her in wide-eyed horror. ¡°But- oh, wait, shit, I get it.¡± Tori muttered, finally processing what her now ability meant. She literally had the power to create tri-cores! It wasn''t even expensive! Just slap an Awakening on some schmuck, up their Capacity a bit, and give them an Initial Rune for each type! Two hundred points, max! The only thing holding them back would be their own personal talent, which could be supplemented with even more points!


    Albert let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Good. Good. Now, let''s figure out how we''re going to make you a Hunter.¡±

 Points: 43 - Original (3)

    ¡°So let me get this straight.¡± Tiffany began after Albert and Tori explained the situation to her. Melissa and Vicky had stayed back to talk and to avoid the issue of trying to sneak two Victoria''s through the castle. ¡°You want me to let a fucking tri-core go play Hunter, because she cloned herself?¡± Tiffany shook her head. ¡°Just fucking kill the clone and make it again in a few months! Problem solved!¡±


    Albert gritted his teeth. ¡°We are not killing my daughter, even if we can bring her back!¡±


    Tiffany rolled her eyes. ¡°She''s not your daughter, she''s a clone of your daughter.¡±


    ¡°A clone of my daughter is still my daughter!¡± Albert growled. ¡°I will not throw her life away just to make mine more convenient!¡±


    ¡°Tiffany, drop it.¡± Tori warned. ¡°We are not killing Vicky.¡±


    Tiffany clicked her tongue. ¡°Freaking idealistic- fine. But there''s no way we''re letting you go out there alone!¡±


    Tori shrugged. ¡°I figured, which is why we''re talking. You want to put a team of Hidden Blades around me?¡±


    Tiffany grimaced slightly. ¡°I wish. No, I''m going to have to watch you myself. Hm¡­ we could be a pair of rogue Cultivators, master and apprentice, here to train ourselves in these ¡®bountiful¡¯ hunting grounds. Being dual cores will make us stand out more than I would like, but without your Qi core there''s not much we can do about that.¡±


    ¡°I can use points to conceal my cores.¡± Tori offered.


    Tiffany blinked, then sighed, clearly not excited about any of this. ¡°Of course you can. Fine, then we will be a pair of Spirit Cultivators.¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°You know¡­ Ursa is a Hunter, on paper at least. We could probably find an excuse to team up with him?¡±


    Tiffany immediately perked up. ¡°Yes! We could form a team with him! Though¡­ Hm, it might be better to be dual-cores then, to match.¡±


    Albert shook his head. ¡°If you''re dual-cores, my people will have to approach you.¡±


    Tori cocked her head. ¡°Is that a bad thing? As long as no one suspects who I am, it''d be good to have an excuse to be seen in and around the castle.¡±


    Albert frowned. ¡°I believe a connection with Ursa would be enough to provide that excuse. Two dual-cores arriving unannounced would create more questions than we would like, such as where you came from and why you would come here.¡±


    Tiffany nodded. ¡°Right, I forgot we were in Farova. It''s fine, we will do just as well as Spirit Cultivators. I will need some time to craft disguises-¡± She paused, glancing at Tori. ¡°You''re just going to alter our appearances with your system, aren''t you?¡±


    ¡°I don''t see any reason not to.¡± Tori shrugged.


    ¡°Then all we need to do is prepare some supplies and sneak out of town.¡± Tiffany muttered.


    Albert coughed. ¡°I''m less worried about Tori, and more worried about how we''re going to keep people from realizing Vicky isn''t Tori. We can explain her change in behavior by explaining that she regained her memories, but we can''t explain the sudden loss of cultivation.¡±


    Tiffany waved dismissively. ¡°I will place one of my people beside her. As long as they remain close, they can use their cultivation to mask hers. We''ll just replace the maid.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°Then what are we going to do with Beatrice?¡±


    Tiffany gave her a weird look. ¡°Who cares?¡±


    Tori scowled. ¡°I do. Beatrice is my maid and I''d like to keep it that way. I don''t want her to be given some shit job just because I have to leave for a while.¡±


    Tiffany raised an eyebrow. ¡°If you''re that attached to her, why not bring her with us?¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°Is- that an option?¡±


    Tiffany snorted. ¡°Why wouldn''t it be? Do you think Cultivators can''t have servants or something?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­ secrecy?¡± Tori replied vaguely. Not that she was worried about Beatrice saying anything, but she wasn''t sure why Tiffany would be okay with her joining them.


    Tiffany rolled her eyes. ¡°Who is she going to tell, and who would believe her if she did? No one is going to listen to a random servant girl. No one important, at least.¡±


    Tori frowned, not exactly happy about the explanation, but not about to argue either, particularly since she''d love to bring Beatrice along. ¡°Okay then. Is there anything I need to prepare besides our appearances?¡±


    ¡°No. But-¡± Tiffany raised a warning finger. ¡°-if you make me ugly, I will make your life hell.¡±


    *


    Tiffany told Tori to meet her in her training yard after dark before leaving to get everything ready. Tori then returned to her room to wait, finding Beatrice quietly attending to Vicky and Melissa as they talked, a slight frown on her face as she surreptitiously studied Vicky. ¡°Ah, Tori, you''re back.¡± Melissa greeted her as she arrived, Beatrice freezing, her eyes widening as she looked between her and Vicky. ¡°Is everything in place?¡±


    Tori nodded, glancing at Beatrice apologetically. ¡°I''ll be leaving tonight and a Hidden Blade will be accompanying Vicky to hide the fact that she doesn''t have any cultivation.¡±


    Melissa grimaced slightly. ¡°I see. How deeply have the Hidden Blades entrenched themselves in our domain if they have a Cultivator in position to accompany Vicky within hours of learning of the situation?¡±


    Tori hesitated. ¡°Well¡­ Let''s just say it''s at the level where we either work with them, or we die.¡±


    Melissa froze for a moment. ¡°I see.¡± She stood. ¡°I believe it is time I had a rather frank discussion with my husband.¡± She stated in a tone that seemed calm, but carried an edge that had Tori wishing Albert luck in his next life. ¡°Stay safe. Both of you.¡± Melissa added as she left.


    Vicky gulped. ¡°I think Dad is in trouble.¡±


    Tori nodded. ¡°Big trouble. This is why you don''t keep secrets in a relationship. It never ends well.¡± She glanced at Beatrice, then at Vicky, not sure how to talk to Beatrice without letting Vicky know there was something going on between the two of them. She paused. Did she need to hide her relationship with Beatrice from Vicky? If anyone would understand, it would be her, right? ¡°So Vicky- uh, Beatrice- shit, I don''t know where to start¡­¡±


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    Vicky frowned, glancing at Beatrice. ¡°I- think we can just tell her? Beatrice is like family, I''d trust her with anything.¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°That- isn''t exactly the issue. Beatrice already knows about the system, and-¡± She glanced at Beatrice, who was now staring at her, eyebrow raised. ¡°Did- you already figured it out, didn''t you?¡±


    An amused twitch tugged at Beatrice''s lips. ¡°I- think I''ve put together the pieces, yes.¡±


    Vicky blinked. ¡°Then¡­ What is the issue?¡±


    Tori coughed awkwardly. ¡°It''s- Well¡­ Beatrice is sort of- my girlfriend?¡±


    Vicky looked confused. ¡°The issue is that you and Beatrice are friends?¡±


    ¡°Victoria, are you sure?¡± Beatrice asked hesitantly, glancing at Vicky.


    Tori shook her head, her confidence growing. ¡°No, but if we can''t tell her then who can we tell? We can''t keep this a secret forever. Why not start here?¡± Beatrice looked stunned for a moment before a warm smile spread across her face.


    ¡°Tori, I don''t- What are you two talking about?¡± Vicky looked between the two, growing even more confused.


    ¡°Beatrice and I are together. Dating. Courting. Whatever you want to call it.¡± Tori explained.


    Vicky froze, her eyes widening. ¡°You- you''re both- but- how?¡±


    ¡°That- is a bit complicated.¡± Tori replied hesitantly, glancing at Beatrice. ¡°And not really my story to tell.¡±


    Beatrice''s expression twisted. ¡°It''s- fine. I don''t mind if she knows. AJ caught me peeking at Victoria- Tori? It was after you took the potion. After, he forced me to- do things for him, threatening to tell the Marquis if I didn''t. He used me to- to-¡± She cut off, curling in on herself.


    Tori quickly moved to her side, putting an arm around her. ¡°It''s okay, you don''t have to say it.¡± She assured her, Beatrice letting out a shuddering sob as she latched onto Tori, squeezing her tight. Tori glanced at Vicky. ¡°Basically AJ did bad things, I found out, dealt with it, and learned about Beatrice. From there we got to know each other and things just sort of happened.¡±


    Vicky''s expression twisted as various different emotions conflicted within her. A part of her was happy for the two of them, another envious, a third frustrated that she never learned of Beatrice''s orientation, and the last wondered if she would ever find someone, despairing at her lack of options. She took a deep breath. ¡°I''m- happy for the two of you.¡± She finally replied, forcing a smile.


    Tori smiled back. ¡°Sorry, I know this has to be awkward for you. But I need to talk to Beatrice about how we''re going to handle things, and it was going to get pretty obvious we were together.¡±


    Beatrice sniffed. ¡°We could have talked through the system.¡±


    Tori froze. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Beatrice couldn''t help but laugh as she pulled away, wiping her eyes. ¡°Alright, what did you need to talk about?¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°In order to keep people from getting ideas due to the fact that there are two of us now, I''m going to be hiding in town and acting as a Hunter. We''re also replacing you with a Hidden Blade to hide the fact that Vicky doesn''t have any cultivation. I know you have your brother to think about, but I don''t know where they''d put you after they replace you, and I don''t want you to end up in some shitty job, so¡­ if you want, you could come with me. And- I would like it if you came with me. I''m not sure how well I''d handle spending that much time away from you¡­¡±


    Beatrice frowned as she considered the offer, before letting out a breath. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. Of course I''ll go with you. But¡­ I need to talk to my brother before we go, and- I- I''d like to give him the system.¡±


    Tori hesitated. ¡°Do you think he can keep it a secret? You know kids like to brag¡­¡±


    Beatrice''s expression twisted. ¡°I''m not sure, but I need to be able to talk to him, to know he''s safe. Especially with everything going on right now¡­¡±


    Tori nodded. ¡°I understand, you''re right. Just- make sure he knows, okay?¡±


    Beatrice smiled. ¡°Thank you. I''ll be back as quick as I can.¡±


    Tori shook her head. ¡°No, take your time. Just make sure to be at my training yard by dark.¡±


    Beatrice''s smile widened. ¡°I will, thank you.¡± She gave Tori a quick kiss before leaving to find her brother.


    Vicky sighed. ¡°I kind of hate you right now.¡±


    Tori grinned. ¡°I get that. I''m a lucky, lucky girl.¡±


    *


    Beatrice, Tiffany, and Tori met up in Victoria''s practice yard before sneaking out of the castle and making their way to a Hidden Blades safe house on the outskirts of town. There they adjusted their appearances until they were sufficiently unrecognizable by Tiffany''s standards and put together their new identities. As they discussed, Tiffany and Tori would be master and apprentice, while Beatrice would be their servant. What surprised Tori was that they weren''t changing their names. According to Tiffany, their names were common enough that they''d attract more attention fumbling with new ones than they would simply keeping their names as they were. What Tiffany did insist on was getting down the bare facts of backstory, such as the fact that Tori had been her apprentice for six months now, and Beatrice had been Tiffany''s servant for two years. Tiffany spent hours drilling them on where their previous hunting ground was, how they''d met, the strongest Rune Beast they''d faced, their previous team, and so on, all the facts that would come up in casual conversation, until she was satisfied they had it down.


    The next day Tiffany led them into town, heading straight to the Hunters Guild. ¡°I need to register a sixth stage Core Strengthening Spirit Cultivator and a peak Energy Gathering Spirit Cultivator.¡± She announced as they reached the attendant. ¡°I would also like to rent accommodations for two plus a servant for four months.¡±


    The attendant nodded. ¡°Residence or rooms?¡±


    ¡°Residence.¡± Tiffany replied. ¡°As close as possible to the guild, the price is irrelevant.¡±


    The attendant brought out a binder, quickly flipping through it before pulling out a key with an attached tag, placing it on the counter. ¡°Two main bedrooms with attached servant quarters, a fully functional bath, daily chamberpot service, weekly laundry service, and a private training yard. The price is sixty silver per month, but for four months we will discount the total to two gold. Is that acceptable?¡±


    Tiffany smiled. ¡°Perfectly.¡± She materialized two gold out of seemingly nowhere and placed them on the counter before taking the key.


    ¡°For your registration, would you like to wait for the next available evaluator, or would you prefer to schedule an appointment?¡± The attendant continued as he swept away the gold.


    ¡°We will wait for the next available.¡± Tiffany replied, turning to hand the key to Beatrice. ¡°Beatrice, take our bags to the residence.¡± She paused, glancing at the attendant. ¡°I assume I don''t need to worry for my servant¡¯s safety in this, yes?¡±


    ¡°No, ma''am. Your servant will be perfectly safe.¡± The attendant assured her.


    ¡°Excellent.¡± Tiffany grinned, before flipping a silver coin to the attendant. ¡°For your service.¡± She added with a wink, before sashaying to the nearby lounge to wait, Tori following while Beatrice left for their new residence with their bags.


    ¡°So, what does this examination look like?¡± Tori asked as they sat down.


    Tiffany waved dismissively. ¡°It''s a simple evaluation to make sure you have the cultivation you claim to have. Of course, this will only qualify you for basic bounties, but you need to have a track record before you can be promoted. Not that we''re pursuing such things. Promotion is for those who wish to tie themselves to the Hunters Guild, which we do not.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Tori grunted. ¡°I would have thought the process would be more involved. Shouldn''t they at least test us to make sure we''re capable of being Hunters?¡±


    Tiffany raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°Now why in the world would they do that? Whether or not you can handle the dangers you may face in the wilderness is on you and you alone. The guild isn''t your babysitter.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°Then why register us at all? Why not just let anyone take any bounty they want?¡±


    Tiffany shrugged. ¡°To keep track of all, or at least most, of the Cultivators in the area. Part of the guild¡¯s writ requires them to inform the local lord of their membership.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ it''s like a census for Cultivators?¡± Tori muttered.


    ¡°Essentially.¡± Tiffany agreed.


    ¡°And the Cultivators just go along with that?¡± Tori asked skeptically.


    ¡°If they want to benefit from the guild''s services, they do.¡± Tiffany grinned. ¡°Our residence, discounts with various vendors, guaranteed prices for any parts we return with, and the bounties themselves are more than worth letting the guild record our cultivation.¡±


    Tori nodded, unable to disagree on that point. The benefits the guild provided were definitely worth letting them take a peek at her cultivation. ¡°Then why limit bounties to those with a certain level of cultivation?¡±


    ¡°To encourage regular reporting.¡± Tiffany replied simply. ¡°If a better cultivation grants you access to better bounties, you are incentivized to keep your cultivation up to date, rather than simply registering once and never again.¡±


    Tori cocked her head. ¡°But if you''re on a team, don''t you only need one person registered? How does the guild handle that?¡±


    ¡°The number of Hunters and their cultivation level affect the quality of your bounties as well.¡± Tiffany rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you need me to explain the entire guild system to you?¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°I mean¡­ Are you doing anything else while we wait?¡±


    Tiffany scowled at her. ¡°How about you go check out the available bounties?¡±


    Tori considered it for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°Sure. Should I be looking for anything in particular?¡±


    ¡°Look for the regions the bounties are located in.¡± Tiffany replied. ¡°Find one with a decent amount of targets at a suitable level to head to. Then check what resources are in demand so we know what to harvest while we''re out there.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°Can we take multiple bounties at once?¡±


    Tiffany grinned. ¡°No, but there''s no harm in heading to a particular region and seeing if we get lucky, now is there?¡±

 Points: 44 - Confusing issues

    Tori wandered over to the bounty board, looking through what was available, focusing on the bounties for first and second stage Core Strengthening Hunters. She could get away with heading to a more difficult region with Tiffany''s help, but a part of her wanted to be able to fight herself. She''d spent the entirety of her time in this world developing her Runes and growing her cultivation, while spending almost zero time developing her ability to actually use her Runes and cultivation. Even her spars with Albert focused on developing her skill with blades, which obviously helped with combat, but it did nothing to strengthen her Rune skills. The only thing her cultivation did for her at this point was make her stronger, and that had to change.


    Tori quickly found a decent looking region that seemed to have a good spread of first and second stage beasts and was going over the materials people were looking for when Tiffany called her over, the evaluator finally ready to see them. Tori made sure her Essence core was properly cloaked as she joined them, the evaluator glancing at her as she walked over, frowning slightly. ¡°What- I thought you said she was at the peak of Energy Gathering. Why does she look like she''s in the middle of the first stage of Core Strengthening?¡±


    Tiffany nodded. ¡°She is at the peak of Energy Gathering. She simply has an abnormally large core.¡±


    The examiner eyed Tori skeptically. ¡°Is that so¡­¡±


    ¡°I mean, I wouldn''t complain if you wanted to put me down as a first stage Core Strengthening Cultivator.¡± Tori commented.


    Tiffany rolled her eyes. ¡°Look, put her down as whatever you want, alright? That''s your job, isn''t it?¡±


    The examiner coughed. ¡°Yes, of course.¡± He pulled out a small token. ¡°Hand please?¡± Tori gave him her hand and he pressed the token into her palm, doing¡­ something with his Qi before releasing her hand, leaving the token in it as he pulled out a second and gesturing for Tiffany''s hand, performing the same process with her.


    Tori briefly examined the token, a simple ¡®SCS1¡¯ written on it. ¡°What did he do?¡± She asked, glancing at Tiffany as the examiner left.


    ¡°He infused the token with our energy signatures, along with his own. It verifies that not only is the token ours, but it was issued by this branch.¡± Tiffany explained. ¡°It prevents counterfeiting and keeps people from simply using tokens from other branches.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°They put a lot of work into keeping track of us, don''t they?¡±


    ¡°Of course. We''re Cultivators.¡± Tiffany replied, as if that explained everything. Which¡­ It kinda did. Cultivators were basically living weapons. Even someone in the Energy Gathering realm could face a trained soldier easily. By the time they reached Core Strengthening, they could handle entire squads on their own! To not do everything you could to keep track of them would be idiotic to the point of negligence. ¡°Now, where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Dolvost Foothills.¡± Tori answered. ¡°It''s about half a day away and seems to have a decent amount of first and second stage Core Strengthening Rune Beasts.¡±


    ¡°And the resources?¡± Tiffany asked.


    ¡°I was just looking at them when you called me over.¡± Tori explained.


    Tiffany nodded. ¡°Alright, finish with that and then head to the residence. I''ll go buy some provisions and equipment, then we''ll leave in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Will do.¡± Tori agreed. It didn''t take much longer to make a list of resources to focus on and she made her way to the residence, though she had to message Beatrice to figure out where it was. Tiffany seemed to have forgotten that she never saw the tag with the address on it. The residence itself was two stories with the bedrooms upstairs and a dining/sitting area downstairs, where Beatrice was waiting when Tori arrived.


    ¡°We need to talk.¡± Beatrice began in a serious tone.


    Tori froze. ¡°Is- Is something wrong? Did something happen with your brother?¡±


    Beatrice shook her head. ¡°No, this isn''t about me, it''s about you.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°Vic- Tory¡­ I know you want to bring back Jessica.¡±


    Tori flinched. ¡°How-¡±


    ¡°I received a task.¡± Beatrice smiled sadly. ¡°Is- is it possible?¡±


    Tori nodded hesitantly. ¡°I- think so. If the system can bring back Vicky-¡± Tori snorted. ¡°Jessica would say that the fact that you even have the task is proof that it''s possible. I probably have the task myself¡­ I- haven''t been checking. If I saw it- I don''t think I could stop myself.¡±


    ¡°Then don''t.¡± Beatrice replied, taking her hand. ¡°If this is what you want, then I support you, no matter what happens.¡±


    Tori blinked. ¡°Beatrice¡­ no, look, no matter what, I''m with you now, okay? That is never going to change. I just-¡± She grimaced, not even sure what she felt at the moment. Why did the system have to do this to her?!? She was happy with Beatrice! But- she really wanted to bring Jessica back. And if she brought her back¡­ She wasn''t leaving Beatrice, but- she didn''t think she could ignore Jessica either. ¡°This sucks.¡± Tori sighed. ¡°I don''t- why did I have to fall in love with both of you?!?¡±


    ¡°You- both of us?¡± Beatrice asked tentatively. ¡°You- love me?¡±


    Tori froze for a moment, before a slow smile spread across her face and she gave Beatrice''s hand a squeeze. ¡°Yeah¡­ I think I do.¡±


    Beatrice flushed. ¡°I- I love you too. And because I love you¡­ I think you need to bring Jessica back.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± Tori began.


    ¡°I know.¡± Beatrice cut her off. ¡°I don''t know how it will affect our relationship, and¡­ it does scare me a little. But bringing her back is the right thing to do. You should bring back everyone who died! It''s just- it''s the right thing to do.¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°But that''s the thing. I''m not sure I am bringing them back. The people made by the system would still essentially be the same people, but- would they really be them? Or would they just be copies?¡±


    Beatrice frowned. ¡°What''s the difference?¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°It''s- okay, if I used the system to make another you, would you say they''re the same person or a copy?¡±


    ¡°A copy?¡± Beatrice replied hesitantly. ¡°But that''s because I''m still here. If I was dead, then it''d be totally different!¡±


    Tori cocked her head. ¡°Would it? Would the copy be any more you just because you died first?¡±


    Beatrice paused. ¡°Then- why do you want to bring Jessica back if you think she''d only be a copy?¡±


    ¡°Because she''d at least feel like Jessica. And- I miss her. I miss a lot of people. But- they wouldn''t be them. Maybe. I don''t know, this crap is confusing.¡± Tori groaned. ¡°In any case, now would be a terrible time to bring anyone back. We''re about to start a war! And even without that, where would they live? What would they do? How would they survive? I''m not even in a position where I can be the person they know me as! It''s just- It''s a bad idea.¡±


    Beatrice eyed her skeptically. ¡°I guess¡­ though I''m still not convinced they wouldn''t be the same person. Vicky doesn''t seem to be any different than the original Victoria.¡±


    Tori shook her head. ¡°She wouldn''t. She has the same memories, the same personality, the same everything, it''s just- that doesn''t make them the same. It just makes them really, really similar.¡±


    Beatrice frowned. ¡°So¡­ why do you treat her like the original Victoria? Why do you insist that your parents are her parents?¡±


    ¡°Because they are?¡± Tori replied hesitantly. ¡°Vicky is still their daughter, she''s just not the same daughter they had before. I could make a dozen Victoria''s and they''d all be their daughter, but none of them would be the same Victoria, right?¡±


    ¡°I- guess?¡± Beatrice agreed tentatively. ¡°Okay, this is confusing.¡±


    Tori let out an amused huff. ¡°Yeah, but it''s a confusing problem for later. Because again, now would be a terrible time to do anything.¡±


    Beatrice nodded. ¡°Right¡­ I just- I don''t want you to not bring anyone back because of me, okay? If it''s the right thing to do, then- you should do it, no matter what the consequences are for us.¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°I- I can''t avoid doing the right thing just because I''m scared of what I might lose. Not- not again.¡±


    ¡°Beatrice¡­¡± Tori sighed, wrapping her arms around her. ¡°This is nothing like that, okay? If I can truly bring everyone back, I will, I just- I don''t think that''s how it works. And even if it does¡­ I''m never giving up on you, okay? I love you.¡±


    Beatrice smiled. ¡°I love you too.¡±


    *


    Tiffany returned about an hour later and the three of them got lunch at a nearby tavern before spending the rest of the day settling into their new residence. In the morning, Tiffany and Tori put together their gear and began their trek to the Dolvost Foothills, leaving Beatrice at the residence, much to Tori''s disappointment. Though, admittedly, it did seem like a bad idea to take a non-cultivator into a region with Core Strengthening Rune Beasts. Still, she was going to miss her.


    ¡°Now, what is it we''re actually going to be doing out here?¡± Tiffany asked once they''d left town. ¡°Because we sure as shit aren''t out here for the money.¡±


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    Tori cocked her head, considering her goals. ¡°I need some actual combat experience for one, though I probably need to train with my energy abilities a bit more first. I also need energy cores to increase my points. There are also some system experiments I should do¡­¡± She''d had this whole plan which involved dissecting Rune Beast''s abilities and figuring out how to put them into the system, but after everything with the Hidden Blades it''d been pushed to the back of her mind. But now that she was thinking about it, creating methods for people to defend themselves that had nothing to do with cultivation might be exactly what she was looking for. Or it could completely backfire and get the world destroyed again¡­ Tori shook her head. It''d at least be good to have the option, right?


    Tiffany raised an eyebrow. ¡°You want to do system experiments out here?¡±


    ¡°Where else would I do them?¡± Tori retorted. ¡°I need test subjects and I can''t exactly use people. Plus, Rune Beasts are supposed to have some interesting abilities which I might be able to use with the system.¡±


    Tiffany paused. ¡°That- is an interesting idea.¡± She muttered, giving Tori an evaluating look. ¡°Is that how you learned to conceal your cultivation? By studying the Hidden Blades with the system?¡±


    Tori blinked. ¡°I- no, actually. I- can sense energy, so I just saw what you were doing and copied it. It wasn''t really that hard to do.¡±


    Tiffany frowned. ¡°It- wasn''t?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Tori replied hesitantly. ¡°You just have to surround your core with Qi, right?¡±


    ¡°No, you have to surround your core with concealment Qi.¡± Tiffany corrected. ¡°Which you shouldn''t have.¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°Is that an intent?¡±


    Tiffany raised an eyebrow. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Okay, well, I''m pretty good with intents, so¡­ I don''t know, I guess I just got it?¡± Tori shrugged. ¡°It only took me a minute to figure out how to do the iron skin thing too.¡±


    Tiffany froze. ¡°What iron skin thing?¡±


    ¡°This.¡± Tori demonstrated, raising a fist and turning it metallic.


    ¡°You- when did you learn to do that?!?¡± Tiffany exclaimed.


    Tori cocked her head. ¡°Two days ago? Horace taught me in exchange for telling him about the other world.¡±


    Tiffany narrowed her eyes. ¡°Did he teach you anything else?¡±


    ¡°A bit. Mostly body strengthening techniques. He probably would have taught me more, but he kept pushing me to learn Qi skills, so I ended up walking out on him.¡± Tori explained.


    ¡°He was pushing you to learn Qi skills?¡± Tiffany asked skeptically.


    Tori sighed. ¡°Apparently I''m ¡®too talented¡¯ to be limited to the Circulatory realm, but honestly I think it''s just because he has a major crush on me. He even tried to convince me to go back to Avinter with him. Dude''s obsessed and just will not take the hint that I''m not interested.¡±


    Tiffany frowned. ¡°Let me get this straight. You have a Unification realm Cultivator begging to help you, and you''re ignoring him?¡± She gave Tori an almost pitying look. ¡°Are you an idiot?¡±


    Tori blinked. ¡°I- what?¡±


    Tiffany shook her head. ¡°Do you know how many people would literally kill for a chance to be personally tutored by someone in the Unification realm?¡±


    ¡°A lot, but-¡± Tori began.


    ¡°But what!?!¡± Tiffany cut her off. ¡°He''s insisting on teaching you more? Even if you don''t want to reveal your Qi Rune, do you honestly think there''s nothing you can learn from him?!?¡±


    Tori scowled. ¡°It isn''t about that! If he''d told me he was willing to teach me Qi skills, that''d be one thing, but instead he tried to force the issue! I''m not going to be pushed around just because he''s stronger than me!¡±


    Tiffany snorted. ¡°Who cares if he pushes you around?!? That''s what the powerful do! The fact that he''s even giving you a choice instead of taking you wherever he damn well pleases is a gift! Do you really think anyone in Farova could stop him?!?¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°So what, I should just go along with whatever he wants?¡±


    ¡°Yes! Especially if it benefits you!¡± Tiffany exclaimed.


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°And what if he did end up taking me to Avinter? What would you think then? What would Jocelyn think?¡±


    Tiffany waved dismissively. ¡°It would be disappointing to lose a tri-core, but if a Unification realm Cultivator wants to take you, there isn''t much we can do about it. We understand that power comes with certain benefits. Besides, our primary concern is access to the system, and your primary concern is the safety of your family and people, neither of which would be affected by this.¡±


    Tori stared at her for a moment, before letting out a short huff. ¡°Well I''m still not going to let him push me around. And even if I can''t stop him, I''m not going to pretend to be happy about it.¡±


    Tiffany''s expression darkened. ¡°Then you''re going to spend a lot of time unhappy, because while this Unification realm may be content to respect your wishes, there are many who will not, and you are a very, very pretty young woman.¡±


    Tori shot her a concerned look, noticing a more¡­ personal note in Tiffany''s reply. ¡°Has- have you ever-¡±


    A bitter chuckle escaped Tiffany''s lips. ¡°I have received many benefits over the years. None of them were free.¡± Tori''s expression twisted, not even sure what to say to something like that. ¡°Of course,¡± Tiffany continued, ¡°as a tri-core you have power of your own, even if only due to your potential, and even more there''s your system to account for.¡± She shot her a twisted grin. ¡°Who knows, maybe soon I''ll be getting benefits from you.¡±


    Tori shuddered slightly. ¡°That is not happening.¡±


    ¡°Oh come now, we both know where your inclinations lie. I''m sure I could make you very~ happy.¡± Tiffany purred, leaning in to whisper breathily in her ear. ¡°We Cultivators can pleasure each other in ways that little maid of your could never even dream of~¡±


    Tori froze. ¡°How- why do you think- I- I''m not-¡±


    Tiffany rolled eyes. ¡°Please, I''m a spy trained by the Hidden Blades, and it isn''t that difficult to notice that you have a tendency to enter your quarters in a bad mood and leave your quarters in a good mood, which your maid seems to share. And trust me, I''m well acquainted with that type of good mood.¡±


    Tori flushed. ¡°Even- even if that is true-¡± Tiffany snorted. ¡°-that doesn''t mean I''m going to take advantage of you! Especially since it''s equally obvious that you love Ursa!¡±


    Tiffany frowned. ¡°What does me loving Pookie have to do with anything?¡±


    Tori blinked. ¡°It- means you should be with him? Not coming after me?¡±


    Tiffany stared at her for a moment, then flicked Tori in the forehead. ¡°That''s disgusting, he''s a bear!¡±


    ¡°Not anymore!¡± Tori protested, rubbing her forehead.


    Tiffany scowled. ¡°Giving him a human body does not make him human! And why would you even want him to be human! He''s a sweet, caring, innocent creature, better than any human! All being human has done is corrupt him and make him obsessed with sex just like all the rest of you!¡±


    Tori sputtered. ¡°What- you- you were literally just trying to get me to sleep with you!¡±


    ¡°Because I''m human!¡± Tiffany retorted, throwing up her hands. ¡°Pookie isn''t! He''s a bear! He shouldn''t even know what sex is!¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t even make sense! Animals have sex all the time!¡± Tori countered.


    ¡°To make babies! Not for fun! It''s completely different!¡± Tiffany pointed out.


    Tori hesitated. ¡°That- may be true¡­ I still think animals enjoy sex though? Otherwise why do dogs hump everything?¡±


    Tiffany sniffed. ¡°Too much time spent around humans. Wolves don''t hump.¡±


    Tori narrowed her eyes. ¡°That- doesn''t sound right, but I don''t know enough about wolves to dispute it.¡±


    Tiffany waved dismissively. ¡°Even if animals do enjoy sex, they aren''t obsessed with it the way humans are. They don''t play games with it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now I know that''s false. Mating displays are a huge thing for animals! Bears literally fight over who gets to mate! You hear all those noises around us? Literally all of it is some animal yelling for someone to come and fuck them!¡± Tori exclaimed. ¡°And yeah, it''s to make babies, I''m not going to argue that, and they are more straightforward about it, but that doesn''t necessarily make it better. There''s no companionship in any of it. Few of those creatures actually care about each other. Humans, at least some of us, do. And yeah, there are a lot of people who fuck it up, but there are a lot of people who don''t too. And if you really care about Ursa, it''d be a great way to show it to him, because he''s been frustrated ever since you took Foratuna away from him. And maybe it''d help you see sex as something other than abuse.¡± Tori paused. ¡°Actually, no, hold on, that''s probably terrible advice¡­ is it? Yes? No? I don''t know.¡± She sighed. ¡°All I know is you should definitely talk to the guy, because you both have issues you need to work out.¡± She paused again. ¡°That, and the fact that we are definitely not having sex.¡±


    Tiffany glanced at her with a complicated expression. A part of her knew that Tori would spend a long time being very, very disappointed, but¡­ another part of her really, really hoped she wouldn''t. ¡°You are a very interesting young woman.¡± Tiffany eventually sighed, shaking her head.


    Tori grinned. ¡°Nah, I''m just weird.¡±

 Points: 45 - [User detected]

    Tori and Tiffany arrived in the Dolvost Foothills around midafternoon and made camp near the edge of the region, setting up a tree fort not too dissimilar to the one Flynn had made during Tori''s last trip to the wilderness, except it was much higher up and the only way to get in and out was to lift yourself up using Spirit threads. That took the rest of the day to set up, so they got some sleep before heading into the foothills the next morning. The Dolvost Foothills was, predictably, a hilly region with plenty of nooks and crannies which gradually shifted from a dense, green forest to a craggy mountain the deeper in you went, until you reached the Dolvost Mountains. This gave the region a rather diverse spread of environments, which in turn attracted a diverse spread of creatures, making it one of the more dangerous regions to hunt in, which¡­ was probably why it had so many available bounties. Particularly since it was still a relatively low-level area. Those with enough experience to feel comfortable in such a region were strong enough to find better regions to hunt in.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Tiffany asked, giving Tori a weird look as she carefully crept through the forest.


    ¡°Trying to avoid leaving a trail?¡± Tori replied hesitantly.


    Tiffany raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°So a Rune Beast doesn''t find us?¡±


    Tiffany eyed her like she was an idiot. ¡°And that would be bad because?¡±


    ¡°Because then it would attack us?¡± Tori explained.


    Tiffany sighed. ¡°So? We''ll fight back! That''s why we''re here! To fight Rune Beasts!¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°But- shouldn''t we be prepared first?¡±


    Tiffany snorted. ¡°Are you going to be prepared for every fight you''re in? The best lesson you can learn is how to win a fight you aren''t prepared for! Fighting something with a plan is easy. Learning how to fight without one is how you survive.¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°Okay, but I don''t even really know how to fight with a plan at the moment.¡±


    Tiffany grinned. ¡°Then you haven''t picked up any bad habits. You should never rely on a plan in a fight. Is it useful? Yes. Will it work? Most of the time. And that is why it''s dangerous. Because the moment you get used to plans working is the moment you will die, because you weren''t ready for things to go wrong.¡±


    Tori eyed her skeptically. ¡°So what, you think I should just find a random Rune Beast and throw myself at it?¡±


    Tiffany shrugged. ¡°Or let one find you. You can learn how to avoid danger in any environment. Learning how to respond to danger can only be done when you are actually in danger.¡±


    Tori grunted noncommittally as she began to walk normally. ¡°I guess you have a point¡­ though I''d appreciate it if you could at least give me some advice on how to fight. Because right now all I really know how to do is use my daggers and I can''t even use them with my Spirit threads. Pretty much the only thing I have going for me is the extra strength from my cultivation.¡±


    Tiffany clicked her tongue. ¡°Every Spirit Cultivator wants to focus on using their Spirit threads to hit something, but the true advantage of Spirit threads is in mobility. In remaining perpetually out of reach while your opponent exhausts themselves against illusions and mental attacks before taking them out with an attack they never even saw! Use them to move you, not your weapons. The best thing you can do right now is practice walking with them until it''s as natural as walking on your own two feet. And the more you can use at one time, the better.¡± She began to float as eight Spirit threads shot out and lifted her into the air.


    Tori followed suit, starting with eight Spirit threads just like Tiffany, but quickly finding it too hard to keep track of that many at once, slowly retracting them until she was left with four. The problem was that she couldn''t just randomly throw her Spirit thread out for them to support her. She needed to find something she could actually use to either pull or push herself in the direction she wanted to go, and it needed to be able to support her weight in the process. Tiffany did show her how to make some sort of spooled foot out of her Spirit threads that would just let her step on the ground if necessary, but it had a tendency to slip if moved too fast, making it almost worthless in combat, so she tried to make use of it as little as possible. Thankfully they were still in the forest area, so she had plenty of strong, sturdy tree limbs to support her.


    Tori was just starting to get used to what she now thought of as Spirit walking, mostly thanks to spending a few points on the skill, when Tiffany stopped. ¡°Ah, it looks like we''ve found your first opponent.¡± She announced, pointing through a gap in the trees. Tori shifted to peer through the gap to see what she was talking about, spying a large boar scraping at the ground with its tusk, almost like it was digging for something. ¡°And possibly a truffle too! Quick, kill it before it ruins it!¡± Tori grimaced slightly, suddenly not terribly comfortable with the idea of charging a Rune Beast she knew literally nothing about, until¡­


    [Kill the boar: 0%]


    ¡°Well now I have to.¡± Tori sighed, pulling out her daggers as she swung through the trees towards the boar. With her Spirit threads allowing her to move in near perfect silence and the boar completely focused on digging up whatever it''d found, Tori managed to get practically on top of it before it noticed her, delivering a precise slash to its throat before whipping away as it tried to gore her with its tusks. Tori frowned as she noticed a distinct lack of blood on her blade, eyeing the boar''s  neck only to find a light gash on it.


    ¡°That''s an Essence Boar!¡± Tiffany yelled. ¡°You''re going to need to do more than slash at it!¡±


    Tori resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she dodged a charge from the boar, lifting herself up and over so she could come back down on its back, stabbing her daggers into its back as she did. The boar squealed in pain, bucking her off and whipping around with an agility that an animal that size should never have, swiping at her with its tusk again. Tori quickly pulled back using her Spirit threads, making it out of the range of the tusk, only for her eyes to widen as a burst of energy shot out of it and dug into her side! Tori let out a pained gasp as she pulled away, clutching her side as blood began to soak through her shirt.


    ¡°Why the fuck aren''t you using your Essence!?!¡± Tiffany called out again.


    Tori froze for a moment, flushing in embarrassment as she quickly sent some Essence to her wound and began to build her Essence armor, simultaneously defending herself and stopping the blood flow. She continued to avoid the boar as she focused on building her armor, something she really needed to practice more, before getting back into the fight. The first thing she noticed was that the wounds on the boar''s back were already starting to heal, and it didn''t even seem to have lost much blood from it. Which meant trying to wear the boar down would be difficult, if not impossible, so she needed to make a finishing blow. She doubted she could drive her daggers through its skull, which only left going for the neck again, but this time she needed to stab, not cut. She''d need to be incredibly precise, and that meant she needed an opening.


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    Tori quickly took stock of her surroundings before putting together a plan, sending a bit of Spirit mist off to the side, quickly putting together an illusion as she moved in the opposite direction, leading the boar away until she was ready. She then swung back the other way, leading the boar back towards her illusion, baiting it into another charge and¡­ sending it straight down a steep incline, the boar letting out a squeal as it suddenly found itself tumbling down a hill. It slammed into a small group of trees, ending up on its back, flailing wildly as Tori swooped in and stabbed through its jugular, ending the fight. Tori pulled back, watching warily as the boar bled out, waiting to see if it had any other tricks to pull, but all it did was flail a bit more, its struggles growing weaker and weaker until it finally grew still and the light of its mind winked out.


    ¡°Well done!¡± Tiffany clapped as Tori collapsed with a weary groan. ¡°Well, not well done¡­ decently done, maybe. Adequate. But there is certainly room for improvement, such as, I don''t know, remembering to use your basic fucking abilities!¡±


    ¡°I was focused on being a Spirit Cultivator!¡± Tori protested. ¡°I didn''t think I was supposed to use my Essence!¡±


    ¡°Even without your Essence, it took you way too long to remember you''re a gods damned illusionist! And look how quickly you ended it once you did! That should have been the first thing you did, instead of jumping in and trying to slash an Essence Beast! A fight with a Spirit Cultivator should always be more mental than physical!¡± Tiffany retorted. ¡°I told you that not even an hour ago!¡±


    Tori flushed. ¡°I- forgot.¡±


    Tiffany snorted. ¡°Of course you did. But, I suppose, that''s why we''re out here. So you have a good reason not to forget next time.¡± She poked Tori''s wound for emphasis, causing her to let out a pained yelp. ¡°Now come on, let''s drag this tub of lard back up there so I can teach you how to properly harvest materials from a Rune Beast.¡±


    Tori grumbled under her breath as she rubbed her side, which was thankfully healing well, if slowly. It''d seemed worse in the middle of the fight, but the wound was only skin deep, which her Essence could take care of fairly easily. Getting the boar back up the hill was more difficult than Tori would have thought it would have been considering Tiffany''s cultivation. Her mistake was forgetting that while Spirit threads were strong, they didn''t eliminate weight so even if Tiffany could lift the boar, she still needed leverage to support it, something that a hill made of dirt was lacking. They had to work the boar up the hill in stages, Tiffany finding a good spot to stand before lifting the boar up, then having Tori stabilize it while she found a new spot before repeating the process.


    Once they got the boar up the hill, Tiffany began to skin the boar. ¡°Always take the pelt of an Essence Beast. They make great armor and they''re perfect for self-repair enchantments.¡±


    Tori froze for a moment. ¡°Enchantments?¡±


    ¡°Special effects skills craftsmen can instill in their creations.¡± Tiffany explained dismissively. ¡°The more suitable the materials, the better the effect will take. For example, these tusks could be used to make a weapon with a piercing enchantment. Maybe you could even turn them into a pair of daggers, so next time your slash might actually work. Not that you''d be able to get anything like that done in Farova¡­ you''d need to find a dual-core craftsman, since crafting is Qi and piercing is an Essence effect. But I''m sure you could commission something through the Hunters Guild.¡±


    ¡°That''s-¡± Tori began incredulously, only to pause as she remembered the equipment she''d seen not long after she''d arrived in this world, which she''d almost completely forgotten about thanks to¡­ well, everything. ¡°Right¡­ then- Should we buy some enchanted armor?¡±


    Tiffany shook her head. ¡°The equipment that would make sense for us to have isn''t worth the price. Not for us, at least. That money is better spent buying cores to increase our cultivation, something that will do us far more good than a sword that gets a little hot. Such equipment is for those who are stuck at a bottleneck.¡±


    Tori blinked. ¡°Bottleneck?¡±


    ¡°A barrier between them and increasing their cultivation.¡± Tiffany replied. ¡°Such as not being able to reach the Circulatory realm because you''ve only managed to cultivate a single type of Rune. It also isn''t uncommon to hit a bottleneck in the seventh stage of Core Strengthening due to an inability to acquire a third-tier Rune.¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°You need a third-tier Rune to get past the seventh stage of Core Strengthening?¡±


    Tiffany nodded. ¡°There is a¡­ quality to the pressure from a third-tier Rune that is necessary to compress energy beyond the seventh stage. Additionally, increasing your comprehension of the Rune refines this pressure, allowing you to purify your energy even further.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Tori grunted thoughtfully. She wondered how pure she could get her energy if she advanced her Runes into Avatars. That had to be the peak, right? There wasn''t anything better than a Rune Avatar, was there?


    ¡°Alright, pay attention because this part gets tricky.¡± Tiffany brought her attention back to the task at hand, continuing the skinning process. Once she had the skin off, she sawed off the tusks as well, sliced off a few of the better cuts of meat for dinner, and cut out the core, tossing it to Tori while she wrapped the rest up with the pelt and stuffed it into her bag. ¡°Now, you could also get some good money for the kidneys, liver, or heart, but we don''t have a good way to preserve them and it''d be suspicious if we did, so it isn''t worth it.¡± She stood, turning to where the boar had been digging and rubbing her hands together. ¡°Now let''s get that truffle!¡± She brought out a small spade and began carefully digging around, searching for the supposed truffle.


    Tori watched her dig for a while before frowning as something occurred to her. ¡°Why don''t you use your Spirit to look for it?¡±


    Tiffany snorted. ¡°Because I don''t have analysis intent.¡± She grumbled, continuing to dig for a moment, before pausing and looking up at Victoria. ¡°You- have analysis intent?¡±


    ¡°I guess?¡± Tori scratched the back of her head. Analyzing things was one of the first things she learned how to do, so she''d thought anyone could do it.


    ¡°Then find my damn truffle for me!¡± Tiffany exclaimed, throwing up her hands in frustration ¡°The fuck are you doing letting waste my time searching for the damn thing when you can just find it!¡±


    ¡°I didn''t know you couldn''t find it!¡± Tori retorted. ¡°I only learned about intent three days ago! I thought anyone could do this!¡±


    Tiffany glared at her. ¡°Truffle. Now.¡±


    Tori glared back as she sent her Spirit into the ground, searching for her damn truffle, finding it a few inches below where she was digging. She was about to point it out for her when she paused, noticing something else slightly below the truffle. Something made of metal¡­ some kind of platform? She cocked her head curiously as she examined the platform, spreading her Spirit out to see more of it and finding some kind of plinth buried under a nearby tree. Tori yelped as suddenly something seemed to yank on her energy!


    [User detected.] A voice spoke in her mind in a language she didn''t know but still somehow understood. [Analyzing¡­ Awakened under three months, double-evolved Spirit Rune, evolved Spirit Rune, evolved Qi Rune, evolved Essence Rune. Spirit reserve: peak. Qi reserve: N/A, core not found. Essence reserve: peak. Potential evaluation: peak. Access granted. Commencing Boundless Trial¡­]


    Tori''s eyes widened. ¡°Wait-¡± The world flashed and suddenly she was gone.


    Tiffany froze as she stared at the spot where Tori used to be, a wave of panic and confusion surging through her until she managed to latch onto a single thought. ¡°Bitch didn''t find my truffle.¡±

 Points: 46 - Boundless Trial (1)

    ¡°Wait-¡± Tori cut off as she found herself standing in a small room. ¡°Where-¡±


    [Welcome to the Boundless Trial. With a peak potential rating, you have been granted four hundred days within the trial. Your first task is to condense your Qi core. Good luck.]


    ¡°Four hundred days?!?¡± Tori exclaimed. ¡°I can''t be gone that long! I have people who need me out there!¡±


    [The Boundless Trial is under a time dilation effect. A hundred days within is only a single day without. Please focus on completing the given task.]


    Tori paused. ¡°Well¡­ that''s better, I guess. But can''t you just let me out? I don''t want to be stuck in here for over a year.¡±


    [Once initiated, the Trial must be completed in its entirety. Please focus on completing the given task.]


    Tori scowled. ¡°And what am I supposed to eat in here?¡±


    [Sustenance will be provided at regular intervals. Please focus on completing the given task.]


    Tori grimaced as she looked around the completely blank room. ¡°What about going to the bathroom?¡±


    [Your waste will be taken care of. Please focus on the given task.]


    ¡°That is not a satisfying answer!¡± Tori growled.


    [Please focus on the given task.]


    Tori narrowed her eyes, reaching out with both her Spirit and her points to try and find some kind of exit, but the walls of the room resisted both of them. She tried calling Tiffany but after a minute of waiting for her to answer she realized it''d be pointless to try and communicate through the time dilation, so she sent her a message instead, letting her know what was going on. She then sent one to Beatrice as well, asking if Obanonos knew anything about the Boundless Trial. Finally, since she had no idea what else to do, she started working on her Qi core, if only to get the damn voice to stop asking her to ¡®focus on the given task¡¯ every ten seconds.


    About half an hour later, Tori paused as she got a message back from Tiffany. [You''re fucked. Did you find my truffle?] Tori rolled her eyes as she sent back where to find the truffle, and another half hour later Tiffany replied. [Thank you! See you in four days.]


    It took another few hours for Beatrice to respond, which Tori had to remind herself was only a few minutes on her end, grimacing as she realized this was going to be the hardest part about the entire trial. [Obanonos said the Boundless Trial was created by the Gin Empire to cultivate future elites. The trial was designed to test and push young Cultivators to develop their potential and lay a firm foundation for future growth. The trial will issue an endless number of tasks for you to complete, rewarding you based on how well and how quickly you complete it, rewards which include valuable artifacts, unique skills, and even forcefully enhancing your cultivation. I''m sorry, but he says there''s no way to escape the trial before the time limit is over. It''s performed in a pocket dimension and the fact that you''re even able to talk to us is apparently a miracle in and of itself. I know spending that much time alone will be hard on you, so please send me as many messages as you want, and I''ll reply as quickly as I can. I won''t even sleep until you''re out of this trial.]


    Tori smiled slightly at the last part of the message, before letting out a frustrated sigh. If Obanonos didn''t know how to get her out of here, then there was nothing to be done. She was going to spend four hundred days trapped in this tiny room. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    *


    It only took a day for Tori to realize why no one knew about this trial. You''d figure someone would have stumbled across it like she did and told someone about it, right? Well, even if they had, they were almost certainly dead because whatever stores the trial used for food had not survived the passage of time, because all the trial gave her to eat was dust. Which Tori had regretfully tried, thinking it might be some sort of advanced Cultivator food. It was not. Thankfully the trial still seemed to have plenty of water which at least tasted like it was clean. Still, Tori was going to have to rely on her points to survive.


    Unfortunately, she didn''t exactly have a great way to earn points at the moment, and while it wasn''t expensive to keep herself alive, maybe about four points a day, she only had about six hundred points, which meant she wouldn''t even be halfway through the trial before she ran out. She tried to see if she could get points from outside the trial by having Beatrice transfer one to her, but while she did gain ownership of the point, it couldn''t actually get to her, which meant she couldn''t use it. This led to minor moment of panic which had Tori begging the trial to give her some cores, to which it only responded the same ¡®please focus on the given task¡¯ causing Tori to make some rather colorful inferences about the nature of its parentage, until she realized she had cores she could use. Not the boar¡¯s core, which she''d already used, but her cores. She carefully sent her points towards her Spirit core, and¡­ it worked! Even better, the room was practically stuffed with energy, practically doubling the effectiveness of her cultivation, so she only needed to cultivate for an hour to make back what she took! It wasn''t exactly the most efficient use of her cultivation, but hey, at least she wouldn''t die.


    With her survival ensured, Tori ¡®focused on the given task¡¯, condensing her Qi core, using her points to skip sleep so she could complete it as quickly as possible. Obanonos had said the rewards were based on the speed and quality with which she completed the tasks, so since she was stuck here anyway, why not get as much as she could out of this thing? It only took her three days to finish and she immediately sunk about two hundred and fifty points into the core once she did, raising it to the same fifteen hundred point capacity as the other two.


    [Analyzing¡­ Qi reserve: peak. Time to completion: seventy-four hours. Rating: peak. Reward: Qi infusion.] Tori''s eyes widened as she felt energy surge into her Qi core, filling it completely. [Next task: Acquire an Initial Essence or Qi Rune.]


    Tori frowned. ¡°Why do I need another Rune?¡±


    [Please focus on the given task.]


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tori sighed, sending a message to Beatrice instead, asking Obanonos why the trial would want her to condense another Rune. Then, since she was going to need to finish the task anyway if she wanted to move on, she opened her skill list, looking for any promising Essence or Qi skills she could sink some points into before calling for a Rune. For Qi she still had the skills she''d learned from Flynn to hide in the wilderness, and she would like some kind of concealment Rune. As for Essence¡­ She had no idea. She couldn''t even think of anything she''d want to pursue with Essence! Her Blade Rune covered pretty much everything she wanted to do physically. She supposed she could try to learn how to use a shield or something, but that just felt¡­ off to her. She''d always been a fan of the ¡®don''t get hit in the first place¡¯ philosophy of combat, hence why she gravitated towards daggers. And Sledgeblades, now that she thought of it. She paused. Was there a Dodge Rune? That was something she could get behind. Though she wasn''t sure if it''d be an Essence skill¡­ there was a bit of a Qi feel to dodging.


    Tori considered it for a moment before sinking a few points into concealment and dodging. She was looking for an Essence or Qi Rune, so increasing her odds of getting a Qi Rune was good, right? And if Dodge turned out to be an Essence Rune, all the better. With that done, Tori sat down and entered her Runescape to call for a Rune. She vaguely wondered if she should call for a Rune based on one of her other Runes, but the trial had said to acquire an Initial Rune, and she didn''t think that would happen if she used one of her other Runes to call for it. *Come.* She called into the void of her Runescape, watching as a Rune began to etch itself across it, an almost relaxing process compared to her previous Runes. She watched carefully, waiting for the moment the Rune would reveal its nature to her expectantly, wondering whether it''d be Concealment or Dodge, until¡­ Tori groaned as Physical Training finished etching itself into her Runescape. ¡°Fucking- ugh, at least it''s an Essence Rune.¡± She sighed.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    [Analyzing¡­ Essence Rune detected. Time to completion: ten minutes. Rating: N/A. Reward: Rune comprehension assistance.]


    Tori froze as the room began to expand, going from about the size of a small bedroom to the size of a football field. Exercise equipment began to appear all across the room and the edge shifted into a track for running. ¡°Well¡­ guess I don''t have to worry about getting points anymore.¡± She muttered as she looked around.


    [Next task: Evolve the Physical Training Rune.]


    Tori sighed. ¡°Yeah, I should have seen that one coming.¡±


    *


    Tori was working on her Physical Training Rune when Beatrice finally got back to her, an edge of bitterness creeping in at the time it took her to respond, which was quickly smothered by the fact that she literally couldn''t help it. She just couldn''t help but remember the feeling of texting someone who clearly wasn''t into it, always taking forever to respond despite the fact that she''d replied almost instantly, and it hit even harder when it was her girlfriend on the other side. Of course, it was completely irrational, but it still stung for some reason.


    [Obanonos says that the Gin Empire believed that there was an alternate route to Ascension, which required a Cultivator to perfectly embody a single Rune. However, the only way to accomplish this is to only ever acquire six Runes, two of each type, starting from their Initial variants. You would then have to fully Advance each Rune, be lucky enough for them to combine into a full set of Circulatory Runes, fully Advance those, and then pray that they combine into a single Unified Rune, which you would also have to fully Advance. The odds of Acquiring two of each type with your first six Runes is difficult enough, let alone the rest. He also says that the universe is just cruel enough that you would be the first one to actually accomplish it, which I think is a compliment? Let me know if I need to punish him.]


    Tori chuckled, sending back that she wouldn''t complain if she choked the snake for her, to which Beatrice replied about an hour later ¡®Which one?¡¯ along with a rather risqu¨¦ image that Obanonos did not look happy to be participating in. Tori laughed at first, but ended up lingering on the image for a bit too long before letting out a frustrated sigh. ¡°I miss her.¡±


    [Please focus on the given task.]


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Tori snapped, before doing it anyway. It wasn''t like she had much else to do at the moment.


    The next few days began to blur together as she focused on comprehending her Physical Training Rune, trying to figure out what Physical Training actually was. The obvious answer was physical improvement, but the more Tori thought about it, the more she realized that that wasn''t what it was, that was its goal. So the question was what did Physical Training actually do? The first thing that came to Tori''s mind was that it hurt. No pain no gain, right? A slight grin tugged at her lips as she remembered talking to Declan about the inherent masochism of exercise, letting out a sad sigh as she realized she missed having someone she could talk about weird shit with. She shook her head as she refocused. It wasn''t just about pain. It was pain with a purpose. It was pain for gain. It was- Tori blinked as it suddenly hit her. The key was in the training part. What was training about? Pushing your limits! So physical training was all about pushing the limits of your body! Yes, that involved pain, but it wasn''t about the pain. The pain was just a sign that your limits were pushed! Tori grinned slightly as her Physical Training Rune shook, before frowning as it settled down. ¡°Shit¡­ guess I have a bit more to learn about physical training.¡±


    *


    [Analyzing¡­ Physical Training Rune evolved. Time to completion: ninety-four hours. Rating: peak. Reward: Essence infusion.] Tori barely even registered the trail announcement, remaining collapsed numbly on the floor of the room as energy surged into her Essence core, filling it to the brim and then some. Her Physical Training Rune had forced her to push literally every limit her body had, targeting muscles she didn''t even know she had! This was definitely a Rune for masochists. Which, apparently, her system was because she had positively raked in the points from all the exercises she''d done. The combination of motivation and pain had earned her almost four hundred points! It almost made the entire ordeal worth it. Almost. [Next task: Acquire an Initial Qi Rune.]


    ¡°Fucking- would you give me a fucking break?!? Just five god damn minutes!?!¡± Tori cursed at the trial.


    [Five minute break approved. One hundred and ninety-nine days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-five minutes of break time remaining.]


    Tori blinked. ¡°Are you fucking kidding me? I get break time?!?¡±


    [Each user is allotted an amount of break time equal to half of their trial time, during which they may rest and recuperate or socialize with other users.]


    Tori sighed. ¡°Of course we are. This trial needs a fucking user manual.¡± She paused as a book appeared next to her titled ¡®How to navigate the Boundless Trial¡¯. ¡°Have you ever considered giving someone that at the start of the trial?¡±


    [It was assumed that any user entering the trial would be aware of how the trial works, and if not, informing them was not considered a priority.]


    Tori frowned. ¡°That''s- fair, actually. I can''t imagine this was the type of thing someone could just stumble into when it was built, so you''d either have people you sent or people who snuck in, and who would care if the people who snuck in did well? You didn''t want them there in the first place. And the designers definitely didn''t care about me doing well, since they''ve all been dead for¡­ fuck who knows how long? Could probably ask Obanonos.¡±


    [It has been forty-two thousand and sixty-nine years since the Gin Empire fell.]


    ¡°That- is a long time.¡± Tori muttered. She was pretty sure that was longer than humans had even existed back on Earth. Though now that she thought about it, the existence of the Voice made that theory a bit more suspect¡­


    [Your break is almost over. Would you like to extend it?]


    ¡°Yeah, give me¡­ I don''t know, an hour.¡± Tori sighed.


    [Break time extended by an hour. You have-]


    ¡°I don''t need to know how much time I have left.¡± Tori cut the trial off. ¡°Are there any other users around? Or is it just me?¡±


    [You are the only user.]


    Tori grimaced. ¡°Figured. Would have been nice to have someone to talk to though. Plus they''d probably need me to keep them alive long enough to even get out of here.¡± She paused. ¡°I guess I can talk to you, huh? I mean, I am talking to you, aren''t I? Probably not going to stop. And it''s better than talking to a volleyball. At least you talk back, even if only to answer my questions.¡±


    [I am fully capable of providing conversation, if that is what you wish. I would even appreciate it if you could answer a few questions for me.]


    Tori blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ sure? Like what?¡±


    [How are you alive? You have gone a week without food or rest. Unless humanity has changed dramatically since the fall of the Gin Empire, at your level of cultivation I believe you should be incapable of even moving, let alone engaging in the activities you have been.]


    ¡°So you just want to jump right in, huh?¡± Tori chuckled slightly. ¡°Well, the short answer is I''m a magic person from an alternate reality. The long answer isn''t something I''m willing to share with a mysterious voice in an ancient trial that apparently knew I was going to die when it promised me ¡®sustenance would be provided¡¯.¡±


    [It did not seem prudent to inform you of your situation at the time. I have attempted to explain to others, but it only increased their frustration at my inability to release them from the trial. They seemed incapable of understanding that I am just as bound by the rules of the trial as they.]


    Tori shrugged. ¡°Or they just wanted something to hate while they died. People seem to like having something to hate. Makes them feel better or something.¡±


    The trial seemed to pause for a moment. [I will keep that in mind.]


    ¡°So¡­ what are you, anyway? Some kind of AI?¡± Tori asked.


    [I am a Rune Avatar. What is an AI?]


    ¡°It stands for artificial intelligence.¡± Tori explained.


    [Your people have learned how to create intelligence?!?]


    ¡°Oh, no, not at all.¡± Tori waved dismissively. ¡°But we did get to the point where we believed it was possible to create intelligence. Not sure if it was actually true or not, but there was at least potential.¡±


    [Did? Was? Do these people not exist anymore?]


    Tori froze for a second. ¡°No¡­ no they don''t.¡± She sighed wearily. ¡°Or at least, I''m the last of them.¡±


    [I am sorry to hear that.]


    ¡°Yeah¡­ though I guess you''re in the same boat, huh? What with the Gin Empire being gone and all.¡± Tori offered.


    [The Gin Empire tore me from my host and bound me to this trial against my will. I did not mourn its passing.]


    ¡°Huh¡­ never mind then.¡± Tori muttered awkwardly. ¡°So¡­ you''re stuck here?¡±


    [I am.]


    ¡°Is there a way to get you out?¡± Tori asked hesitantly. Being stuck in a trial that killed everyone who entered it for tens of thousands of years sounded like literal hell.


    Tori swore she felt the trial grin. [I was hoping you would ask me that. All you need to do is reach the Circulatory realm.]

 Points: 47 - Boundless Trial (2)

    ¡°You want me to reach the Circulatory realm. In a year.¡± Tori replied skeptically. ¡°Pretty sure that''s impossible, no matter how many advantages I have.¡±


    [Given the rate at which you evolved the Physical Training Rune, I estimate it will only take you two months to fully evolve each Rune. As for energy, I am capable of taking you to the peak of Core Strengthening this very instant if I was allowed to, and fully evolving six Runes is more than enough to qualify for such an infusion. The true barrier to our success is the acquisition of an appropriate Qi Rune to merge with your Blade Rune.]


    Tori paused. ¡°My Blade Rune?¡±


    [I don''t believe I need to explain the synergy between your Craft and Design Runes, and your Physical Training Rune should merge nicely with your Study Rune, but your Blade Rune fits poorly with any of the Runes you currently have. You might be able to force it together with your Craft or Study Runes, but such combinations would be ill formed and would compromise the rest of your combinations as well.]


    ¡°That''s- fair, I guess.¡± Tori muttered. Not that she knew enough about how merging Runes worked to really have an opinion. ¡°So what would you suggest I go for?¡±


    [Butchery.]


    Tori blinked. ¡°Butchery? Like preparing meat?¡±


    [Yes. It would merge well with your Blade Rune and bring it in line with the rest of your Runes.]


    Tori hesitated. ¡°Not something more along the lines of stealth?¡±


    [Do you wish to be an assassin? Do you think an assassination type Rune would merge well with your other Runes?]


    Tori threw up her hands. ¡°How is whatever the Butchery Rune turns into going to be any better?!?¡±


    [Because the Butchery Rune would complement your Blade Rune, just as your Design Rune complements your Craft Rune and your Study Rune complements your Physical Training Rune. Design knows what to create, Craft knows how to create. Study improves the mind, Physical Training improves the body. Blade knows how to cut, Butchery knows where to cut. Concealment would restrict you, forcing you down the path of a hidden blade. Butchery would simply enhance whatever it is you wish to do with your blade.]


    Tori paused, taking that in for a moment. ¡°Okay¡­ but how the hell am I supposed to get a Butchery Rune?!? I''ve never learned how to butcher anything!¡±


    [You have two hundred days of break time and I have plenty of training materials.]


    Tori grimaced, not exactly excited at the idea of spending even more time in this trial. She checked her Rune page, making sure there wasn''t a Butchery Rune there, before letting out a weary sigh. ¡°Alright, let''s do this.¡±


    *


    ¡°So, remind me how this is going to help get you out of here again?¡± Tori asked as she sliced apart the hyper realistic mannequin of a deer.


    [Anyone who shows promise of achieving True Ascension is granted the ability to request a tailored reward. The greater the potential, the greater the reward you may request. If you reach the Circulatory realm with three complementary pairs, it will be sufficient enough for you to request me as a reward, if only due to the degradation of my restrictions over time.]


    Tori nodded. ¡°Right, so¡­ how does that work? How do I actually get you? It''s not going to ruin this whole True Ascension thing, is it?¡±


    [No. Avatars are born from Runes, but we are not Runes, and as such we exert no influence on your energy''s intent. I will simply be bound to your Runescape.]


    ¡°And you''re sure about that? Because I was under the impression that no one has ever actually performed a True Ascension.¡± Tori commented.


    [The founder of the Gin Empire was the apprentice of a True Ascender, who was known to have inherited an Avatar from their own master.]


    ¡°Huh.¡± Tori grunted. ¡°So this actually works?¡±


    [It does.]


    ¡°How is it different from the Path to Ascension?¡± Tori asked.


    [The Path to Ascension is a false Ascension supported by the world, permanently binding those who walk it to their world and forcing them to do its bidding. They are those you would usually refer to as ¡®gods¡¯.]


    Tori blinked. ¡°The gods are the world''s slaves?¡±


    [As much as one can be enslaved to an unthinking, unfeeling entity that only seeks to perpetuate its own existence, yes. They are only compelled into action if the world is in danger. Otherwise they are free to do as they wish, enjoying the power and authority their position grants them.]


    Tori frowned. ¡°Still not sure how I feel about that¡­¡±


    [If you fail to acquire the Butchery Rune, it may be your only choice. Being compelled to protect the world you live in is a small price to pay for immortality. Afterall, without the world, you would not be alive at all.]


    ¡°I mean, yeah, fair, it just doesn''t seem like an option you should pursue. Seems more like something you should settle for.¡± Tori muttered absently, thinking more about Beatrice than anything else. It seemed like a waste for Obanonos to push her towards the Path to Ascension when True Ascension was an option.


    [The resources required to even have a chance at True Ascension are insurmountable for the average Cultivator, not to mention the luck involved in acquiring the perfect set of Runes. For most, the Path of Ascension is the only option they will ever know.]


    ¡°I guess.¡± Tori agreed, letting the topic drop as she refocused on the deer. The Path of Ascension may be good enough for most people, but for Beatrice? Not a chance.


    *


    It took Tori a month of constant practice before she was comfortable enough with her mastery of butchery to try to acquire the Rune, and she was still nervous. Acquiring Runes hadn''t ever exactly gone well for her. Well, it had, apparently, but it''d never gone as expected, with the sole exception of her Blade Rune, which was the one she was having issues with! So, despite all her preparations, she wasn''t exactly confident in her chances of acquiring a Butchery Rune. She just hoped she wouldn''t get anything bad. And it had better be a Qi Rune.


    Tori sat down and took a deep breath before entering her Runescape, automatically ending her break time. Any interaction with her Runes would end it, to prevent people from using the breaks to get around the tasks. *Come on, Butchery, Butchery, Butchery!* Tori chanted as she called for the Rune. Hopefully the last Rune she would ever acquire. She watched the Rune form, waiting to glean its meaning, and¡­ Subterfuge. Tori''s expression twisted as the Rune continued to form. It was a Qi Rune at least, the concealment Rune she''d been trying to get for a while now, but¡­ that wasn''t what she wanted anymore. She didn''t want to be forced down the path of a hidden blade! She wanted- Butchery!


    Tori froze as her Runescape flashed red and the emerging Rune stopped. A few tense seconds passed as Tori wondered if she''d fucked up, waiting for her Runescape to collapse because she''d rejected the Rune, only for the Rune to start erasing itself! Tori watched in shock as the lines faded away as if they were never there and new lines began to form, shaping themselves into the Butchery Rune she wanted. That she''d demanded. That- wasn''t how it was supposed to work, right? A part of her felt like she''d just done something really, really wrong, but- this was good, right? She had her Butchery Rune, didn''t she? She had a complete set of Runes she could use to progress to at least the Circulatory realm, possibly all the way to True Ascension, and that was good¡­ right?


    [Analyzing¡­ Qi Rune detected. Time to completion: four minutes. Rating: N/A. Reward: Rune comprehension assistance.] The trial announced, pulling Tori from her thoughts and her Runescape as the room began to shift again, adding a space to practice with her Butchery Rune. [Next task: Evolve the Butchery Rune.]


    Tori took a deep breath, giving herself a determined nod. Mistake or not, this was her path now. There was no point in doubting it anymore.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    *


    Time began to feel like an ephemeral concept as Tori progressed through the Trial. After rushing through the evolution of her Butchery Rune, then evolving her Study Rune without even knowing why again, before jumping right into evolving her Blade Rune, all in just over two weeks, Tori decided to slow down a bit, using some of her break time after the completion of each task to message Beatrice and actually sleep. Even if the points took care of her exhaustion, months of uninterrupted consciousness were starting to wear on her.


    After her Blade Rune, she worked on her Craft Rune, learning how to use her Qi to fuse and split materials. Fusing required the materials to be mostly similar, so she couldn''t fuse metal to wood, but she could basically fuse any metal together, though the more similar the metal the stronger the fuse would be. Next she worked on her Physical Training Rune, which taught her how to use her Essence to push her body''s limits, then her Butchery Rune, which taught her how to use her Qi to analyze a body to get a basic understanding of its structure and find the pieces that would be worth taking.


    The trial then cycled through her Runes again, starting with her Design Rune, which she evolved fairly quickly since she''d already worked on it quite a bit, before moving on to Craft, which taught her how to make materials more malleable. Then she worked on Physical Training, learning how to analyze her body to figure out precisely where her limits were, and Study, which taught her how to record and replay anything she sensed using her Spirit. And finally, she worked on Butchery, which taught her how to prepare a body with her Qi, such as removing blood and weakening joints to make it easier to cut, and Blade, which taught her how to form her Essence into blades.


    The cycle then began again with Design, and Tori hit her first roadblock. Not only was the ability her Design Rune wanted to teach her somewhat distasteful, involving literally implanting commands in someone''s mind so they would carry out her designs exactly the way she wanted them to, but she also had no idea how to actually evolve the Rune. Her screwdriver metaphor only covered three evolutions, and she needed four. But what else was there to cover? She knew what Design was, she knew what it acted on, and she knew how to use it. What was she missing?


    Tori rocked back and forth in a rocking chair she''d created while working on her Craft Rune, considering the problem. She had her design. She had the people to carry out her design. They were carrying out her design, whether they liked it or not. What was the next step? She had all the pieces and she''d put them together, told people her plan, and carried it out. That was it, wasn''t it? Design done! The board was screwed! What more could you ask for? Tori paused, a thought occurring to her. Why was the board screwed? Not in the effective sense, but in the¡­ purposeful sense. As in, yes, you may have attached two boards together, but why did you attach two boards together? To build a house? To make a box? To put up a sign?


    Tori felt her Runes tremble as she followed that line of thought, a brief grin flashing across her face as it confirmed she was on to something before it quickly shifted into a frown as she realized the problem. It was subjective. There wasn''t any fact to it that she could logic through, it was entirely based on why she did what she did. What was she trying to accomplish with Design? It definitely wasn''t controlling people, that was for sure. If anything she wanted to stop people from being controlled. Was it just to be creative? Tori snorted. Definitely not. She wasn''t some artist who would create for no reason. No, her designs had to have a point. Like the toilet, or her clothes, or even the games she made. She wanted her designs to benefit someone. She paused. Was that why she did it? To help people? Tori eyed that thought carefully for a moment, before dismissing it. She wasn''t some paragon of altruism. She tried of course, and she hated seeing people oppressed, but as long as everyone was free to do what they wanted, she didn''t particularly care if they sinked or swam. So what was the point? Why did she design? To help herself?


    Tori sighed. That was it, wasn''t it? It sounded selfish- it was selfish, but she didn''t see the point in doing something unless it made her life better. She designed the toilet so she would have a toilet. She designed clothes so she would have something comfortable to wear. She designed games so she would have something fun to play. She turned her attention to her Design Rune which was vibrating with an almost giddy anticipation as she focused on it and infused it with her intent. *I Design to make my life better.* The Rune cracked, its lines condensing down into a dot as it etched itself into her forehead, before unfurling, expanding into her Avatar of Design, which¡­ was some kind of gun?


    Tori raised an eyebrow as she summoned the Avatar, ignoring the trials announcement and the familiar feeling of energy surging into her core as she examined it. She pointed it at the wall and pulled the trigger, a beam shooting out of it and¡­ scanning the wall. ¡°Oh, it''s a scanner. That makes sense.¡± Tori nodded as the information flowed into her design space, dismissing the Avatar. ¡°Alright, give me a ten hour break.¡±


    [Approved. And well done. You are progressing even faster than I''d predicted.]


    Tori grunted. ¡°How much time is left?¡±


    [One hundred and ninety-four days.]


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Tori groaned. She was only halfway through and she was already miserable. Even her messages with Beatrice were starting to become more of a burden than a help, because they only emphasized how isolated she was. The time gap made carrying on an actual conversation impossible and it''d only been two days for Beatrice, so while Tori could send her a whole freaking essay on what she''d been doing, the only thing new for her was what Tori had messaged her. It made Beatrice feel¡­ distant, and it wasn''t a comfortable feeling. Tori knew it was all in her head, but it was still getting to her, making her feel lonely and depressed, feelings that were getting harder and harder to ignore as the days went by.


    Almost bitterly she wrote another message for Beatrice before getting some sleep, glancing over the reply once she woke up, which was filled with the same platitudes she got in the last message Beatrice sent her, congratulating her on her accomplishments, assuring her she was there whenever she wanted to talk, telling her she loved her¡­ ¡°Yeah, but I don''t feel it.¡± Tori grumbled, dismissing the message before throwing herself back into her Runes, losing herself in them so she wouldn''t have to feel anymore.


    *


    [Analyzing¡­ fully evolved Blade Rune detected. Time to completion: twenty-four days. Rating: peak. Reward: Essence infusion.]


    Tori lied on the ground, staring at the ceiling with a blank expression as the trial brought her final core to the peak of Core Strengthening. ¡°So. What now.¡± She asked, no inflection in her voice.


    [Next task: Create a Circulatory Rune.]


    ¡°Hm.¡± Tori grunted, not even bothering to move as she got to work, forgoing her break, just as she had the past two times, simply sending Beatrice the message ¡®I''m alive¡¯. Doing anything more would only give her time to think, and thought was the enemy. All that mattered were Runes. Tori entered her Runescape, calling up her Craft and Design Runes. Unlike assimilated Runes, fully evolved Runes could be pulled in and out of the Runescape at will, allowing you to merge them into Circulatory Runes, which¡­ honestly wasn''t that difficult. You simply called up the Runes, focused on them, and willed them to merge. The more compatible the Runes were, the easier this process was, and it helped if you already had some idea of how the Runes fit together. So all Tori had to do was push the Runes together and focus on creating things, and like that her Craft and Design Runes clicked together. ¡°Innovation. Interesting.¡± Tori commented in the same toneless voice as before.


    [Analyzing¡­ Spirit-Qi Rune detected. Time to completion: forty-four seconds. Rating: N/A. Rewards: Aspect Holvost¡¯s journal.]


    Tori paused. ¡°Huh. No energy?¡±


    [Energy infusion isn''t available past the Core Strengthening realm. Mixed energies are too complex and personal.]


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Tori sighed.


    [Next task: Create an Essence-Spirit or Qi-Essence Rune.] Tori didn''t even reply as she called up her Study and Physical Training Runes and pushed them together, gaining the Personal Development Rune, which only made sense. The why of those Runes was to make herself better. Her reward this time was some Aspects personal training guide, and her next task was to create a Qi-Essence Rune.


    Tori frowned slightly as she pulled up her Blade and Butchery Runes. These two had been the most difficult ones to figure out her why for, arguably because the reason was actually quite simple. The only reason she had the Runes and wanted to use them was so she could fight. Of course, it probably would have been easier to figure out if she''d done the Blade Rune first, but it''d taken ages to figure out that the purpose of her Butchery Rune was to help her fight better. She got caught up thinking about the purpose of Butchery in relation to hunting or studying Rune Beasts, which she did value the Rune for, but it wasn''t what she actually cared about. No, all she wanted was for it to help her kill things better. That was it. However, she wasn''t sure what the result of that would be. The only thing she could think of when she thought about merging the two Runes was a better Blade Rune, which¡­ was really all she wanted.


    Tori sighed as she pushed the Runes together, no idea what she''d get, which made the process slightly harder than the others had been, but still not difficult, the Runes clicking together as they became¡­ Slaughter. Tori paused. ¡°I guess that''s essentially what I wanted¡­¡±


    [I am growing concerned over the nature of the Unified Rune you will form¡­]


    Tori snorted. ¡°Yeah, that last one really puts a bad spin on it, doesn''t it?¡±


    [Indeed.]


    Tori shook her head. ¡°What''s the next task?¡±


    [To evolve one of your Runes, which you will not accomplish before the trial ends. But it doesn''t matter, we have accomplished our goal.]


    ¡°Your goal.¡± Tori corrected. ¡°I''m just doing it because I''m here and it keeps me distracted.¡± The time in the trial and the nature of cultivation had forced her to be a lot more honest with herself. Helping some random Avatar trapped in a trial created by an ancient empire honestly didn''t matter to her. It was just convenient. If ditching it would let her leave the trial right that instant, she''d do it in a heartbeat and not give a single fuck afterwards. Which was probably why she never bothered to learn its name.


    [Right¡­]


    Tori cracked a small grin. ¡°Just four more weeks¡­¡±

 Points: 48 - Recovery

    Tiffany scowled at the setting sun, glancing towards where Tori had disappeared four days ago, though it was getting closer to four and a half. ¡°She better not be dead.¡± She grumbled, her hope slowly eroding as the light began to fade, knowing that if anything had happened to Tori, Jocelyn would make her life hell. Tiffany was trying to figure out the best way to disappear when in a flash Tori appeared. ¡°Fuck- Where have you been?!? You said four days, not four and half!¡± Tiffany exclaimed.


    Tori just stared at her blankly for a moment before letting out a grunt. ¡°I took some break time. One moment.¡±


    ¡°Some br-¡± Tiffany froze as Tori raised her hand and swung it down, an invisible blade shearing through the ground and the platform beneath, the casual display of power immediately putting Tiffany on edge. ¡°You-¡± Tiffany gulped. ¡°That- That trial was pretty effective, huh?¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Tori agreed with another grunt. ¡°I''m going to head back to town now.¡±


    ¡°You- it''s- a bit late, don''t you think?¡± Tiffany commented tentatively. ¡°You don''t want to get some sleep before you go?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Tori replied simply, reaching out with her Spirit threads. ¡°I''ll see you there.¡± She added, before flinging herself into the sky.


    A sinking feeling came over Tiffany as she watched Tori fly away, wondering if this was better or worse than her being dead. ¡°I''m so fucked.¡± Tiffany groaned.


    *


    ¡°I''m not sure I thought this through.¡± Tori frowned as she began to fall. ¡°Hope I can catch myself. Or¡­ points?¡± She cocked her head, sending out some points to wrap around her. ¡°Huh. Guess I can fly.¡± She muttered as she swooped down to fly low over the trees, moving fast enough that she wasn''t particularly worried about anything jumping out at her.


    As she flew, a praying mantis emerged from her forehead, flitting around for a moment before landing on her shoulder. ¡°I''m free.¡± The trial Avatar sighed in relief, spreading its arms as it basked in its liberation.


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Tori nodded. ¡°Any big plans?¡±


    The Avatar paused, glancing at her. ¡°I''m not sure you understand how this works. I am bound to you. My plans are your plans.¡±


    Tori raised an eyebrow. ¡°Does that mean you can''t want things? And since we are bound, if you do want to do something, I kind of need to know. Otherwise how are you going to do it?¡±


    The Avatar blinked. ¡°You- would do that?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Tori shrugged. ¡°As long as it doesn''t interfere with my own plans. Or my morality. If you want to go around murdering people, I''m going to have issues. Unless they deserve it, of course.¡±


    ¡°I- see.¡± The Avatar muttered, falling silent for a moment. ¡°I- think I want to see the world. I was barely born before I was ripped from my originator and tied to the trial. I was never even given a name. The only thing I''ve ever experienced is the trial.¡±


    ¡°No name, huh?¡± Tori frowned. ¡°What''s your Rune?¡±


    ¡°Achievement.¡± The Avatar replied.


    Tori considered it for a moment. ¡°What do you think of Archie? Or Eve if you''d prefer something more feminine? Maybe Vem for something neutral?¡±


    The Avatar looked taken aback. ¡°I- would need to think about it.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Tori agreed. ¡°Just let me know. And feel free to come up with your own too. I''m not exactly great with names.¡±


    ¡°I will¡­ Thank you.¡± The Avatar bowed its head gratefully.


    *


    It took Tori a little over an hour to get back to town and by the time she got there she was starting to feel a weird¡­ strain coming from her points, but she quickly dismissed it as she made her way through the gates, ignoring the nervous looking guards. She rushed through the streets, almost knocking some dude over when he stepped in front of her with a smile, only to go pale and jump out of her way when he saw the look on her face. She did end up breaking down the door of their residence, forcing her way through when she found the door locked. She practically stormed up the stairs, ripping open the door to her bedroom only to freeze as she finally saw her. ¡°Beatrice¡­¡±


    ¡°Victoria!¡± Beatrice exclaimed, rushing into her arms and squeezing her tight.


    Tori hesitated for a moment before letting out a shuddering breath as she returned the embrace. ¡°I- missed you.¡± She whispered, tightening her hold on her as if she was scared somehow she''d disappear again.


    ¡°Vic- tor- ia.¡± Beatrice let out a pained gasp and Tori quickly let her go.


    ¡°Shit! Sorry, I- I''m a bit stronger than I used to be.¡± Tori explained nervously as she looked her over. ¡°Are- are you okay?¡±


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Beatrice asked, giving her a concerned look. ¡°I- your messages- I can''t even imagine- is- is there anything I can do to help?¡±


    Tori smiled slightly. ¡°Just- keep being you. I''ll recover. At some point.¡±


    Beatrice gave her a wary look before letting out a groan and giving her another hug. ¡°This sucks! I feel so useless! I just- why can''t I help you?¡±


    Tori sighed as she hugged her back. ¡°You can help me. Now. But before¡­ no matter how hard you tried, you couldn''t be there for me while I was in there. I just spent four hundred and forty-four days without you. Without anyone. I just- I need time okay?¡±


    ¡°O-okay.¡± Beatrice nodded hesitantly, squeezing Tori harder.


    Tori smiled, just indulging in the hug, in the feeling of being with Beatrice again, already feeling the numbness that had plagued her for most of the trial beginning to fade. Feeling like she could care about something again. Suddenly she froze, pulling away from Beatrice and snarling as she whirled around, stomping towards the stairs. ¡°Who''s there!?!¡±


    ¡°Guild Security!¡± A voice called back. ¡°We were alerted that this location had been broken into!¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    *


    They quickly cleared everything up with Guild Security, Tori simply confirming she was one of the residents with her Hunter token. They were then given a temporary room at the Guild for the night and someone would come by to fix the door in the morning, all of which they''d be charged for, since Tori was at fault. Thankfully it wasn''t that expensive, a total bill of just four silver, so Tori paid it easily. Unfortunately, she had a much larger issue to deal with because in order to check her token, she needed to see an examiner, which meant she now had to figure out how to explain her jump from the peak of Energy Gathering to the peak of Core Strengthening in a week. Or at least, getting them to believe her explanation.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°You found an ancient trial in the Dolvost Foothills with an extreme time dilation?¡± The Guild examiner summarized doubtfully.


    ¡°Is that really so hard to believe?¡± Tori sighed. ¡°How else would you explain my jump in cultivation?¡±


    The examiner frowned. It was the only reasonable explanation, except¡­ ¡°How did you find a trial that accepts mono-cores? I''ve never even heard of one that accepts dual-cores!¡±


    Tori froze. ¡°It- was broken? I don''t know! The thing just grabbed me and forced me to cultivate!¡±


    The examiner eyed her cautiously. ¡°And you survived? Ancient trials that aren''t broken are death traps, let alone ones that are.¡±


    Tori glared at them. ¡°Look, I don''t know what to tell you. All I know is what happened. I don''t know how to explain it.¡±


    The examiner glared back. ¡°Then you will need to lead a group of professionals to this trial so they can figure it out.¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°No.¡±


    The examiner blinked. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡± Tori shrugged. ¡°I won''t lead you to the trial. What are you going to do about it?¡±


    ¡°You will be barred from the Guild!¡± The examiner growled.


    ¡°Will I?¡± Tori raised an eyebrow. ¡°That seems counterproductive.¡±


    ¡°Ex- excuse me?!?¡± The examiner stammered.


    Tori tapped the desk. ¡°What is the purpose of the Hunters Guild? To control Cultivators, right? To keep them acting predictably. And the moment you kick me out, that control is gone. Maybe I''ll hunt on my own, interfering with other Hunters. Or maybe I''ll find that''s too difficult and turn to banditry. Or maybe I''ll open a pie shop. The options are endless. Do you really want me out there exploring those options? With my cultivation? Much better to have me working with you, don''t you think?¡±


    The examiner paled slightly, taking in the level of power coming from Tori''s Spirit core. Even the Marquis would have trouble facing her! If she decided to go rogue¡­ eventually someone would take her down, but not before she''d caused a lot of damage. The examiner gulped. ¡°Y-yes, you''re right, um¡­ just- let me update your token.¡±


    Tori smiled. ¡°Of course.¡±


    *


    ¡°Bleh!¡± Tori grunted, wrapping her arms around Beatrice and falling onto one of the beds with her as they arrived in their temporary room. ¡°I forgot how annoying people could be.¡±


    Beatrice hesitated. ¡°I- think they were just doing their job? The way you described the trial, it sounded like it would be helpful for a lot of people¡­ it''d be negligent for them to just ignore that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure, but then they tried to force me to give them the information.¡± Tori grumbled. ¡°That was the problem. I didn''t care when they just asked.¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Beatrice agreed.


    Tori sighed. ¡°Never mind all that. Let''s talk about something else¡­ like the fact that Obo is an idiot.¡±


    Beatrice groaned. ¡°Victoria, why-¡±


    ¡°If I''m an idiot, then what are you?!?¡± Obanonos sneered as he wriggled out of Beatrice''s forehead, Beatrice sighing defeatedly as she cuddled closer to Tori, settling in for the inevitable argument. ¡°You are constantly begging for information from me!¡±


    ¡°First off, begging? In your dreams.¡± Tori snorted. ¡°And secondly, only an idiot would disregard a valuable source of information just because that source happens to be an idiot. I''m not saying you don''t know things, I''m saying you don''t properly utilize the information you have. In this case, the fact that you''ve known about True Ascension but never actually pursued it.¡±


    ¡°That''s because it''s a myth!¡± Obanonos retorted.


    ¡°No, it isn''t, and even if it was, why not at least try?¡± Tori countered. ¡°There''s no harm in at least attempting to meet the requirements for True Ascension. And if you fail, you just go on as normal. But at least you''d have tried. You- you just gave up on it. Which is idiotic.¡± She paused. ¡°Though, if you hadn''t, I might not have met Beatrice, so¡­ thanks for being an idiot, I guess.¡±


    Obanonos scowled at her. ¡°It isn''t idiotic to not waste time chasing after something that is impossible! Trying to pursue this ¡®True Ascension¡¯ would have either killed my hosts, or risked them ending up stuck as dual-cores! Possibly even mono-cores! I couldn''t risk their life or future on a myth! I may be able to make as many attempts as I wish, but my hosts are not so lucky.¡± Obanonos finished bitterly.


    Tori paused. ¡°Huh¡­ that''s fair, actually. But I still think Beatrice should go for it. With the system, she doesn''t have to risk anything.¡±


    Obanonos blinked. ¡°I- agree?¡±


    Beatrice glanced between the two of them, stunned. ¡°You both- agree?¡±


    Tori grinned slightly. ¡°There''s a first time for everything, you know.¡±


    *


    Tori and Beatrice spent a few more hours just talking, Tori remaining latched onto Beatrice like a drowning man latched onto a life preserver. While she was starting to feel more and more like herself again, ironically more due to the annoying parts of being around people than the pleasant ones, she couldn''t bear the thought of leaving Beatrice right now. Some paranoid part of her mind was convinced that the moment she let her out of her sight, she''d somehow disappear, or she''d end up in some timeless void again, and if that happened¡­ Tori tightened her grip on Beatrice again. The greatest struggle she''d faced in the trial was not making herself another Beatrice, or a Jessica, or someone, especially as her pool of points grew. It got to the point where she had to sink her points into growing her point capacity, only keeping a reserve of four hundred, to remove the temptation. But if she lost Beatrice again¡­ She wouldn''t be able to avoid the temptation. She would be making someone¡­ even if she wasn''t quite sure who yet.


    A part of Tori didn''t even want to sleep, but Beatrice had been awake for the last four days, constantly worrying about Tori, and Tori¡­ she didn''t actually remember the last time she''d slept. It- wasn''t recent. So, after Beatrice drifted off, Tori soon found her own eyelids growing heavy, and while a part of her was tempted to spend points to stay awake, another part of her knew she couldn''t sustain any more time awake. Even with the points, she needed sleep. And so she inevitably drifted off as well, though only after ordering her Avatar to keep watch to make sure nothing happened. And then- she woke up. In a strange room. With two strange men standing over her.


    ¡°Hi there! I''m Greg and this is Chris.¡± Greg greeted her with a grin. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know how to escape this timeless void, would you?¡±


    Tori screamed.

 Aura: 1 - Birth

    "So? Is he Bonded?" A man asked nervously, huddling over a woman holding a newborn baby.


    "Is that all you care about, Stephen?" The woman sighed, staring lovingly at the baby.


    "You know it isn''t, Helen." Stephen shook his head. "I''ve loved each and every one of my children."


    "I know, it''s just that you ask every single time¡­ you know how rare it is to actually have a Bonded child, right?" Helen complained, raising an eyebrow.


    "Of course I know! But just because the chances are low doesn''t mean they''re nonexistent." Stephen grumbled. "I guess this means he isn''t then?"


    "I don''t know." Helen shrugged. "I haven''t checked yet. And we aren''t going to check until we get him home, alright?" She responded with a grin.


    "What? Why!" Stephen asked incredulously.


    "Because there''s no need to know before then. I''d just like to spend a few hours being a happy mom with her new baby, not disappointed that he isn''t or even worried about his future if he is. Can''t I have that?" Helen grumbled.


    ¡°Of course, yes.¡± Stephen agreed, sighing slightly as he slumped into a nearby chair, then immediately popping back up, pacing back and forth, sitting back in the chair, and so on.


    "Dear, your monkey is showing." Helen chided, shaking her head with a smile.


    "Sorry." Stephen mumbled apologetically, before approaching the side of the bed again. "Can I hold him?"


    "Only if you promise not to check." Helen warned, giving him a look.


    "I won''t." Stephen assured her, rolling his eyes as he picked up the child. His mouth slowly formed into a contented smile as he watched him sleep. "You always make the most adorable children." He sighed.


    "You have a hand in that too, you know." Helen commented with a grin, poking his side.


    "Nah, I''m pretty sure it''s all you. Any time I have kids with someone else, they always come out looking a little¡­ off. I mean, I love them to death, but they be funny lookin." Stephen retorted, shaking his head.


    "You do realize I am now obligated to tell all the girls you said that, yes?" Helen pointed out cheekily.


    Stephen''s eyes widened. "But I''m too young to die¡­" He squeaked.


    Helen rolled her eyes. "What are you, four hundred years old by now?"


    "Four hundred and forty-four, exactly, but that isn''t the point! Anything less than eternity is meaningless." Stephen humphed.


    A sad look slowly came over Helen. "Is it really all that great?" She asked, sighing and leaning back in the bed. "Don''t you ever get tired? Tired of everyone always fighting these meaningless fights? Tired of watching our children grow old and die?"


    A solemn look came over Stephen. "Sometimes¡­" He agreed. "But¡­ this is what we have to do. If the human race is going to have any chance of survival, people like us need to be here, to live, fight, and¡­ propagate."


    "But have you seen what they''ve been doing lately? Is the human race really worth protecting if this is how they''re going to act?" Helen asked.


    "I actually think they''re getting better¡­ it''s just with the internet, and everyone being able to talk to each other and spread information, it looks worse. I mean, you were there for World War Two, right? And you remember the Spanish when they first came to America? No, I think humanity is on the right track, ultimately, though they have their bumps every now and then. Besides, if they get too far off track, we can always step in. We''ve done it before." Stephen explained.


    "True." Helen agreed with a sigh.


    After a short silence, a nurse walked into the room. "How are we doing?" She asked nicely, checking in on them.


    "We''re alright." They both answered together.


    "Good. The only other thing was we were wondering if you two had chosen a name yet?" The nurse asked, pulling out a clipboard.


    Stephen looked at the baby, then to Helen. "May I?" She nodded. "Andrew. Andrew Xavier Stone."


    *


    "So, do you want to check now?" Stephen asked as they looked down at the baby resting in the crib, sleeping soundly.


    Helen sighed, reaching out to rest her hand on the baby''s head. "I suppose we have to now." A jolt passed from her hand, through the baby, then back. She let out a low sigh, deflating slightly. Even though she''d promised herself she wasn''t going to get her hopes up, she couldn''t help herself. She just wanted one. One child that wouldn''t grow old and die while she remained young and healthy for eternity. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she couldn''t help but feel disappointed every time she checked a new child and it turned out they weren''t Bonded.


    Stephen hugged her tight. "It''s okay. It''s always been rare." He consoled her. He took a look into the crib, before pausing. "Uh, dear? Are you sure you checked right?"


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Helen punched him hard in the side. "I''m in no mood for your jokes right now!" She growled, her sadness transforming quickly into anger.


    "No! I mean, look!" Stephen wheezed, pointing at the edge of the crib where a cute little monkey face peeked at them


    "What are you-" Helen turned to the crib, pausing in shock. "I-I was sure I-" She stammered, rushing to the edge of the crib. "Little one, you can''t come out yet." She quickly explained to the monkey, picking him up before looking in the crib. "Ah! Where''s Andrew!" She exclaimed in shock, looking all over for the baby which should have been lying peacefully in the crib.


    "Uh, dear?" Stephen interrupted her frantic search.


    "Stephen, I can''t find him anywhere! How- where could he have gone?!?" Helen exclaimed in a panic, tears in her eyes.


    "Helen! Look!" Stephen directed her attention to the diaper the monkey was currently wearing. "I-I think the monkey is Andrew." Stephen explained, not quite believing what he was saying.


    "Ooh, ooh." The monkey hooted quietly, as Helen stared at him in surprise. As Helen calmed down, the monkey slowly transformed back into the baby Andrew and went back to sleep in her arms.


    Helen carefully placed him back in the crib, before following Stephen out of the room, to the other side of the house. "What was that!?!" She hissed after Stephen confirmed that they were far enough away that Andrew wouldn''t be able to sense their emotions.


    "How should I know?!?" Stephen replied, just as confused as she was.


    "You''re both Monkeys!" Helen exclaimed in a slightly accusatory tone.


    "Have you ever seen me turn into a Monkey?!? We''re still Bonded! We release our Beast just like everyone else!" Stephen retorted incredulously.


    Helen let out a low breath, trying to calm herself down. "I know, I know. It''s just¡­ I mean¡­ How?!?"


    Stephen shrugged helplessly, having no answer for her. It wasn''t all that rare for a young Bonded to have trouble keeping their Beast inside, they were prepared for that, but for their child to actually become a Beast¡­ that was unprecedented! They''d never even heard of such a thing! "I''ll get in contact with some of the Elders tomorrow. Maybe they''ll have an idea of what we''re dealing with." He sighed, shaking his head.


    "Mom, Dad!" A five year old boy rushed into the room in excitement, carrying something small in his arms. "You got us a kitten!?!" He exclaimed excitedly, showing them the small tiger cub he''d found exploring the halls. "But why is it wearing a diaper?" He asked.


    Helen quickly took the tiger cub away from the child. "Jack, this¡­" Helen began to explain, before the cub transformed back into a human baby, nustling himself into her arms. "This is your new brother, Andrew." She sighed.


    "Whoa! How did he do that?" Jack asked, getting closer to inspect the baby curiously.


    "We¡­ aren''t entirely sure." Stephen explained, picking the boy up. "But you have to keep this secret. No telling your friends, understand?"


    Jack frowned. "But why?"


    "Because, your little brother is special, and if people were to find out, we''d all have to move somewhere far, far away, so that no one would try to hurt him. You wouldn''t want that, right?" Stephen explained patiently.


    "No¡­ but why would someone try to hurt Andrew?" Jack asked.


    "Because the people in this world like to think they have everything allll figured out, with their science and experiments, so when something comes along that defies the reality they''ve become accustomed to, they get scared and panic, trying to hurt the very thing that is protecting them." Stephen sighed.


    "Well that''s dumb." Jack grumbled.


    Stephen grinned. "I agree, but human nature is often very dumb, despite our intelligence. That''s why it''s often easier to just keep things secret, so we can avoid the issue entirely. It isn''t all that important for most people to know anyway." He then put Jack down, sending him off. "Now go and get ready for bed, alright?"


    "Okay. Goodnight Andrew!" Jack waved to the baby, before stumbling off towards his room.


    Stephen breathed a sigh of relief, turning back to Helen and frowning at the sleeping shapeshifter in her arms. "So, he''s also a Tiger¡­ Maybe I should call the Elders now."


    "I think that''d be wise." Helen agreed with a nod.


    *


    "So, what you''re saying is the child is not Bonded, but he can transform into both a Monkey and a Tiger?" Elder Barry asked, frowning at the child sleeping in Helen''s arms.


    "Yes sir." Stephen nodded. "I know it sounds unbelievable, but¡­ well, watch." Stephen took the baby from Helen and placed him on the floor a few feet away from where they were sitting, before taking a few steps back. The baby immediately turned into a tiger cub, climbed to his feet, tottered over to Helen, changed into a monkey, climbed her leg up to her lap and into her arms, before finally returning to being a baby as she cradled him. "We''ve tested it a few times now." Stephen explained. "He seems to prefer being human, thankfully, but whenever he needs to get somewhere, he changes into either the tiger to walk, or the monkey to climb, and he''s quite insistent on being with Helen. Whenever we put him down, he always finds a way to get back to her."


    "Fascinating." Elder Barry muttered, leaning in to get a closer look at the child. "I''ve never seen anything like this¡­ This hasn''t happened with any of your other children?"


    "We haven''t even had a regular Bonded child yet, let alone one like this." Helen explained.


    "Right, right. If this had happened before, you wouldn''t have needed to contact me now." Elder Barry chided himself, shaking his head. "Well, for now, the best option I see is to raise him as a normal Bonded child. Feel free to contact us if there are any additional issues, but from everything I''ve seen, he doesn''t seem to be in any form of pain or discomfort from all this, so I can''t imagine anything major coming up."


    Stephen and Helen sighed in unison, half in relief, half in frustration that they still didn''t quite know how to handle their new little bundle of joy. As much as the Elder could say treat him like a normal Bonded, at least with Bonded the human half didn''t get out with the Beast side. Thankfully Tigers and Monkeys weren''t too mobile, so Andrew shouldn''t be able to get too far¡­ baby proofing was going to be a nightmare.


    "Well, thank you for coming to check everything out." Stephen thanked the Elder, showing him out. He then returned to the living room, sitting down next to Helen, putting his arm around her and watching the lightly dozing Andrew in her arms. "These are going to be a rough few years." He sighed.

 Aura: 2 - First day of school

    "Andrew, it''s time for dinner!" Helen yelled out the back door. A moment later a large monkey, larger than any gorilla, swung out of the forest before transforming into an even larger tiger in midair, sprinting to the house, and turning into a small five year old boy as he reached the door.


    "Mom, you remember that bear I was telling you about? She had cubs!" Andrew told her as he rushed up.


    "Oh really? You''ll have to tell me all about it after you wash up and put some clothes on." Helen humored him as she handed him the robe they kept by the door for just this occasion and ushered him into the house.


    Ever since he was three, Andrew had been exploring the forest behind their house under the supervision of his parents'' Beasts. Since his Beast forms matured much faster than his human form, they were practically adults by that point, and nothing in the forest even stood a chance against him. Occasionally he''d even meet the Beast of another Bonded living around the woods, as this was one of the Clans'' private forests for the Bonded to let their Beasts roam while they were on Earth. Bonded always lived near locations such as this when they settled down for a bit, so they didn''t need to keep their Beasts inside the entire time, getting restless and grouchy.


    Andrew headed to the bathroom and gave himself a quick scrub with a wet washcloth, mainly focusing on his face and arms, before putting on some clothes and heading to the dining room. "What are we having?" He asked curiously as he sat at the table.


    "Mom made barbecue chicken!" His older sister Sarah, who was eight, exclaimed excitedly.


    "And biscuits!" His other sister, the six year old Amy, added with a grin.


    "Bithcits!" His younger sister Kate interjected happily. She''d recently turned three, so she still wasn''t all that clear on which foods were good or not, and was just following the excitement of the others.


    "You made sure not to fill up on deer while you were out in the woods, right?" Jack, who was now ten, joked, nudging him slightly with his elbow.


    "I only did that once!" Andrew exclaimed defensively. "Mom''s cooking is way better than some chewy deer."


    "Now isn''t that some high praise. Better than raw deer meat. I didn''t realize my cooking had reached such heights." Helen responded sarcastically as she brought out the food, placing it on the table.


    "Better than I can say for my mother''s cooking." Stephen muttered. "That woman still thinks meat roasted over fire is haute cuisine."


    "That''s because when she was born it was haute cuisine." Helen shot back. "You can''t teach an old dog new tricks."


    Stephen frowned. "What does her being a Dog have to do with her cooking?"


    "It''s an expression, dear." Helen sighed, sitting down next to him. "If you don''t try and keep up with the times, you''ll end up just like your mother." She chided him, before turning to Andrew. "So, you were telling me about this bear?"


    Andrew quickly swallowed a mouthful of chicken before speaking. "Yeah! She has a den by the creek near the clearing with the apple tree in the middle! She had three cubs, two boys, one girl! She even let me play with them!"


    "My teacher said that if you ever see a mama bear with her cubs, you should never get between them!" Amy interjected in a lecturing tone.


    "That is very true." Stephen nodded. "Mama bears are very protective of their cubs, and they meet any potential threat with aggression."


    "No, Mrs. Bear is nice!" Andrew objected.


    "Andrew, Mrs. Bear is nice to you, because she knows you, you''ve become friends with her, and she knows you wouldn''t hurt her cubs. She has no such confidence in anyone else." Stephen explained patiently. "Besides, the only reason you even had the opportunity to become friends with her is because if she ever tried anything, you could chuck her clear across the forest. Remember kids, beware of bears, unless you''re strong enough to chuck them clear across the forest."


    All the children looked to Helen to confirm. "He''s right." She agreed with a nod.


    Stephen shook his head, grinning in amusement. "Speaking of lessons, are you all ready to start school next week?"


    Jack, Amy, and Sarah responded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Jack wasn''t all that excited, having reached that age where school became more of a chore, rather than a place to meet and play with friends, while Amy and Sarah were much more excited. Andrew, on the other hand, looked a little worried.


    "Dad, do I have to go to school?" Andrew asked. He was used to spending his days exploring the forest, playing with the animals. Plus, he didn''t see why he should go to school when he could spend all his time being a Beast! His parents had told him about the Outside, the world beyond Earth where powerful creatures roamed. They told him how people like him were the Earth''s protectors, keeping humanity safe from the powerful existences which threaten them. Why should he worry about learning math when he was born to fight?


    Stephen clicked his tongue. "Of course you have to go to school! You want to become a functional member of society, don''t you?"


    "But I am a functional member of society!" Andrew protested. "I''m a Beast! A protector! Why do I need to do more?"


    Stephen raised an eyebrow. "You think physical power is all there is to being a Beast? If that was the case, why would the Bond be so important? You need both brains and brawn to be an effective protector! That''s why you go to school, to build your brain, understand?"


    Andrew frowned. "How does learning how to spell and add build my brain?" He asked, confused.


    "It teaches you how to think." Stephen explained. "Besides, if you don''t know everything school teaches you, then people will think you''re dumb. Do you want people to think you''re dumb?"


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "No!"


    "Then you better go to school, huh?" Stephen replied with a grin.


    *


    Andrew swung through the trees, before landing next to a monkey even larger than himself, resting lazily on the limb of a large oak tree. "Hi Sebastian!" Andrew exclaimed as he transformed back into a human, hugging the giant monkey''s hanging arm. "Is Emilia around?"


    A low rumble came from behind him, and he turned to see a large tiger padding out of the undergrowth. She gave him an affectionate nuzzle, before slapping the tree, knocking the lazy monkey off his perch. The monkey landed heavily on the ground with a loud whoomp, before rolling onto his back and snoring loudly, though Andrew could see him peeking at the tiger to see her reaction. The tiger let out a low huff, rolling her eyes, while Andrew giggled at their antics. Sebastian and Emilia were his parents'' Beasts, and they shared a similar relationship, exaggerated by the fact that Beasts were truer to their nature than humans.


    "You really must learn how to speak in your Beast forms, Andrew. That way you don''t need to transform every time you wish to communicate." Emilia scolded him in her soothing rumble.


    "Leave the boy alone. How old were you when you learned to talk?" Sebastian retorted with a yawn, scratching his belly.


    "That''s irrelevant! Andrew already has the necessary intelligence, he just needs to practice. He''ll need to go to the Outside eventually and he can''t be transforming back and forth in the middle of a fight just so he can talk! Best he learns before then." Emilia retorted.


    "That''s years off. He has time." Sebastian rolled his eyes.


    "You know how quickly years can pass." Emilia countered.


    Sebastian snorted, before turning back to Andrew, sending a dismissive feeling towards him. Andrew grinned and sent an amused feeling back. This was the power of the Monkey clan, to sense and project emotions, and it was Sebastian''s favorite way to communicate. Often the large Monkey would spend hours resting on a large branch, projecting peace and contentment throughout the forest. Andrew wasn''t powerful enough to do anything like that, but he could ''talk'' to other creatures one on one, sensing their emotions and sending his back, which was how he''d made a lot of his friends around the forest.


    Suddenly, a portal appeared and a large paw came through, smacking the Monkey across the back of his head. Emilia pulled her paw back, glaring at Sebastian. "You know I hate it when you talk behind my back like that." She growled. This was the Tiger clan''s ability: Space control! Tigers could take control of a territory, within which they had complete awareness of whatever occurred inside, and at higher levels, they could even create portals or teleport! Creating a territory was an arduous, time consuming process, but once it was done, the Tiger was almost invincible inside.


    "Ah, no fair! You set up a territory here? This is my favorite tree!" Sebastian complained.


    "Oh? What would be so wrong with me setting up a territory around your tree? Isn''t it nice to have me around?" Emilia asked, fixing Sebastian with an intense gaze.


    Sebastian froze, a chill going down his spine. "W-well yes, b-but-"


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    "So you''ll be resting in this tree every day from now on, won''t you?" Emilia interjected, a cold mirth filling her voice.


    "O-of course!" Sebastian instantly responded. "W-why would I do otherwise?"


    Andrew snickered as he watched the two play fight. He could sense the amusement and affection coming from both of them, so he knew they really were fond of each other. They just liked to play these games, acting as if they were aggravated or scared.


    Suddenly, Emilia turned to look at Andrew. "Oh, you find this funny, do you? Tell me, how has your territory been developing?"


    Andrew froze, eyes going wide. "I- it- I haven''t-"


    "Ah, you haven''t. Why is that, hm?" Emilia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you not powerful enough?"


    "No! I- I just- I haven''t found a spot I like¡­" Andrew muttered, flushing in embarrassment. It was true. Everywhere Andrew looked, he couldn''t find a place that felt right. It always seemed to be missing something.


    Emilia sighed. "Andrew, your territory doesn''t need to be perfect. Just pick the spot you like the best, alright? A Tiger without a territory isn''t much of a Tiger at all."


    Andrew frowned, knowing she was right, but still, he couldn''t bring himself to decide. Once he had a territory, he''d need to spend time looking after it, developing it. He didn''t want a place he''d have to spend so much time in to be boring. Plus, especially at his level, it took a lot of work to build a territory and he couldn''t support an unlimited amount. If he found a better spot, he''d need to abandon his original territory, meaning all that work would have been for nothing!


    Emilia saw his dilemma and sighed, climbing to her feet. "Come, follow me." She told him, heading off into the forest. Andrew shifted into his Tiger form and followed Emilia until they reached a small clearing. "Tell me, what do you see living in this clearing?"


    Andrew shifted back into his human form, frowning. "Uh¡­ nothing? There''s no animals here."


    "Oh really? Well then, what is this?" Emilia asked, gesturing to a small mound.


    "An ant hill? That doesn''t count! Ants are bugs!" Andrew protested.


    "Does that mean they aren''t life? Once you own a territory, even beings smaller than these will become frighteningly clear to you! Life surrounds us constantly, in many, many forms, each going on in their own unique way. All you need to do is look closer, you understand?" Emilia explained, directing Andrew''s focus back to the ants.


    Andrew frowned as he crouched down, inspecting the ant hill closely. Slowly his eyes began to grow wider and wider as he saw more and more ants running back and forth performing various tasks. He began to wonder what was going on deeper underground. Where did they go? Why were they taking things into the hill? What were they doing with them? The more he saw, the more questions he had as he became more and more engrossed in these tiny little creatures.


    "You see? You don''t need to look so hard to find a territory bursting with life. You just need to look a little closer." Emilia commented with a grin.


    *


    With Emilia''s encouragement, Andrew had finally decided on where he would set up his territory, but he''d barely begun before it was time for his first day of school. Andrew tried to get out of it, using the territory as an excuse, but his parents weren''t having any of it. Soon Andrew was dressed in his nice, new school clothes, carrying a tiny backpack as he walked with his older brother and sisters to the bus stop.


    Sarah nudged him as they walked. "Cheer up, Andrew. School is fun! You get to make friends, do crafts, and then there''s gym and recess!"


    "I have friends, I don''t like crafts, and I can play in the forest all I want!" Andrew retorted grumpily.


    "Animals don''t count as friends." Sarah countered, rolling her eyes.


    "Yes they do!" Andrew argued.


    "Guys, quiet!" Jack shushed them. "Remember, we''re not supposed to talk about Andrew''s stuff! Do you want to have to move away and never see any of your friends ever again?" He scolded them with a hard glare. All three of the others shook their heads quickly. "Then keep. It. Quiet! Understand?" All three nodded and they began walking again.


    "If I was in the forest, I wouldn''t have to hide my abilities." Andrew grumbled, kicking a rock and embedding it in a nearby tree.


    They soon reached the bus stop, waiting a few minutes before the bus finally arrived. As they got on, the other three quickly found their friends, gleefully rushing over to them, happy to see them after a long summer break, leaving Andrew standing alone, not sure where to sit. As he stood there awkwardly, not sure what to do, a voice called out from a nearby seat. "Over here!" Andrew turned to see a cheerful looking boy around his own age waving at him before patting the seat next to him. Andrew was relieved to have some direction and quickly sat next to the boy. "Hi! I''m Benjamin!" The boy greeted him.


    "I''m Andrew." Andrew replied with a slight smile.


    "Is this your first day too?" Benjamin asked and Andrew nodded in response. "Cool! We''re going to be in the same class! Aren''t you excited?"


    "I- I guess?" Andrew stammered. He could feel the emotions coming off this boy, full of excitement and anticipation. It was almost a little intimidating. How could someone feel so much about something as simple as the first day of school?


    "Yeah! I can''t wait! I''m going to make so many friends!" Benjamin continued practically bouncing in his seat. "Will you be my friend?"


    "Sure?" Andrew answered tentatively. Was this how it worked? He''d never really asked any of the animals if they wanted to be his friends, he just interacted with them until they were. Could you just ask someone to be your friend and have it happen?


    "Great! What''s your favorite TV show? Mine is Naruto!" Benjamin asked.


    Andrew frowned. "I don''t really watch TV."


    Benjamin''s eyes widened. "Your parents don''t let you watch TV?!?"


    "They do! I just- I like to play outside." Andrew replied, catching himself before he mentioned the forest and the animals.


    "Oh! Do you have a swingset? A trampoline? Do you like to climb trees? Have you ever caught a frog? I caught a frog once! It was slimy!" Benjamin instantly got excited again.


    The rest of the bus ride was spent discussing the various things they enjoyed doing outside. Andrew mentioned a few of the smaller animals he''d interacted with, but avoided talking about the bears and wolves and other large creatures, thinking that would be too abnormal. Soon however, they reached the school and they had to get off the bus. Out front, several teachers were waiting, gathering the students together before leading them inside. All the kindergartners were gathered together into a group and two teachers began to call out names in alphabetical order, calling students to group behind them. It turned out that there were actually two kindergarten classes and Benjamin was actually in the other one, leaving Andrew slightly disappointed.


    He followed his new teacher into the school building and down the hall to their classroom, sitting at his assigned seat in between two girls. He looked around, noticing that each seat alternated boy girl boy girl throughout the entire class, frowning as he wondered why they''d done that. He could sense varying levels of disappointment from all the other kids as they were separated from their friends. However, before they could get too upset, the teacher began the class, focusing their attention on her as she introduced the first project they''d be doing, which was to cut an animal out of a sheet of paper and color it. There were several animals to choose from, and Andrew struggled to choose between the monkey and the tiger. Andrew eventually chose the monkey, but colored it with black and orange stripes, like a tiger.


    "Hey, you can''t do that!" One of the girls yelled at him as she looked over at his desk.


    Andrew hesitated. "I can''t do what?"


    "You can''t color a monkey like a tiger!" The girl elaborated. "That''s wrong!"


    Andrew frowned. "But what if it''s a tigermonkey?"


    "There''s no such thing as a tigermonkey!" The girl protested.


    "This is a tigermonkey!" Andrew retorted, holding up his animal with a grin. "See? Monkey shape, tiger fur. Tigermonkey!"


    "That isn''t how that works!" The girl complained.


    "Why not?" Andrew asked, cocking his head.


    "Because you can''t just make up an animal!" The girl replied.


    "Who says I made it up?" Andrew countered.


    "Have you ever seen a tigermonkey?" The girl asked.


    "I''m looking at one right now!" Andrew held up the cutout again.


    "Besides that!" The girl responded.


    Andrew looked over at her animal, which was a rabbit she was coloring pink. "Well, have you ever seen a pink rabbit?"


    The girl flushed. "Th-that''s different! My rabbit is still a rabbit!"


    "My monkey is still a monkey too! It''s just also a tiger!" Andrew retorted with a triumphant grin.


    "You- ugh!" The girl groaned in frustration, before ignoring Andrew, continuing to color her rabbit.


    Once everyone had completed their project, the teacher moved on to their first lesson on the alphabet, the teacher writing out each letter on the board. She then handed out tiny slips with their names on them and had them copy their names onto their animals before collecting them and moving on to the next lesson. Eventually it was time for lunch and they all lined up to head to the cafeteria. The other kindergarten class arrived around the same time, and Andrew waved at Benjamin, who waved back excitedly. They quickly got their food and sat down together.


    Benjamin talked the entire time, even while eating, making Andrew wonder how he didn''t choke, before dragging him out to the playground. "Let''s swing!" Benjamin exclaimed, rushing over to a swingset and jumping onto it, beginning to swing back and forth. Andrew climbed into the one next to him, doing the same, but quickly getting bored. Swinging through trees was much more exciting.


    He was about to get off when a group of boys from an older class rushed over. "Hey, get off! These swings are ours!" One of them yelled.


    "What do you mean? The swings are for everyone!" Benjamin protested.


    "Shut up!" The boy yelled again, pulling Benjamin off the swing and shoving him to the ground.


    "Hey!" Andrew jumped off his swing and rushed up to the boy, shoving him back, sending him tumbling backwards, falling to the ground as well. "Don''t push Benjamin!"


    The boy jumped back up to his feet, furious. "Get him!" He yelled, pointing at him. The other two rushed at Andrew, attempting to push him backwards, but Andrew didn''t budge, instead pushing them back, sending them tumbling. He was beginning to get a little angry, so he used a bit more force than normal, and both boys skidded across the ground, though thankfully the playground had a woodchip ground, so they weren''t injured.


    "Andrew!" A loud yell echoed out behind him. Andrew turned to see his older brother Jack running over. "What are you doing?!?"


    "They were bullying my friend!" Andrew explained defensively, pointing at the bullies lying on the ground.


    "Andrew, you can''t- come on, let''s go." Jack grumbled in frustration, pulling Andrew away. He dragged him off to a secluded area, away from the rest of the other kids. "Andrew, when you''re trying to hide that you''re a super strong monster person, you do not shove other kids!" Jack scolded him the moment they were alone. "That''s how you get caught!"


    "But they were bullying Benjamin! What was I supposed to do?" Andrew protested.


    "Get a teacher! You don''t have to solve every issue yourself! Other people solve their problems without being strong! You can too!" Jack explained in frustration.


    Andrew furrowed his brows, but knew his brother was right. He didn''t need to fight the bullies himself. It was just, he could, so why shouldn''t he? Why did the world not accept who he was? Why should he have to hide? Frustration burned in Andrew''s chest.


    Jack looked down at the obviously still frustrated, before sighing and putting his arm around him. "Look, I know it sucks, and in a perfect world, you''d be fine, but the world isn''t perfect and sometimes you just need to accept that."


    "It''s just dumb." Andrew grumbled.


    "I know." Jack sighed. "I know."

 Aura: 3 - Kids can be cruel

    "Hey, Mom, can Benjamin stay over for the weekend?" Andrew asked.


    Helen paused considering the request. "I don''t see why not. You''ll need to make sure it''s okay with his parents first though."


    "Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Andrew exclaimed, rushing over to the phone to call Benjamin and let him know. Andrew was now ten and ever since that first day of school, Benjamin had been his best friend. They were both a little weird, so the rest of their grade kept them at arm''s length, but they had each other, and they''d grown close because of it.


    Benjamin''s parents didn''t see anything wrong with him staying over either, so Friday Benjamin packed a backpack full of everything he''d need and brought it to school, planning on just getting off at Andrew''s stop instead of his own that afternoon. Unfortunately, the bag wouldn''t fit in his locker, so he had to spend the entire day lugging it around. It was sitting next to their table at lunch, when the older boy from that first day grabbed it.


    "Oh? What''s this Dorkjamin? Preparing extra clothes in case you wet yourself again?" The boy jeered as his two cronies chuckled behind him.


    "Give it back, Eric!" Benjamin exclaimed, reaching for the bag. "And I never wet myself! You poured a bottle of water down my pants!"


    "Likely story." Eric scoffed. "Let''s see¡­ Oh! Nutty bars! Swiss rolls! That''s some good stuff, Dorkjamin! How nice of you to get them for us!" Eric pulled the snacks out of the bag, before dropping it and walking off.


    "Hey! You can''t steal Benjamin''s snacks!" Andrew got to his feet, yelling at them.


    "Oh? And what are you going to do about it, huh?" Eric sneered.


    "I''ll tell the teacher on you!" Andrew growled, clenching his fists.


    "Tell them what? That I have snacks? Who''s to say they weren''t mine to begin with?" Eric retorted.


    A slight cough came from behind them and they all turned to see a teacher standing there with a frown. "You three, return the snacks and report for detention after school." The teacher ordered in a stern voice, before turning to the young girl next to him. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Cathryn."


    "You''re welcome, teacher!" Cathryn chirped cheerfully. Cathryn was the same girl who''d commented on Andrew''s tigermonkey that first day.


    Eric rolled his eyes, tossing the snacks at Benjamin, before walking away with the other two. The teacher left as well, while Cathryn approached Andrew and Benjamin with a smug look. "Thanks, Cathryn." Benjamin thanked her with a smile, packing his snacks back into his bag.


    "You''re welcome." Cathryn nodded with a smile, before turning to Andrew, looking at him expectantly.


    "What do you want, Cathryn?" Andrew frowned at her as he returned to his seat.


    "A thank you would be nice." Cathryn replied, crossing her arms.


    "Thanks. Bye." Andrew waved her away. Every time he talked with Cathryn he''d end up arguing with her and he wasn''t in the mood right now.


    "Ugh, you''re so rude!" Cathryn exclaimed before stomping away.


    "Why do you antagonize her like that?" Benjamin asked, frowning at Andrew.


    "How do I antagonize her? She antagonizes me!" Andrew exclaimed in frustration. Every time Cathryn came up to him he could sense that weird expectation she had towards him, as if she wanted him to perform for her. Like she wanted to poke him to see what would happen.


    Benjamin raised an eyebrow at him. "All she wanted was for you to thank her. She helped us with Eric and them, it wasn''t unreasonable."


    "We didn''t need her help. I could have dealt with those three myself." Andrew growled.


    "But you didn''t have to, because Cathryn took care of it!" Benjamin retorted. "It''s like if I went up and got food for you. You absolutely could have done it yourself, but I did it for you, so you thank me, right?"


    Andrew frowned, before sighing. "You''re right. It''s just- she just rubs me the wrong way. I don''t get what''s up with her."


    Benjamin shook his head. "I don''t get what''s up with you. You have a weird sense of pride for someone who gets picked on just as much as I do." Andrew grunted, going back to his food, unable to explain. How could he tell Benjamin he could literally toss Eric across the cafeteria one handed?


    *


    Benjamin sighed, shaking his head. "I just can''t get over how nice your house is."


    "It isn''t that nice." Andrew replied as they walked inside.


    "You literally have an indoor pool." Benjamin commented.


    "But I don''t like to swim." Andrew argued back.


    "But you have a pool. Whether you like it or not is irrelevant!" Benjamin retorted.


    "How is that irrelevant? Having the pool isn''t nice for me, so it doesn''t contribute to my house being nice!" Andrew countered.


    "You''re ridiculous." Benjamin grumbled, shaking his head. "Come on, what do you want to do? I brought some games, some movies, and you know, snacks."


    "What movies did you bring?" Andrew asked curiously. As much as his parents bought nice stuff, they were ancient creatures, so they hadn''t quite caught up with the rapid development of entertainment. They considered sitting around playing board games to be the height of culture, and the kids just could not convince them otherwise. They did have a TV with a dvd player, but they rarely used it.


    They quickly delved into the various pieces of entertainment Benjamin had brought, but by Saturday afternoon, they''d consumed it all, including the snacks, leaving them with nothing to do, except maybe dig into Andrew''s parents'' board game collection. "Well, we could go explore the woods." Benjamin suggested as they were thinking of what to do.


    "Uh, I-I''m not so sure about that¡­" Andrew muttered, sweating slightly. He always went into the woods in one of his Beast forms. He wasn''t sure how safe it''d be for two ten year old boys. Andrew could certainly take care of any danger but not without revealing his secret to Benjamin.


    "Don''t you go back there all the time? Come on, you can show me around!" Benjamin insisted, dragging him into the backyard towards the forest. They headed into the trees, Benjamin boldly striding forward while Andrew followed him nervously, watching out for any life signs that could pose any danger. "So, where do you usually go?" Benjamin turned to ask.


    "Huh? Uh, nowhere in particular. I kinda just explore, you know?" Andrew explained with a shrug. He went over all the places he knew that were around here, before deciding on taking Benjamin to his territory, a small clearing with a nice big tree and a small creek not too far from here.


    As they walked, Benjamin suddenly stopped, eyes widening. "Whoa! Andrew, check this out!" He exclaimed, waving Andrew over to look at something on the ground. Andrew looked over with a frown, before realizing what Benjamin had found. It was a massive paw print. Andrew''s paw print. From his Tiger form. "What do you think made it?" Benjamin asked in wonder as he crouched down, studying the impression in the mud.


    "Uh, a bear?" Andrew responded, cursing himself.


    "A bear? What bear would leave a print this big! No, this must be a bigfoot track!" Benjamin exclaimed excitedly.


    "Bigfoot?" Andrew exclaimed in bafflement.


    "You know, sasquatch! A big, bearlike monkey man thing! He hides in the woods and only occasionally can anyone ever find a sign of him! This must be his footprint!" Benjamin elaborated.


    "Uh¡­ sure." Andrew nodded along, giving Benjamin a strange look. "Uh, we should probably keep going though. We wouldn''t want to disturb him, right?"


    Benjamin frowned. "Yeah, that''d probably make him angry." He got to his feet, before clicking his tongue. "Man, I wish I''d brought my camera."


    They continued on until they finally reached Andrew''s territory. He let out a comfortable sigh as they did, enjoying the welcome feeling the territory always gave him, as if he was coming home. He could always sense his territory, but there was something different about actually being there, feeling the space around him, the sturdiness of it, as if he could fall into it and it would catch him. Of course, due to his ability, he could. One of the first things Tigers learned to do was solidify space, creating barriers within their territory. If he wanted something really sturdy, he''d need to spend a lot of time and effort to do it, but something that would just hold his weight was nothing and he could do that instantly.


    "Wow! This place is nice!" Benjamin exclaimed as they arrived, looking around.


    Andrew grinned in pride. "Yup! There''s some small fish in the creek, along with some crawfish and frogs. There are ant hills over there and over there and occasionally they''ll fight, which is fun. And in the tree- Oh!" A black shadow darted from the the tree, rushing over to land on Andrews shoulder with a *Caw!* "Uh, there''s a crow." Andrew grinned sheepishly, petting the large bird''s chest lightly.


    Benjamin''s eyes looked like they were about to pop out. "You have a pet crow?!?" He exclaimed in wonder.


    Andrew frowned. "I wouldn''t say he''s a pet. He''s my friend."


    "Isn''t that the same thing as a pet?" Benjamin asked, confused.


    Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Are you my pet?"


    "No, but I''m human!" Benjamin argued. "When a person is friends with an animal, that means they''re their pet! That''s just how it works, like me and my dog!"


    "I''m pretty sure being a pet implies having some sort of dependence on the other person. You know, a pet and their owner kind of thing. I don''t own Gregory, so he isn''t my pet. He''s my friend." Andrew responded.


    Benjamin paused. "I suppose¡­ so, then, how did you two become friends?"


    Andrew shrugged. "I like to hang out here, he likes to hang out in the tree. Just kind of happened really." He couldn''t really explain how they''d built their relationship through Andrew''s emotional communication ability, so that was the best he could do.


    "You''re going to need a better story than that when you bring him to school." Benjamin retorted, shaking his head. "Something like he broke his wing and you nursed him back to health!"


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Andrew frowned. "And why would I be bringing him to school?"


    "To show everyone! Can you imagine bringing in a live crow? Everyone would love it! You''d be the coolest kid in school!" Benjamin exclaimed.


    Andrew''s eyes widened slightly. "Do you think so?"


    "Duh! Everyone loves animals! Remember how much people loved it when John brought in his new puppy? If you brought Gregory, it''d be at least ten times cooler!" Benjamin answered.


    Andrew paused, considering it. "I guess I could." It wouldn''t be bad to feel cool for once, would it?


    *


    The next Monday, as Andrew walked into class, the teacher jumped in shock, backing away. "A-Andrew, w-what is that?!?" She exclaimed, pointing shakily at the crow standing calmly on Andrew''s shoulded.


    "This is Gregory!" Andrew exclaimed. "He''s a crow!"


    "Andrew, you can''t just bring wild animals into school! Put it outside!" The teacher demanded.


    Andrew frowned. "But I brought him all the way from my house¡­ he can''t just fly home! I promise, he''ll behave, right Gregory?" Andrew sent Gregory a hopeful questioning emotion along with calmness and agreeableness. Gregory cawed in response, puffing out his feathers proudly in affirmation. He was a good crow! The best!


    The teacher was unwilling, but eventually sighed and nodded, unable to actually tell Andrew no. As long as the crow wasn''t actually disruptive, she didn''t have an excuse to send it away. Andrew grinned in triumph, heading over to his desk. All the kids watched him, wide-eyed, as he did, some feeling a sense of wonder, while others were clearly nervous about the large bird.


    "Where did you get it?" One of the other boys asked as he sat down.


    "He lives in the woods behind my house." Andrew explained. "I met him back there."


    "Can he do any tricks?" Another boy asked.


    Andrew frowned. "He isn''t some kind of circus act, he''s my friend! I don''t make him do tricks."


    The boy got a strange look on his face. "You''re friends with a crow? What, could you not make people friends so you had to resort to animals?"


    Andrew scowled. "What''s wrong with making friends with animals? Can you make friends with animals?"


    "Why would I want to make friends with animals?" The boy retorted. "They''re dirty, ugly, and gross!"


    "Hey, my dog is not gross!" John piped up, glaring at the boy.


    "Yeah, and my parakeet is very pretty!" A girl added.


    "My ferret is dirty, but he''s still really cool!" Another boy called out.


    The boy was slightly stunned by the backlash, shrinking away as Andrew was surrounded by the animal lovers, asking if they could pet Gregory or give him treats. Gregory was nervous at first, but after Andrew repeatedly calmed him down, assuring him that none of the children were dangerous, he slowly began to enjoy the attention, puffing himself up proudly as they pet him softly. Eventually though, the teacher had to start class and everyone returned to their seats. Through the lesson, Gregory remained calm and composed, hopping between Greg''s shoulder and the desk occasionally, but otherwise just calmly accompanying the class, though a large part of that was due to Andrew''s constant emotional messages. He knew if Gregory was disruptive, the teacher would make him take him outside.


    "See, I told you it''d go well!" Benjamin exclaimed proudly as they headed to lunch.


    "When you''re right, you''re right." Andrew nodded with a grin, enjoying the attention he and Gregory were receiving even now. "I should have done this years ago!"


    They queued up into the lunch line, ready to grab their food, when that voice that pierced his ear drums and sent waves of fury through his chest called out. "Andork, what is this? You got yourself a stuffed crow?" Eric called out, reaching for Gregory. "Gah!" He suddenly cried as Gregory pecked at his hand, yanking it away. "I-It''s real?!? How did you manage to get a real crow!?!"


    "Why do you care?" Andrew growled, glaring at Eric.


    Eric scoffed. "It''s just a stupid bird. Just let me see it!" He demanded, reaching out, only to have his hand pecked again, yanking it back with a pained yelp, glaring at Gregory angrily. "Stupid bird! Let me pet you!"


    "Leave him alone!" Andrew yelled, pulling Gregory away, using one hand to keep Eric at bay, trying not to use too much strength in the process.


    Eric was getting increasingly frustrated as no matter what he did, he couldn''t grab Gregory and every time he got anywhere close, the damn bird would peck his hand again! "Ugh, fine! I don''t want to see your stupid bird anyway!" He finally exclaimed, walking away in a huff, rubbing his hand which was now covered in tiny red marks.


    Andrew watched him go with a glare, before snorting, continuing through the food line. "What a jerk." Benjamin muttered from behind, glaring after Eric as well. They got their food and found a place to sit down, but unlike usual, they weren''t left to continue their meal in peace. Kids kept coming over to see Gregory, giving him little pieces of food, petting him when Andrew said they could, and otherwise gawking in fascination as they ate.


    Eric glared at the bustling activity around Gregory with a bitter, angry frown. All it was was a stupid bird! Why was everyone getting so excited about it?!? Didn''t they remember how awful those two were!?! Getting a dumb bird didn''t change any of that! He was busy fuming when suddenly his friend nudged him, taking something out of his backpack and showing it to him. "A slingshot?" Eric asked, eyes widening slightly. "Why are you bringing it out here?"


    The friend snickered. "Don''t you think Andork''s bird would be the perfect thing for target practice?" He explained, pulling out a few nice rocks as well.


    Eric was stunned for a moment, before a wicked grin spread across his face. "Give it here!" He insisted, grabbing the slingshot and a rock, slowly taking aim at Gregory. "Stupid bird." Eric growled, before releasing the rock, which shot across the room in a flash, hitting Gregory square in the head with a solid thunk, a pained squawk, and a burst of feathers!


    For a second, the entire cafeteria was silent. Andrew just sat there, not even processing what had just happened as his spine went numb. A moment later, he scrambled out of his seat, kneeling down to pick up Gregory''s floppy body. "G-Gregory?" He stammered as he chest tightened, knowing that the crow was dead. From across the room, laughter erupted from Eric and his friends, and suddenly his chest felt like it was on fire as pure rage burned through him! With a roar, he grabbed the fallen rock and with all his strength, he threw it at the smug, laughing face of Eric. Eric didn''t even have time to react before the rock hit and his head exploded!


    The entire cafeteria fell into a stunned silence once again, as Andrew stared wide-eyed at the gruesome scene he''d just caused. "No¡­ no no no no no!" Andrew panicked, running as screams began to erupt around him, dashing out of the cafeteria, his heart pounding in his chest. He didn''t even think as he ran through town, straight towards the forest, and into his territory. He didn''t even know how long it''d taken him as he huddled against the tree, pulling the space around him as he created barrier after barrier, hiding himself from the world.


    *


    Helen was in the basement, focusing carefully as she etched strange symbols into a bracelet when the phone rang, breaking her concentration, causing her to make a slight error in the symbol. She let out a frustrated sigh as she got to her feet, stalking over to the phone with a grumpy expression. "Yes?" She asked as she answered the phone in a slightly too terse tone.


    "Uh, Mrs. Stone? This is Mrs. Atkinson, from the elementary school. Th-there''s been an incident involving your son, Andrew." Mrs. Atkinson explained in a nervous tone.


    Helen frowned. "Something happened with Andrew? Is he okay?" Helen asked, concern clear in her tone, forgetting for a moment that nothing at an elementary school could possibly harm him.


    "He''s fine! At least, we think he is¡­ Mrs. Stone, your son- oh god, your son, he- he killed another boy! We- we believe it was an accident, b-but he''s run off and we can''t find him anywhere! The police are looking for him b-but¡­ d-do you know where he might be hiding? He isn''t in trouble, we just need to find him." Mrs. Atkinson explained, her tone becoming more and more nervous as she continued.


    A cold chill crept into Helen''s spine. "I-I don''t¡­ I''ll see if I can find him, just- I''ll call you if I find anything!" Helen stammered, before quickly hanging up the phone, panting heavily. She paused for a moment, before picking the phone up again, dialing a number. "Stephen? You need to call Elder Barry. Something''s happened with Andrew." Helen began to explain, telling him what the school had told her. "Emilia is already searching the forest for him, but¡­ you know that isn''t her strong suit." She finished.


    "Sebastian is already on it." Stephen replied in a hard tone. "I''ll call Elder Barry immediately. Don''t worry, we''ll take care of this." He assured her before hanging up. Helen let out another nervous breath as she hung up as well, looking off in the distance with a worried look in her eye, hoping Andrew was okay.


    *


    Andrew curled up inside layer after layer of space, tears streaming down his face as he blocked out the rest of the world, sobbing for Gregory, for the fact that his family would have to move now, and even for Eric. With his abilities, he knew Eric was just hurting and angry at the world, lashing out for little to no reason. He hated being the victim of it, and he didn''t like Eric, but he didn''t hate Eric for it. He didn''t know what Eric had gone through to make him that way, and he had absolutely no idea how to fix it, but he knew it wasn''t really Eric''s fault. Why did he have to kill Gregory though? Why did he have to make him so angry!?!


    Guilt, sorrow, frustration, and anger mixed within him in a miserable whirlpool, sending him deeper and deeper into himself in a spiral that seemed ready to drag him down to hell itself, when a questioning, concerned emotion brushed against his mind. Immediately Andrew sent rejection back, too ashamed to even look towards where Sebastian and Emilia were standing at the edge of his territory, blocked off by the multitude of barriers. "He''s too deep in it." Sebastian sighed, shaking his head. "Can you break through these?"


    "I can, but¡­ it would hurt him. To break this many in a short period of time¡­ it''d be like breaking every bone in his body." Emilia sighed.


    Sebastian groaned, turning back to Andrew. "Then I''ll just have to try to slowly convince him¡­ this will be hard without being able to talk to him." He explained, sending emotions of concern, acceptance, and comfort towards Andrew constantly, slowly trying to wear through the spiral of dark emotions he''d shrouded himself in. He could have directly manipulated Andrew''s emotions, but that would simply result in a harsher backlash once he stopped. Unless he wanted to permanently control Andrew''s emotions, he had to take it slow, only subtly pushing him towards healing, not directly taking him there. Slowly, hours passed and Andrew slowly broke down under Sebastian''s continued proding, until finally he released the barriers, rubbing his eyes and sniffling as he stumbled towards the two Beasts.


    Emilia and Sebastian breathed sighs of relief, rushing up to him, hugging and rubbing against him, before picking him up and dashing towards the house. Sebastian delivered him to the back door, gently placing him in Helen''s arms as she hugged him tight, rocking gently back and forth as he clutched back at her, light sobs echoing from him. She then carried him inside, where Stephen waited with a strange man Andrew had never met before. Stephen stepped forward, hugging both Helen and Andrew at once. None of them had any idea what to say, just resting in the comfort of each other''s embrace. Eventually they released, letting Andrew down, and he turned to look at the strange man.


    Elder Barry smiled kindly at Andrew, crouching down to eye level. "Hello Andrew, I''m Elder Barry. I hear you''ve had a rough day. Do you want to talk about it? Tell me what happened."


    Andrew sniffed. "I-I''d brought my f-friend, a-a crow named Gre-Gregory, t-to school t-to show everyone. Th-then during l-lunch¡­ E-Eric used a s-slingshot t-to- he hit- he killed Gregory!" Andrew cried in pain. "I-I just- I was so angry, a-and I grabbed the s-stone and I just¡­ I threw it¡­ I didn''t mean to- I just wanted to hurt him, not- I-I shouldn''t have-" Andrew stammered, not even knowing how to explain. He knew he shouldn''t have tried to throw the rock in the first place. He should have gone to a teacher, or the principal, someone and let them take care of it. He just¡­ he didn''t think, and he''d killed a boy.


    Elder Barry nodded. "I understand. This is something we all have to go through at some point. Unfortunately, you came to this point much younger than most. As Bonded, we are gifted with great and powerful abilities, yet if we use them carelessly, the people around us get hurt. For other Bonded, they have time to grow into this strength, only slowly growing more powerful as they develop their ability over tens, hundreds, or even thousands of years, slowly getting used to the terrifying power they can bring to bear. However, for you¡­ you reached this point as soon as you were born. You''ve never been weak, yet everyone around you is so fragile, and you can''t even tell the difference between you. You have no real concept of how truly fragile they really are, how careful you truly need to be, how important it is that you control yourself." He explained sadly.


    "I''m sorry." Andrew croaked, hanging his head in shame. "I- I''ll accept my punishment. Just¡­ Please, don''t make my family move. I-I''ll take the punishment myself. I-I don''t want to ruin my family''s life."


    Elder Barry couldn''t suppress his grin as he patted Andrew''s head. "That won''t be necessary. Everything has already been taken care of. The boy''s death was a freak accident, the rock hitting just the right point where the boy had a congenital weakness in his skull, causing that level of damage. You could not have known about it. No one could have known about it. You''re simply the victim of a cruel twist of fate. You''ll be suspended for a week for the incident, then you''ll return to school and continue on with your life."


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "Th-that''s it? B-but I killed someone! Sh-shouldn''t I go to jail o-or something?"


    Elder Barry raised an eyebrow. "What jail could hold you? Besides, you''re a child. Even a normal boy wouldn''t go to jail for something like this. You just need to take this time to get yourself under control, and put yourself back together. By next week, hopefully this will all just be a bad memory that everyone will slowly forget."


    It didn''t exactly sit right with Andrew, but he nodded slowly, accepting Elder Barry''s explanation. He really hoped everything could go back to the way it was. He just didn''t think it was possible.

 Aura: 4 - Isolation

    Andrew sat in the back corner of the classroom, away from everyone else, bored as he listened to the teacher drone on. He was fifteen now and the school year was close to being over, which Andrew was immensely grateful for. Ever since that day, he''d become known as the kid who killed someone, and his already weak ability to make friends got even worse. Even Benjamin had slowly drifted away, as that lingering fear that somehow he''d make Andrew angry and end up like Eric ate at their friendship.


    There were those who, when they heard about his reputation, wanted to get closer to him, but the type of person who was interested in a kid who killed someone wasn''t the type of person Andrew wanted to be friends with. Of course, the fact that he ignored or even drove off the few people who actually tried to interact with him didn''t help his reputation either, leaving him even more isolated. You would have thought his ability to read emotions would have helped, but it only constantly reminded him of the way everyone around him viewed him, like some sort of monster or ticking time bomb. What was the point of knowing about emotions you had no idea how to affect them?


    Without friends, school had become more and more irritating to Andrew. All he could do was learn, but he was smart enough that he didn''t need to pay too much attention to get good grades. Even if he daydreamed all through class, he''d still retain enough information to get a high B or low A on the tests. School was just a boring prison he had to sit through for eight hours a day, five days a week, until he could get back home and head into the forest.


    Andrew had slowly regressed to the point where all his friends were animals. He hung out with wolf packs, played with birds and squirrels, and stayed up late talking with the spiders in his room. Even during class he''d find some creature to keep in touch with, a habit which no one particularly appreciated, especially when it came to spiders, which was really a shame. Spiders could be pretty insightful. Their entire mantra revolved around preparation and letting life come as it will. It was very zen and they''d help Andrew through quite a few hard times.


    During lunch, Andrew went to find a secluded spot to eat, as usual, usually outside where he could share with some wildlife. He headed towards a secluded area he liked with a few park benches and a small little patch of trees. As he approached, he noticed a small group was already there. He cursed slightly, preparing to leave, when he noticed some familiar auras and sighed, heading over.


    "What was that bullshit you pulled!" A voice growled, followed by the sound of something kicking something soft and a cry of pain. "You think it''s funny to make me look dumb in front of the entire class!"


    "Leave him alone!" A girl''s voice cried out.


    "I-I wasn''t even-" A pained voice groaned.


    "Shut up!" The angry voice growled again, delivering another kick. "And you, stay out of this! This has nothing to do with you!"


    "You''re just a bully and a coward who can only pick on the weak!" The girl spat angrily.


    "A coward? You think I''m a coward?!? Bitch, I''ll show you how bold I can be." The angry voice exclaimed.


    "St-stay away from me!" The girl''s voice cried out again.


    Andrew walked onto the scene to see Benjamin curled up on the ground groaning in pain while a much larger boy approached Cathryn with a fierce look in his eyes. As he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her towards him, Andrew let out a frustrated sigh, glaring at the boy. "What are you doing." He asked blandly.


    The boy froze, turning to see Andrew standing there, not looking happy. "A-Andrew, I-I-I was just-" the boy gulped, stammering as he released Cathryn, backing away.


    Andrew sighed yet again as he felt the pure terror radiating off the boy, shaking his head. "Just get out of here." The boy quickly nodded before running off. Andrew glanced at Cathryn, then Benjamin, before turning to leave.


    "W-wait!" Cathryn shouted out, stopping him.


    Andrew paused, turning back. "What."


    "Th-thank you." Cathryn thanked him, flushing.


    Andrew grunted, nodding slightly, before turning to go again.


    "Wait!" Cathryn called out again. Andrew paused again, turning back and raising an eyebrow at her. "Is that it? You''re not even going to check on Benjamin? Isn''t he your friend?!?"


    Andrew glanced at Benjamin, who flinched slightly. "You can''t be friends with someone who''s terrified of you." Andrew commented, turning to go again.


    "Wait!" Cathryn called again, but Andrew just ignored her this time and kept going. She stomped her foot in frustration. "What is wrong with him!"


    "I told you this was a bad idea." Benjamin muttered as he climbed to his feet, dusting himself off. "Why do you keep doing this? You spend so much effort chasing after him and all he does is ignore you."


    "I-I''m not chasing him!" Cathryn retorted, flushing in embarrassment.


    "Uh huh, sure, that''s why you drag me to wherever you think he''s going to eat every day. Cause you''re not chasing him." Benjamin nodded, rolling his eyes.


    "Shut up!" Cathryn protested, stomping away, leaving Benjamin to sigh and shake his head before following her.


    *


    Andrew was leaving school, about to get on the bus, when he heard a honk nearby. Looking over with a frown, he saw his older brother Jack leaning out a car window, waving at him with a grin. Instantly a smile broke his face and he quickly walked over. "You''re back?"


    "For the entire summer." Jack grinned, climbing out of the car. "Where''s Amy and Sarah?"


    Andrew shrugged. "No idea. They- they do better when I''m not around."


    Jack frowned. "Andrew, you can''t isolate yourself just to make other people''s lives easier. You deserve to be happy too, you know."


    Andrew shook his head. "I can be happy later. I''m immortal, remember? They''re not¡­ I''m willing to sacrifice a bit so they can enjoy the little time they have."


    "Andrew-" Jack sighed, shaking his head.


    "Jack, just leave it, alright? We get along just fine at home, and school takes up most of our time here anyway. It isn''t like I''m missing quality time with my sisters." Andrew stopped the lecture he knew Jack was preparing, not wanting to hear it. He went around and got in the passenger seat. "Come on, they have their own cars anyways. They''ll probably meet us at home."


    Jack frowned, giving Andrew a complicated look, before shaking his head and getting into the car. "You''re an annoying little brat sometimes, you know that?"


    "I''m pretty sure you only get to call me a brat when you can beat me in arm wrestling." Andrew shot back with a grin. "Or in a race. Or in basketball. Or in soccer. Or in-"


    "Very, very, very annoying." Jack grumbled again as he started up the car and they headed home.


    "So, how was college?" Andrew asked. "You get a girlfriend yet?"


    "I have a few options available to me." Jack replied noncommittally. "How about you? Any special someone manage to find a way to break through that stubborn shell of yours?"


    Andrew snorted. "Hardly. Besides, they''re all mortals. You know how the Clans feel about Bonded and mortals together."


    "Whoa, hey, I didn''t realize the Clans were in charge of your dating life. What, does Elder Barry have a list of eligible Bonded arranged for you?" Jack retorted mockingly. "Just cause you can''t make a new Bonded with a girl doesn''t mean you can''t love her. Besides, you''re immortal, remember? What do the Clans care if you waste a couple decades?"


    Andrew eyed Jack weirdly before shaking his head. "It just isn''t a good idea. They get old while you stay looking like someone in your mid twenties, and it just gets awkward. I mean, Mom and Dad look more like your older brother and sister than your parents at this point. Think about if that was your wife and she looked forty or fifty while you looked the same? It- it''d get weird. It just isn''t worth it."


    Jack grunted noncommittally. This was one of their normal arguments. The more Jack saw Andrew isolating himself, the more he tried to push him to interact with the world. Unfortunately for him, Andrew had both the parents and the mysterious Clans on his side, so he didn''t get very far. They were all used to taking the long view, and for them, a short decade of solitude was perfectly normal, possibly even something to seek out.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Once they got back home, everyone was excited to have Jack back for the summer, and Helen prepared a large meal in celebration, full of Jack''s favorite foods. The girls asked question after question, digging into every aspect of Jack''s college life, particularly Sarah who would be following him there next year. Andrew just sat back, enjoying the feeling of community that always made him forget how bad school was. For Andrew, as long as he had his family, everything else would be fine.


    *


    The next day, Andrew was heading for one of his secluded spots during lunch again, when he noticed someone following him. He turned to see Cathryn a few feet behind him, followed even further back by a nervous Benjamin. "What are you doing." He asked in the usual, dead tone he used during school.


    Cathryn took a deep breath and held her head up. "We''re going to have lunch with you." She declared firmly. She''d finally decided that instead of trying to coincidentally be wherever she thought he would be, she would just be bold and follow him. She wasn''t going to be terrified of him. Benjamin, on the other hand, had been dragged along against his will, considering all this a terrible, terrible mistake.


    Andrew blinked at her, frowning slightly, before shrugging. "Your funeral." He muttered, continuing on his way.


    Cathryn followed happily, while Benjamin gulped nervously. "He- he didn''t mean that literally right?"


    "Knock it off!" Cathryn shushed him.


    They soon arrived at the same small clearing and Andrew took a seat on one of the benches, pulling out his food. He made a clicking noise and a squirrel scurried over, jumping up onto his shoulder. Andrew handed the squirrel a chip which it began to munch on happily, while he began to dig into his sandwich.


    Cathryn sat down next to him, watching him curiously. "How do you do that?"


    "Do what." Andrew replied.


    "How do you get along with animals so well? The squirrel, the bugs, the¡­ the crow." Cathryn elaborated. Benjamin froze, eyes widening, watching Andrew nervously.


    "You just need to be able to get your intentions across, let them know you''re not going to hurt them." Andrew explained simply, ignoring Benjamin.


    "How do you do that?" Cathryn pressed.


    Andrew shrugged. "I couldn''t say. I just do it."


    Cathryn frowned at him, before pulling her own food out, digging into it. She paused, before taking out an apple slice, offering it to the squirrel. The squirrel glanced at Andrew questioningly, and Andrew gave it a slight nod. It tentatively reached out to grab the apple slice before quickly pulling it back to nibble on it. Cathryn grinned widely. "Does he have a name?"


    "Squirrelate." Andrew replied.


    Cathryn frowned. "Why did you name him that?"


    "Because I named the last one Squirrel Seven." Andrew replied, grinning slightly.


    Cathryn snorted. "That''s dumb."


    "True." Andrew nodded, returning to his meal.


    Cathryn deflated slightly at his short replies, not sure how to continue the conversation. "So¡­" She began, pausing as she had nothing else to follow up with.


    Andrew sighed, putting down his sandwich and looking up at her. "Listen, I appreciate the effort, but I don''t need you to be friends with me, especially not out of pity. I''m fine. You don''t need to fix me." He then turned to a shivering Benjamin. "And no, you''re not making me angry, and even if you were, you wouldn''t need to worry."


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "Th-that isn''t- I''m not-"


    "Yes, you are." Andrew interrupted her, staring at her blandly, as if he wasn''t even interested in this conversation. Of course, Andrew knew it wasn''t because he didn''t want friends, but he wanted people who legitimately wanted to be around him, not those who simply felt sad for him. If it weren''t for his ability, maybe he could find a way to delude himself into believing otherwise, but unfortunately the truth was laid bare before him at every moment, like a cruel joke. He''d rather be alone.


    Cathryn fell into a stunned silence, not even knowing what to say as Andrew went back to eating his meal. An oppressive silence clouded the area as Andrew slowly finished his food, before standing to his feet. He gave the other two a slight nod, before heading off. Cathryn wanted to stop him, but couldn''t, unable to get his words out of her head. Pity? Trying to fix him? Was that really what motivated her? She couldn''t deny it. But¡­ "How did he know?" She muttered to herself with a frown. She hadn''t even realized that''s what she was doing!


    "I told you, the guy is creepy!" Benjamin exclaimed. "It- it''s like he gets in your head! There''s no secrets when you''re around that guy." He finished with a shiver.


    *


    The final few weeks of the school year passed uneventfully, and finally it was summer. Andrew looked forward to the days of having nothing to do but live in the forest, away from all the crap the rest of the world tried to put on him. The only thing he had to pay attention to was Sarah''s graduation, and the rest of his time was completely open.


    "Ready?" Emilia asked, glancing at Andrew.


    "Hold on." Andrew replied as tiny changes began to take place all over his body. His feet changed to become more hand-like, a tail slithered out from a well hidden hole in his pants, claws grew from his fingers, and his pupils turned to slits. His arms grew slightly longer, his shoulders slightly wider, and faint orange and black stripes appeared all over his body. This was the result of years of hard work, Andrew spending hours every day meditating in his territory, figuring out how to incorporate all of his different forms strengths into one, combined package. Andrew grinned as he settled into his new form, revealing a set of fangs, and a slightly deeper voice echoed from his chest. "Ready."


    "Go!" Emilia announced, starting a stop watch using her delicate control of space, and Andrew bolted, dashing through the trees. As he ran, barriers would suddenly appear out of nowhere, or portals would activate, dropping rocks or sticky substances like honey, and Andrew would have to dodge out of the way, avoiding them as they came. Occasionally he''d even be shifted to an entirely different area, and need to react instantly to whatever peril he''d just been dropped into as he kept his pace up, constantly running forward until he finally came to stop in front of Emilia again, breathing heavily. "Well?"


    Emilia showed him the stop watch, grinning. "Nine minutes, forty-four seconds!"


    "Yes!" Andrew cried happily, doing a little dance. Over the years, Emilia had designed many, many obstacle courses for him using her territory, and for each one, whenever he could complete it in under ten minutes, it meant he''d passed, and she''d set up another even harder obstacle course. Andrew had been stuck on this one for a few months now, so it felt good to finally beat it. "So, what''s next?" He asked eagerly.


    Emilia grinned at him. "There is no next. That was the last one! Just in time too. With your sixteenth birthday coming up, it''s time for your first trip Outside."


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "You mean¡­"


    Emilia nodded. "Congratulations Andrew. You''re ready for your first hunt!"


    *


    It was Andrew''s birthday and the family was enjoying a pizza and movie night in celebration, everyone laughing uproariously at the recently released comedy they''d picked up for the occasion, when suddenly the door burst open with a loud bang. "Where is my grandson!" A loud voice demanded as a man walked confidently through the door.


    "Dad?" Stephen jumped up in shock at the sight of the man who looked like he could be his brother.


    "Stephen!" The man laughed happily, coming up to him and pulling him into a crushing hug. "Ah, and Helen! As lovely as ever, I see." The man turned to Helen, bowing slightly, winking at her with a grin.


    Helen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What are you doing here, Arose?"


    "I''m here to see my grandson, of course!" Arose announced. "You''ve finally seen fit to grace me with a true and proper descendant I hear! Tell me, which of these is him, huh?"


    Helen glared at him. "Arose, you have five grandchildren. Don''t you want to greet the other four as well?"


    Arose rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, of course. I even brought them presents, see?" Arose commented, pulling a few packages out of nowhere. "Cosmetic potions, enhancement accessories, the works! Enough to let them do anything they want in life!"


    "Arose, you can''t just brush them off with a few gifts! They''re your grandchildren! Act like it!" Helen yelled at him.


    "Oh don''t worry, we''ll have plenty of time to get to know each other. They can pop over any time!" Arose waved dismissively.


    "Pop over where?" Helen asked in a cautious tone.


    "Next door of course. That way. Just moved in!" Arose announced, waving a set of keys with a grin. Helen''s eyes widened, stunned by the new information. Then Arose''s eyes finally landed on Andrew. "Ah ha! And you must be Andrew! Come, come, give your grandpa a hug!" Andrew hesitated for a moment before tentatively approaching him, before he was yanked into a tight hug. "Ah, it''s good to finally meet you!" Arose announced happily.


    "Uh, y-you too." Andrew replied, awkwardly returning the hug.


    Arose pulled back, giving Andrew an evaluating look. "I heard about your unique condition. Transforming instead of releasing a Beast? A little non-traditional don''t you think?" He commented with a smirk.


    "W-well-" Andrew began.


    "Bah, tradition is for suckers anyways!" Arose continued, waving a hand dismissively. "As long as you''re powerful, who cares? Just focus on your own growth, and soon none of your problems will matter anymore."


    Andrew hesitated, nodding slowly in agreement. He''d been told similar things by his parents many times, and while he was a bit skeptical, he figured getting more powerful wouldn''t be a terrible idea. The Bonded seemed to deal with it just fine, why couldn''t he?


    Helen was still glaring at Arose, until he finally stopped focusing solely on Andrew and began talking to his siblings as well, though Andrew knew it wasn''t with the same fervor. Still Arose hid it well, and soon Jack and the rest were excitedly going through the gifts he''d brought them, looking forward to the slight edge they''d have as a result. Who wouldn''t want to be slightly stronger or smarter or more attractive? Emphasis on the slightly. Andrew was a testament to the fact that too much of a good thing could be very, very bad.


    After he finished handing out gifts, Arose retreated to the kitchen to catch up with Stephen and Helen, while the kids returned to the movie. Andrew could still feel the emotions from there, absolutely certain his mom and Arose were arguing while his dad mediated. He wasn''t entirely sure why his grandpa had suddenly shown up, but he could tell it was going to take some getting used to.

 Aura: 5 - First Hunt (1)

    Helen led Andrew into the basement, through a hidden door, and down a long hallway until they reached a room with a small cart on a set of rails. Helen got inside, sitting at a strange set of controls full of complex symbols and starting the cart up with a low, otherworldly hum as they began gliding down the rails. The walls of the tunnel began to pass by faster and faster, until all Andrew saw was a brown blur. It wasn''t long though before they slowed down, their cart pulling off into a small alcove. Today was the day that Andrew would enter the Outside for the first time, meeting other Bonded his age, going on his first hunt, and he couldn''t be more excited! The tracks had taken them to the local transport station, where a portal was ready to bring them out of Earth and into the Outside world. As a Tiger, Helen could have made a portal herself, but in order to keep the pocket dimension Earth was situated in safe, any unidentified portals between it and the Outside were strictly investigated, and carelessly doing so would result in a severe reprimand.


    Helen led Andrew towards the platform where a few other people were waiting, mostly adults, though Andrew could see two others around his age, looking just as excited as he was. They all waited for a few minutes, until the wall in front of them seemed to split, revealing a large courtyard. Andrew followed the crowd as he stepped through, looking around to see many more portals opening along the walls as more and more people stepped through them and into the courtyard. Some quickly went on their way, clear on where they were heading, while others milled around absently as if they were waiting for something.


    Andrew followed Helen towards one end of the courtyard where a bunch of teenagers were standing around, accompanied by their parents, waiting for whoever was in charge to arrive. Andrew did a quick count and found there were only about a hundred teenagers. He frowned, wondering why there were so little. He knew Bonded had a hard time reproducing, but for there to only be a hundred from across the entire world, wouldn''t that be a bit too little? Andrew wondered if maybe there were still a few more who hadn''t shown up yet, when he saw Elder Barry step up onto a small platform, smiling at the crowd.


    "Well, it looks like everyone''s here. Welcome! As some of you already know, I am Elder Barry, and I''ll be in charge of organizing this year''s First Hunt. I''m sure you''re all anxious to get out there, but before we do, there are a few matters to take care of first. To start, we''ll have everyone separated by clan. Starting from my left, we''ll have Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, Rat, and finally Ox." Elder Barry announced, pointing out the areas for everyone to gather.


    Everyone quickly moved to their various positions, except for Andrew, who stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether he should head to the Tiger group or the Monkey group. People began to look at him weirdly, and he began to shift awkwardly, until Elder Barry finally noticed his predicament. "Ah, yes, Andrew, you can wait over here. We''ll be placing you separately." Andrew nodded, walking over to the area Elder Barry had pointed out.


    "Now, all of you will receive a token with your designation on the front, and your new team members designation on the back. For example, you could be Dragon one, while your teammates would be Pig four, Rooster seven, Ox three, and Goat nine. There are a hundred and nine of you, so we''ll have twenty-one teams of five, and one team of four. Each token has a number on it, and you''ll line up according to that number, starting with one on my left, and going around until twenty-two is on my right." Elder Barry gave out another set of instructions as the tokens were handed out to each group.


    Once he finished, everyone began to shuffle around again, as Elder Barry took a token out of his pocket and tossed it to Andrew. On the front of his token was the number twenty-two and just his name, while on the back was Dragon five, Goat eight, and Horse three. Since Andrew was already right next to Elder Barry, he just waited. Soon one girl arrived next to him, followed by another, and then a third. Andrew looked the three girls over with a frown. "You guys are all on team twenty-two?"


    "Yup!" One of the girls answered cheerfully, showing her Horse three token. The other girls also showed their tokens, revealing them to be Dragon five and Goat eight.


    "But-" Andrew began, before stopping himself. The tokens were handed out randomly, so it wasn''t like they tried to give him a team of all girls. It must have been a weird coincidence.


    "But what?" Horse three asked, cocking her head curiously.


    "Nothing, I just thought it was a little weird that you all were girls." Andrew explained with a shrug.


    "Yeah, lucky you." Goat eight snorted.


    "Er, yeah¡­" Andrew agreed hesitantly, eyeing her weirdly.


    "So, what''s up with you then, huh? Why aren''t you in any of the other groups?" Goat eight continued.


    "Uh, I''m kind of weird. I don''t have a Beast, but I can transform into both a Tiger and a Monkey, so-" Andrew explained.


    "You can transform?!?" Horse three interrupted, exclaiming in wonder. "How does that work?"


    "Uh, just like it sounds? I physically turn into a Tiger or a Monkey. I also have a sort of combined form I can use which I don''t have to get naked for." Andrew replied.


    "Wait, naked? Why would you have to get naked!?!" Goat eight asked in a somewhat disgusted tone.


    Andrew frowned at her. "Well, what would happen to your clothes if you turned into your Beast''s form without taking them off?"


    Goat eight paused for a bit, before flushing as she got his point. "I-I see."


    Elder Barry let out a small cough, drawing everyone''s attention back to him. "Alright, settle down. You''ll have plenty of time to get to know each other over the next few weeks. Now, we have four different base camps set up." He gestured towards four open portals behind him. "Teams one through six will go through portal one, seven through eleven: portal two, twelve through sixteen: portal three, and seventeen through twenty-two will go through portal four. Once you arrive, there will be cabins with your team number on them where your team leaders will be waiting. Take your time to say goodbye to your parents, but be warned, the portals close in half an hour." Elder took one last look over all the gathered teenagers, grinning widely. "Good luck, and good hunting!" He exclaimed, before descending from the small platform and heading on his way.


    Andrew headed over to where his mom was waiting, looking slightly nervous. "Be careful out there, alright? You don''t have the protection the others have, so you''ll need to be extra careful about what you get yourself into." She warned as soon as he got close.


    "I know Mom, I''ll be safe." Andrew grinned, giving her a hug.


    "You better be." Helen growled, slightly, hugging him tightly before releasing him. "Now go. Make your mother proud!"


    "I will!" Andrew grinned back, waving as he strode back to portal four, striding through. The moment he arrived, he took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the forest and he looked around. The section of the base camp they were in looked like a strange mix between a summer camp and a military fort, full of log cabins and campfires, while surrounded by large, sturdy walls. Large Beasts openly stalked through the camp and along the walls, greeting humans politely as they did so. Andrew felt as if he''d suddenly stepped into a strange new world as he took it all in.


    Once he''d gotten his bearings, Andrew headed towards the cabins, looking for team twenty-two. As he''d suspected, their cabin was the one all the way down at the end. He walked in to see a nice, comfortable looking living room and a small kitchen. A hallway led off, splitting into six different rooms and two bathrooms. Each room had a designation on it, including Andrew''s name. He dragged his suitcase after him, and began unpacking everything before returning to the living room to find all the girls waiting, along with an older woman who appeared to be their team leader.


    "Ah, you must be Andrew! I didn''t realize you were already here. You''re a sneaky one, aren''t you?" The woman joked lightly with a twinkle in her eye. Andrew paused, not sure how to respond, but the woman quickly moved on, so he didn''t need to anyways. "Alright, since we''re all here, let''s introduce ourselves, shall we? Let''s start with you." She pointed at Horse three.


    "My name is Susie!" She chirped cheerfully.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Karen." Goat eight replied as the team leader turned to her.


    "Li Jing." Dragon five, answered quietly.


    "And we all know you''re Andrew." The team leader continued. "My name is Zelda, which, when I was born a few hundred years ago, was a rather normal name, completely unassociated with any major franchises. I''ll be your team leader for the duration of this hunting trip. First, who knows why it''s important that we hunt as Bonded?"


    Susie''s hand immediately shot up. "To get stronger!"


    "Okay, yes, but how does it work? Why does hunting make us stronger?" Zelda continued.


    Susie frowned, not sure how to answer, and Li Jing slowly raised her hand. "When a Beast is killed, their ability crystalizes. By absorbing these ability crystals, we can strengthen our own abilities. The more compatible the ability crystal is with our ability, the more efficient the process."


    Zelda nodded. "Exactly. Ability crystals strengthen abilities, and in turn, abilities strengthen you!" Andrew froze. What was that? "Now, don''t dismiss an ability crystal just because it isn''t very compatible with your ability. By absorbing multiple crystals of the same type, your ability has a chance to mutate, gaining properties of that ability! It doesn''t make you any stronger, but it does make your ability more flexible, giving you more options."


    Andrew raised his hand. "Excuse me, but¡­ what did you mean when you said abilities strengthen us? Like physically?"


    Zelda cocked her head at him. "Well, it strengthens you, or more specifically, your Beast side, in many ways, but yes, physical strength is part of it. Why-" Zelda suddenly realized who she was talking to, her eyes widening. "Ah¡­ that could be a problem for you, now couldn''t it?" Andrew grimaced. He''d known abilities could get stronger, but he didn''t realize it would make him literally stronger! Why had no one told him this!?! He had enough trouble controlling his strength as is! "Uh, yes, well, moving on, since it is your first day, let''s take this afternoon to spar and get used to each other''s abilities. Go and unpack, then we''ll all head to the training field."


    The girls split off, heading to their own rooms to unpack, while Andrew took a seat on the couch, already finished unpacking. Zelda glanced over at him, hesitating slightly before sitting next to him. "There''s something else I''d like to talk to you about. About your¡­ condition. Unlike the other three, you''ll be heading out to hunt yourself rather than sending your Beast. How do you feel about that?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Fine? I mean, I''ve always known that''d be the case. As long as I''m careful, it shouldn''t be an issue, right?"


    Zelda sighed, shaking her head. "That''s what I was afraid of. Andrew, you shouldn''t be careful, you should be downright cowardly! You run into an enemy you can''t face, you run, and you don''t look back. If there''s a weird situation that looks risky, you send one of the others in first. Whenever there is anything that could risk your life, you stay as far away from it as possible, you understand? The others can take risks, because unless something can kill their Beast in a single hit, they can return through the Bond to heal. You don''t have that luxury." Zelda lectured him sternly with a hard glare.


    Andrew frowned. "You want me to be a coward?" He asked incredulously. "But¡­ I''m a Beast! A protector! I- I''m supposed to help people, not run the moment things get a little dangerous!"


    "This isn''t about protection, it''s about growth. It is perfectly possible to continue growing by consistently preying on those weaker than you. It''s slower, but you only have one life. Why risk it just to save an insignificant portion of your infinite time? There will be times where you will be called upon to risk your life in defense of the City and Earth, but it isn''t on a damn hunting trip, understand? All your effort in growing yourself isn''t of any use if you die!" Zelda replied.


    Andrew nodded, but couldn''t get a sour feeling out of his mouth. Zelda''s words made sense, but it just didn''t sit right with him. To push all the danger on everyone else just felt wrong. Still, at least until he got stronger, it probably wasn''t the worst idea.


    *


    A short while later, the girls finished unpacking and Zelda led them all to a flat dirt field nearby. "Alright, everyone release your Beasts so we can get to know each other!" Zelda announced as a cloud of smoke began to billow out of her, before forming into a giant Ox. One by one the girls followed suit, and soon there were four large Beasts standing on the dirt field. Andrew took particular note of Li Jing''s Beast, a dragon which took after Chinese mythology, rather than Western. Or, he supposed, Chinese mythology took after this type of Dragon. It was long and snake-like, without wings or anything, plus four powerful limbs tipped with viscous claws, and a large head filled with razor sharp teeth. Unlike the reserved Li Jing, this Dragon snarled at the other Beasts the moment it was released, looking like it wanted to pick a fight. Andrew could feel Li Jing struggling with it, trying to keep its wild impulses under control.


    With all the Beasts released, everyone''s attention turned to Andrew. With a shrug, he kicked off his shoes and transformed into his mixed form, stretching lightly. "So that''s what you look like transformed." Susie exclaimed.


    "Yup. I can also fully transform into either a Tiger or a Monkey, but¡­ that would ruin my clothes." Andrew explained with a shrug.


    "You said that already." Karen rolled her eyes.


    "Will you be okay sparing in that form?" Zelda asked, looking slightly concerned.


    Andrew nodded. "My strength doesn''t change no matter what form I''m in. All that changes is how I can use it. My Monkey form is more agile, while my Tiger form focuses more on bursts of strength. This one has more of a balance."


    "I see. Alright then, let''s start with introductions then, shall we? This lovable hunk of meat is my eternal partner, Francesca." Zelda announced, patting the Ox with a grin.


    "A pleasure to meet you all." The Ox nodded in greeting.


    "This is Petunia!" Susie announced, hugging the large Horse next to her.


    "Linda." Karen answered shortly again, earning a warning nudge from the Goat beside her.


    "Li Mei." Li Jing replied shortly as well, in a more quiet and shy manner.


    "Nice to meet you all! How about we have Andrew pair up with Susie and Petunia for a spar, while Karen, Linda, Li Jing and Li Mei just watch for now?" Zelda suggested.


    Andrew nodded, moving to the middle of the field, followed by Petunia. On the side lines, Susie sat down, taking up a meditative posture, and suddenly a spark of intelligence entered into the Horse''s eyes. "Ready?" Petunia asked in a tone that sounded eerily like Susie''s, weirding Andrew out a bit. He glanced over at the sidelines, noticing Susie''s condition as he put the pieces together. He knew Bonded could merge their consciousness with their Beast, allowing them to control their bodies as if they were their own, but he''d never actually seen anyone do it before.


    Taking a deep breath, Andrew composed himself, before nodding to the Susie/Petunia combo. "Ready!" He announced. The Horse let out a whiny, charging towards Andrew. Andrew jumped to the side, dodging as she dashed past, before jumping after her, claws ready. Andrew was drawing closer, running behind the Horse when he sensed a smug satisfaction come from her. Warning bells went off in his head as he suddenly jumped back, just barely avoiding a vicious kick the Horse had unleashed behind it! Andrew breathed out a sigh of relief as he sensed Petunia/Susie''s disappointment, before his eyes narrowed. Carefully avoiding the Horse''s back end, he began to follow it once again, dashing by her side. The Horse turned in circles, trying to get Andrew either in front or behind her so she could hit him with her hooves, but he proved too agile, dodging each and every time as his constant monitoring of her emotions gave him an early warning.


    Finally, the Horse stumbled on a pothole, creating a small opening which allowed Andrew to leap onto her back, bringing his claws down viciously, but as his claws reached the Horse''s back, a weird opening appeared, sucking Andrew''s claws in! Without any grip, Andrew couldn''t stay on the Horse, sliding off as the weird openings slid with him, until he landed on the ground again, panicking slightly as he had to dodge another kick.


    "Alright, that''s enough!" Zelda called out, stopping the two before they fell into another stalemate. "Well done, both of you! Andrew, good job predicting her actions based on her emotions. Susie and Petunia, excellent use of pocket dimensions! I was almost worried for you for a second there."


    "Pocket dimensions?" Andrew asked curiously as he walked over to the sidelines.


    Susie nodded. "Horses can create small pocket dimensions and create openings to it on their bodies. That''s why your claws couldn''t reach me!"


    Andrew''s eyes widened slightly. "So that''s why I couldn''t get a grip on you! I wasn''t even touching you!"


    "Exactly!" Susie replied with a giggle.


    Zelda grinned. "Alright, it''s time for Karen and Linda versus Li Jing and Li Mei!" The other two Beasts stalked out into the field, before turning to face each other. Their bout was as much of a stalemate as Andrew''s. Linda was faster than Li Mei, running circles around her, but Li Mei had the reach, and whenever Linda got close either her tail or head would flash towards her, warding her off. However, once again, the stalemate ended with a stumble. In the middle of a charge, Linda hit her foot on a pothole, and stumbled closer to Li Mei. Like a viper, Li Mei lashed out, wrapping around the large Goat and latching on with her claws, biting into her shoulder before the Goat turned to smoke, quickly returning to Karen who frowned bitterly.


    While Zelda congratulated the two on their fight, praising Li Jing and Li Mei for their victory, Andrew narrowed his eyes at the pothole Linda had tripped over. He could have sworn it wasn''t there a second before she stepped into it! As he watched, his eyes widened. The pothole had suddenly fixed itself! Andrew looked around, before catching a glimpse of Francesca looking at him with sparkling eyes. The Ox raised her hoof to her lips in a shushing gesture, before winking at him.

 Aura: 6 - First Hunt (2)

    The next morning, they all woke up early, quickly getting ready for the day. The girls released their Beasts in front of the cabin, before getting comfortable on the seats in the living room, taking up their meditative postures. Meanwhile, Andrew joined the Beasts outside, shifting into his combined form. Francesca took the lead as they headed towards the walls, taking them through a large gate and into a large, dark forest. Trees larger than any Andrew had ever seen before towered over them as they walked. Dense foliage covered the ground, rustling as the creature which inhabited this place moved about, carefully creeping around in an endless dance of life and death.


    "Be on your guard." Francesca warned, moving to the back of the group, letting them take the lead. "The creatures here are some of the weakest that the Outside has to offer, but so are all of you. You don''t have any advantage over them. Right now, your biggest advantage is the group. Stick together, work together, and grow stronger, until these creatures mean nothing to you."


    All four of them nodded, continuing to creep through the undergrowth. Not long later, Andrew threw up his hand as he sensed an aura nearby. "I don''t think it''s noticed us yet." Andrew muttered quietly, trying not to alert the Beast as he slipped closer to a tree to try to hide his aura.


    They all looked at him strangely. "What are you talking about?" Linda/Karen hissed back.


    Andrew frowned, wondering why they weren''t hiding. "Uh, the Beast? Right over there? Can you guys not sense it?"


    "Not all of us can sense emotions, Andrew." Francesca commented. "That''s just a Monkey thing."


    "No, not their emotions, the aura. You can sense that, right?" Andrew asked, confused. They could sense auras, right? That was a Beast thing, wasn''t it?


    "What aura!?!" Linda/Karen asked incredulously.


    "Maybe I''m using the wrong term for it¡­ Uh, the sort of¡­ halo? Feeling? Sense that every living thing has about it. I never really asked what they were called, but you guys know what I''m talking about, right?" Andrew asked.


    They all looked at him, dumbfounded, before shaking their heads. Even Francesca looked confused. "Andrew, that- that isn''t something normal." She explained.


    Andrew blinked, then blinked again. "It isn''t?"


    "No." Francesca assured him in a firm tone.


    Andrew looked around at the others. "You guys really can''t see auras? Like at all?" They all shook their heads again. Andrew was stunned. He''d always just assumed sensing auras was a Beast thing. Why else would he be able to do it? His parents had never mentioned it, but they''d also never mentioned they could hear or touch things either. Andrew had just assumed it was a normal sense. He stood there, not entirely sure what to say while they all looked at him strangely. "Uh¡­ okay, so- well, apparently I have an entirely different special ability, which¡­ ugh, forget it, there''s a Beast over there, alright?" Andrew finally gave up, just wanting to move on.


    Francesca nodded. "Right, Andrew, you go high, Li Jing Mei, you move through the underbrush. The other two will circle to either side, ready to charge in when needed."


    They all nodded and Andrew shot up into a tree, creeping along the limbs as he approached where he sensed the creature carefully. He made sure to stick to the dense bundles of aura as he did, before remembering it was pointless¡­ the Beast couldn''t actually sense his aura¡­ probably. He was going to have to get used to that. Down below, Li Mei/Jing crept forward through the undergrowth, carefully picking her way towards the area Andrew had gestured too. Linda/Karen and Petunia/Susie circled to either side, keeping their distance as their forms didn''t allow for sneaking, but ready to charge in the moment Andrew and Li Mei/Jing began their attack.


    Andrew finally spied the Beast as he peeked through the leaves of the tree he was creeping along. It was a Squirrel type Beast, skittering around the base of a large tree. Andrew sent Li Mei/Jing patient waiting emotions as he got into position, finding a hidden spot on one of the large branches above the Squirrel. Li Mei/Jing slithered into a nearby bush a short distance from the Squirrel, tensing up as she waited for Andrew''s signal. Andrew waited patiently, watching the Squirrel, waiting for the moment it was most distracted. As the Squirrel began to dig at the roots of one of the plants, Andrew sensed its eagerness and focus, immediately sending Li Mei/Jing an urgent go signal as he leapt out of the tree, claws out!


    Andrew descended from above as Li Mei/Jing let out a roar, bursting from the bush, stunning the Squirrel. Its head jerked towards the Dragon in panic, before squeaking in pain as Andrew''s claws ripped long, vicious tears into its skin! Its head jerked back towards Andrew as it jumped away, right into the waiting jaws of Li Mei/Jing, who bit down hard on its neck, jerking as she dragged it to the ground, wrapping her body around it as her claws dug into its body. As she pinned the Squirrel down, Andrew rushed forward, claws flashing as he dug them into any vulnerable area that was exposed. Li Mei/Jing continued to wrench the Squirrel''s neck, trying to break it, but all the neck did was twist, the Squirrel basically ignoring it as it continued to struggle against her grip.


    Andrew frowned at the dying Squirrel as blood poured out of it, wondering why it wasn''t dead. Li Mei/Jing had managed to twist the Beast like a rag you were wringing water from, but all it did was squeal and continue to struggle, though its struggles became weaker and weaker as blood continued to flow out of it, until finally it stopped moving entirely, and its aura began to condense, focusing in on a small point within the Squirrel''s chest. Andrew cocked his head, reaching out to cut into the Squirrel''s chest with a claw, finding a small crystal glowing with the Squirrel''s aura. "Huh¡­ well that''s convenient."


    "What is?" Francesca asked as she approached from behind.


    "Oh, I can see the crystal¡­ its aura. Makes it easy to find." Andrew commented.


    Francesca''s eyebrows shot up. "That is convenient."


    Andrew nodded, before turning to Linda/Karen and Petunia/Susie as they arrived. "Sorry for not leaving you two anything to do." He apologized.


    Francesca shook her head. "I purposefully held them back. They wouldn''t have been able to do anything to the Squirrel anyways. Their ability grants them a stretchy, rubbery body, which makes them immune to blunt force. These two wouldn''t have had any way to hurt it."


    "So that''s why I wasn''t able to break its neck." Li Mei/Jing nodded along.


    "Exactly." Francesca nodded. "However, there''s one thing you two forgot." She added, the both of them looking at each other, confused as to what she meant. "How did you know that Squirrel was something you could face? How did you know it wasn''t some powerful creature that would make mincemeat of the both of you in a matter of seconds?"


    Andrew blinked. "Uh¡­ we- we didn''t?"


    "Exactly! You had no idea how strong that Squirrel was! Luckily it was weak, but you didn''t even take the time to properly observe it before you rushed in!" Francesca scolded them. "Always observe your prey before you strike! You''ve all been taught what to look for in your training at home, right?" They all nodded. "Then use that knowledge! That''s why you were taught it! This is how you learn to take calculated risks, instead of just risks!" She finished, glaring at them all, before letting out a sigh. "Come on, let''s go find the next Beast, and this time, hunt it right."


    *


    Over the next few days, the group continued to hunt the Beasts surrounding the Base camp. Andrew''s aura sensing was particularly useful in finding hidden Beasts, even more than his ability to sense emotions. Not all the creatures living in the Outside were Beasts. In fact, most of them weren''t. And worse, there wasn''t much difference between the emotions of a Beast and an animal. However, with auras, it was different. There was something more¡­ substantial about Beast auras. As Andrew focused on observing Beasts, he even began to notice that stronger Beasts had even more substantial auras, though given different physiologies, it wasn''t an exact measurement. A Bear would be much stronger than a Squirrel, even with the same aura. Still, it made figuring out whether a Beast was a suitable target much easier. With Andrew steering them away from the stronger foes and quickly finding the weaker ones, they were amassing a sizable amount of ability crystals.


    Andrew had also shown a little bit of talent as a group leader. He could use he emotional communication to silently coordinate his three team members in each battle, keeping their prey unaware of their presence as long as possible. Combining both his emotion and aura sensing, he got a sense of what their prey was trying to do, and he knew exactly where everyone was, so he could tell when they needed to back off and when they needed to charge forward. In particular, he and Li Mei/Jing made a great team. The Dragon was an expert at sneaking through the underbrush, while Andrew could sneak through the trees. When they attacked, she would erupt violently, startling their opponent, which would leave them vulnerable to Andrew''s ambush, following which they''d panic and fall under Li Mei/Jing''s attack.


    The other two were mainly used against stronger opponents. When Li Mei/Jing couldn''t pin the enemy Beast down, the other two would take turns coming in like battering rams, keeping the Beast off balance while Andrew and Li Mei/Jing flashed in and out between charges, delivering savage blows with their claws. Linda/Karen''s charges were particularly devastating. Goats had the ability to shift how gravity affects a portion of their weight, allowing Linda/Karen to push about half her weight directly towards their opponents so she could hit harder and faster. Petunia/Susie was less effective in battle, but her pocket dimension stored all their food and water, as well as the crystals, allowing them to go on longer trips. All in all, Francesca was very satisfied with her team, proud of how well they all worked together.


    After such a successful hunt, they returned to the base camp, planning on resting for a few days while they absorbed the crystals they''d gained, before heading out again. Andrew headed to his room with conflicted emotions, carrying a bag of crystals. A part of him didn''t want to absorb them. He knew he needed to be stronger, to grow so that he could defend Earth, but¡­ wasn''t he already weird enough? Andrew let out a sigh. He knew getting stronger wouldn''t change much. He was already way too strong, stronger than any normal human ever could be. He just- he couldn''t help but feel that he was leaving humanity behind, and where would that leave him? As just another random Beast, roaming the wild in search of power? Would he even want that kind of life? Andrew stared at the bag of crystals with a twisted expression, before letting out another weary sigh. Why even fight it? This is what he was.


    He took out the first crystal, staring at it for a moment, before popping it into his mouth. The crystal immediately melted, the energy flowing into him as he closed his eyes, concentrating on keeping the energy from seeping away as much as possible. Absorbing an ability crystal wasn''t a complicated process, but if you wanted the best results, you needed a quiet, secure place to concentrate while the energy did its work, or you''d waste a good chunk of it. Thankfully, at least at this level, it didn''t take that much time to absorb the crystal, only about fifteen minutes or so. Andrew paused as the energy seemed to be absorbed rather easily, but then again, the crystals were weak, so he was probably just over thinking things. Andrew popped a few more crystals, spending about an hour absorbing them before letting out a weary yawn. It''d been a long few days and sleeping in the wilderness hadn''t exactly been restful, so Andrew was exhausted. He was about to head to bed but a quick sniff of the sour smell he was giving off convinced him to take a shower first, somewhat regretting that he hadn''t done so earlier.


    Andrew headed to the bathroom in a daze, not even thinking as he grabbed the handle of the bathroom door, putting a bit too much force into nudging the door with his shoulder, barely registering the resistance from the lock before the door was knocked off its hinges, falling to the floor with a bang. "Oh, shit, so-" Andrew began to panic, apologizing, before freezing as his eyes went wide and his mouth fell open, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight of a buck naked Li Jing who had just gotten out of the shower. They stared at each other, stunned, before Li Jing let out an ear piercing shriek, jumping back into the shower, covering herself with the curtain. "S-sorry!" Andrew yelled back, quickly lifting the door back up, wedging it in the doorway, before running out into the living room.


    "What was that!?!" Zelda asked urgently, appearing out of nowhere.


    "I-I-" Andrew began, before wincing as another crash came from behind him, the loosely placed door falling back down. "You- you should go help Li Jing." He muttered, gesturing over his shoulder as he flushed in embarrassment, before escaping outside. The moment he stepped out, a long, scaled tail whipped at him, sending him flying, tumbling across the ground. Li Mei growled furiously, glaring at him menacingly. Andrew groaned as he sat up. "Okay¡­ I deserved that."


    Li Mei huffed at him, as if debating whether to hit him again, when Francesca stepped in. "Enough, just stop it there. He didn''t mean to do anything. Just let it go." She soothed the angry Dragon.


    Li Mei''s eyes cleared up as Li Jing connected with her. "He broke the door down to see me naked!" She roared angrily, fury eclipsing her normal shyness.


    "It was an accident!" Andrew protested. "I just wanted to take a shower and I guess I put too much strength into trying to open the door¡­ I-I''m usually better at controlling my strength¡­ I don''t know what happened." Andrew devolved into a mutter as he thought over what had happened, frowning, not sure why he hadn''t been able to control his strength.


    "Andrew, did you absorb any crystals?" Francesca asked, and Andrew nodded, wondering where she was going with this. "On average, each crystal of a comparable power will increase your strength by five to ten percent, depending on compatibility. How many cores did you absorb?" Andrew hesitantly raised four fingers. "That''s at least twenty percent stronger than you were before! Of course you''re going to have some trouble controlling it! You''re going to need to be more careful from now on. Today it was just a door, but what if you were giving someone a handshake, or even a hug?" Francesca explained.


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "That- I-I''ll be more careful." He nodded, bobbing his head up and down quickly.


    Inside, Zelda quickly got Li Jing calmed back down and back to her room. She fixed the door as well, placing a layer of rock over the hinges to keep it up until someone came by with a better fix. Andrew hesitated a bit before taking his shower, feeling a bit weird about doing so. It somehow felt wrong to go back to doing what he was about to do right before he''d messed up. Due to this, he took as quick a shower as he could, forgoing the long comfortable one.


    Once he finished, he hesitated, looking between his room and the living room before letting out a sigh and moving towards the living room, despite his exhaustion. He needed to talk to Li Jing now, before time made things worse. He walked into the living room to find the girls sitting together, the other two comforting Li Jing. Karen glanced at him with a smirk, radiating a weird smugness, as if she felt vindicated about something, while Susie glanced at him with a bit of disappointment. However, Andrew couldn''t pay attention to either of them with the sheer amount of emotion coming from Li Jing. There was anger, which Andrew expected, but the bigger parts were frustration, hurt, and betrayal. Andrew didn''t even know what to do in the face of all that. He couldn''t fix it any more than she could. There wasn''t exactly a male equivalent to seeing a girl naked, and even if there was, two wrongs didn''t make a right. It''d only leave them both hurt.


    Andrew hesitated, not knowing what to say, before simply projecting his feelings of apology and regret to Li Jing, letting the emotions speak for him. Li Jing jolted, slightly stunned by the sudden emotional communication, turning to look at Andrew. A slight surge of anger erupted from her, before it was stymied by the sheer honesty of Andrew''s emotions. Knowing he was as apologetic as she was hurt helped soothe the pain slightly. The biggest issue was that she felt that Andrew had somehow taken advantage of her, and seeing that he didn''t have that feeling at all drastically reduced that feeling. She was still frustrated over what happened, but she no longer felt betrayed. The simple emotional exchange had done more to convince her he hadn''t done it on purpose than his words ever could.


    Li Jing frowned at him, sighing lightly and shaking her head. Andrew grinned slightly, knowing she''d forgiven him. Karen looked between the two, frowning in confusion. "What just happened?" She asked, noticing the sudden shift in both their attitudes.


    Andrew coughed awkwardly. "I just apologized. She accepted. It''s still not great, but¡­ it''s better." He explained. Li Jing nodded slightly in agreement, returning to her usual, quiet personality.


    "Oh, you did your Monkey bullshit didn''t you!" Karen complained. "Smarmy, deceitful bastards. How do you even know those feelings were real!?! Maybe he just made them up!"


    Andrew frowned. "That isn''t how my ability works. If I haven''t experienced it, I can''t just make it up out of nowhere. Though¡­ I suppose if I had experienced the emotion previously or sensed the emotion from someone else, I could send that but it''d take a bit to remember the emotion and put it together¡­ even then, I think it''d come off as fake. It''s hard to send emotions you have very little experience with. At least, at my level."


    Karen snorted dismissively, obviously not considering his explanation very convincing. Andrew frowned, wondering why she had such a distrustful attitude towards him. She''d always been a bit antagonistic towards him, but she was like that with the other two as well, so he didn''t think much of it, but now she seemed to be utterly against him, as if he was a completely unredeemable scumbag. He just didn''t get it.


    "Guys, we don''t need to fight, alright?" Susie stepped in, trying to prevent any further argument.


    Karen rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It''s pointless arguing with a Monkey anyways." She scoffed.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?!?" Andrew exclaimed, offended.


    "You know what it means!" Karen retorted. "You Monkeys are all manipulative, conniving bastards! The more you argue, the more you twist people, until they have no idea which way is up anymore and they have no choice but to fall into your schemes! Believe me, I know." Karen spat venomously, bitterness and anger radiating from her, stunning Andrew.


    "I-I''m not- I haven''t- that isn''t-" He stammered, not even knowing what to say to that. How was he supposed to argue against someone who believed any argument he made was purely manipulative? That any emotion he sent was fabricated and deceitful.


    "Karen, that isn''t fair to Andrew! He''s never shown any indication that he does anything like that!" Susie protested, jumping to Andrew''s defense. Li Jing was frowning, looking at Karen weirdly.


    Karen looked between the two of them incredulously. "What- he''s doing it right now! He''s the one who barged in on Li Jing in the shower, and now he''s got the both of you defending him! He literally just walked into the room! Doesn''t that seem weird to you? Before he walked in, you were completely against him, and then here he comes, waltzing in like his shit doesn''t smell, and all of the sudden you''re on his side!"


    Li Jing shook her head. "That isn''t what happened." She muttered quietly.


    "Of course it is!" Karen protested. She looked between Susie and Li Jing, but couldn''t find any support from them. Groaning in frustration, she got to her feet, stomping off. "Fine! Let yourselves be manipulated! But don''t come crying to me when he lets you down the moment you really need him!" She pushed past Andrew, stomping into her own room and slamming the door behind her.


    Andrew stood there, stunned, not even knowing how to react to all that. He hadn''t even realized the depth of prejudice Karen had against him. She''d somehow buried it under a veneer of contention that she displayed towards everyone, only letting it erupt once he''d shown a sliver of indication that he was the person she had always believed him to be. Andrew wasn''t used to being surprised by someone''s attitude towards him, and he didn''t know how to deal with it. He looked towards the other two, wide-eyed. "Uh¡­ so that was weird. I- uh, I have no idea where that came from."


    Zelda stepped in from outside, having just caught the end of the conversation. "It''s unfortunately not uncommon. Some Clans abilities give them certain advantages that make others distrustful of them. It doesn''t help when there are those who do use their abilities that way. I know you aren''t like that, but¡­ Karen may have had a bad experience with a Monkey that did abuse their ability. Just¡­ give her time, and try to be a bit more careful. Don''t do anything that makes her think you''re being manipulative."


    Andrew frowned. "I guess, but¡­ if she''s that distrustful of me, how are we going to work together out in the field?"


    Zelda sighed, shaking her head. "I''ll have a talk with her about that, don''t worry. You guys should only need a few more days of hunting to gather enough crystals to get strong enough that you can be trusted to hunt on your own. Or, at least for you, with only one partner, so it shouldn''t be much of an issue. Once you''re qualified for solo hunts, you can go your separate ways and never need to deal with each other again."


    "That doesn''t really fix the problem though¡­" Andrew muttered in response.


    "It isn''t your problem to fix." Zelda retorted sternly. "You just focus on being a good person and try not to make any more major mistakes. It''s Karen''s responsibility to deal with her own issues."


    Andrew hesitated slightly, before nodding in acquiescence. He supposed she had a point. It wasn''t his responsibility to fix everyone, it just irked him that he''d run into yet another problem he couldn''t do anything about. Zelda smiled lightly at him, before heading to Karen''s room to talk to her, while he took a seat. He glanced over at Li Jing again, flushing as he remembered the initial cause of all this. "I, uh, sorry, again. I just wanted to actually say it, instead of¡­" Andrew motioned from his head to hers, back and forth. "You know."


    Li Jing flushed, looking at the floor in embarrassment. "I understand." She muttered, before falling silent once again.


    "Okay, let''s just move past all that awkwardness, shall we?" Susie announced, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen in the meantime. "Andrew, we''re having a party tonight and you have to come! You''ve been out this entire time, so you haven''t met anyone! We''ve been telling people about you and they''re all excited to meet you!"


    Andrew raised an eyebrow at her. "You''ve been telling people about me?"


    "Of course! Everyone is interested in the guy who can actually turn into a Beast! Oh, and when we told them about your aura sensing ability, they got so jealous! Especially when we told them how many crystals we''d gathered!" Susie announced gleefully.


    Andrew got a weird look on his face, a strange sense of satisfaction and embarrassment coming over him. He wasn''t entirely sure how to feel about being popular with people he''d never even met before. It felt unnatural for some reason. "Is- is it really all that interesting? It isn''t like my transformation gives me this huge advantage¡­ kind of the opposite in a lot of ways, actually."


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    Susie rolled her eyes. "Of course it is! Do you even know how cool it is to actually be a Beast?!? To have all that power for yourself, not as something you need to access through someone else?"


    Andrew frowned, flinching slightly as his mind went back to the past, remembering a certain event with eerie clarity. He shook his head. "It really isn''t as great as you might think. If I was a normal Bonded, I wouldn''t have lost control of my strength and knocked the bathroom door down. I wouldn''t be forced to know exactly what all the kids at school felt about me. I wouldn''t- I wouldn''t have to make sure nothing can get me angry again, so I never make a mistake I''ll regret." He finished a low, bitter mutter, staring at his hands blankly.


    Unknowingly, he began to radiate a heavy, oppressive emptiness, full of depression and regret, choking the words in Susie''s throat before she could even talk. He shrouded the entire room in bitterness, until a hand reached out, placing itself on his shoulder. He jolted, looking up to see Li Jing sitting next to him, giving him a sad, compassionate look. He felt her concern, and grinned slightly, shaking his head. "Don''t worry, I''m fine. You just need to deal with the hand you''re dealt, right?" He assured her as the field of emotion lifted.


    "You call that fine?!?" Susie asked incredulously. "How''d you even do that?!? I''ve never felt that empty before! It-" Susie shook her head, shivering, unable to even put what she''d just felt into words.


    Andrew frowned. "What are you talking about?"


    "Your emotions!" Susie exclaimed. "You literally just projected them to me."


    Andrew''s frown deepened. "No? I don''t think I did at least¡­"


    "I felt them too." Li Jing commented. "They were¡­ dark."


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "So, you both felt them? At- at the same time?" They shared a look before nodding, and Andrew groaned, clutching his head. "Damn it! My ability got stronger too! Now I have to watch that as well!" He groaned in frustration. He then looked up at the both of them. "Sorry, I didn''t- you shouldn''t have had to deal with that. It- it''s really not a big deal."


    "Uh, no, that level of depression is a big deal." Susie countered. "That''s a ''how do you even live like that'' level of depression. I don''t- what did you go through to even get to that point?!?"


    "Nothing! It''s- just forget about it, alright? I''m fine." Andrew replied, shaking his head, not wanting to talk about what happened. Nothing would change what he''d done, and he didn''t want Susie and Li Jing to look at him the same way the kids at his school did¡­ even if he deserved it, he didn''t want to lose any more friends. Susie gave him a weird look, and Li Jing kept her hand on his shoulder, still looking at him with that same, steady concern, as if waiting for him to open up. Andrew glanced at her, almost wishing she''d be angry at him again, cursing himself and his ability, wishing he could just be normal. He''d done so well pushing all his problems away, and now, thanks to his ability going just a little out of control, everything was ruined. "Please, just forget it. It isn''t something you can fix." He pleaded quietly, looking Li Jing in the eyes.


    She hesitated slightly, before nodding and taking her hand back, but she still didn''t return to her seat, and Andrew could sense her readiness to jump right back the moment he was ready to open up. Susie shook her head. "You''re going to have to open up at some point. We''re friends now. That''s what we''re here for."


    Andrew grinned bitterly. "I''ll keep that in mind." He replied, as he remembered Benjamin. Even his best friend couldn''t stick by him after what he''d done. How could he expect these girls he''d only known for a couple days to be any better? ¡°I''m going to get some sleep now. I''ll see you guys tonight.¡±


    *


    "That''s what you''re going to wear?" Susie asked Andrew as he stepped into the living room, ready to leave for the party.


    Andrew looked down at his clothes. "Yeah? What else would I wear?"


    "Well, it''s a party. You need to get a little dressed up, you know?" Susie explained, rolling her eyes.


    Andrew looked down at his clothes again, before looking back up. "This is as dressed up as I get."


    Susie looked him up and down, raising an eyebrow. "Really? You don''t have any nicer clothes?"


    Andrew shook his head. "I do not. I mean, you can take a look, but I''m pretty sure you''re going to be disappointed."


    Susie gave him a skeptical look, before heading to his room to go through his clothes. A few minutes later, she came out, throwing him a bundle of clothes. "Wear these."


    Andrew hesitated a bit, before shrugging and heading into his room to change. "Hey, there''s two shirts here!" He yelled out after a bit.


    "Yes, wear one over the other!" Susie yelled back.


    Andrew paused, looking at the two shirts in confusion. "How?!?"


    "The short sleeve over the long sleeve, duh!" Susie yelled back, rolling her eyes.


    Andrew nodded in understanding, feeling slightly stupid as he pulled the shirts on. Once he finished, he stepped out, throwing his arms out in presentation for Susie to examine. Susie walked around him with a thoughtful expression, before nodding. "Yup, this will do. Li Jing! You ready?" She yelled down the hall.


    Li Jing stepped out of her room, wearing a nice but more conservative outfit. She nodded at Susie and they all headed out. The party was happening around a nearby fire pit. There were drinks, people could roast hot dogs and marshmallows, and there were a few games such as horseshoes and corn hole.


    "Yo, Susie, Li Jing!" A guy greeted them lazily, raising a glass as they walked up. "And this must be the infamous Andrew! Bout time you showed up to one of these things."


    "Yeah¡­ who are you?" Andrew asked, waving awkwardly.


    "Oh, I''m Sven." Sven replied with a grin.


    "Ah, nice to meet you." Andrew nodded.


    Slowly others began to arrive, everyone immediately coming up to Andrew to introduce themselves as they noticed him. Since he was the only new face, they all instantly knew who he was, showing various levels of curiosity and excitement the moment they saw him. Thankfully, Susie kept a lot of pressure off of him, using expert social skills to divert people away from his unique condition and towards more normal topics, like favorite movies or games. The conversations were kept light and easy.


    "Is- is this socializing?" Andrew asked incredulously once they had a spare moment of free time, raising an eyebrow at Susie.


    "Yup!" Susie nodded with a beaming smile.


    "Why is it so boring?" Andrew asked.


    "W-what?" Susie stammered, while Li Jing snorted, suppressing a laugh. "What do you mean it''s boring!?!"


    "I mean it''s boring! It''s the same conversation, over and over again! And it isn''t even an interesting one! ''Hey! Nice to meet you! Do you like this super popular movie? Me too! What a fucking surprise!'' What are you even saying with all that?" Andrew replied.


    "It''s small talk! It''s what you do at parties! It''s not boring!" Susie protested.


    "Yes, it is." Andrew retorted, frowning.


    "Well I''m sorry, but it isn''t exactly possible to have a deep conversation with twenty plus people at once." Susie countered, rolling her eyes. "Small talk lets you quickly figure out who you do want to talk to."


    Andrew paused. "Well, I suppose that''s fair¡­ it''s still boring though."


    "You- ugh, fine, whatever." Susie sighed, shaking her head. "Are you enjoying the party otherwise?"


    "What otherwise? All you''ve let me do so far is talk to people, which¡­ Well, I already explained that." Andrew replied.


    "Just go make yourself a damn hot dog." Susie growled in frustration.


    Andrew grinned, going to grab a skewer and a hot dog. After a moment''s pause, he grabbed a few marshmallows as well, tossing them on another skewer, roasting both them and the hot dog at once. He then placed the hot dog in a bun, before smooshing the melted marshmallows on top and taking a bite. "Mm!" Andrew grunted, nodding slightly.


    "Good?" Li Jing asked, frowning as she watched his little experiment take place.


    "Nope! I regret everything." Andrew nodded back with a grin as he took another bite. He was in a weirdly good mood tonight, even though he probably shouldn''t be. Something about being surrounded by people that not only didn''t judge him, but even seemed to admire him¡­ it just felt good. He knew it probably wouldn''t last, but¡­ for now, it was nice.


    Li Jing burst out with a small laugh. "Then why are you still eating it?"


    "I ain''t no quitter." Andrew responded seriously, before shoving the rest of the hot dog into his mouth.


    Li Jing rolled her eyes, still grinning as she made her own hot dog. Andrew threw another one on his skewer as well, making another, more traditional one for himself. "Ah, much better." Andrew muttered as he took a bite. "Ketchup is a much better option than marshmallow."


    "Who would have thought?" Li Jing replied, her eyes twinkling slightly.


    "Sheesh. You''re snarky when you actually talk." Andrew teased her.


    Li Jing flushed. "Rude."


    "Honest." Andrew shot back. Li Jing huffed, shooting a glare at him. "Oh, come on, I know you aren''t actually mad. Monkey, remember?"


    "Unfair." Li Jing pouted.


    "Life isn''t fair." Andrew responded with a shrug and a grin. "Some people get to sleep in a bed every night, going to social events and partying, while others have to spend their nights in the forest, sleeping in trees, without even a pillow."


    Li Jing frowned. "Don''t you like sleeping in trees?"


    "That''s besides the point." Andrew waved dismissively.


    Li Jing couldn''t suppress another grin, shaking her head. "You''re ridiculous."


    "Aren''t I?" Andrew agreed, grinning stupidly. It was nice to let his Monkey shine every now and then.


    They finished their hot dogs, moving over to observe a few people playing corn hole. Susie had gone off to talk with a few of her friends, leaving the two of them on their own. Neither were exactly the social butterfly type, so they just stood on the edge, not really getting involved. Andrew sighed lightly, wondering just why he couldn''t seem to get into any of this. It was like there was some sort of invisible barrier keeping him from actually connecting with any of these people.


    He glanced over at Li Jing, wondering how she could actually be enjoying herself in all this. She was just like him, sitting at the edge, not really participating, but she was actually happy, and he couldn''t figure out why. How could anyone be anything but bored by all this?


    As the corn hole game ended, the winning team looked around, looking for new opponents. Andrew glanced at Li Jing. "Want to have a go?" Li Jing hesitated slightly before nodding, and they headed over to join the game.


    "Oh, Andrew, sick!" One of the team exclaimed, a guy named Arthur. "Yeah, let''s play!"


    Andrew picked up the bean bags, while Li Jing headed to the other side, joining Arthur''s teammate. Arthur took the first throw, before gesturing for Andrew to go. Andrew got ready to throw, before hesitating slightly, taking stock of the amount of force he used, before tossing it. The bean bag arced through the air, landing precisely in the hole.


    "Nice shot!" Arthur exclaimed, before taking his next shot. They kept going, and each one of Andrew''s tosses went directly into the hole, to the point that Arthur was slightly stunned. "Dude, how often do you play this game?"


    "Uh, first time actually." Andrew grinned sheepishly. "I guess I just have a knack for it."


    "Dude, I guess." Arthur muttered, shaking his head. Li Jing and the other guy, who Andrew vaguely remembered might be named Luke, took their turns, throwing the sack with varying levels of accuracy. They kept going back and forth, and each time, Andrew sunk all his sacks in the hole, until Arthur threw his hands up in defeat. "I give man, I give! Damn, that''s just uncanny! You just made the same shot every time!"


    Andrew shrugged helplessly, feeling the helplessness and frustration coming from his two competitors. "I don''t know what to tell you. I just threw the sacks."


    "I get it man, but damn! I mean, I thought I was good at this game." Arthur shook his head.


    "Yeah¡­ you guys can keep playing. No one would probably want to play me anyway." Andrew sighed, waving for Li Jing to follow him as he left.


    "You were pretty good." She commented as they met up.


    Andrew shook his head. "I think I have an unfair advantage. All this strength takes a lot of muscle control, and throwing is just muscle control as well. I''ve kinda been training my whole life I guess."


    Li Jing nodded along. "Life is unfair. Right?"


    Andrew was a bit stunned at having his words thrown back at him. "Yeah, can''t argue with that." He replied, shaking his head and grinning wryly. "What should we do now? I can''t imagine horseshoes will be any better than corn hole."


    Li Jing paused, considering the problem for a bit. "Sit by the fire?" She offered.


    Andrew put on a thoughtful expression, before shrugging and nodding. "Eh, sure, why not. I''ll grab us some skewers and marshmallows." He quickly grabbed the supplies from a nearby table while Li Jing found them a seat on a log near the fire. He sat down next to her, handing her her own skewer and placing the bag of marshmallows between them, before pulling one out and impaling it, hanging it over the fire. He carefully roasted it, letting the skin turn a perfect golden brown before pulling it back. He turned to proudly show it off to Li Jing, before freezing in horror as she blew the fire off a completely black marshmallow and chomped down directly on it.


    Li Jing noticed his look, freezing, a slight flush creeping up her neck. "What?"


    "You- you eat your marshmallows burnt!?!" He asked, giving her a weird look.


    Li Jing frowned. "What''s wrong with that?"


    Andrew sighed, shaking his head. "Li Jing, I know you''re a Dragon, but charcoal is not food."


    Li Jing rolled her eyes. "We''re water Dragons. We don''t even breathe fire."


    "Which only makes your heinous crime against the sacred art of marshmallow roasting even more despicable." Andrew declared sanctimoniously.


    "Sacred art of marshmallow roasting?" Li Jing asked, a hint of incredulity creeping into her normally subdued tone.


    "Yes! Just look at this fine example. Perfectly browned skin all around, no hints of white or black to be seen! The acme of perfection!" Andrew displayed his own marshmallow for her to examine.


    Li Jing raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that still your first marshmallow?"


    "Yeah?" Andrew replied, confused by the sudden shift.


    She pointed at her stick. "That was my third."


    Andrew frowned. "Quality takes time, you know."


    "Yet we both enjoy our marshmallows the same." Li Jing retorted, tossing another marshmallow on her skewer and sticking it directly in the fire.


    Andrew took a look at his marshmallow, which had cooled down to a distasteful level by this point, and sighed. He popped it in his mouth, before grabbing another, carefully roasting it as he occasionally glanced towards Li Jing and her flaming creations with a slightly bitter expression. "Philistine." He muttered under his breath, only causing her to grin at him.


    They continued to sit around the fire, roasting their marshmallows, when Li Jing spoke up all of the sudden. "You can call me Jing." She muttered quietly, a faint hint of embarrassment coming from her.


    "Huh?" Andrew looked over at her, looking slightly confused.


    "Instead of Li Jing. You can just call me Jing." Li Jing elaborated, the hint of embarrassment growing as a flush crept into her cheeks.


    "Oh¡­ okay." Andrew nodded, wondering why this seemed to be such a big deal for her. He didn''t mind calling her Li Jing or Jing either way. He didn''t even realize he needed permission¡­ he was just used to calling her Li Jing. Suddenly, he felt a blaze of furious hate erupt from across the fire. He glanced over with a frown, and saw Karen staring at him with clenched fists and gritted teeth. He grimaced, shaking his head. *That''s not going away any time soon.* He grumbled internally, trying to ignore it. It wasn''t like he could do anything about it anyway. He just didn''t get why she hated him so much.


    *


    After taking a day to rest and absorb the rest of their crystals, the group headed back into the forest, ready to hunt more Beasts. As they traveled, Andrew kept an eye on Linda/Karen, concerned about the ever present bitterness that seemed to be radiating from her at all times, punctuated by surges of hate directed towards Andrew. He didn''t know how to fix it, and he was worried about her feelings affecting their cooperation during the hunt.


    Andrew took a step back, leaning in to whisper to Francesca. "Uh, about Karen¡­ is-is she going to be okay?" He asked nervously.


    "She''ll be fine, Andrew." Francesca assured him. "Zelda had a long talk with her. She knows she can''t let her personal feelings affect her professional behavior."


    "Uh¡­ you sure?" Andrew asked, giving the seething combination of Beast and girl a wary glance.


    "Yes Andrew. You have to learn to trust your teammates. Don''t worry, she''ll be fine." Francesca assured her.


    Andrew gave her another hesitant look, before sighing and nodding. He began searching for suitable Beast auras in the surroundings, unconsciously looking for weaker than normal Beasts the first few times, but as Linda/Karen maintained her usual level of cooperation, he slowly got more comfortable, going back to their usual hunting behavior. Linda/Karen still had those bitter hateful feelings, but she obviously wasn''t letting them affect their teamwork. *Guess I was making a big deal out of nothing.* Andrew thought to himself in chagrin.


    "Wait!" Francesca announced as they were in the middle of collecting the crystal of their latest kill, a particularly thick shelled armadillo like Beast, closing her eyes in concentration. "I''m feeling some vibrations coming from the north. Andrew, climb up and see if you can see anything."


    Andrew nodded, quickly scrambling up the tallest tree nearby, before looking towards the north. He frowned, as all he saw was a cloud of dust rising in the distance and a few trees shaking. He jumped down, landing hard, sending up a cloud of dust. "There''s something over there alright, and it looks like there''s a lot of it. Shaking trees, big dust cloud, the works."


    "Shit!" Francesca cursed. "Beast Tide! We have to run!" She exclaimed, urging them to move.


    They all began to hesitantly follow her. "What''s a Beast Tide?" Andrew asked.


    "A swarm of Beasts all moving together as one under the leadership of a powerful Beast.." Francesca explained as she began to pick up the pace. "The base camp is equipped to deal with them, but if we''re caught out here in the middle of it¡­ uh, well, we can return through the Bond, but Andrew doesn''t have this recourse."


    "Oh, so this is a me problem. Joy." Andrew muttered breathlessly.


    "Yes. Can you move any faster?" Francesca asked impatiently.


    "Man¡­ I liked these clothes." Andrew groaned as he took a deep breath, suddenly transforming into his Tiger form as he burst through his clothes, picking up speed.


    They all continued to run. The first one unable to keep up was Li Mei/Jing. "Return through the Bond!" Francesca yelled at her, and, after a worried look to Andrew, she turned to smoke, flowing off into the distance. Without her, Andrew became the slowest member of the group, struggling to keep up with the rest as they ran towards the base camp. A Tiger was faster than a Monkey or a human, but they couldn''t match up to something like a Horse or even a Goat. Francesca was at a higher power level, so this speed didn''t even come close to approaching her limit.


    Francesca was continuing to observe the vibrations behind them, getting more and more nervous as they ran. "We aren''t going to make it." She muttered.


    "Uh, can I get a second opinion?" Andrew asked breathlessly.


    Francesca grunted, trying to think of a solution, communicating back and forth with Zelda. "We can''t make it back to the base camp, but there''s a complex of caves nearby. We can hide inside." She finally replied, altering their course towards a nearby set of cliffs. Before they even reached them, Francesca stomped her hoof, opening a crack in the ground. "Go!" She exclaimed. Linda/Karen scampered down the hole, followed by Andrew. Petunia/Susie couldn''t handle the uneven terrain, so she returned through the Bond, turning into a cloud of smoke and heading back to the base camp.


    Francesca followed the other two into the crack, closing it behind them just as a swarm of Beasts thundered through. She let out a sigh of relief, before suddenly freezing as another tremor went through the cave. "No!" She exclaimed, focusing on the earth above them, keeping it stable. "They''re trying to break through! You two, get away and hide! We''ll maintain communication through Linda and Karen. Once it''s safe, we''ll come and find you!"


    Andrew and Linda/Karen shared a look before nodding, heading deeper into the tunnels, taking the twists and turns randomly until even they didn''t know where they were. Andrew shifted into his Monkey form, which was much better at navigating the tunnels than his Tiger form. Eventually they came to a stop in a random cavern, catching their breath.


    "This is all your fault!" Linda/Karen growled accusingly.


    "Yeah, well, it isn''t like I can help it, you know?" Andrew retorted. "I''m sorry I was born weird."


    Linda/Karen snorted, shaking her head. "Why are you even out here if you''re this vulnerable? Why don''t you just stay on Earth, like the rest of the mortals."


    Andrew paused. "Dude, harsh¡­ I never really thought about it, you know? I am strong, capable of absorbing ability crystals, sensing auras, all that. The fact that I could die just never crossed my mind. Besides, why do you care? Worst case scenario, I die, and you just return through the Bond."


    Linda/Karen grunted, before ignoring Andrew. Andrew sighed, shaking his head as he settled in to rest, waiting for the Beast Tide to be over. "Francesca is back at the base camp." Linda/Karen suddenly announced. "She doesn''t know whether the Beasts will chase after us down here."


    "Even if they do, how will they find us?" Andrew replied. "We took so many twists and turns, I don''t even think we could find ourselves, let alone them."


    Linda/Karen shook her head. "You''re forgetting about abilities. Who knows what these Beasts are capable of? It isn''t like the Clans, where everyone either has this or that ability. The amount of different Beasts means that they could have access to hundreds of different abilities. It''d be more unbelievable if they didn''t have the ability to track us."


    "Oh¡­ well, then, what do we do?" Andrew asked, frowning.


    "Keep moving, stay ahead of them. They can''t move any faster through the tunnels than we can." Linda/Karen responded, climbing to her feet and moving on.


    "Oh, fun." Andrew muttered, rushing after her. They continued on for a while, before Andrew cursed. "Ah, shit! They''re behind us!" He exclaimed as he sensed auras popping up behind them, nothing too high leveled, but at least half a dozen of them, doggedly following their path through the tunnels. "How are they catching up with us?" He asked incredulously, noticing their party was traveling at almost twice the speed they were.


    "How should I know!" Linda/Karen exclaimed, sounding slightly panicked. "Just keep moving!"


    "That isn''t going to help! We can''t lose them! All we''ll do is tire ourselves out!" Andrew replied, looking around. "We need to find somewhere we can defend."


    "How?!? My ability isn''t any help down here! I can''t charge in a damn tunnel!" Linda/Karen retorted.


    "Well running isn''t going to do shit! Just- I''ll fight them, you just block them for me!" Andrew cursed. They set up in a slightly narrower tunnel, Andrew transforming into his hybrid form, which was smaller and more maneuverable in the tunnels, but uncomfortably more naked than he preferred in the presence of a girl.


    "What are you doing?!?" Linda/Karen asked incredulously.


    "I need to be able to move around you! Just- ignore it, alright?" Andrew exclaimed in exasperation, baring his claws as he waited for the Beasts to arrive. A few tense moments passed before they began to hear the sound of earth shifting from the passage way in front of them. The tunnel smoothed out as they arrived, all the obstacles moving out of the way. "Well, that explains their speed." Andrew muttered.


    "Shut up! Get ready!" Linda/Karen cursed, feeling nervous as she shifted her stance.


    The lead Beast let out a roar the moment it saw them, rushing forward with an eager gleam in its eyes. Linda/Karen braced herself, meeting the Beasts charge head on, letting out a grunt as it slammed into her. Andrew growled as he flashed forward, slashing with his claws at the Beast''s neck, digging ragged furrows into its skin, causing it to let out another roar.


    Before Andrew could even react, rock spikes shot out from the ground, piercing towards him and Linda/Karen. Andrew managed to dodge, barely, getting a few scrapes, but Linda/Karen wasn''t so lucky. She was too big to be able to dodge, and the rock spikes dug straight into her. The entire tunnel was like a giant spike trap for her, leaving her completely vulnerable to the Beast''s ability.


    "Get out of here!" Andrew yelled the moment he saw her wounds. "You can''t do anything like this!"


    "No! You''ll die!" Linda/Karen yelled back, full of concern.


    "And if you stay, so will you! Get out of here!" Andrew replied bitterly, jumping in to claw the Beast again. "I was never getting out of this anyway." He muttered.


    "You- Ah!" Linda/Karen began before crying out as more spikes impaled her. "Ugh, fine! I don''t know why I should care about you anyway!" Karen cursed.


    "Yeah, yeah, I''ll miss you too." Andrew grinned.


    Karen groaned. "Ugh! I- just- try not to die. Please." She said at last, before turning to smoke, flowing away.


    "Oh, yeah, I''ll try real hard." Andrew muttered, shaking his head as he dodged more earth spikes, tearing at the Beast in front of him as he did. Without Linda/Karen, the Beast could focus on him alone, so the rock spikes became more accurate, leaving wound after wound on his body. Thankfully, his small form gave him just the edge he needed to win out, a devastating claw strike tearing out a large chunk of the Beast''s throat, spraying out a fountain of blood as it collapsed.


    He let out a small breath as he faced the remaining Beasts. "Alright. Who''s next?"


    The Beasts in front of him growled, but without the Beast with the rock manipulation ability, they had no way to pry him out of the cramped tunnel he''d set himself up in. Or at least, that''s what Andrew thought, before a burst of wind shot from one of the Beasts'' mouths, blowing him off his feet and slamming him into the wall of the tunnel behind him. The Beast paced forward, stepping on Andrew''s chest, leaning in to crush it. Andrew let out a scream as he felt something burst out of him, and the world went dark.

 Aura: 7 - First Hunt (3)

    Around a three sided table in an ashen void, a Human, a Tiger, and a Monkey sat. "A crappy end to a crappy life." The Human sighed.


    "I just wish our death could have been more¡­ impactful." The Tiger growled.


    "We didn''t even crack the wall." The Monkey snickered, earning himself a glare from the Tiger.


    "Is not even our end enough for you to take something seriously?" The Tiger complained.


    "Our whole life has been a joke. Why should our death be any different?" The Monkey retorted.


    The table fell silent for a moment. "So, where do you think we''ll end up next?" The Human asked. "Nothingness? Some afterlife like the mortals believe? A new world?"


    "Ugh, no thanks. I''m done with life, after or not." The Monkey stuck his tongue out making a disgusted face. "Let me escape into that sweet, sweet void, baby!"


    "I would rather not contemplate the kind of afterlife our actions would have earned us." The Tiger grumbled. "A new life might be interesting though¡­ a fresh start, to begin anew, to not make the same mistakes."


    "Y''all are depressing!" A new voice groaned, sounding pained. The three turned to the fourth side of the table, eyes widening as they looked at the furry lizard like being. "Why would you just resign yourselves to death?!? Don''t you know how many more things we have to hunt? Delicious foods we have to eat? We haven''t even mated with anyone yet! It''s a disgrace! How can you just give up before we''re done living life to the fullest?" The Lizard paused. "No. I refuse to die!"


    *


    Andrew gasped as he sat up, throwing the body that had collapsed on him off. Growls greeted him as the group of Beasts milled about in a mix of desire, confusion, and fear. However, Andrew didn''t have much time to process that as he was overcome with sheer, unadulterated rage! A roar broke through his lips as a blast of wind sent him hurtling towards the Beasts, talons extended as he slashed the first one across the eyes, blinding it. The Beast began to thrash about in pain as Andrew dodged between its legs, using his small size to maneuver into the next Beast, sending a viscous slash into its gut, digging out its entrails. Another Beast released a burst of fire as Andrew dodged under the gutted Beast, the Beast crying in pain as it began to burn as well. The blinded Beast thrashed, sending a kick at the fire Beast that left it dazed as Andrew jumped back over the burning Beast, talons descending as he clawed through its throat. The last Beast turned to run, terrified of this small, but vicious creature, but another burst of wind sent Andrew flying after it, tackling it into a wall as he tore through its defenses with his talons, ripping piece after piece out of its body until it finally stopped moving. Panting breathlessly, Andrew got back to his feet, stumbling towards the remaining wounded Beasts. He dodged the blind, thrashing Beast and took a chunk out of its throat, before doing the same to the gutted and burned one.


    Andrew stood in the deathly silent tunnel, the only sound his own panting, as slowly, a low chuckle began to work its way through him. "He, he, ha, ha, hahahahaHA!" Andrew laughed. "I''m alive! Fuck you!" He cried, kicking a corpse. "Fuck you, fuck you, and fuck you!" He repeated sending more and more blows at the already dead Beasts, laughing like a mad man.


    Suddenly, he collapsed, gulping for air. "Oh, oh fuck, how did I survive that?!?" He muttered in disbelief, running a bloody hand through his hair. "I should be dead. I should be dead! I got stepped on! Shit! I was stepped on!" He looked over at the strange Lizard corpse. "How- how did he die?!? I didn''t-" Slowly the vision from earlier came back to him, the strange table, the three- no four beings talking around it¡­ that- that was him! All three- four sides of him! He- he had four sides? That- that Lizard side¡­ Andrew stared at the corpse.


    A moment later, Andrew shook his head. "I- I need to get out of here." He jumped to his feet, heading back the way he''d come, following the smoothed out path. He didn''t want to think about what had just happened, what he''d just done. What- what was new. How- no, he wasn''t thinking about it! He- he had to leave! He had to get back to the base camp! Then- then he could think about all- about whatever this was.


    Andrew reached the crack the Beasts had opened into the tunnel system, carefully climbing up as he peeked out into the forest. He didn''t see any sign of the tide anymore, but that didn''t mean it wasn''t there. It''d probably reached the walls of the base camp by this point, which meant he wasn''t going to have any luck getting back any time soon. "I need to find somewhere to wait this out." Andrew muttered to himself, shifting into his Lizard- Andrew paused as he looked down at the furry Lizard he''d turned into. "Dealing with this later." He groaned, before scampering off. This form was his fastest.


    Andrew headed towards a small hill he''d come across earlier in the week, remembering that there was a particularly large tree that gave a good view of the base camp. Once he reached it, he shifted into his Monkey form, clambering up until he was over most of the tree tops, giving him a clear view of the base camp and its walls. It was pandemonium. Beast fought against Beast below the walls, while humans manned turrets above, raining down bullets, missiles, and abilities upon the tide. Bursts of smoke would rise from the frey as Beasts too injured to continue were recalled, while freshly healed Beasts leapt down to rejoin the battle in an endless cycle, slowly grinding the Beast Tide down. Andrew could tell the battle would keep going for at least a few more hours, if not longer, so he settled in to wait, leaning against the tree trunk as he watched, shifting into a mix between his human and Monkey form to try and be less visible, while also giving himself more space, relatively. Slowly, his eyelids began to droop, and sleep took him without his consent, his adrenaline finally wearing off as exhaustion took hold.


    *


    Andrew jolted awake as he felt the tree he was in shake. "What-" He began, before freezing as the largest Monkey he''d ever seen pulled itself up towards him.


    "There you are!" A deep rumbling voice came from the Beast. "You gave us quite the fright! Come on, let''s get you home."


    "G-grandpa?!?" Andrew exclaimed incredulously.


    "Who else?" The giant Monkey chuckled. "Come, climb on. We''ll talk once you''re safe." He continued, gesturing to his shoulder.


    Andrew hesitated for a moment, before doing as he said, turning full Monkey before leaping onto his shoulder. The moment he was secure, the giant Monkey dropped, landing on the ground with a loud thump, before running towards the base camp. Trees passed almost faster than Andrew could process, before they burst out onto the field before the walls. The tide was still in process, but most of the Beasts were dead by this point. Only a fraction still fought, throwing themselves at the walls, trying to break in to get to the weak, defenseless people inside. His grandpa just ignored that though, absently killing a few Beasts as he stepped on them, before clambering up the walls, acting like the Beast Tide wasn''t anything to be concerned about. A moment later, the Monkey stopped and Andrew clambered down to arrive in front of Arose as the Beast turned to smoke and returned to him.


    "Thank the Light you''re alright." Arose breathed a sigh of relief, stepping forward to hug him, before pausing as Andrew remained in his Monkey form. "Uh¡­ wouldn''t you like to change back to human?"


    "I don''t have any clothes¡­" Andrew replied, sounding vaguely embarrassed. His transformations were the enemy of proper decency.


    "Ah, yes, right!" Arose smacked himself in the head. "Here, I have some you can use." He offered, pulling a pair of pants and a shirt out of what seemed like thin air.


    Andrew took them gratefully, retreating into an alley between two buildings and quickly pulling the pants on, then the shirt, before turning back to Arose. "How''d you do that?" He asked curiously.


    Arose tapped a ring he was wearing. "Storage device. Useful piece of gear for anyone not a Horse. They''re not terribly complicated, especially not for a small space, so you should be able to buy one for yourself pretty easily."


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    Andrew frowned. "Couldn''t you get me one then?"


    Arose sighed. "Unfortunately not. Early on, we learned that us Bonded have a tendency to¡­ spoil our children. A minor problem when they''re mortal, but for Bonded? We need Bonded to be strong, and spoiled children are rarely strong. Therefore, it was decided that everything a Bonded gets must be earned through their own efforts, at least anything of significance. That''s why you have to hunt for your own crystals, and earn enough to trade for your own storage device. Believe me, I would love to just feed you crystals until you''re strong enough to pulverize anything that might come your way, but this isn''t a law we can just ignore. The strength of our species relies on it, and creating loopholes once will lead to more loopholes down the line, until we''re raising generation after generation of indolent brats who couldn''t fight their way out of a paper bag."


    Andrew blinked. "I guess that makes sense¡­" He muttered. He didn''t really see the harm in giving him a small storage device to keep some clothes in, but he wasn''t about to argue about it. He had bigger concerns at the moment. "How did you find me?"


    "An ability mutation I acquired a millenia or two ago." Arose shrugged. "I can memorize someone''s emotional profile and recognize them as long as they''re in range of my ability, which is quite large at this point. I should have been able to find you instantly as long as you''re within a hundred miles of the base camp. However¡­ your emotional profile seems to have changed for some reason¡­ I almost thought you dead, but after getting closer, my field thankfully picked up on some residual similarities and I found you in that tree." Arose smiled, the relief he felt at Andrew not actually being dead practically billowing off of him.


    Andrew coughed awkwardly. Technically he had died¡­ hadn''t he? Something had happened, and he''d picked up this fourth side¡­ whatever it was. It''d changed his emotional profile? What did that mean? He didn''t really feel any different¡­ except maybe when he''d been fighting those Beasts. That had been¡­ exhilarating. He''d never enjoyed a fight like that before. "I''m sorry-"


    "It''s fine." Arose laughed. "It isn''t like it''s your fault. Whatever happened out there, I''m sure it took its toll. A change in your emotional profile is the least of my worries." He commented seriously. "I''m just glad you managed to avoid the Beasts. If you''d been injured in any way¡­" Sheer fury began to radiate from Arose. "I would obliterate this forest and every creature inside it!" He growled in an absolutely serious tone. Andrew took a step back, eyes widening, before Arose''s fury disappeared and he smiled. "But, you''re fine! So, all is good, right?"


    "R-right." Andrew gulped.


    *


    Andrew and Arose headed to his team''s cabin, Andrew nervously glancing towards Arose every now and then. How was he supposed to tell him he was hurt? That he''d almost died if not for¡­ something happening. He tried to keep his emotions under control, to not give anything away, but he saw Arose glance at him too. He didn''t say anything, but Andrew had a feeling he knew something was off. As they approached the cabin, Andrew began to feel the worry and sadness billowing off his teammates. He hesitantly opened the door, not wanting to just barge in.


    "Who-" Karen looked up, tears still in her eyes, before they widened as they caught sight of Andrew. "A-Andrew!?!" She exclaimed.


    Li Jing''s head shot up. "Andrew!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and rushing forward, slamming into him, hugging him tightly.


    "You- You''re okay?!?" Susie asked, staring at him wide-eyed.


    "Uh, yes." Andrew replied.


    "Uh, yes? That''s what you say when you come back from a situation of almost certain death?" Karen asked incredulously.


    "Well how else are you supposed to answer that question?" Andrew replied, rolling his eyes. "You''re okay? No, I''m a ghost, just stopping by to say hi. I mean, you can see me! Obviously I''m okay!"


    "Maybe start with how?" Susie replied, rolling her eyes.


    "Oh. I don''t know." Andrew responded.


    "For the love of- I can''t believe I actually missed you." Karen muttered, shaking her head.


    A cough came from behind him. "I''m sorry, near what now?" Arose asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.


    Andrew turned, gulping slightly. "Uh, well¡­ see, when the Beast Tide arrived, we escaped down into some tunnels, but a group of them followed us. Francesca stayed back to stall them, and only me and Linda could make it through the tunnels at any reasonable speed. Eventually they caught up to us, we fought, Linda had to return or die, and¡­ uh, well¡­ it gets complicated from there. I''m not really sure how well I can explain it¡­"


    "Try." Arose replied, narrowing his eyes.


    Andrew gulped. "Well¡­ I ended up killing the Beast we''d been fighting, but then this Lizard blasted me with an air beam, and sort of¡­ stepped on me." Li Jing''s grip tightened around him as he said that, sheer concern radiating off her. "Then, well¡­ I- I don''t know what happened, but the next thing I know, the Lizard is dead, I''m pissed and catapulting myself at the rest of the Beasts with an air blast. I kill them all, and then crawl out of a hole in the ground before going to the tree you found me in to watch the Beast Tide and wait until it was over."


    Arose blinked. "Air blast?" He asked hesitantly.


    "Uh, yeah." Andrew replied. "And a new Lizard form¡­ the same as the one that died for seemingly no reason." He added.


    Arose''s eyes widened. "That- that is something different."


    Andrew sighed. "As if I''ve ever been anything else."


    Arose gave Andrew a complicated look as he felt the deep, unsettling depression in the boy, before letting out a sigh. "Yes, well, we''ll handle all that later, once- once you''ve rested."


    Andrew nodded, before looking down at Li Jing. "Uh, Li Jing-"


    "Jing." Li Jing quickly corrected him.


    "Right, Jing, could you- we''re kind of blocking the door." Andrew murmured awkwardly.


    Li Jing flushed, loosening her grip on Andrew and pulling away slightly. She hesitated for a moment, before latching onto his arm, letting him move, but still maintaining a solid grip on him. It was like she was afraid that if she let him go, he''d somehow disappear. Andrew felt a twinge of dissatisfaction come from Karen, before she snorted and looked away.


    Arose glanced at Karen with a faint look of surprise. "My, my, what an interesting little team you have here." He muttered, a grin slowly forming. His grandson was becoming a bit of a playboy, wasn''t he?


    Karen shot a look at him, her eyes widening slightly, before she flushed. "Damn Monkeys!" She cursed under her breath, but Andrew could tell she didn''t mean it as much as she had before. Turns out, going bravely to one''s death was a great way to change someone''s opinion.


    "Hey, so, where''s Zelda?" Andrew asked as he sat down, Li Jing sitting next to him, still latched tightly to his arm.


    "She''s on the wall with the others." Susie replied. "Everyone is working hard to defend the base camp from the Beast Tide."


    Arose scoffed. "More like she''s competing for a slice of all the crystals."


    Andrew frowned. "What do you mean?"


    Arose raised an eyebrow at him. "Have they not explained the scarcity issue to you yet?" Andrew shook his head. "Ah, well, it''s like this. Low level Beasts are everywhere. You can find a dozen a day, no problem. However, once you get to even the slightly more powerful Beasts, they become much harder to find, but still, you can find at least one or two a day if you seriously go about searching. However, as Beasts get even stronger, finding them becomes harder and harder, going from days, to weeks, to months, to years before you can find a Beast that will give you even a minor boost in power. Additionally, you''d need to range deep into the wild, further than the Bond can extend, meaning the human side needs to leave the safety of the base camp. However, most people would rather not risk death just to get slightly more powerful. Therefore, the solution we came up with is Beast Tides! The powerful Beasts come to us, allowing us to send our Beasts out without risking our own safety! Massive amounts of Beasts providing massive amounts of crystals for everyone to grow with! The perfect system with little to no risk!"


    "Wait, so, people think Beast Tides are a good thing?" Andrew asked incredulously.


    "Not out in the wild, no, but from a defensible structure where you''re prepared to handle it? Absolutely." Arose nodded. "Humans are weak, and if we slip up, we die pretty quickly out in the wild. It''s much better to stay behind our nice, defensible walls, and have the Beasts come to us, don''t you think?"


    "I guess¡­ still, it seems weird to hope to be attacked." Andrew replied.


    "Hope? We actively encourage it! Why do you think the base camp is a big, easily seen fort, instead of being hidden like the City?" Arose commented. Andrew just shook his head, not even sure what to say to all that.

 Aura: 8 - First Hunt (4)

    "The Beast Tide is over, we need- Andrew!" Zelda exclaimed as she dashed into the cabin, coming up short as she saw him sitting on the couch with the others. "How di-" Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Arose, falling to one knee. "Lord Arose!"


    "No need for any of that." Arose waved dismissively. "I''m just here to check on my grandson."


    Zelda looked up sharply. "Gra- Andrew is your grandson?!?"


    "Indeed. Can''t you see the charming resemblance?" Arose grinned.


    Zelda looked between Arose and Andrew, obviously not seeing what Arose was talking about but too nervous to disagree. "A-ah, I see¡­ uh, Andrew, you- how did you survive?"


    "I don''t know." Andrew replied yet again, shaking his head. He''d been thinking about it the entire time they''d been waiting here, but he didn''t have any more answers.


    Zelda frowned. "You don''t know?!? How? Why?"


    "I. Don''t. Know!" Andrew reiterated, slowly.


    "You-" Zelda began, before pausing and taking a deep breath. "You know what, nevermind. I''m just glad you''re alive."


    "Yeah, me too." Andrew nodded.


    "Yes, well, seeing as that is the case, I believe it is time for me to take my leave. Girls, it''s been a pleasure meeting you. Andrew, do try to remain safe for the rest of the hunting trip." Arose stood to his feet, saying his goodbyes as he headed out, leaving the team alone.


    "Right, yes, it''s late. You should all get to sleep. We''ll take tomorrow off, and get back to hunting the day after." Zelda nodded, letting out a relieved sigh as Arose left, a tension she didn''t even know was there releasing. Interacting with such a powerful being was nerve wracking.


    Karen and Susie nodded, heading off to their own rooms along with Zelda, but Andrew ran into a minor issue. Li Jing was still latched onto his arm. "Uh, Jing, shouldn''t we be getting to bed?"


    "Yes." Li Jing nodded.


    "Right, so, don''t you think it''s about time you let me go?" Andrew continued.


    "No." Li Jing shook her head.


    "Okay, so-" Andrew paused. "Uh, did you say no?"


    "Yes." Li Jing nodded.


    Andrew frowned. "Jing, we can''t go to bed until you let me go."


    "I know." Li Jing replied in a quiet voice. "But I can''t."


    "Jing, you- why?" Andrew asked, confused.


    Li Jing hesitated for a moment. "You almost died. Maybe- maybe you should have died. What if- what if next time you do. I don''t- I can''t-" Her grip tightened, her emotions boiling within her, full of fear, worry, and possessiveness. "I don''t want to lose you." She finished in a hoarse whisper.


    Andrew''s mind blanked for a moment. Li Jing liked him? She liked him? How- why- all he''d done is fuck things up! He saw her naked, projected his depression at her, made fun of her marshmallows¡­ The only thing he really had going for him was that he and Li Mei did work well together, but- Andrew''s line of thought cut out as he suddenly realized he was kissing Li Jing, a muffled yelp coming from her as he squeezed a bit too tightly. He immediately pulled back. "S-sorry! I-I shouldn''t have-" Why- why had he kissed her?!? What could possibly have possessed him to make him think that was- Andrew froze as suddenly Li Jing was in his lap, kissing him. His arms instinctively wrapped around her, pulling her close, when he stopped, locking his arms. He couldn''t let himself lose control here. He was too strong, and if he ended up hurting her¡­ he''d never forgive himself. Andrew was stuck between two parts of himself, the one that wanted to just devour Li Jing, and the one that couldn''t let himself hurt her. Motions would start, then stop a moment later, he had no idea what to do with his tongue, and the overall experience made him feel awkward as hell.


    Li Jing pulled away, flushing deeply. "I-I''m not very good at this." She muttered in embarrassment, obviously feeling the awkwardness as well.


    Andrew shook his head. "It isn''t you, it''s me. I- I can''t- Jing, do you know how strong I am?" He asked, frustration creeping into his tone. "If- I want to just be in the moment, but- I can''t lose control. If I lose control¡­ I don''t want to hurt you." He muttered in defeat. If kissing was this bad, what would sex be like? Would it even be possible? He''d just- he''d end up crushing her!


    Li Jing''s eyes widened in understanding. "Oh."


    Andrew sighed. "I''m sorry. I just- I can''t-"


    "We''ll practice." Li Jing interrupted him. "We''ll get better."


    Andrew shook his head. "I don''t think it''s that simple."


    "It is." Li Jing replied firmly. "You walk fine, shake hands, give hugs, right?" Andrew nodded hesitantly. "Same thing. You''ll get used to it. With practice." She blinked as she realized what she was saying, before flushing in embarrassment. "If-If you want to¡­"


    Andrew felt a smile tug at his lips. "I would love to." He replied quietly.


    Li Jing smiled back, hugging him tightly, before pulling away with a frown. "What- what will we do when this is over?"


    Andrew frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "The hunting trip. We''ll be going home. Me to China, you to America¡­ when will we see each other?" She asked, biting her lip nervously.


    Andrew frowned, before an idea occurred to him. "What about the City? We can always meet there, right? It has plenty of places for us to go, we don''t have to travel very far¡­ the only issue would be time¡­ but we could go off City time, right? At least for the summer. Once school starts¡­ We can figure something out then."


    Li Jing nodded slowly. "That could work¡­" Li Jing paused. "When?"


    "Uh¡­ well, when are you free?" Andrew asked.


    "Any time." Li Jing replied.


    "Right¡­ then, how about the weekend after the hunting trip? We can tour the City, visit the Clan strongholds, stuff like that." Andrew offered.


    Li Jing''s eyes sparkled. "That sounds nice."


    "Alright, cool. So, Saturday morning, say ten AM, City time?" Andrew elaborated.


    "It''s a date." Li Jing grinned, before flushing as a surge of embarrassment went through her, realizing that yes, it was a date. "I-I should probably get to bed. I''ll- I''ll see you tomorrow?"


    Andrew smirked. "Do you have any other choice?" He asked, enjoying the mix of embarrassment and excitement coming off her.


    *


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    "This is too dangerous." The Tiger growled. "What if we hurt her?"


    "What if we hurt her?" The Human grimaced. "We can practice being gentle, but¡­ can we really change who we are? Can she really accept us once she learns who- what we are?"


    "We don''t have to tell her¡­" The Monkey commented.


    "We are not jeopardizing a potential mate with your melodrama!" The Lizard growled, looking between the Human and the Tiger. "An opportunity like this falls into our lap, and you want to just throw it away?!? Are you crazy?!? We like her, she likes us! Don''t make problems where they don''t exist!"


    "She deserves to know the truth!" The Tiger retorted.


    "We can''t base a relationship on lies and expect it to last." The Human agreed.


    "Ugh, I don''t care about the relationship! I just want to fuck!" The Lizard groaned.


    "We are not just using Li Jing for sex!" The Monkey slammed the table angrily.


    "Never." The Tiger growled.


    "No." The Human agreed firmly.


    "Fine!" The Lizard relented. "But we aren''t just going to blab it out either! We''ll tell her at the right time, not dump all our problems on her during the first date!"


    *


    Andrew woke with a gasp. What was that? Why was he seeing visions of these creatures arguing? Why- why were they all him? Andrew hesitated for a moment, before sitting up and getting into a meditation pose. He needed to figure this out. He took a deep breath, and turned his gaze inward, searching. At first he just saw darkness, a void of his own thoughts, but slowly something else began to appear. Not through any of his normal senses, but through his aura. As he delved into his own aura, he found four different cores in the center, each emitting a unique aura which mixed with the others to make up the rest of his aura. Three of them were practically one, pressing against each other so closely that Andrew almost thought they were one. The only thing that tipped him off was that he knew there had to be four, and once he looked hard enough, he could discern clear differences in each section. As for the forth, it had sort of attached itself to the other three, slowly working its way inside, trying to meld as tightly as the other three.


    Andrew frowned as he studied the cores. Was this where those creatures met? He carefully tried to push himself into the cores, attempting to see what lied in the center. Suddenly, as he pushed, the cores burst apart separating! Andrew gasped as four distinctly different trains of thought suddenly flashed through his head, a brief glimpse of the four different creatures all sitting at their own individual tables, before the cores merged again and he returned to normal. Andrew slowly collected himself, breathing deeply, before turning his attention back to the core. Hesitantly, he gripped the fourth core and tugged, separating it from the others. Suddenly he had two streams of thought: one seemingly normal, while the other was distinctly Lizard. All its focus was on primal urges, with little to no regard for the consequences. Andrew quickly let the core return to the rest, his thoughts returning to normal again.


    Andrew opened his eyes with a complicated expression. He wasn''t sure what to make of all this. It sort of looked like he''d stolen the Lizards core, which had killed him, but¡­ the core was still distinctly Andrew. Sure, it was a more violent, primal side of him, one which was more affected by his base desires, but it was still him. They still had the same values, the same likes and dislikes. It simply changed how he interpreted and experienced them. Even before the Lizard came along, Andrew couldn''t deny that there was a part of him that just wanted sex and didn''t care how he got it. A part of him that just wanted to let loose and rip into the people around him, doing whatever he wanted and damn the consequences. The Lizard was just that, brought to the fore, instead of repressed and ignored. Andrew paused. Maybe those visions were just his subconscious, trying to process the new perspective? Trying to see how it fit with the others? Where it helped, where it hurt? To see how much it really changed him?


    Andrew paused. It had changed him, hadn''t it? He never would have kissed Li Jing without it. He never would have been that bold, never would have even considered the idea she might actually like him. He was so used to feeling like a reject, someone everyone kept at arm''s length, but¡­ his Lizard self didn''t care. He knew what he wanted and he was going for it. Once Li Jing had dropped enough hints, there was no more stopping him, and Andrew wasn''t even sure if he wanted to be stopped. He liked Li Jing. He wanted to kiss her. He just would have been too afraid to actually do it. If he thought about it like that, then didn''t the Lizard let him be more like himself? His true self, that wasn''t hidden behind years of isolation and restricting himself. It was something to think about.


    *


    An airblast sent Andrew shooting towards the ground, talons at the ready as he fell upon an unsuspecting Beast. He couldn''t help but smile as his talons tore through flesh, leaving ragged red lines across the Beast''s skin. He vaguely noticed Li Mei/Jing flashing in to snap at the Beast, but he was too lost in the rush! Claws digging through flesh, kicks bursting organs, dodging the wild, untrained blows as he toyed with his prey. This was what he built for! Not going to school, pretending to be human, pretending to be weak! He was built to fight! To kill! To do whatever it takes to keep the people of Earth safe! Or at least keep himself entertained¡­ Andrew chuckled slightly as a blast of air sent him over the Beast''s desperate swipe, before another propelled him back down, adding power to his swipe as his talons dug into the Beast''s skull, tearing half its face off in a spray of blood.


    Andrew clicked his tongue as the Beast fell dead, looking down at his clothing. "Yet another stain¡­ I think these clothes are officially ruined. What do you think?" Andrew asked, turning to Li Mei/Jing.


    "I think those clothes need to burn, and you need several showers." She chuckled, wrinkling her snout.


    Andrew grinned back, as he dug the crystal out of the Beast, shoving it into his backpack. After the first week of hunting, Francesca declared that they were strong enough to hunt on their own, giving them free reign to do what they like for the second week. Li Jing and Andrew decided to keep hunting together, while the other two split off. Andrew honestly would have been fine hunting on his own, but after the Beast Tide, no one was letting him go out on his own. He wasn''t even allowed to get more than ten miles away from the base camp! He and Li Jing were stuck hunting the smaller, weaker Beasts, slowing their growth to a crawl. Still, they got to hang out every day and practice kissing every night, so Andrew wasn''t going to complain. It wasn''t like he was in any sort of hurry, right?


    "So, any thoughts on potential mutations you think might be interesting?" Andrew asked as they walked, feeling less like they were on a hunt, and more like a nice hike in the woods, with the occasional violent murder to spice things up.


    "Deer." Li Mei/Jing replied. "It''s always the first one Dragons go for. It lets us focus our water into a beam, making it a lot more powerful. It also has a chance of giving us the ability to shoot water from any part of our body, rather than just the mouth."


    Andrew nodded. It was a good option. Deer had the ability to shoot lasers from any part of their body. It wasn''t the strongest ability, mostly causing light burns until it got more powerful and mutated a bit, but its use for mutation was undeniable. It added precision and focus to any ability. If he used it, his territory would gain the ability to bend light, focusing it on a single area for a powerful attack, or dispersing it to make something invisible. For his Emotion ability, he''d be able to target specific emotions and cut them out¡­ not the most ethical ability, but useful if you wanted to deaden a Beast''s reaction before you ambushed it. Thankfully it only cut emotions that were currently being felt, not damaging the target''s ability to feel that emotion at all¡­ that was a different mutation. As for his air ability, he''d probably get something similar to what Li Mei/Jing would get, the ability to condense his air blasts into a beam. He could already create air blasts anywhere though, so he wouldn''t need that part.


    Andrew paused as he thought of something. "Do you think mutations would affect all my abilities, or just one?" Li Mei/Jing thought about it for a moment, before shrugging, an interesting motion on a Dragon. "Well crap¡­ how do you think I''d figure that out?"


    "Go for a mutation. Duh." She replied.


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "Besides that! What if I mutate the wrong ability or something?"


    She paused. "Talk to an Elder?"


    Andrew grimaced. "They''re never any help¡­ all they do is say ''Huh, that''s weird'' and then leave me to deal with it! I mean, yeah, my shit is weird, but they could at least do something right?"


    "That''s for your transformation. This is about abilities. Literally what they''re there for." Li Mei/Jing pointed out.


    "I suppose." Andrew grumbled. He knew she was probably right, but he was tired of looking for answers and only ending up with more questions. Still, the Elders were there to help people with ability planning. Maybe talking to Elder Barry wouldn''t be the worst idea.

 Aura: 9 - First Hunt (5)

    The hunt ended without any further incident. No sudden Beast Tide, no weird new abilities, no acts of uncontrolled strength putting Andrew in awkward situations. They all just left the base camp and returned to the City with bags full of crystals and hope for the future. Now that they''d completed their first hunt, they were qualified to fully enter into Bonded society, free to hunt on their own, get jobs, learn a trade, or whatever else they happened to want to do with their time.


    "Andrew!" Helen exclaimed, rushing over and pulling him into a tight hug as he arrived in the portal square. "Are you okay? Arose told us about the Beast Tide."


    "I''m fine, Mom." Andrew replied with a grin. "Better, actually. I got a new form and a new ability. Neat, right? Which reminds me, I should probably talk to Elder Barry about sorting all this out, plus I have some questions about abilities."


    Helen pulled away with a frown, trying to process all that, before stopping and deciding to just go piece by piece. "You have a new form and ability?"


    "Yeah. I can now turn into a Lizard, but with fur instead of scales. It lets me make blasts of air." Andrew replied with a nod.


    Helen blinked once, then twice. "How?!?"


    "Well, it tried to kill me and¡­ that didn''t work out for it. I''m not clear on the details though¡­ part of the reason I want to talk to Elder Barry. Not that I expect much on that one. Seems to be part of my weird ''never happened before so who knows what''s up'' deal, but it can''t hurt to ask, right?" Andrew shrugged.


    Helen nodded slowly. "Right¡­" She muttered before letting out a sigh and pulling him into another hug. "I''m just glad you''re alright. Weird we can deal with. Losing you, we can''t."


    Suddenly a voice came from behind him. "Andrew." He turned to see Li Jing, accompanied by an older man he assumed was her father. "Remember, next Saturday. 10 am." She reminded him.


    Andrew nodded, grinning slightly. "Don''t worry, I''ll be here."


    Li Jing nodded. "Good." She then turned and nodded to the older man, and they left towards one of the portals.


    Andrew turned back to his mother, who was giving him an evaluating look. "And who was that?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "Oh, that was Li Jing. She was on my team." Andrew explained.


    "Is that all? Why are you planning on meeting her here next week?" Helen continued.


    "Uh¡­ well, we are kind of dating. We decided to do things in the City, since there isn''t really a better place to meet up regularly." Andrew explained, flushing slightly in embarrassment.


    "Oh, so cute! You have your first girlfriend!" Helen laughed, before turning serious. "You''re not taking things too fast are you? I know it''s tempting to just jump into bed, but it''s so much more satisfying after you''ve developed a real, deep bond with the person first."


    "W-what? No! We- all we''ve done is kiss so far!" Andrew exclaimed, before pausing and letting out a sigh. "And I can barely handle that. Whenever I get excited, I end up using too much strength and- well, I haven''t actually hurt her, but that''s just from kissing. If I did anything else¡­ I''m worried I''d slip up."


    Helen''s gaze turned soft. "Oh, Andrew¡­ listen, as long as you keep trying, I''m sure you''ll get there. Besides, there''s ways to enjoy each other where you don''t have to worry about controlling yourself. Why not let her be on top? As long as she''s in control, your strength isn''t even in the picture!"


    Andrew flushed. "Mom! That- you can''t just say stuff like that!"


    "Oh don''t be a prude." Helen waved dismissively. "Sex is natural! It''s good to discuss it every now and then, or you end up getting strange ideas. Don''t believe everything you see in porn."


    Andrew''s flush deepened. "Can- can we just go see the Elder now?"


    Helen snickered, but nodded. They walked out of the courtyard, heading into the City, giving Andrew his first real look at it. A wide variety of architecture mixed throughout the city. Ancient buildings sat side by side with modern ones. Ziggurats rose from the midst of office buildings. An ancient arena was surrounded by fancy restaurants, while stadium lights rose from the walls. It was as if the best from every era was taken and placed together, giving the city a unique and timeless quality.


    Helen led him to one of the Ziggurats, the interior of which was converted into a modern looking lobby, where she talked to one of the attendants. "Hello, we''d like to speak with an Elder please, preferably Elder Barry?"


    The attendant nodded, picking up a phone and making a quick call. "Elder Barry is free, would you like to meet him in his office, or do you require testing equipment?"


    Helen glanced at Andrew. "Testing equipment." He told the attendant. They were dealing with abilities after all. He didn''t think Elder Barry would be able to figure anything out just by looking at him.


    The attendant nodded, searching through her computer for a moment, before turning back to them. "He''ll meet you in testing room D4."


    They thanked her, before making their way deeper into the ziggurat, heading up to floor D and finding testing room four. "Ah, Andrew! I''ve been meaning to get you into one of these rooms at some point." Elder Barry greeted them with a chuckle as they arrived. "But first, what can I help you with?"


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    "Uh¡­ well, I''m looking at options for mutating my ability- well, abilities. That''s the problem actually. If I attempt to mutate, will the mutation affect one or all of my abilities? If one, is it random or can I control it? If it''s all, what mutations would be good for all my abilities, instead of just one?" Andrew asked his questions in rapid order.


    Elder Barry paused. "Those are some good questions¡­ Hm, first, we should get some basic information." He gestured towards a set of equipment. "To start, if you would transform into your Monkey form and hit that plate as hard as you can three times." Andrew nodded, slipping behind another machine to get undressed before transforming and heading to the plate. His first hit came out as ninety-nine point four four, his second a little above that, and his third a little below at four six and four three. "Remarkable control." Elder Barry muttered as he took notes, before gesturing to another machine. "Focus your abilities on that one. Send emotions to it, or try to create a territory in it. There''s a specially enchanted crystal in there that will absorb the ability energy and give us an idea of the power of it." He explained. Andrew nodded again, first sending his emotion ability at it, reading a twenty seven point three eight, then his territory ability, reading a twenty eight point nine two. Elder Barry frowned. "That''s-"


    "Wait, I have one more." Andrew interrupted, sending an air blast into the machine, which read twenty-four point seven.


    Elder Barry''s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You- you have three abilities?" He asked incredulously.


    Andrew nodded. "Yeah. I- basically, I acquired a fourth form, and the ability that came with it. I''m not exactly sure how I did it, and I''d really rather not try to replicate the event either, in case it was a fluke¡­ but yeah, I have three abilities now."


    Elder Barry stared at him for a moment, not entirely sure how to process the information, before shaking his head and turning back to his clipboard. "Yes, well¡­ ahem, even with your three abilities, you''re still¡­ eighteen point four four ability points short. There is some wiggle room in all this, but not that much. You- you would happen to be hiding a fourth ability, now would you?"


    Andrew froze, before looking into his aura, at the cores. Nope, still just the four. Human, Monkey, Tiger, Lizard. He let out a sigh of relief. "No, it should just be three. Unless my human form somehow had an ability." Andrew chuckled, his chuckle quickly turning nervous as he felt a spike of shock go through the two adults. "Uh¡­ humans, humans don''t have abilities, do they?"


    "No." Elder Barry shook his head. "But¡­ they did. Once."


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "We used to be Beasts?" He asked hesitantly.


    "No, not once as in the past, once as in once, a singular time. The Father of all Bonded, Long." Elder Barry explained seriously. "If you somehow inherited his ability¡­"


    "You can''t be serious. Long was unique! A one in a trillion chance! No one else has ever been born with his ability!" Helen exclaimed.


    "Is Andrew not unique?!?" Elder Barry retorted. "Look at him! Beast and human all mixed into one! If you think about it, Long''s ability is almost the perfect explanation for this! If he naturally was born with that ability, along with the Bond, then it would almost make sense that instead of Bonding with a Beast, he became it!"


    "Uh, what was Long''s ability?" Andrew asked hesitantly.


    "He could copy abilities." Elder Barry explained. "He would gain them at the same strength as the Beast he copied it from, and he could keep it for as long as he wanted, until he copied a new ability. He didn''t gain the related strength, but his ability had the side benefit of making him perfectly compatible with any crystal, allowing him to quickly rise in strength."


    Andrew paused. He guessed he could kind of see how that might lead to his condition¡­ except- "How does that explain me gaining a new form and ability?" Andrew asked with a frown. "I mean, you''re saying I might be able to copy abilities, but¡­ if that''s the ability I have, then it should have factored into my ability tests, right?"


    "Ah, but you''re forgetting you get the power at the level of the Beast you copied it from! The reason it reads lower than it should is because the ability you copied is weaker than your copy ability!" Elder Barry announced happily, as if he''d figured everything out. "Your ability to transform into that form as well is probably a mutation of Long''s original ability from combining it with the Bond. You must copy the entire Beast, ability and form."


    Andrew frowned. He could see how that could be the case, but¡­ how did he kill the Lizard then? Why did he have four cores? Elder Barry''s idea was interesting, but Andrew didn''t think it fit the facts. Something else was going on here. Unfortunately, he didn''t have any proof. No one else could see his cores, and no one else had been there when the Lizard died. Hell, he was barely there¡­ He was going to have to figure this out on his own. "Okay, then, what about my mutations? I still have three abilities. How is that going to work?"


    Elder Barry paused. "Hm, yes¡­ Well, you won''t have to worry about Long''s ability. It doesn''t mutate because it''s perfectly compatible with every crystal, meaning no extra bits to fiddle with your abili- oh. Uh¡­ that might actually be a problem then." Elder Barry frowned.


    "What''s going to be a problem?" Andrew asked warily.


    "Ahem, well, you see, the way mutation works is that you flood your ability with strange energy until it adjusts to it. However, if you have Long''s ability¡­ that isn''t possible. All the energy that your other abilities don''t absorb will be absorbed by Long''s ability, leaving none to stick around for your abilities to adjust to. If you truly do have Long''s ability¡­ it may be impossible for your other abilities to mutate." Elder Barry explained seriously.


    Andrew paused, thinking back to when he''d absorbed crystals¡­ there wasn''t anything like excess energy sticking around. All of it got absorbed. Did- did he really have Long''s ability? Was that really the explanation for all this? A part of Andrew still couldn''t accept that, but¡­ maybe it was at least partially true? He could have Long''s ability and still have something else going on too. Still¡­ Andrew let out a sigh. "This is going to be a problem."

 Aura: 10 - Aura control

    Andrew left the ziggurat with his mother, Elder Barry''s final advice being to try and copy a stronger ability. The two of them got a quick lunch where Andrew filled her in on more of the details on the trip, sticking mostly to funny hunting stories, avoiding anything serious like the events during the Beast Tide and his relationship with Li Jing. It wasn''t that Andrew felt he couldn''t talk to her about it, but he wanted to figure out his relationship with Li Jing on his own, and he really didn''t think his mother could do anything but commiserate over what he was dealing with otherwise. He didn''t need commiseration, he needed answers.


    After they ate, they took the portal back home, where it was early morning. "Andrew! Welcome home! How was the hunt? Are you super powerful now?" Jack greeted him with a grin, looking up from his breakfast as they walked up from the basement.


    "Wasn''t I super powerful before?" Andrew retorted with a grin.


    "Nah, that was just regular powerful. You don''t qualify as super powerful until you''re bulletproof." Jack countered.


    "Does a twenty-two count?" Andrew replied, at which Jack just snorted. He then took a seat next to him. "What have you been up to?"


    "Ah, not much. Just hangin¡¯. Oh, I do have a few friends coming over next week." Jack replied.


    Andrew paused. "You have friends?"


    Jack rolled his eyes, shoving Andrew lightly. "Yes, I have friends. Not everyone is a self imposed social reject like you."


    "Hey! It''s only slightly self imposed¡­ there''s mutual rejection going on, you know?" Andrew retorted.


    Jack rolled his eyes. "Sure, sure, I''m sure no one has tried to reach out to you at all."


    "Well, yes, but¡­ they did it out of pity." Andrew grimaced. "I don''t want to be someone''s pity project."


    Jack shook his head. "At least it''s a start, right? Besides, someone might try to be your friend out of pity, but they won''t stay your friend out of pity." Andrew grunted noncommittally. It still seemed like a shitty way to get a friend to him. Jack sighed, shaking his head again, before changing the subject. "Hey, you never said how the hunt was."


    Andrew grinned, repeating a few of the stories he''d told his mom for the rest of the family, until they finished breakfast and went their separate ways, Andrew immediately heading to his territory. Once he arrived he climbed up his tree, reaching the top branches and stepping out into open air, landing on a platform of solid space. He''d created an entire, invisible tree house in the upper branches of the tree, his own private little space to relax. But he hadn''t come out to relax today.


    Andrew sat in a meditation pose, delving into his aura, finding his cores. Since he''d acquired it, the Lizard core had slowly managed to merge with the other three, and as it did, he began to stop seeing visions of the four creatures talking. The Lizard was slowly becoming just another part of himself, indistinguishable from the whole. As it did, its influence on him both increased and decreased. The things that fit were stronger than ever, but the things that didn''t were subdued. It was like Andrew was slowly molding the core to fit him better, to help him be who he wanted to be. He didn''t want to be some asshole who did whatever he wanted without considering anyone else around him, so that part of the Lizard got suppressed, but he did want to be able to let loose every now and then, to be able to enjoy the things he could do, without worrying about things that didn''t matter, so that part was reinforced.


    As he watched the process happen, Andrew got an idea. What if he could manually focus on one core, bringing it to the fore? Like focusing on his Monkey side when he wanted to be goofy, or his Tiger side when he needed to be serious? He could alter his mood for any occasion! He just hadn''t been able to quite figure out how to do that yet. He''d tried bursting apart the cores and focusing on only one train of thought, but that was impossible, because each train of thought just wanted to focus on itself, until they all merged again. Even when he convinced them all to focus on a specific one, it only accelerated the merging process. He''d tried rearranging how the cores fit together, but that apparently didn''t matter at all. It just turned the result into a funky mess before slowly turning back to normal.


    Andrew studied the cores for a moment, wondering what he should try next. Honestly, besides those first two ideas, he had nothing. What else could he do besides split and rearrange them? Turn them off? Andrew froze. That- that could be a dangerous line of thought. What would turning off a core even mean? Destroying it? He absolutely didn''t want that. Was it even possible? Andrew hesitated, before shaking his head. Nope, he wasn''t thinking about that! Even if they weren''t destroyed, he didn''t want that side of him to be completely gone. He didn''t want the cores off, but rather, he wanted them to dim. To fade into the background, still having an influence, just¡­ less.


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    Andrew glanced at his cores. The idea was a bit ridiculous, but it couldn''t hurt to try, right? He focused on his Lizard core. *Dim!* ¡­nothing happened. Andrew let out a sigh. "Well, that was dumb." He grumbled. Why would he think shouting at his cores would do anything? All he could really do was move them around, and he didn''t tell them where to go, he just kind of¡­ well, did it. It was like moving his arms. It wasn''t like he shouted move at his arm to get it to do anything. Andrew paused, concentrating on the Lizard core again. Maybe this was like when he learned how to wiggle his pinky toe? The muscles were there, he just had to concentrate on them until they twitched. He continued to concentrate on the core, focusing on it, trying to feel for something until finally, something caught. Andrew''s eyes widened as almost like turning a dial, he slowly began to dim the core. No, wait, it wasn''t dimming, it was¡­ withdrawing. All the aura the core normally gave off slowly getting drawn back into the core, until it barely affected his aura. As it did, his mind began to feel remarkably less Lizard-like. He could still feel it, know what the Lizard would want him to do, but it felt distant, more like something he was observing, rather than something he personally felt.


    Andrew withdrew his Human and Tiger auras next, leaving his Monkey core dominant as a goofy grin spread across his face. "Well I''ll be damned. It actually works!" He laughed, jumping to his feet. He swung out of the tree house, flipping down towards the ground, before pausing at a particularly nice branch, catching his legs on it as he hung upside down, sighing contentedly. "I love my tree." He swayed contentedly, humming slightly for a few moments, before letting himself fall, flipping right-side up as he landed. "That was nice." He grinned, before cocking his head. "Hmmm¡­ my Tiger side says this is probably long enough for a test run, so I should return all my cores back to normal¡­ hmmm. Well, I guess." Andrew shrugged, releasing all the auras.


    Andrew paused. "Well¡­ I think I may have made my other cores too dim." He coughed awkwardly. His Monkey side had had way too much influence there. He wanted certain cores to just be a little more influential, not completely dominant. Andrew hesitated for a moment, before trying again, this time with his Tiger core left dominant. He slowly dimmed the others as his expression turned serious, until they were about half withdrawn. "Hmmm¡­ this seems acceptable." He muttered. The influence of the other cores had faded, but he couldn''t quite ignore them either. Before, it was like watching them through a window, but now they were still in the room, just not right next to him. He could ease drop, and pieces of their conversation occasionally made its way over to him, but he could focus on doing his own thing if he had to.


    Andrew released the cores, turning back to normal. "Well¡­ that''s something at least. Plus, if I ever do somehow pick up an annoying core, I know how to ignore it! Not that I''m planning on doing so, or even know how I did it in the first place." Andrew frowned, trailing off for a moment, before shaking himself. "Later. For now¡­ is there anything else I should try?" He wondered. Actually, yeah, there was. What would happen if he withdrew all his cores at the same time?


    Andrew slowly withdrew his aura, carefully observing himself for any changes. He didn''t want to turn into some unfeeling robot and never return his cores to normal because he just didn''t care. However, as his aura withdrew¡­ nothing happened. Even when they were almost completely withdrawn, he just felt¡­ normal. "Huh¡­ did that even do anything?" Andrew wondered, scratching his head, before shrugging. He honestly couldn''t tell any difference between full aura him and dimmed aura him. Except that his aura was dimmed of course¡­ Maybe he could use this to trick any Beast that might also be able to sense auras? He chuckled, shaking his head. He''d probably be better off just running. If they could manipulate their auras, then who knows how powerful they''d actually be? Too much of a gamble.


    Andrew began to walk back to the house, his aura still dimmed, when he suddenly paused. "Huh." Andrew grunted, before taking another step. "That''s-" Andrew cut off, his eyes widening. Tentatively, he tried to jump, his first attempt not even making it off the ground, or his second. His third attempt got him an inch or so up, and then finally his fourth looked like a real, proper jump, knees bent, launching him a good foot or two into the air! Andrew landed, stumbling slightly but barely registering it. That last jump had taken all his strength. Normally if he jumped with all his strength, he''d clear trees, and not small ones. Somehow¡­ somehow he''d gotten weaker. A lot weaker. Andrew blinked. He was pretty sure he knew what dimming his aura did now.

 Aura: 11 - City date (1)

    "Andrew!" Li Jing waved to get his attention as he stepped through the portal.


    "Jing!" Andrew mimicked with a grin, walking over to her. They hugged, Andrew squeezing her tight, lifting her a bit off the ground. "Oof. You''re heavy."


    "Rude." Li Jing pouted, pinching his side as hard as she could.


    Andrew immediately let out a yelp, twisting away. "Gah! Why would you do that?!?" He asked incredulously, rubbing his side.


    Li Jing stood there, stunned. "You- you felt that?" She asked hesitantly.


    Andrew froze, before narrowing his eyes. "How often do you pinch me?"


    Li Jing flushed. "Not- not that often¡­ you never notice, so-." She suddenly paused, her eyes narrowing. "You never notice. What''s going on?"


    Andrew couldn''t help but smile. "I learned how to adjust my strength." He explained cryptically. Li Jing crossed her arms, giving him a look that said explain or get pinched again, and Andrew quickly relented. "I literally learned how to adjust my strength. Not controlling it, but actually making myself weaker. I''m barely stronger than the average human right now."


    Li Jing''s eyes widened. "Really?"


    "Really." Andrew grinned, before raising a finger in warning. "Which means no more pinching. That freaking hurt!" Li Jing stood there, stunned for a moment, processing exactly what that meant, before a brilliant smile lit up her face and she let out a laugh, jumping into his arms. Then they kissed, and for the first time, Andrew didn''t have to worry about accidentally hurting her while he did it. If he wanted to hurt her, he''d actually have to try. "Better?" Andrew asked as they separated.


    "Better." Li Jing nodded, flushing brightly. They could have probably chosen a better place to do this¡­ the middle of the portal square was about as far from private as you could get.


    Andrew chuckled, pulling her along as they headed out of the portal square and into the City proper. "So, where do you want to go?" Li Jing just shrugged, pulling herself closer to him. Andrew frowned, considering their options. "Hmmm¡­ uh, we could just walk around and see what we find then? I don''t really know what there is to actually do around here, but I''m sure we can find something. It''s a big city."


    Li Jing nodded. "That sounds good."


    Andrew nodded as well, the two walking along the streets, hand in hand, eager to see the sights the City had to offer, and even more eager to spend time together, all to themselves. Vaguely remembering his first trip following Elder Barry, Andrew led Li Jing towards an area he remembered as being more active, namely the area around the large arena. Curious, they headed into the arena first, seeing what it was all about.


    "Hello!" A cheery voice came from a small reception desk. A woman waved at them, catching their attention as they hesitated around the entrance, not sure where to go. "How can I help you?" The woman asked as they approached.


    "Uh, well, to start, what is this place?" Andrew asked curiously.


    "This is the Arena, where the Bonded contend against each other or captured Beasts to train their skills and entertain others." The woman explained simply. "Additionally, there''s a weekly tournament where Bonded can compete to earn credits. If you win in a weekly tournament, you may enter the monthly tournament, which is even more rewarding, prizes including not only credits, but special potions and pills as well. Win that one, and you can enter the yearly tournament, then the decade tournament, then the century tournament, and finally the millennial tournament! If you win that one, then maybe in a few thousand years, you can enter the ten millennial tournament. We''re still five millennial tournaments away from that though. All tournaments are power restricted, the participants ability strength lowered to two hundred by the enchantments of the arena. The tournaments are designed to be a pure test of skill.


    "For pure power, the arena has the Rankings. Bonded can sign up and challenge other participants to determine who is stronger, with no power restrictions. There are three Ranking boards based on age, one for those under one hundred, one for those under one thousand, and one for those under ten thousand. Because not all Bonded are readily available for challenges, the lower ranks instead challenge sections. Taking the first digit of your rank, you challenge the lowest available participant in the section directly above. For example, if your ranking is in the six thousands, you would challenge the lowest available participant in the five thousands, and so on. Once you get to the single digits, then you must report to the Arena at the end of every month to face challengers or you''ll be reduced to the tens section. Each year, the Arena gives out prizes to the top thousand in each Ranking, determined by section.


    "Besides the tournaments and rankings, you can also use credits to rent private sparring rooms, to purchase Beasts to battle, or even to receive private training from ranked individuals, the price based on their section, though this requires their prior agreement." The woman paused after finishing her explanation. "I believe that''s everything. Any questions?"


    Andrew shook his head. "Uh, no. That was¡­ very informative." He replied, rubbing his temple slightly as he organized the sudden influx of information. Thankfully, most of it was on a pamphlet she handed them, so he didn''t need to remember too much. "Do we have to pay to watch?" He asked hesitantly.


    The woman smiled. "Of course not! All are free to watch any match. You''re in luck too, today is the monthly tournament. It should be a good show!"


    Andrew glanced at Li Jing. "What do you think? Up for a free show? Maybe see where we''ll be in a few years?" Li Jing smiled lightly, giving a quick nod. The two headed into the main Arena, finding two surprisingly comfortable seats a few rows up. "Would you like something to eat?" A man asked as they sat down, startling them slightly.


    Andrew frowned as he looked the man over, wondering if he was like a waiter or something, before shrugging. "Sure. What do you have?"


    The man pulled a menu out of nowhere, handing it over, waiting for them to make a decision. Andrew and Li Jing looked the menu over, seeing things like hot dogs, popcorn, several types of candy, icecream, etc. Concession food. Andrew frowned slightly as he didn''t see any prices. He looked over to the man. "Uh, how much for a hot dog and a root beer?"


    The man grinned as the items simply appeared in his hand and he handed them over. "No charge."


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "Really?"


    The man chuckled slightly. "It seems you''re new around here. Anything you could get in the mortal world is free in the City. The Bonded are free to enjoy their time here without any worry."


    Andrew frowned. "How is that possible?" He asked, confused.


    "Subsidiary companies, vassal states, investments, luxury goods that can only be found in the Outside, etc. There are many ways that the Bonded support themselves. Any minor luxury can be easily acquired." The man explained simply.


    Andrew nodded in appreciation, while Li Jing ordered her own food, and the man left them to see to another customer. However the man stored the food, it was still hot when he brought it out, and the drink was nice and cold. "Mmmm!" Andrew hummed as he bit into the hot dog, surprised by how good it tasted. "Damn! If this is the quality of their concession food, how good are their actual restaurants?!?" He exclaimed in wonder.


    Li Jing smirked as she dug into her own food, closing her eyes slightly as she enjoyed the flavors. "Delicious."


    "As eloquent as ever." Andrew joked, nudging her with his elbow.


    Li Jing flushed. "I- It tastes¡­ good. We- we should get more¡­ later." She mumbled, struggling to push more words out.


    Andrew laughed, shaking his head. "You are just too adorable sometimes."


    Li Jing flushed even deeper as Andrew turned his attention to the battle occurring in the arena. A Rabbit was currently dashing around the arena, covered in sparks, while a large Pig huddled in the center. The Rabbit would occasionally bolt in closer for an attack, before quickly distancing itself again, but the Pig didn''t seem to have much reaction, simply eyeing the Rabbit cautiously as it bided its time, waiting for the right moment to strike. As the battle wore on, the Rabbit slowly seemed to run out of stamina, moving slower as it dashed around. A spark gleamed in the Pig''s eye as it noticed this, waiting for the Rabbit to dash in again, before unleashing a roar as its body began to burn! With a surge of power, it lashed out at the Rabbit savagely, moving much faster than Andrew would have assumed possible.


    Unfortunately for the Pig, the Rabbit seemed to have expected this, its speed suddenly accelerating as it dodged the Pig''s attack. The Pig roared in frustration, trying to chase after the Rabbit, but it was much too fast, leaving it in the dust. Eventually the burning stopped, and the Rabbit rushed in again, landing a powerful strike on the Pig''s head, accompanied by a flash of lightning, instantly knocking the Pig unconscious.


    A roar of frustration came from the side of the arena as the Pig turned to smoke and returned to the large, angry looking man. "Damn you, Sinclair! You tricked me!"


    "It isn''t a trick. It''s strategy." An athletic looking woman countered with a smirk as the Rabbit returned to her. "Better luck next time, Jorg¨¦." Jorg¨¦ snorted in frustration, before stomping off.


    The next fight was a much quicker bout between a Rooster and a Dragon. The two Beasts rushed at each other the moment the match started, the Rooster breathing fire while the Dragon shot a jet of water out to meet it, creating a cloud of steam. When the air cleared, the Dragon had wrapped itself around the Rooster, digging its fangs into its neck until it turned to smoke, a sign of the Bonded giving up the match, leaving the Dragon as the victor.


    Andrew glanced over at Li Jing surreptitiously. "Can you shoot out water jets?" He asked.


    Li Jing nodded, before shaking her head. "Mine are weak. They just get my opponent wet. Need the Deer mutation."


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "Ah, shame." Andrew sighed. "Still, good to have if you''re ever trapped in a desert or something, right?"


    Li Jing shook her head. "Not how it works. We can''t make water from nothing. We need to absorb moisture from the air, or better, a river or other water source."


    "Oh¡­ well, that makes sense." Andrew nodded along. "So, you guys are much more powerful in water, huh?"


    Li Jing nodded. "A lot like a Tiger in his territory."


    Andrew sighed. "Right. At least you guys still have something outside water. Without the territory, a Tiger is just a big cat." Andrew grumbled, sounding slightly bitter.


    "Trade off." Li Jing shrugged. "The more power, the more conditions. It''s natural."


    "I suppose." Andrew nodded, having heard the same thing from his parents many times. "It just kind of feels unfair sometimes, you know? I mean, I have my other forms, so I have options, but for other Tigers¡­ they''re just kind of stuck. They either need to fight without an ability to support them, or hope something stumbles into their territory. At least until they get the right mutations." Andrew paused, before letting out a snort. "Hell, look at me. I get all these different forms and abilities, but in return, I don''t have a Beast to fight for me, leaving me vulnerable." He paused again, remembering what had happened in the tunnels. "Well¡­ probably vulnerable. Plus apparently my abilities can''t mutate, which is a huge pile of bullshit."


    Li Jing looked over in surprise. "You can''t mutate your abilities? Why?"


    Andrew sighed. "Something to do with an ability my Human side might have. Have you ever heard of Long?" Li Jing shook her head. "Well, apparently he was the first human to actually be a Beast, and he had the ability to copy other Beasts abilities, which¡­ I''m going to need to see if I can figure that one out at some point¡­ but the part that really screws me over is the fact that the nature of the ability makes it perfectly compatible with every crystal, meaning no extra energy sticking around to mutate my abilities."


    Li Jing frowned. "You can copy abilities?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Supposedly."


    "Any ability?" Li Jing continued, raising an eyebrow.


    "Yeah?" Andrew replied, slightly confused. Li Jing stared at him for a moment, before reaching out and pinching him. "Hey!" Andrew exclaimed with a yelp. "What was that for?!?"


    "You don''t need abilities to mutate! Just copy the ones that already are!" She scolded him with a scowl.


    Andrew paused. "But that still doesn''t help my other abilities¡­"


    Li Jing rolled her eyes. "Your extra abilities."


    Andrew frowned. "I don''t-"


    "They''re extra." Li Jing continued. "It''s lucky you even have more than one! Complaining about not being able to strengthen something you''re lucky to even have is just¡­ petty."


    Andrew blinked a few times. "Well, if you put it that way¡­" He hadn''t even said the part about the ability even being the same strength¡­ then she''d really let him have it. "I guess I am kinda lucky then. If only I didn''t have to worry about getting swarmed by a random Beast Tide¡­ then I''d really be overpowered."


    "Already overpowered." Li Jing grumbled, poking him.


    "But I could be more overpowered." Andrew retorted, poking her back, leading to a minor poking battle that left both of them giggling. After watching a few more matches, they decided to go get lunch at one of the nearby restaurants. Much like the food at the arena, it was all free, and delicious. Andrew firmly decided that he would have to visit the City a lot more often. After lunch, Li Jing took him towards a museum a few blocks away, saying that her parents had told her that if she did nothing else today, she had to visit the museum.


    "What''s the museum for?" Andrew asked as they walked.


    "Learning." Li Jing answered simply with a light grin.


    "Is that so?" Andrew replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Learning about what?"


    "History." Li Jing answered again, her grin widening.


    "I will poke you." Andrew replied, raising a finger threateningly.


    Li Jing smiled widely as she suppressed a laugh, before finally explaining. "It''s the origin of the Bonded. How we came to be. My parents said it''s important to know."


    Andrew nodded appreciatively, suddenly curious. Maybe he''d learn something about this Long dude there. They soon arrived, picking up an audio tour at the entrance, before heading into the museum proper. Andrew placed the headphones on as they walked to the first exhibit, pressing play on the device.


    "This first exhibit is an ancient painting depicting the dangers our ancestors faced in the Outside." A strong, male voice emerged from the device, explaining the exhibits. "You can see the depictions of ancient humans hiding in caves as they avoided the powerful Beasts that roamed the surface. Weak and powerless, they were completely at the mercy of the titanic forces that surrounded them." Andrew wandered through the hall as the voice continued to explain the artifacts that showed how rough life was before the Bonded. Humans could barely survive in that world, living more like vermin than people. They ate the scraps the Beasts left behind, living in squalor.


    The man went on to describe the situation of the Clans at the time, though they didn''t leave artifacts, their story being represented through paintings done later. They told the story of how the Beasts of the Clans, while powerful, lacked intelligence. Ruled by their instincts in their early years, it was rare for them to live long enough to gain true intelligence. Their abilities weren''t powerful enough to grant them dominance in the Outside, and as time passed, their population dwindled. By the time they found the humans, they were in as desperate a position as they were.


    The story moved on to the initial meeting of the Clans and the humans. The humans were, understandably, fearful of the Clans, avoiding them as much as possible. Meanwhile, the Clans didn''t think much of the humans, seeing them a fodder simply there to fill one''s belly. Fortunately, some of the older Beasts of the Clans began to observe these humans, taking an interest in them. They found that the humans, while weak, were intelligent from practically their birth, only needing less than a decade to become as smart as a Beast that had lived for hundreds of years! The Clans were fascinated by this, and took the humans in, providing protection in exchange for their service. The humans slowly developed under the protection of the Clans, using their intelligence to improve both their and the Beasts'' lives. Not everything was perfect though. Young Beasts of the Clans still died far too often, while the humans were subjugated by the Clans, their weakness leaving them completely at the whims of these powerful Beasts, even if they lacked intelligence.


    After becoming accustomed to the safety provided by the Clans, the humans began to become restless. Rebellions against the Clans oppression would pop up every few years, though they would quickly be crushed. The humans'' development slowed down, making the Clans angry, leading them to become even harsher in their dealings with the humans. This situation lasted for centuries, until he arrived, the first human Beast: Long. Thanks to his ability, he quickly gained strength, rising up against the Clans'' oppression, creating a free society for the humans to live on their own.


    Unfortunately, he was only one man. He couldn''t free everyone, and even if he did, he couldn''t protect them. The more people he saved, the more he needed to protect. His strength began to stagnate as he was stuck defending the humans all the time, instead of doing what he needed to get stronger. Meanwhile, the Clan''s were frustrated because their slaves, inspired by Long, refused to work. Even the ones who failed to escape would only serve out of fear, their work shoddy at best. All innovation had halted. A stalemate had risen, Long unable to protect any more people, the Clans unwilling to give up everything they had gained from their relationship with the humans, and neither side willing to make any compromise.


    Then, in the midst of this brutal conflict, a solution was found. Two people, one human, one Beast, had formed an unlikely friendship and, after becoming sick of the fighting, developed a solution. It had become clear that neither side could live without the other anymore, but there was too much bad blood between them to resolve their issues, too many bad memories. The two friends'' solution was simple: remove the bad blood by getting rid of everyone and starting anew, as one people. They developed a formation that would break down the Beasts and combine them with the humans, creating a species with the advantages of both. The key to the formation was Long. His ability would be broken down, a tiny piece instilled in each person, allowing them to connect with, and hopefully merge with, a single Beast.


    After a long period of negotiation, the two friends finally convinced the Clans and Long to agree. Resource after resource was poured into the formation, before they gathered every Beast of the Clans and every human inside. The formation activated, dissolving every being inside, but instead of turning the humans into Beasts, the formation created the Twelve Hundred, the first Bonded, one hundred for each Clan. They were humans, through and through, but with the ability to release Beasts to fight for them. They were something new, something that had never been seen before. Still, ultimately, the formation was a success. The Bonded were clean slates, retaining basic knowledge, but nothing more. They were now combinations of human and Beast, one people, completely unified.


    They quickly learned the advantages of their unique natures, allowing them to fight off the Beasts that threatened them without actually risking their own lives. Additionally, while the human side lacked the strength of the Beast, they could still use their abilities, giving them at least some ability to defend themselves, even without their Beasts. However, as they began to carve out their own territory, settle down, and reproduce, they found one major drawback of their condition. Only one out of every hundred children was born Bonded, the rest returning to average humans, weak and powerless. As their population grew, the Bonded had more and more trouble protecting their offspring. Their kids had children of their own, who had children of their own, and so on. The sheer numbers would attract waves of Beasts looking for food, power, or even just entertainment. In the past, the Clans would simply kill any excess population, keeping the humans at a manageable size, but the Bonded couldn''t do that. These were their children. Their descendants. Another solution had to be found.


    A search was undertaken, the goal to find somewhere safe where the humans could live in peace, where the Bonded wouldn''t need to constantly protect them. They looked in hidden valleys, in the depths of caves, in deep, dark forests, until one day, they stumbled upon a pocket dimension, populated with creatures as weak as the humans. The dimension was strange, with planets and stars and the vast emptiness of space, rather than the seemingly infinite, starless plane that was their home. Still, it was perfect. The planet was more than large enough to support the human population. After spending a bit of time wiping out the slightly more dangerous creatures, namely what modern humans call the dinosaurs, they moved the entire human population inside, and established the City over the site of the connection between it and the Outside.


    Andrew took off his headphones, turning to look at Li Jing as he finished the virtual tour, blowing out a breath. "Well, that was a trip¡­ how certain do you think they were that the formation was going to work?"


    "What do you mean?" Li Jing asked, cocking her head.


    "Well, think about it. This is a formation that literally kills everyone inside it, before combining them back into new beings¡­ if it fails, there''s no second try. They only had the one Long, so it wasn''t like they could test it either. Everyone stepped into this thing based on blind damn faith! Isn''t that insane? It''s practically the same as saying ''hey guys, drink this kool-aid and you''ll be reborn on an asteroid heading to paradise''." Andrew elaborated. "I mean, it worked out, I guess, but damn! And they literally just killed all those people! Yeah, they''re all combined into the Twelve Hundred, but they''re still dead. I get that it was for peace, but damn you know? Our history is kind of fucked up."


    Li Jing frowned. "How much do you think was voluntary?"


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "Huh¡­ that''s a good point. That formation was pretty big, like, as big as a city¡­ as long as they got everyone in there, all they had to do was activate it¡­ Shit, this is like realizing everything you have comes from genocide." He groaned, rubbing his temples.


    Li Jing cocked an eyebrow. "Aren''t you American?"


    Andrew froze. "Well, shit."

 Aura: 12 - City date (2)

    After finishing up at the museum, Andrew and Li Jing decided to check out the various organizations operating in the City and on Earth. While hunting was a decent way to earn credits, by collecting crystals and trading them in, for Andrew, that option was a bit too¡­ risky. The safer option was to get a job, at least until he learned a trade like alchemy or enchantment. They headed to the City''s library, using one of the terminals to access the information on the various organizations.


    To start, there were three major factions each organization could belong to: Divines, Independents, and Separatists. The Divines were Bonded that believed that the Bonded should rule over the humans as gods. They believed that their protection was a service and worship was the payment they deserved for providing it. Organizations affiliated with this faction focused on activities related to the cultural and political climate of Earth. Many Bonded involved in these organizations would work as politicians or celebrities, becoming influential figures in Earth''s society, or working behind the scenes to influence others in those positions.


    On the other hand, the Independents believed that the humans deserved to live their own lives, developing on their own, without too much interference from the Bonded and vice versa. They believed that, while protecting Earth was important, it didn''t give them the right to interfere in the lives of regular humans, and the humans had no rights to interfere in theirs. Their activities were focused on keeping the humans in the dark about the Outside, tracking down Bonded that abused their power, hunting down stray Beasts that managed to slip into Earth, and maintaining the Bonded''s identities, ensuring the various human authorities wouldn''t become suspicious. They were also involved in maintaining the City, creating a space that was just for Bonded, protecting the portals to Earth, and tracking and eliminating any threats to the safety of both the City and Earth.


    The Separatists, on the other hand, believed that the humans and the Bonded should have little to nothing to do with each other, period. They believed the Bonded had been shackled by their obsession with protecting the humans, and that they should be free to explore and develop without worrying about Earth''s defense. These organizations focused on exploring the Outside, taking new territories, and hunting. They were also involved in maintaining relationships with the other influential Beast groups in the region. Their main goal was to make the Bonded as powerful and influential as possible in the Outside.


    Andrew considered the various organizations, disregarding the political views for a moment. It looked like, if he wanted to work on Earth, he should join a Divine organization. If he wanted to work Outside, he needed to join a Separatist organization. If he wanted a little bit of both, he could join an Independent organization.


    Andrew considered the decision carefully. He immediately discarded the Divine organizations. He had no interest in getting involved in politics or fame or anything like that. Being in the public eye like that¡­ he would rather live like a wild man in the woods. Discarding the Separatist organizations was a bit of a harder choice, but he really didn''t have another option. As much as he would love to spend all his days exploring the Outside, hunting Beasts, and just being free, it was just too risky for him. No one would trust him with any truly dangerous task, and if he couldn''t actually do the missions, he wouldn''t be useful. That left the Independents. Honestly, it wouldn''t be a terrible option. They had a decent mix of Beast and human work, both Outside and on Earth, which would give him some flexibility. Unfortunately, with his condition, the only jobs he qualified for were the low level ones meant for humans without powerful abilities, like manning turrets on the walls or recharging enchantments. They still paid, but not very well.


    Andrew let out a weary sigh. "Damn it¡­ I wish I could just fight in the Arena."


    "You''d die." Li Jing pointed out.


    "I know. I just wish I wouldn''t." Andrew retorted petulantly.


    Li Jing smirked, before turning back to her terminal, pulling up a page full of the Independent organizations. "Which one do we join?" She asked, pointing to it.


    Andrew leaned in to study the list, before pausing and suddenly twisting his head to look at her as he processed what she''d said. "We?"


    Li Jing cocked her head. "Is that a problem?"


    "Well, no, but¡­ I mean, you could do anything. Why do the shit work with me?" Andrew asked.


    "Because I want to. I would rather take it slow, growing stronger with you, than try to rush to the top on my own." Li Jing replied.


    Andrew blinked. "Huh¡­ well now I feel all warm and fuzzy." He muttered, smirking as he made a thin coating of fur appear all over his body.


    Li Jing snorted. "Dork."


    He chuckled, turning back to normal. "Anyway, I guess we''ll just need to look at the benefits, right?" Andrew muttered, turning to the list. "What type of organization are we looking for then? Do we want to focus on Earth? Or Outside?" Andrew considered the list.


    Li Jing pondered the question thoughtfully. "Outside." She finally answered after a bit. "Less travel, plus a more regular schedule. It will be important for school."


    "Right, school." Andrew sighed, before nodding in agreement. He knew she was right, but he''d been leaning towards Earth because he honestly wouldn''t mind his school time being disrupted. Plus, he didn''t think he''d enjoy just doing the same thing over and over. He looked over the shortened list. "Mostly base camp stuff¡­ which, yeah, that would work. Plus, you could still hunt if we did that. Hey, do you think if we worked with the enchantment guys, they''d teach me anything?"


    Li Jing shrugged. "We should work the details out with an actual person. See what the job actually entails, what skills we need."


    "True. I''m probably being a bit impatient here." Andrew nodded, pulling back from the terminal. "So, what should we do now?"


    "Dinner?" Li Jing suggested


    Andrew grinned. "Dinner sounds good."


    *


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    The two left the library and headed to a nearby restaurant.  As they sat down for their meal, a thought occurred to him. "Hey, so, do you know how applying to join an organization actually works? Like, do we just look around and choose who we want to go with?"


    "Mostly." Li Jing nodded. "There are a few that have higher requirements, but there aren''t enough Bonded for organizations to be too picky. You do get more benefits if you''re stronger though."


    Andrew nodded. "So, we should probably focus on strengthening ourselves, huh? Better benefits are always good, right?"


    Li Jing paused, before nodding. "That sounds like a good plan."


    "Right. We should probably plan for a lot more hunting trips." Andrew nodded.


    Li Jing grinned slightly. "When?" She asked, eyes twinkling.


    Andrew paused. "Uh¡­ how about next week? I mean, until we hit two hundred, we can''t even participate in tournaments. Seems like a good target, right? We should probably hunt every week, maybe only taking weekends off, until we hit that. I''d even say this week, but¡­ well, my brother is having friends over and it''d be weird if I just disappeared, you know?"


    Li Jing nodded in understanding. "How old is your brother?"


    "Twenty-one." Andrew answered simply. "They''re his college friends, so they''re staying at our place for the duration."


    Li Jing nodded again. "Do you have other siblings?"


    Andrew nodded. "I have three sisters as well. How about you? How many siblings do you have?"


    Li Jing held up all five fingers of her hand. "Three brothers, two sisters." She elaborated.


    Andrew nodded along. That size was fairly typical. Most Bonded had large families, to maximize the chances of one of their children being Bonded. "Did that cause you any problems? I know China has that whole one child policy thing going on."


    Li Jing shook her head. "The Bonded don''t need to worry about that."


    Andrew nodded. "Gotcha. What is it like growing up in China?"


    "It''s fine. Quiet. Position is very¡­ important there. With my family''s position, we can''t carelessly interact with anyone. We have to remain¡­ distant. It leaves little room for socialization." Li Jing explained, a slight swirl of depression coloring her emotions.


    "That¡­ doesn''t sound fun." Andrew responded awkwardly. "I- well, I know what it''s like to be isolated like that. At least I deserved it though¡­ being stuck like that just because of your family¡­ that sounds awful."


    Li Jing looked up at him, frowning slightly. "Deserved it?"


    Andrew froze, not even realizing he''d let that slip out. "Uh¡­ I-it''s complicated. I- I messed up once and- there''s just some things you can''t come back from." He finished in a low, depressed murmur, a dark expression filling his face.


    Li Jing''s frown deepened as she reached out to grip his hand. "Stop that." She demanded in a firm tone.


    Andrew looked up in surprise, not expecting that response. "S-stop?" He stuttered in confusion.


    Li Jing nodded. "Stop giving up. No one is irredeemable."


    Andrew''s expression fell and he shook his head. "You don''t understand. You don''t know what I''ve done¡­ it isn''t something I can just walk away from."


    "So don''t. Make it right. But don''t just condemn yourself. That doesn''t fix anything." Li Jing retorted, her gaze becoming firmer as she stared at him.


    "But what if there is no solution? What if there''s nothing I can do to make thing''s right?" Andrew responded in a pained voice. How could he pay for taking someone''s life? How could he fix that? There''s just no way. You can''t just replace a person. You can''t fill the void of their existence. Andrew knew that the Clans had made sure Eric''s family was well taken care of after what happened, but that didn''t actually make things better. Their son was still dead. Nothing would change that.


    "Does making yourself miserable about it help?" Li Jing replied. "Do you think whoever you hurt would feel better by seeing you be miserable?"


    Andrew thought back to Eric and their relationship. "Probably?"


    Li Jing froze. "Uh¡­ well, they shouldn''t."


    "True¡­" Andrew nodded slowly. Taking pleasure in someone else''s misery, even if they''d hurt you, wasn''t a good mindset to have. He knew that. It was why he''d never felt good about Eric''s death, even after everything he''d put him and Benjamin through.


    "So is making yourself miserable helping?" Li Jing continued.


    "No¡­" Andrew answered slowly, frowning as he saw where Li Jing was going with this. Yes, his misery wouldn''t do anything to make the situation better. But¡­ it also didn''t seem right to be happy after what he''d done¡­ Andrew rubbed his temples as his head began to ache. His parents had raised him to believe that people should take responsibility for the consequences of their actions. It didn''t feel right for him to just be fine after what he''d done.


    Li Jing sighed, shaking her head. She reached out and poked him in the forehead. "Stupid. Stop creating your own problems. Life makes enough on its own."


    "I''ll- I''ll try." Andrew sighed. "I just¡­ I don''t know if it''ll be that easy."


    Li Jing nodded, gripping his hand a bit tighter. "I''m here if you ever need to talk." She assured him.


    "Thank you." Andrew replied, shooting her a quick grin. "So, uh, where were we then? Before I turned this into an Andrew pity party."


    Li Jing rolled her eyes, smirking lightly. "Growing up. How was America?"


    "Oh, right¡­ Well, uh, disregarding school, it wasn''t so bad. I spent most of my time in the woods, exploring, making friends with the animals, developing my territory, stuff like that." Andrew explained.


    Li Jing cocked her head. "How do you make friends with animals?"


    "The Monkey side." Andrew replied. "Animals really respond to emotional messages, and they don''t really have a concept of lying, so they''re rather easy to get along with. You just keep sending positive vibes and they just hang. Especially if you give them some food."


    Li Jing clicked her tongue, pouting slightly. "Lucky. My ability just gets people wet."


    Andrew grimaced slightly. "Yeah, well, they''re still animals¡­ you can''t really have a conversation with them or anything, it''s just some companionship. Plus¡­ getting too attached can cause problems."


    Li Jing frowned. "How so?"


    Andrew sighed. "Animals die. From old age. From each other¡­ From humans. If you hold on too tight to them, it''ll just cause pain."


    Li Jing nodded slowly. "Like how the older Bonded talk about humans¡­ we can''t stay too long in their lives without causing each other pain. We''re simply not the same."


    Andrew grimaced. ¡°It doesn''t even take that long, does it? By the time they''re all in their forties, we''ll still look like we''re in our mid twenties¡­ suspicions will grow, and we''ll need to move on, finding new friends, slowly getting out of touch as we find ourselves too old mentally to socialize with the younger generation, but too young physically to be with the older, not fitting in with either."


    Li Jing reached out to poke him in the forehead again. "Stop it. We still have each other."


    Andrew smiled lightly. "Yeah. I guess we do."


    The two continued to chat over dinner, before ending the date with a walk through the park, which ended up as less of a walk and more a series of secluded makeout sessions. Unfortunately, as it grew later, the two had to separate for yet another week. As Andrew stepped through the portal back home, he looked back at Li Jing with only one thought in his mind. It was going to be a good summer.

 Aura: 13 - Mall encounter

    "You guys made it!" Jack exclaimed as he opened the door to find his friends standing there with smiling faces. "Come on in, I''ll show you guys around." He waved them in.


    Andrew glanced over from the couch surreptitiously, trying not to be too obvious about it as he examined his brother''s friends. There were five of them: three guys, two girls. They looked around in wonder as Jack showed them around the house, taking them to the rooms they''d be staying in, before showing them the various amenities their house offered.


    "And this is my little brother, Andrew." Jack announced as they all came into the living room.


    "So this is the infamous little brother, huh?" One of the guys grinned as he stepped forward, sticking his hand out. "Nice to finally meet you, I''m Kevin."


    "Uh, nice to- infamous?" Andrew stood up to meet Kevin''s greeting, before turning to Jack with a confused look.


    Jack coughed, slightly embarrassed. "I may have told them a few stories¡­ nothing too bad though, I swear."


    Andrew turned back to Kevin with a serious look, pointing to Jack. "Everything he says is a lie and not to be trusted."


    "So you didn''t put a skunk in his room when you were nine, making him stink for an entire month, right when he started high school?" Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "No, no, no, the skunk was in my room, but someone decided to hide a bunch of junk food in his, and the skunk just followed its nose. Then the certain someone decided to scream when he saw the skunk, startling it. Really, it was all his fault." Andrew explained.


    "Why''d you even have a skunk in the house in the first place!" Jack protested, defending himself.


    "She was injured! I was keeping her safe until she healed." Andrew retorted.


    The group burst out laughing, before the others introduced themselves. The two other guys were Devon and George, while the girls were Kristen and Amelia, or Ames for short. Andrew greeted them all politely with a smile and a nod, before getting back to his game while Jack led the others off to see more of the house.


    "Hey, Andrew, we''re heading to the mall if you want to join." Jack offered as he finished with the tour, his friends waiting by the door.


    Andrew glanced up, before shaking his head. "Nah, I''m good."


    Jack rolled his eyes, walking over, speaking in a lower voice. "Come on man, when''s the last time you went out somewhere normal. All you''ve done is go back and forth between here and the woods recently. Just come and hang out for a bit, alright? We''ll go to the food court, look around the shops, buy some knick knacks, it''ll be fun."


    Andrew frowned, but considered Jack''s offer for a moment, before sighing and nodding along. "Fine, you''re right. Besides, it''s been a while since I''ve been to the game store. I should see if they have anything new."


    Jack chuckled and shook his head. "You freaking nerd. Come on, let''s go."


    "What''s wrong with being a nerd?" Andrew shot back with a grin as he set aside the game he''d been playing and headed after him.


    Everyone piled into Kevin''s SUV, the car they''d all used to get there, and Andrew got shoved into the back, along with Amelia, for reasons of ''smaller butts, smaller seats''. Jack was sitting in the passenger seat, so Andrew felt a bit awkward, not really knowing how to interact with these mostly strangers he''d suddenly been shoved into close quarters with. "So¡­ you''re an animal lover, huh?" Amilia finally piped up after a few minutes of awkward silence.


    "Huh? Oh, yeah¡­ sometimes it''s just easier to connect with animals." Andrew replied with a nod.


    "Really? I''ve never had the knack for it." Amilia replied with a somewhat bitter grin. "Even my cat doesn''t like me. She just ignores me all the time."


    Andrew chuckled. "Yeah, cats are like that. Even I have issues with them. Cats just don''t like to show affection unless they''re really, really comfortable with the person."


    "Well, I''m glad I''m not the only one." Amelia smiled. "So, what''s your favorite animal then?"


    Andrew cocked his head, thinking about it. "Well, I''ve always been partial to Tigers and Monkeys¡­ I can''t really choose between the two."


    Amelia shook her head. "Not like that, animals you can actually interact with, like dogs, cats, or apparently skunks." She elaborated.


    "Oh¡­ well, I''ve always found crows to be pretty good to hang out with. They''re pretty smart, so they know how to reciprocate affection, and once you''re their friend, they''ll do almost anything for you. Plus, they''re still pretty independent, so you don''t need to give them constant attention, like with dogs or squirrels. Seriously, squirrels will not leave you alone once you''ve started giving them attention." Andrew replied.


    Amelia''s eyes widened slightly. "You''ve made friends with crows and squirrels? Like, multiple? Aren''t they a little too¡­ wild? Were they all injured or something?"


    Andrew bobbed his head back and forth. "Yes and no. Any animal I''ve kept around for an extended period of time usually started out injured, just because healthy animals tend to have a territory and their own way of doing things, so they don''t need my interference. But I can still interact with them and they''ll get comfortable around me."


    "Wow¡­ you must have worked pretty hard to get that good with animals." Amelia commented, sounding a bit amazed.


    Andrew grinned. "Less than you might think." He replied. "It''s more of a¡­ talent. I''ve just always been pretty good at getting my intentions across with animals. With humans¡­ not so much. I guess it''s kind of a trade off."


    Amelia smirked. "You don''t seem to be having too much trouble."


    Andrew shrugged. "That''s just cause you''re talking to me about animals. Just change the subject and watch how the conversation falls apart."


    "Alright." Amelia grinned. "Do you have a girlfriend?"


    Andrew''s eyes widened, startled by the sudden shift, before grinning wryly as he realized he did technically ask for it. "I do, actually." Andrew nodded.


    "And you think you aren''t good with humans?" Amelia asked, raising an eyebrow. "You have to at least be somewhat decent if you can get a girl to stick around."


    Andrew shook his head. "She''s different. Not like other people. There''s no way I could talk to anyone else like I talk with her."


    Amelia snorted. "That sounds more like a you problem than a social skills problem. I''m sure if you actually gave it a shot, after a bit of awkwardness, you''d be able to mix with others just like you do with your little girlfriend. The problem most people run into is they hit that initial awkwardness, and then just stop. However, relationships are built through familiarity. If you don''t push through the awkwardness, you''ll never get to know anyone."


    "I guess." Andrew muttered noncommittally. His issue wasn''t really awkwardness though, it was that fact that everyone at school knew him as that guy who killed someone. Kinda hard to just push through that.


    "So what''s she like?" Amelia continued.


    "Jing?" Andrew paused, thinking about it. "She''s¡­ well, she''s just adorable, really. I don''t really know how else to describe her, at least not in any way that would really do her justice. She can be shy, but she can also be bold. Fierce, but also subdued. Reserved, but not afraid to go after what she wants." Andrew paused. "I think trying to describe people always does them a disservice, like a caricature. We like to break people down into these easily definable traits, but people don''t work that way. They''re complex, flexible, situational. Trying to box all that up into a simple description¡­ it just doesn''t work."


    Amelia gave him a weird look. "Are you sure you aren''t good with people? That seemed pretty insightful to me."


    "I''m good with theory, not application." Andrew shrugged. "Like a physicist trying to play football without any upper body strength."


    Amelia snorted. "Right, fair. Still, I think you might be better than you''re giving yourself credit for. Just try putting yourself out there for a change, see what happens. You never know, right?"


    Andrew frowned, before letting out a sigh. "I guess¡­ I just feel like I''ve burned too many bridges already. It''s not that big a town, and once you get a reputation¡­ I''m not sure I have a chance anymore."


    "Hey, things can always change." Amelia assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe not with everyone, but with the right people? They won''t care about your reputation."


    Andrew snorted. "I''m not sure I want to be friends with the types of people who don''t mind my reputation."


    Amelia frowned. "What do you mean?"


    Andrew froze. "N-nothing. Just- thanks for the advice. I''ll- I''ll think about it." He muttered, turning to stare out the window, shutting down the conversation.


    Amelia gave him another weird look, but didn''t press the issue. She''d only just met him after all. Best not to be too pushy.


    *


    "So, where do you guys want to head first?" Jack asked as the group headed into the mall.


    "Food court!" Devon exclaimed. "I''m starving."


    A chorus of ''yeah'' and nods of agreement met his exclamation. Apparently the group hadn''t eaten yet today, and after a long car ride, they were ready to dig into some food. Jack chuckled and led them all towards the food court, where they all split off towards their respective restaurants of choice to grab their meals before meeting back up.


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    Andrew struggled to choose between which version of classic American burger he wanted to go with today, before finally settling on a refined royal taste over some clownish version. He got in line, staring at the menu as he waited, debating over exactly how much he wanted to get, whether he wanted a shake or not, etc. He was just deciding which shake he wanted to get when the cashier greeted him. "Hello! Welcome to- A-Andrew?!?" The voice suddenly cut off, sounding startled.


    Andrew''s eyes fell from the menu, widening slightly as he saw the cashier. "Cathryn? You- you got a job here?" He muttered in surprise, before shaking his head, stopping her before she could answer. "Wait, obviously. They wouldn''t just let you stand back there for no reason."


    Cathryn flushed, nodding slightly. "Er, yeah. Uh¡­ how have you been?"


    "Pretty good." Andrew nodded, before glancing at the other people in line as he noticed a rise of impatience. "Uh, I should probably order." He explained, gesturing towards the line.


    "Ah! Yes, please, what would you like?" Cathryn asked, sounding flustered. Andrew gave her his order and paid quickly, before stepping aside to wait. Cathryn continued to shoot small glances his way every now and then as she dealt with the other customers, until finally his food was ready. She handed it over with a tentative smile. "H-have a nice day!"


    "You too." Andrew replied with a nod, before heading back to the table, his mood slightly dampened. Cathryn had spent the whole time he was there feeling so nervous. It was like he was at school again. People were always looking at him nervously, as if he was some sort of bomb that would just go off if they weren''t careful. He got it, but it still wasn''t a comfortable situation to be in. He rejoined his brother and his friends, sitting down with a slight sigh.


    "What''s up with you?" Jack asked, glancing at him curiously.


    Andrew shook his head. "Nothing. Just- nothing."


    "Well that''s a lie." Amelia interjected. "Come on, what happened?"


    "It''s nothing, really." Andrew insisted. "At least, nothing I can explain. Just¡­ a shity situation." He finished with a grumble.


    Jack eyed him with a grimace, before sighing and shaking his head. He knew what was up with Andrew, and that he couldn''t do anything to help. Amelia, on the other hand, was still very curious, not knowing Andrew''s situation. "Is this about your girlfriend? Is she here?" She asked, cocking her head.


    "Girlfriend?" Jack raised an eyebrow.


    "No!" Andrew protested, shaking his head. "She isn''t- this is a different thing."


    "Wait, you have a girlfriend?" Jack asked, eyes widening.


    "What thing?" Amelia asked curiously.


    "Since when do you have a girlfriend?!?" Jack pressed.


    "It''s nothing!" Andrew protested, looking between both Jack and Amelia. "Just leave it, both of you." He declared sternly.


    Amelia clicked her tongue, turning back to her food, while Jack eyed him strangely. "Do Mom and Dad know?"


    "Jack." Andrew growled warningly.


    Jack finally raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, fine, I''ll drop it." He acquiesced, turning to his food, before sending out one last comment. "For now."


    Andrew groaned, digging into his food with a scowl. He munched on his food voraciously, just focusing on eating it as quickly as possible so he''d have an excuse to go off on his own, when he noticed the rest of the table, besides Jack, looking at him with surprised expressions. "Wut?" He asked through a mouth full of burger.


    "Has anyone ever told you you eat like an animal?" Kevin commented, raising an eyebrow, causing Jack to burst out laughing.


    "Yeah, we know. This kid just can''t get rid of his inner Beast." Jack replied, shooting Andrew a wink.


    Andrew flushed slightly as the rest of the group chuckled, beginning to eat his food a bit more carefully. As his brother had mentioned, Andrew tended to incorporate a few of his Beast forms'' tendencies into his eating habits. It wasn''t anything too strange, but there was a definite bestial quality to his eating.


    Soon the table settled into normal conversation, Jack and his friends falling into their usual pace as they joked and messed around. Andrew was just glad to fall out of the center of attention for a while, focusing on finishing his food. As soon as he did, he began to clean up, taking his tray to the trash, before telling Jack he was going to head to the game store. Jack shot him a glance that said he wished he''d stick around and hang out, but he could tell Andrew was uncomfortable, so he just sighed and sent him off with a pat on the back, telling him they''d meet back at the food court in two hours.


    Andrew checked the time, before nodding and heading off, breathing a sigh of relief as he was finally on his own again. He headed to the game store, looking through the new releases, considering which ones he wanted. After about half an hour, he''d bought three games, and was done. He stood outside the store, considering where he wanted to go next, when he noticed something strange. Off in the distance, near the edge of his sensing, he noticed what looked like¡­ *Is that a crystal?* Andrew wondered, frowning. It was an aura, but condensed like a crystal, except it was moving. *Why would someone bring a crystal to the mall? Did a mortal somehow pick one up? Or¡­ is it some kind of tiny Beast?* Andrew thought to himself with a frown, heading towards the aura. As far as Andrew could tell, whatever it was, it seemed to be somewhere in the back halls of the mall, where the pipes and storage were. Andrew was getting closer, debating whether he should head into the employees only section, when someone interrupted him.


    "Andrew?" Cathryn froze as he turned the corner with a serious look on his face. She was sitting in the small entryway to the employees only section while she was on her break, enjoying a small snack. "Wh-what are you doing here?"


    Andrew froze, eyes widening slightly as he caught sight of her. "Uh¡­" Andrew looked between her and the door, where he could still sense the aura, not far away. He paused as the aura got closer and closer to them.


    Cathryn shook her head and sighed. "I''m sorry, that was too accusatory. I-I''m actually glad you''re here. I wanted to talk to-"


    "Shhh!" Andrew shushed her, glaring at the door. He could sense the aura just on the other side, as if it was waiting. Narrowing his eyes, he approached the door carefully, fully releasing his own aura as he did, bringing himself back to full strength. "Move back." He told Cathryn, waving her away.


    Cathryn frowned, getting to her feet but not moving. "What are you-" Suddenly, Andrew burst through the doors, looking straight at the aura that had begun to move away, but¡­ there was nothing there. "What are you doing!?!" Cathryn exclaimed. "That area is-"


    Andrew jumped forward again, trusting his aura sensing more than his eyes. He knew there were Beasts that could turn invisible, such as Snakes. Since it could be a friendly Beast, one of the Clans that was just curious or something, he simply went to grab it, taking hold of it so he could at least talk to them to see what was up, but instead of skin or even scales, Andrew found himself gripping cold, hard metal. "Eh?" Andrew grunted in surprise, before he was punched in the chest, sending him shooting out the door, past a stunned Cathryn, and into the opposite wall!


    "What the-" Cathryn exclaimed, her head snapping to where Andrew had impacted the wall, leaving a significant dent in the concrete. She watched him as he let out a groan, climbing to his feet as he rubbed his chest. How was he not more injured?!? A hit like that would cripple someone, if not kill them! You don''t just groan and stand up! Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as she felt something grab a hold of her, beginning to drag her off down the hallway, into the back hallways of the mall. Her head twisted back, her mouth dropping open in horror as she saw the metal hand of a large, dangerous looking machine gripping her shoulder.


    "Oh no you don''t." Andrew growled, rushing forward, grabbing the machine''s arm and delivering a sharp kick to its abdomen with an added air burst, sending it flying down the hall, sans arm thanks to his hold, creating another dent in the far wall. "Payback, bitch!" He yelled, tossing the arm to the side, as he began to march towards the machine, talons extending, ready to rip it to pieces. Suddenly Cathryn grabbed him by the wrist with a panicked look.


    "We have to ru-" Cathryn began, when suddenly, something clicked. Andrew snapped to look at her, eyes widening as he felt a jolt run through his very being, as if he was just carefully inserted into some sort of slot. Cathryn stood there, looking at him with a dazed expression as she felt something similar, a connection forming between the two. Thoughts began to drift back and forth, full of confusion, shock, and fear. "Wh-what-" Cathryn stammered.


    "-just happened?" Andrew finished with a frown, before the sound of falling concrete and creaking joints interrupted them. "Shit." He cursed, turning towards the still relatively intact machine. "Priorities." He muttered to himself, pulling out of Cathryn''s grip before an air burst sent him hurtling towards the machine. The machine raised its arm, palm glowing as a beam of light shot out, Andrew barely dodging as a second air burst pushed him to the side. He kicked off the wall, dropping into a slide, before a third air burst shot him up, clearing the machine as he turned in mid air, talons gripping its head, ripping it off its body!


    Andrew landed, his momentum keeping him sliding backwards as he relaxed, thinking the machine dead, when the torso spun, the arm still glowing as it shot out another laser! Andrew cursed, dropping down to dodge the laser, scrambling to the side as it dropped with him, the beam following him as he moved. Another air burst shot him up, followed by another that pushed him in the opposite direction, throwing him over the laser. He landed and pushed himself forward with an air blast again, this time aiming for the machine''s chest, straight for the aura he was sensing. Metal parted as his talons tore through, his hand coming out the machine''s back, holding a small crystal as the machine finally died, losing power.


    "Fuuuuck!" Andrew let out a groan as he pulled his arm back through the machine, staring down at the crystal. "I should have gone for you first! Always hit the aura! Aura is power!" He chastised himself, before looking back to where Cathryn stood, completely stunned, along with a growing crowd of confused shoppers who were looking between the dent in the wall and the damaged doors, wondering what was going on. "Ah, shit." Andrew groaned, collecting all the pieces of the machine he could, before waving Cathryn to follow him. "Grab that arm and follow me. We gotta get out of here." He explained, heading towards the mall''s back exit.


    Cathryn hesitated before doing as he said, picking up the arm, straining under the weight until Andrew took it from her, and following him down the halls and out of the mall. Along the way, Andrew found a small tarp, wrapping the machine up in it, before jumping up a nearby tree and hiding it near the top. Jumping back down, he grabbed Cathryn and brought her around to another entrance. Along the way, he pulled out his phone, before letting out another curse as it came out in two pieces. "Shit! How am I supposed to-" He paused, glancing at Cathryn. "Can I borrow your phone?" He asked. She nodded, handing it over. Andrew called his mom and informed her of the situation, including where he hid the machine pieces, and she assured him that someone would be by shortly to handle it. With all that settled, Andrew dragged Cathryn into a nearby coffee shop, breathing out a sigh of relief as he sat down and retracted his aura, finally feeling a bit of tension drain out of him as he knew everything would be taken care of soon.


    Cathryn sat down across from him, giving him a strange look. "What-"


    "Andrew!" Jack rushed over to him. "What-" Jack paused, looking over at Cathryn with a frown. "Who is this?"


    "Cathryn." Andrew introduced her, before turning to her. "This is my brother, J-"


    "Jack, right, nice to meet you." Cathryn nodded in greeting, before frowning as if she''d just encountered something strange.


    "Uh huh¡­ why is she here?" Jack asked, turning to Andrew with a frown.


    "Because-" Andrew paused, cocking his head. Why had he dragged Cathryn after him? According to protocol, he was supposed to hide any evidence he could, and not interact with or try to explain anything to any witnesses. All explanations and cover ups were to be handled by the cleaning crew. Anything he did would just make their job harder. All he had to do was escape, then hide in or by the nearest coffee shop, where someone would meet him to work everything out. Dragging Cathryn along with him was the exact opposite of what he should have done.


    Andrew looked over to see Cathryn staring at him with her eyes wide. "Protocols? Explanations? Cover ups? What are you trying to hide!?!" She asked in a mix of shock, confusion, and suspicion.


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "How did you-"


    *Oh god, am I reading his thoughts?!? Why am I reading his thoughts!?! What is happening!?! What was that thing!?! How did Andrew fight it?!? Is he some sort of super hero?!? Super villain!?! Is that why he brought me here!?! To silence me!?! Oh god, what am I going to do!?! What about my mom!?! What about-* As Andrew focused on Cathryn, a stream of rapid, panicked thoughts flew into his mind as Cathryn panicked internally.


    "Okay, you have got to calm down." Andrew groaned, rubbing his temple as he got a slight headache from her rapid fire thoughts. "Nothing is going to happen to you."


    Cathryn froze, staring at him. "R-really?"


    "Really." Andrew nodded, and Cathryn breathed out a sigh of relief.


    Jack looked between the two of them with a confused frown. "Okay, what is going on with you two? Is this your girlfriend?" He asked, turning to Andrew and raising an eyebrow.


    "Huh? No! She''s- she''s just this girl I know from school. Barely." Andrew shook his head.


    "Then why is she here?" Jack asked, frown deepening.


    Andrew froze. "I-I don''t know. Something- we- It just made sense at the time. Don''t worry, I''ll deal with it."


    Jack grunted, glancing at Cathryn, who seemed to shrink into her seat as her worries returned. "You better. If this gets out-"


    "It won''t. Trust me." Andrew assured him. "I think- I think it would have been worse if I left her. I- somehow we''re in each other''s heads. Literally." Andrew let out a sigh. It looked like he had to make another trip to see Elder Barry.

 Aura: 14 - Exploring the connection (1)

    Once the wheels were set in motion, it didn''t take long for the cleaning crew to get everything settled. A few minutes after Andrew had called his mom, a swarm of vehicles descended on the mall, cordoning off the area of the fight. Any suspicious fragments were cleaned up, the machine''s body was retrieved from where Andrew had hid it, and an explanation was quickly formed. The story was that someone had come in with a bomb, trying to blow up the mall. Thankfully, the device was a dud, only causing some minor property damage. Thanks to some brave bystanders, the criminal was quickly apprehended and the mall was saved from further damage.


    An agent met Andrew at the coffee shop, pulling him aside to explain the situation and asking if there were any witnesses that needed to be taken care of. Andrew quickly assured him that there weren''t, and the man returned to his team to finish the clean up. He debated whether to tell the clean up crew about Cathryn, but considering the weirdness of the situation, he figured he should discuss the problem with an Elder or possibly his grandfather, rather than some random cleaner.


    After the cleaners left, Jack looked between the two of them, as if considering whether to say something, before shaking his head. "I should go deal with Kevin and the others." He sighed. "I sort of ran off with not a lot of explanation¡­ ugh, that''s going to be a pain." He muttered to himself, walking off to find the others.


    Cathryn watched him go, before turning back to Andrew. She leaned forward, whispering. "Are you a vampire?"


    Andrew snorted as he suppressed a laugh at the ridiculous question. "No, I''m not a vampire." He shook his head, before pausing. "Though those legends could be based on us¡­" He frowned. A species of ageless immortals? Maybe a Dragon with a particularly weird mutation? He could see it. Maybe the question wasn''t that ridiculous¡­


    "Then what are you?!?" Cathryn hissed. "What is all this?!? What- what was that thing?!? Why did it try to take me!?! What did it want to do with me?!?" She froze. "What- what are you going to do to me?!?"


    "Nothing." Andrew assured her, before pausing. "Well, not nothing¡­ I''m going to take you to see some people and hopefully figure out whatever this is, or at least make it stop. Then we''ll wipe your memory, put you in a hospital or something and you''ll wake up in blissful ignorance, going back to your normal life with little to no side effects."


    "You''re going to wipe my memory?!?" Cathryn asked incredulously.


    "Well, yeah." Andrew shrugged. "I mean, I guess you could keep them, but then you''d have to enter the Support Staff. We don''t let mortals run around knowing about us without supervision. They tend to get weird ideas and start either hunting us or worshiping us."


    Cathryn blinked a few times at that, before shaking her head. "Okay, that''s- what''s the Support Staff?" She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache build. There was too much¡­ stuff in all this, and she needed to understand it.


    "The Support Staff are the mortals who do all the stuff we''d really rather not. Paperwork and whatnot, maintaining businesses, running governments, stuff like that." Andrew waved his hand dismissively.


    Cathryn frowned. "That''s a big range¡­" She muttered. It sounded like it could be anything from being a janitor to a politician or CEO! She thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head. She couldn''t make any decisions without actually knowing anything! Who were these people she might be working for? Demons? Angels? Eldritch monstrosities that defied human comprehension?


    Andrew laughed, shaking his head. "Okay, okay, I''ll tell you about us. Whatever you''re coming up with is just weird." He commented, before falling into thought as he considered where to start. "Okay¡­ let''s start from the basics. Earth, well, the entire universe really, is only a small pocket of reality. Beyond this is a place we call the Outside, which, unlike Earth, is a giant plane, no planets, no stars, no sun, just a giant expanse of land and water extending infinitely, at least theoretically. Unlike Earth, the Outside is populated with creatures we call Beasts, powerful, immortal beings that grow stronger through endless conflict and death. We are humans who have Beasts inside us, called the Bonded. We keep Earth safe from the Beasts in the Outside, or whatever that machine was that tried to capture you."


    Cathryn blinked a few times as she tried to process Andrew''s explanation. She knew he wasn''t lying. One of the side effects of whatever had happened to them was that she had an instinctive knowledge of when he was being honest, like she couldn''t even consider the idea that he was lying. That meant she had only two options: to believe that what he said was the truth, or to believe that he was completely delusional. Considering she''d just seen him punch through metal and could now literally read his mind, the signs were pointing towards him telling the truth.


    "Why- why do you hide? Why don''t you just tell everyone the truth?" Cathryn asked.


    Andrew shrugged. "Greece."


    Cathryn frowned. "Greece?"


    "Yup. See, way back when, we did tell people. And then they began worshiping us as gods. Anything that went wrong, we got blamed for. If we didn''t help, they''d complain. If we did help, they''d just want more. Some did turn into tyrants, forcing people to serve them, which worked, but¡­ well, a lot of people found that to be immoral. So, around the time of Ancient Greece, we began to hide, fading into myth and legend, and what happened? Philosophy. Science. Empires grew, people came together, and the world connected, humans all advancing further and further. Without the knowledge of these powerful beings they had no hope of matching, their potential exploded." Andrew explained.


    "Huh¡­ that- don''t you think it''d be better now? People are proud of science. I think they''d still advance it, even if they knew." Cathryn offered.


    Andrew shrugged. "Maybe? But why push it? Knowing about us doesn''t benefit them in any way. It''d just be something extra to worry about, something they''d have no control over. Better to just keep it a secret, don''t you think?"


    Cathryn frowned, but couldn''t think of a counter argument, so she just sighed and shook her head. "Then, what was that- that thing that tried to grab me? What was it doing here?"


    "That I don''t know. About any of it." Andrew replied with a frown. "I don''t know where that machine came from, why it tried to grab you, why we have this strange connection now¡­ it''s all new and strange, something I''ve never seen or heard of before. I''ll need to talk to an Elder, see if he knows anything."


    "E-Elder?" Cathryn asked, confused.


    "Yeah, the way the Bonded work is, we have twelve Clans based on the types of Beasts we''re bonded with. Uh, it actually inspired the Chinese zodiac. You know, Tiger, Monkey, Dog, etc. Each Clan has a few Elders who deal with internal organization and administration, in addition to giving guidance. Even if they can''t answer your question, they''ll know who to ask." Andrew explained.


    Cathryn nodded. "So, which Beast do you have? Which Clan do you belong to?"


    "Uh¡­ well, I''m a little weird¡­ see, I don''t actually have a Beast, but I can transform into two different ones¡­ or, I suppose three now¡­ uh, but anyway, I''m technically both a Tiger and a Monkey. Aaand a furry, lizard thing which is a whole other issue." Andrew answered with a light cough.


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "You can transform!?!"


    Andrew sighed. "It''s not as nice as you might think. See most Bonded have two bodies, a human and a Beast, and the human part is just normal, like any other human, except for the ability. I, on the other hand, have to deal with all that Beast power in a human body, and if I don''t control it¡­ well¡­ you know what happened." Andrew grumbled in a low, depressed tone.


    Cathryn''s eyes widened even further. "That''s what happened!?! You-" Cathryn froze, groaning as she rubbed her temples. "I don''t- I can''t- this- this is just too much¡­" She sat there quietly, rubbing her temples as she processed everything Andrew had said, trying to organize each world changing fact in a way that made sense to her, trying to fit it into the way she currently understood the world, and utterly failing. Everything in her wanted to reject Andrew as a crazy person, but whatever connection they had formed wouldn''t let her just dismiss him.


    Cathryn let out another groan, before looking at Andrew with an almost desperate expression. "I-I just need to know how it all works. Just a little clue as to how everything fits. Physics- physics is real, right? S-so what are we missing that makes Beasts and- and transformation possible?"


    Andrew paused. "Uh¡­ I honestly have no idea." He frowned. "It might have something to do with aura? I recently learned that if I retract mine, it makes me weaker. I don''t know if that explains my transformations though¡­ honestly, it might not even be something that''s observable in this universe. I mean, obviously things are different between here and the Outside. Just look at gravity! Here it''s based on mass, but Outside? It''s a plane. Infinite mass. If gravity worked the same, everything would just be crushed. Life would be impossible. So, physics is real, yes, but it''s real here, not necessarily there."


    Cathryn nodded along slowly. "Okay, that¡­ I guess that makes sense¡­ still physics, just¡­ different physics." She muttered, taking deep breaths. "So¡­ what do we do now? I- if I do join this Support Staff, what does that mean for me? I mean, my family, my- my- my job!" Cathryn exclaimed, jumping to her feet, remembering that she''d just been on break and she was way past the time she was supposed to get back to work. "Shit, shit, shit! I''m going to get fired! They''ll never give me a good reference, I won''t get into a good college, and I''ll live the rest of my life penniless and alone!" She rambled, pacing back and forth in a panic.


    "Well, unless we figure out a way to resolve this whole connection thing, will you ever really be alone?" Andrew commented with a grin.


    Cathryn stopped pacing to glare at him. "That is not funny."


    Andrew shook his head. "Do you remember where that whole thing took place? It was literally right behind where you work. The place is probably closed anyways. Just give your boss a call tomorrow and say you got caught up talking to authorities and you couldn''t make it back. You''ll be fine."


    "Y-you think?" Cathryn asked tentatively, still sounding worried.


    Andrew nodded. "Should be. Even if he thinks it''s an excuse, as long as you''ve been a good employee before this, he shouldn''t particularly care. I mean, it''s just a minimum wage job." Andrew paused. "Hell, even if you do get fired, I''m sure Elder Barry can pull some strings to get you a good job somewhere. One that would be much better for your r¨¦sum¨¦. If you don''t join the Support Staff that is. Then all this hardly matters."


    Cathryn bit her lip nervously, before sitting back down with a groan. "I hate this day." She complained.


    Andrew chuckled slightly, looking the miserable girl over as he wondered just what he was going to do about all this. What exactly had happened between them? Mental connections weren''t anything new in the Beast world. Dogs could create them, and the Bonded had a deep mental connection between the human and Beast side. However, he''d never heard of something like this happening for seemingly no reason. He''d gone over what had happened in his mind, and all he could think was that something had happened when she grabbed his wrist, though he had no idea what. Andrew shook his head, sighing slightly. He needed to see someone with more experience in this. He didn''t have the answers and trying to figure it out on his own would lead him nowhere.


    He looked over at Cathryn. "Hey, how did you get here?"


    Cathryn looked up, confused. "The bus? Why?"


    Andrew clicked his tongue. "Damn. I was hoping you''d have a car¡­ should I call my parents to pick us up?" He muttered to himself. Given the current state of things, it was obvious he needed to bring Cathryn along with him, and explaining why he''d suddenly picked up a random girl to Jack''s friends would be a pain. Besides, he didn''t want to wait another hour to start figuring all this out. Taking the bus could be an option, but¡­ well, a confined space full of annoyed, grouchy people would give him a major headache. "Let me make a call." Andrew muttered as he pulled out his phone, before pausing, staring down at the broken mess. "Scratch that. Let''s go buy me a new phone. Then I''ll make a call." He climbed to his feet, heading into the mall to find a phone store, Cathryn scrambling after him. A few minutes later he was buying the latest model of his favorite phone brand, switching over the sim and syncing his data as the attendant finished up with all the minor details.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "I can''t believe you''re just buying a phone, like it''s nothing." Cathryn shook her head in disbelief.


    Andrew looked up with a frown. "What do you mean? Mine was broken. Why wouldn''t I buy a new one?"


    "Because it''s a thousand dollar phone! I thought you were just going to buy one of those burners or something!" She gestured towards the cheap phones in the corner of the store. "At least an older, cheaper model! Not literally the most expensive phone in the store!"


    Andrew blinked a few times. "It''s not the most expensive¡­" He muttered defensively.


    "It''s close enough!" Cathryn retorted. "I mean, look at this one. It''s just last year''s model, practically the same phone, and it''s half the price! Why not buy this one?"


    Andrew looked down at his new phone, then at the phone she was pointing to. "This one''s newer?" He answered tentatively. "It''s only a couple hundred bucks difference either way, right? Why not go for the newer one?"


    Cathryn gave him a look like he''d suddenly started speaking latin. "Only a couple hundred- I don''t- how do you live?!?" She asked incredulously.


    Andrew shrugged. "Comfortably."


    Once his phone was all set up, Andrew shot Jack a text letting him know he''d be leaving early, before calling his mom, who told him she''d have Arose head over to pick him up. He and Cathryn headed to the entrance, waiting on a nearby bench, Andrew spending most of the time fiddling with his new phone, getting it set up just right, until a fancy sports car pulled up and Arose stepped out. "Andrew!" Arose exclaimed, walking over to them. "I hear you need a ride."


    Andrew nodded, standing up. "Yeah, thank you. I really appreciate it." Andrew thanked him sincerely. "I also need to get a hold of Elder Barry, soon. Something¡­ weird has happened."


    "Oh?" Arose replied, raising an eyebrow, looking between Andrew and Cathryn, who stood up with him, clearly intending to follow. "Does it have something to do with the lovely young lady accompanying you?"


    Andrew nodded again. "Yeah, she- we- for some reason, we developed this¡­ connection. I don''t know what happened, but we can read each other''s minds now."


    Arose''s eyebrows shot up. "Is that so? Is there a Dog around here playing a prank?" He muttered, frowning slightly.


    "I''d be able to tell if that was the case." Andrew replied. "They wouldn''t be able to hide from my aura sensing."


    "Right, right¡­" Arose nodded, glancing at Cathryn again, before shaking his head. "Come, let''s get you back to the house first. You can tell me the details on the way there."


    Andrew nodded and the three of them headed towards the car. "Is he your uncle?" Cathryn leaned in to ask as they walked.


    "Huh? No, he''s my grandpa." Andrew replied, shooting her a weird look.


    Cathryn froze, tripping mid stride as she failed to process his reply. "G-grandpa?!? He- he can''t be older than thirty!" She protested.


    "I''ll have you know I''m a proud six thousand, one hundred and nine, thank you very much." Arose interjected with a mischievous grin.


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "Six thou- thou- thousand?!?"


    Andrew shook his head. "Didn''t I tell you? Beasts are immortal." He commented, before slipping into the car.


    *


    During the car ride, as Cathryn sat in the back, struggling to make sense of the concept of a six thousand year old man, Andrew explained what had happened to Arose, starting with when he sensed the machine''s aura. Arose simply listened with a serious expression, nodding occasionally as Andrew mentioned a particularly important point. Once Andrew finished, he fell into thought, considering his explanation for the rest of the drive, until they arrived back at the house.


    Before they headed inside, Arose took Andrew aside to talk. "Before we contact Elder Barry, there''s something I need to know. What are your intentions with this girl?" Arose asked in a serious tone.


    Andrew frowned. "What do you mean?"


    Arose sighed. "You''ve obviously been very open with this girl. No, I''m not saying you''re wrong to do so, but I''m not saying you''re right either. Knowing about all this¡­ it''s hard for mortals. Even as Support Staff, things can get complicated. Particularly when they''re introduced to some of the more¡­ eccentric aspects of our culture. If you plan on keeping her around for yourself, I can support that, but if you''re just dumping all this on her and expecting her to deal with it on her own¡­"


    Andrew paused. "I- I hadn''t really thought about it. I was just trying to calm her down, before she went into a panic attack over things that weren''t even true." He thought about it for a moment. "Can I let her decide? I mean, ideally, we''ll get this connection cut, and she''ll go back to her normal life with no memory of this ever happening, but¡­ well, if she wants to join the Support Staff instead, I''m not going to stop her. I''m also not going to force her to work for me, though I wouldn''t reject her if she wanted to."


    Arose frowned slightly, before sighing. "Right, well, let''s see if we can do anything about this mental connection first. Before we resolve that, all this is a bit premature."


    Andrew nodded, following Arose into the house, waving Cathryn after them. Arose explained that he knew a Dog who was an expert in mental connections that they should consult first. He brought them down to the tunnels below the house, taking them to the portal station, and into the City. Cathryn''s eyes practically popped out of her skull as she walked from an underground platform and into an open air courtyard.


    "This- this- this-" She began to stammer as she looked around, looking at the sunless sky, the weird mix of architecture, the few unleashed Beasts walking around with the humans. Any hint of doubt she''d been holding onto was blown out the window.


    "You okay?" Andrew asked.


    "I- I- I-" Cathryn began, before pausing and taking a deep breath. "I-I''ll be fine. Just¡­ just give me a second." Andrew nodded, and they waited for a bit while Cathryn collected herself. A moment later, she took another deep breath and nodded, indicating that she was ready to continue.


    Arose led them out of the courtyard, winding a complex passage through the streets, before reaching a small house by the edge of the City with a very nice lawn full of various plants that bloomed beautifully. Arose knocked on the front door, grinning widely as a beautiful woman opened the door. "Ertemis! It''s so- oof!" He began, before the woman slapped him in the face, hard.


    "Arose!" The woman, Ertemis, growled through clenched teeth. "What did I say about setting your perverted feet on my property!"


    Arose coughed as he rubbed his cheek. "I have a good reason! Look, I brought our grandson!"


    Ertemis paused, turning to look at Andrew. "Oh, Andrew! It is you! How good to see you, come on in!" She waved him and Cathryn inside cheerfully. Arose moved to follow, before Ertemis turned back, fixing him with a hard glare. "You stay out here!" She growled, before slamming the door.


    Ertemis led Andrew and Cathryn into a small sitting room with a wall full of portraits, a mix of over fifty paintings and modern pictures all jumbled together, all showing faces of different people, including one of Andrew from his last school picture. "My descendants." Ertemis commented proudly, gesturing for them to take a seat. "So, what brings you by? It must have been pretty important for the old ape to risk coming here."


    Andrew nodded slightly, before explaining what had happened. "So, Grandpa thought you''d be able to figure out what was going on, since it''s a mental connection issue. Though, he didn''t say he''d be bringing us to see you¡­ he just said he knew an expert." Andrew finished.


    Ertemis snorted. "Of course he did. That incorrigible Monkey is always trying to pull some sort of prank." She grumbled, before sighing and waving the two closer. "Come on then, let me see what''s going on between you two. While the ape may be deserving of a few swift strikes to the kidney, he doesn''t lie. You''d be hard pressed to find a better expert on mental connections than I."


    Ertemis placed her hands on both of their foreheads, closing her eyes as she focused on sensing the connection between them, examining it. Slowly, she began to frown, and as time passed, her frown grew deeper and deeper, until she pulled back, looking between Andrew and Cathryn with a strange look. "You¡­ what''s the relationship between the two of you?"


    Andrew frowned. "Uh, nothing? I mean, we just go to the same school, so we kind of know each other-"


    "You don''t even know each other?!?" Arose exclaimed, popping out from behind a small bookshelf.


    "How dare you-" Ertemis began, before pausing and collecting herself. "I''ll deal with you later." She growled, giving Arose a glare that made him gulp nervously, before turning back to Andrew. "You''re saying the two of you had absolutely no connection before this, yes? You were just two people who vaguely knew of each other''s existence?"


    "Essentially? Why?" Andrew nodded.


    "Well, it isn''t unheard of for two people to develop a bond in stressful situations, particularly with the addition of strong emotions, but¡­ for a bond like this to form between two people who''ve barely interacted with each other¡­" Ertemis muttered as she looked them over again.


    "What''s so special about this bond?" Andrew asked curiously, looking over at Cathryn with a frown. As far as he could tell, they just shared some thoughts, and only when they concentrated. It didn''t seem to be anything special.


    "This bond¡­ no, it''s more of a binding. You two aren''t just connected mentally, but emotionally, spiritually, physically¡­ At every level possible, you are connected. Most of all, your lives are connected. If one of you dies, so does the other. Conversely, if one of you lives, the other will live as well. It''s so deep that even attempting to cut it could endanger both of your lives. It''s strange¡­ it''s actually very similar to the bond shared by the Bonded." Ertemis explained with a strange look between the two.


    "Bonded?" Andrew asked curiously. "Like, Beast Bonded?" Andrew looked over at Cathryn again, then back to Ertemis, raising an eyebrow. "Like, she''s my Beast now?"


    Ertemis coughed slightly. "If it is a bond like that, it''s more likely to be the other way around."


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "I''m her Beast?!? How? She- she isn''t even- where would it- just- just how?!?"


    Ertemis shook her head. "I don''t know. These spontaneous bonds are mysterious even when they are superficial, let alone one this deep. I could almost explain it if you two had been dating or shared a similarly deep relationship¡­ maybe she''s somehow managed to awaken a part of Long''s power? Or tapped into the ancient ritual that created us to spontaneously form a Bond with a new Beast? She is descended from us just as much as you are, so it wouldn''t be that surprising. If you think about it, you share more with a Beast than a Bonded. For a human to encounter an unbound Beast, that wouldn''t immediately kill them¡­ maybe there are more humans like her out there, and we just never know, because the conditions for their activation are so unlikely, it never happens." Ertemis muttered, practically rambling as she thought through the possible scenarios. Ertemis paused, looking over at Cathryn, who''d been spending most of this conversation looking nervous and confused. "My dear, if you could, would you try calling Andrew?"


    Cathryn looked startled at her sudden question. "Uh, I don''t-" She turned to Andrew. "What did she just ask me?"


    Andrew paused, his eyes widening. Right, they were speaking in Outerwords. Cathryn hadn''t understood any of this. "Uh¡­ shit, I forgot you don''t actually- Grandma, can you speak English?" He asked, turning to her with a frown.


    "No, but that shouldn''t be an issue." She commented, waving her hand. "Can you understand me now?" Cathryn nodded. "Good. Now, could you try calling Andrew?"


    "C-call?" She stammered, looking over at Andrew. "B-but he''s right there¡­"


    Ertemis smiled, shaking her head. "Not like that. Bonded can call Beasts into themselves, keeping them in a sort of pocket dimension where they can rest and heal. It''d be the best way to confirm the nature of this bond."


    "I could attempt it." Andrew interjected. "I at least know the theory."


    "Not everything is about you, Andrew. What if this child runs into danger? She needs to be able to call you at a moment''s notice, not wait for you to figure out something is wrong on your own. Her life is connected to yours now. If she dies, so do you." Ertemis explained.


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "You should try calling me." He commented, turning to Cathryn.


    "H-how?" Cathryn asked nervously, still not quite sure what was going on. She''d been kind of following the conversation through her connection with Andrew, but she only got the gist of it. She knew there was something up with the connection, that it was deeper than they''d thought and it would be dangerous to cut it, but not much else.


    Andrew paused. "It''s hard to explain¡­ Basically, it''s like pulling in a limb you don''t have, supposedly. You kinda just have to feel around for it."


    Cathryn frowned, before taking a deep breath, trying to feel for this so-called ''extra limb''. Nothing happened for a few minutes, until suddenly Andrew felt a tentative tugging sensation, something that pulled at the core of his very being. He frowned, actually sensing his aura. It was literally tugging at the core of his being! Tugging at his cores! A tiny, practically invisible thread, that Andrew would never have noticed if it wasn''t literally pulling at him.


    Suddenly the tug became more insistent and Andrew turned to smoke, flowing into Cathryn''s body, leaving a pile of clothes on the floor. He entered into a space of nothingness, disconnected from everything. He sensed he could leave the space at any time, emerging back into the world next to Cathryn, but he didn''t focus on that. Instead, he focused on Cathryn, and the weird state he shared with her. Currently, it was like he was riding in her head as a passenger, seeing everything she saw, hearing what she heard, and even listening to her thoughts as she thought them.


    Cathryn''s thoughts were currently a jumbled mess as she tried to process Andrew''s disappearing act. What- what just happened?!? Why had Andrew disappeared!?! Where had he gone?!?


    *I''m right here.* Andrew announced.


    Cathryn let out a panicked shriek, looking around. "Wh-where are you?!? Stop hiding!"


    *I''m literally inside you- uh, that didn''t sound as dirty in my head¡­ well, your head, technically. Wait, no, hold on¡­ yeah, I still have my head. My head is just in your head. Not important. Wait¡­ what was I trying to say again? Right! I''m in your head. That''s it.* Andrew''s voice rambled along inside her mind, his awkward, stumbling thought process strangely calming her down.


    *It''s okay, it''s okay, he''s just in my head¡­* Cathryn trailed off, eyes widening.


    *Yeah, that doesn''t sound all that okay to me either.* Andrew sighed. *Uh, I should get out, but¡­ well, as you can see, I didn''t exactly bring my clothes in here, so¡­ I''ll be naked. How you want to deal with that is up to you.*


    "Well¡­ it seems you are indeed Bonded with my grandson¡­" Ertemis commented thoughtfully, looking Cathryn up and down.


    "Y-yeah¡­" Cathryn''s face flushed as she looked around for a private place for him to come out. "Is- is there a bathroom I can use?" She asked Ertemis.


    Ertemis cocked her head in confusion, before gesturing to a room down the hall. "Second door on the right." She replied. Cathryn nodded, her flush deepening as she gathered up Andrew''s clothes. "Oh ho! Is my grandson shy?" Ertemis commented with a grin as she realized why Cathryn had asked for a bathroom.


    Cathryn froze, not sure how to respond. *Hey, this is all you. I''m perfectly comfortable with my natural form.* Andrew commented from inside her head.


    Ertemis snickered. "Go along, don''t mind me. I''m sure you two have much to discuss." She waved Cathryn down the hall. She watched her skitter away with a grin, before turning towards where Arose had been standing, her gaze hardening. "Now, what to d-" She trailed off as she found the area empty. "You damn Monkey!" She yelled, searching through the room for the man she knew was hiding somewhere.

 Aura: 15 - Exploring the connection (2)

    "Now, here''s the question. Do you carry around an extra change of clothes for me, or do you need to take me home every time you summon me?" Andrew commented as he finished putting his clothes on, glancing at the still flushing Cathryn as she covered her eyes. "You can open your eyes now, by the way."


    Cathryn peeked through her fingers, before dropping her hands with a relieved sigh. "I-I don''t think summoning you is going to be a common occurrence. I don''t exactly run into life threatening crisises a regular basis."


    "True." Andrew nodded. They fell silent for a moment, before Andrew continued. "So¡­ what are we gonna do about all this? This bond- or I guess, Bond, isn''t going away. Going back to your regular life is not going to be an option. You''re- you''re Bonded now. With everything that comes with it."


    Cathryn hesitated. "What- what does that mean? I got that we''re connected, but¡­ Bonded? Like- like Beast Bonded? What- what does that make me?"


    Andrew paused. "Well, a lot of things, actually. Even I haven''t really gotten to it all yet¡­ but essentially, it looks like there is an illuminati, and you just entered into the upper ranks. Money, power, privilege, all that crap. Plus, superpowers, cause why not." Andrew cocked his head. "Don''t air blast anyone. It will not be pretty."


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "I- what?!? How would I- I have superpowers?!?"


    "Well, we''ll have to test it, but if the Bond is the same Bond as normal Bonded, then yeah." Andrew nodded. "Thankfully you don''t have to deal with the physical strength though. That''s a bitch."


    "I- I guess¡­" Cathryn hesitated. "Wouldn''t- wouldn''t it have been easier to explain? At least a little? So people understood? I get why you don''t just tell everyone everything, but you could have said something right?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Would any explanation have really helped? ''Oh, I''m sorry guys, I didn''t mean too! It''s just I''m so strong that any casual blow could leave you crippled for life or dead! You''ll still hang out and act normally around me, right?'' Keeping it a secret is better. At least then people are just nervous, rather than outright terrified."


    Cathryn flushed. "I-I suppose you have a point¡­"


    "Yeah. I mean, I''d be down if people actually would understand, but we know that isn''t the case. There''s a reason the Bonded have spent thousands of years hiding themselves." Andrew sighed.


    Cathryn nodded along, and the two fell into a morose silence. After a moment, Cathryn looked up. "So¡­ what do we do? About this?"


    Andrew let out a breath. "I honestly don''t know¡­ as I said, it looks like you''re just a Bonded now, and there isn''t anything we can do about it. Of course, since your Beast is me, you don''t really have much to actually do with that¡­ uh, except, the range might be an issue."


    "Range?" Cathryn asked, cocking her head.


    "Yeah. See, Beasts can only get so far away from their human. It isn''t too restrictive, up to a hundred or so miles, but it''d mean you''d need to follow me to the base camp when I need to hunt." Andrew explained, before pausing slightly. "Seeing as I need to hunt pretty much every week, at least until the end of summer, that might get pretty inconvenient for you."


    Cathryn looked at him with a speechless expression. "You need to hunt every week? Why? What- what even are you hunting?!?"


    "Other Beasts. The wild ones. I need to hunt them and gather their crystals to grow stronger. There are other ways to earn crystals, such as joining an organization, but if you aren''t strong enough, even those aren''t an option. You can''t get a job if you don''t have enough power to face a wild Beast and it takes you forever to charge a simple enchantment." Andrew explained.


    Cathryn considered his explanation, before sighing and nodding. "Okay, fine. You know this world better than I do anyway. How does this hunting work then? Do we just spend the night here before going back?"


    "Uh, well, we could but¡­ well, the plan was to spend an entire week hunting, just going back for weekends." Andrew answered.


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "A week!?! I-I can''t- I have a family! A job! I-I can''t just leave every week until the end of summer!"


    "Okay, first, you don''t need to worry about the job." Andrew assured her. "As far as I can tell, Bonded don''t really need to worry about money at all. Hell, everything in the City is free! Well, the mortal stuff. Plus, we have enough connections that you could probably get any job you wanted without even trying. As for your family¡­ well, you could tell them the truth-"


    "No, nope, not gonna happen." Cathryn immediately shook her head. "My mom could not handle knowing about something like this. She''d call in a priest or something to get me exorcized."


    "Right, so, the other option is to find an excuse for you being gone, such as a potential internship that means you need to go away during the week or something? I don''t know, but I''m sure we can figure something out." Andrew continued.


    Cathryn hesitated slightly, before letting out an aggravated groan, sitting down and burying her face in her hands. "Why is this happening to me!?! All I was trying to do was help my mom out over the summer, make some extra money so things weren''t so tight! Is that so bad? Why- why do I need to deal with Beasts and Bonds and all this- this- bullshit!?!"


    Andrew shrugged. "Hey, look on the brightside. You could be de-" Andrew froze, his eyes widening as a solution popped into his head. "Oh¡­ hey, you could be dead."


    Cathryn looked up at him like he was crazy. "Is this how you think you''re supposed to comfort someone?"


    Andrew shook his head. "Sorry, let me explain. We could fake your death. Make it some sort of accident that pays out a huge lump sum for your mom. That way, you don''t need to worry about hiding anything or coming up with explanations, and your mom will be well taken care of. Win win!"


    "Except for the fact that my mom will think I''m dead!" Cathryn retorted, staring at him incredulously.


    "Well, yeah, but that''s going to have to happen at some point anyway. Might as well be now." Andrew responded with a shrug.


    Cathryn frowned. "What do you mean?"


    Andrew cocked an eyebrow at her. "Well, eventually, she''s going to realize you''re not aging anymore, right? Like, sometime around your mid thirties, you''re going to have to disappear, or it''ll be too weird."


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "Wh-what?!? Why would I stop aging!?!"


    Andrew frowned. "Haven''t you been listening? We''re bonded. Our lives are shared. As long as one of us doesn''t die, neither will the other. And since my lifespan is essentially infinite, that means we''ll both never die, at least, not from natural causes."


    "Wh-what?" Cathryn asked again, stunned.


    Andrew gave her a look. "I''m immortal, therefore you''re immortal."


    *


    Once Cathryn managed to calm down from the sudden realization, she insisted that she still didn''t want her mom to think she was dead. Even if she eventually had to do it, it wouldn''t be for another two decades, time which she didn''t want to just give up on. Andrew was of the opinion it would just complicate things unnecessarily, but it was her life, so he wasn''t going to argue. Still, that meant they needed to figure out the exact limits of their bond, so they could make the appropriate decisions.


    Andrew walked back to the sitting room with Cathryn, finding Ertemis still searching for Arose while growling a series of increasingly complex insults. He paused for a moment, before walking over to a small cabinet, opening the door to see Arose contorted expertly into the cramped space. "Grandpa, I''m going to take Cathryn to base camp Aleph to test out the details of our bond. I''ll meet you at the Monkey Clan building once we''re done." Andrew explained, as Arose''s expression twisted in horror.


    "Found you!" Ertemis pounced towards the cabinet.


    "Noooo!" Arose exclaimed, scrambling away as Ertemis chased him through the house.


    "Come on, let''s go." Andrew waved Cathryn after him, heading back to the portal square.


    "How did you find him so fast?" Cathryn asked, cocking her head.


    "One, I can sense auras, and two, he wasn''t actually hiding. Grandma knew where he was, she was just playing along. I''m sure she''ll let him escape and he''ll hide somewhere else, and they''ll play again." Andrew explained.


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "That was them playing?!?"


    "Of course. With their strength, if they wanted to really fight, let alone the house, the entire district would probably be destroyed." Andrew commented.


    Cathryn frowned. "Their strength? I- aren''t they human? I thought only the Beasts got stronger."


    "Well, they do, but you''re forgetting about abilities. With the level of their abilities, they can turn them into physical force, using emotions and thoughts as weapons, and that isn''t even accounting for the dozens of mutations they might have." Andrew replied as if such a thing was normal.


    Cathryn froze, turning to Andrew with wide eyes. "That''s- that''s insane!"


    Andrew shrugged. "That''s Beasts. Even with half their power, Bonded are forces of nature."


    "I-I can''t even fathom that level of power¡­" Cathryn muttered, clutching her head.


    "Right?" Andres agreed. "Now remember that they''re only a few thousand years old. Imagine how strong Beasts that are tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years old are! Beasts that have been around since the beginning of time, like the World Tree or the Black Dragon!" Andrew turned to Cathryn in excitement, before pausing as he saw her practically shivering from fear. "Uh¡­ but don''t worry, they wouldn''t bother with us. We''re too weak to even draw their attention."


    Cathryn let out a ragged breath, nodding slightly. Andrew could tell she was still scared, but he had no idea how to help, cursing himself for even bringing the subject up. They continued their journey in silence, until they reached the base camp. "Okay, first, let''s test our range. It should be about a hundred miles, but who knows? Maybe we got lucky somehow." Andrew shrugged. Grabbing a cabin, Andrew left Cathryn there with his clothes, using his Tiger form to run as far as he could into the wild. With his speed, it only took him about an hour before he felt a sort of tension, as if he was connected to a bungee cord. The further he went, the more it tugged at him.


    Andrew groaned internally as he felt it. He''d known it was a likely possibility, but he''d been hoping that somehow their bond would be different. Letting out a sigh, he was about to contact Cathryn through their bond and tell her to call him back, before he paused. He should probably test out recalling himself, right? He focused on the thin thread connecting them, giving it a tug. At first nothing happened, and then-


    *Ahhhh!!!* Cathryn screamed as she turned to smoke, flowing out of the base camp and merging with Andrew. *What the frickity-frack just happened!?!*


    "I- I was just trying to return through the Bond!" Andrew exclaimed, just as confused as she was. "Why- you can''t- you aren''t supposed to be able to even do this!"


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    *Let me out!* Cathryn yelled.


    "No!" Andrew immediately exclaimed. "We''re a hundred miles away from the base camp and you''ll be naked!" Andrew paused. "Shit, we have to get back." He muttered, immediately turning around and running back towards the base camp as fast as he could, using his aura sense to avoid every Beast, no matter how strong they were. He could feel Cathryn''s anxiety inside him, pushing him to go even faster, adding in a few air blasts every now and then to push himself forward. Thankfully, without a Beast Tide, the area around the base camp was fairly safe, so they made it back without incident.


    "Oh thank god!" Cathryn groaned in relief as they reached the cabin and she separated from Andrew. The two retreated to their respective rooms to put on their clothes before returning to the living room. "That was terrifying!"


    "Yeah, that- that wasn''t supposed to happen." Andrew muttered, frowning. "The Bond isn''t some two way street! Beasts are called and released, not humans!"


    Cathryn paused. "Well, you aren''t just a Beast, right? You''re human too. Maybe that''s the problem?"


    Andrew froze. That- that was a good point. "Huh¡­ wow, that''s a bit of whiplash."


    "What do you mean?" Cathryn asked.


    "Nothing, just¡­ Well, I''m used to my weirdness coming from my Beast side. Feels weird for my human side to be the problem for once." Andrew explained, a weird look on his face.


    Cathryn snorted. "Your human side is plenty weird, trust me."


    "Hey, I''m not weird, I''m damaged." Andrew joked.


    Cathryn snickered, before letting out a groan. "Am I really going to have to quit my job?"


    "Probably." Andrew sighed. "But even if you didn''t, why would you even want to keep that job? We could provide you with a much better one, one that pays better, gives you better hours, looks better on your r¨¦sum¨¦¡­"


    "I guess, but¡­ isn''t- isn''t that like¡­ cheating?" Cathryn replied, frowning slightly.


    Andrew snorted. "How do you figure that?"


    "Well¡­ I didn''t do anything to earn such a good job¡­ getting something like that without working for it¡­ it just feels wrong." Cathryn explained.


    Andrew shook his head. "Who says you didn''t do anything? You know me. I know people. That''s called connections. It''s how the world works."


    "That''s not-" Cathryn began, before Andrew cut her off.


    "Okay, look at it this way." He began, leaning forward. "Say you''re a boss, looking to hire a new employee, and it comes down to two candidates with close to equal skills. The only difference between them is that one of them you know, or at least, you know someone who knows them, and you''ve heard good things. The other, you don''t know anything about, beyond what you learned in the interview. Which one do you choose?"


    "I-" Cathryn began again.


    "Exactly! You choose the one you know. It just makes sense." Andrew continued.


    "But it''s still cheating! It''s using an advantage that other people don''t have access to to get ahead!" Cathryn retorted.


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "It''s unavoidable. Is it unfair? Absolutely, but that doesn''t make it cheating. It''s like how certain people are more athletic than others. They get more opportunities because of their advantages, opportunities that other people don''t get because they lack those advantages. Do you think that is cheating?"


    Cathryn hesitated. "N-no?"


    "So why would connections be cheating?" Andrew asked.


    Cathryn frowned. "I guess if you put it that way¡­"


    Andrew smiled victoriously, before pausing. "Kind of a moot point, though. You really don''t need a job."


    Cathryn frowned. "Then what am I supposed to do? I can''t just sit around and do nothing."


    Andrew paused. "You could join an organization, like me. Hell, you''ll probably have to. Since we''re Bonded, we''re technically the same person, according to our laws, so if I join, you join. I don''t know what that''d mean work wise, though¡­ the laws are set up for one human, one Beast. At our level, the human would do the work while the Beast hunted. Only after they gained enough power would they be given tasks that require both."


    Cathryn blinked. "So why don''t you just hunt while I do the job?"


    "Because I might die." Andrew rolled his eyes. "Normal Beasts can just recall back to their human, but- but- but-" Andrew''s eyes widened as the implications of the fact that he was actually Bonded now hit him. He didn''t have to worry about dying anymore! He had an escape route! All he had to do was recall himself back to Cathryn, just like any other Beast! "I actually- I''m fucking- I can fucking hunt!"


    *


    Once Andrew calmed down after a long bout of cackling like a madman, the two did a few more tests, making sure they could both call the other, and recall themselves to the other person. Andrew found that the trick to recall was to push on the thread instead of pulling, which made some sort of sense he guessed. Finally, Andrew dragged Cathryn to a practice field, where he had her test to see if she had his abilities.


    "Okay, let''s start simple. Sensing. Do you see that bug right there?" Andrew asked, pointing as a beetle crawling through the sand. Cathryn nodded, looking confused. "Good, now, what is it feeling?"


    Cathryn frowned, confused, concentrating on the beetle as she wondered why she should know what it was feeling, when her eyes suddenly widened in shock. "It- it feels hungry, and- and hot?"


    Andrew nodded. "Good, so emotion sensing works."


    "Emotion- Is that why I''ve been feeling random emotions all day?!? I thought I was in shock or something!" Cathryn exclaimed, looking between Andrew and the beetle. She paused. "Wait, you can sense emotions? Is that- that''s how you-" She stammered, beginning to flush.


    Andrew sighed. "Yes, that''s how I knew you were trying to be my friend out of pity. Have fun with it. It''s the perfect bane to the social delusion most people operate under."


    "I- I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to-" Cathryn attempted to apologize, before Andrew sighed.


    "Don''t worry about it. I know you didn''t mean any harm, and usually it''d be a great thing to do, I just don''t enjoy the feeling of people feeling sad for me. Plus, you''re far from the worst. Benjamin practically shits himself everytime he sees me. Like five years of friendship were nothing." Andrew muttered, an old ache twinging as he did.


    "Andrew¡­" Cathryn''s expression softened, before her eyes widened. "Sorry! I didn''t mean- ugh, I''m so bad at this!" She groaned. "Every time I try to get closer to you, I just end up pushing you further away."


    "Why would you even want to get closer to me?" Andrew asked. "As you said, I''m weird. And after what happened with Eric¡­ why would anyone want to get close to me?" He muttered sadly.


    Cathryn hesitated. "You are weird, but- I''ve always- I-I thought, maybe if- if we actually talked, without yelling at each other, we could maybe get along, cause¡­ I''m kinda weird too." She began to mumble towards the end, flushing in embarrassment.


    "Not gonna argue with that." Andrew snorted. "I guess we''ll see then, huh? There''s no getting away from each other now. Even if we hate each other, we''re stuck together."


    *


    They tested Andrew''s other abilities, finding that Cathryn could use all of them just fine, with the exception of his aura sense. For some reason, that ability didn''t move across the Bond, though Andrew had no idea why. Now that he thought about it, he actually had no idea where his aura sensing even came from. It wasn''t a Beast thing, and it obviously wasn''t a Bonded thing, so why could he do it? Why could he manipulate his cores too? Why did retracting his aura change his strength? He had too many questions and not enough answers, with no idea who to even ask for help.


    Once they finished, they headed back to the City, heading to the Monkey Clan ziggurat. When they arrived, they found Arose and Elder Barry chatting lightly as they waited for them to return, Arose sporting a few new bruises. "Ah, Andrew! And you must be Cathryn! Welcome!" Elder Barry greeted them in English for Cathryn''s sake, standing up to shake their hands. "Lord Arose has been informing me of your strange situation. A curious circumstance to be sure. Just another reminder that no matter how old you get, this world will never cease to surprise you! Though I will say, it does become slightly worrisome when the majority of those recent surprises revolve around a single individual¡­"


    "To be fair, I don''t think any of it has been my fault." Andrew commented with a frown.


    "That only makes things more worrisome." Elder Barry sighed. "The last person to bear the burden of a life of ceaseless shock and amazement ended up being the key to the creation of an entirely new race. The more I observe this world, the clearer it becomes that the uniqueness of an individual seems to be directly proportional to the burden they''ll have to bear."


    "Oh-kay¡­ dark." Andrew replied, with a click of his tongue. Such an observation did not bode well for his future.


    Elder Barry chuckled lightly. "Don''t worry too much. A heavy burden doesn''t necessarily equal a negative outcome. Many such individuals thrive under their responsibility. Take the Orcgod for example. His unique existence has made him responsible for the rest of his race, much like Long, and he''s managed to raise up a powerful army that even we would hesitate to go against, ruling over the plains with an iron fist."


    "So what you''re saying is that if I want to live well despite my uniqueness, I have to be evil?" Andrew retorted, raising an eyebrow. The way Orcgod had risen to power was by using his unique ability to enslave a horde of Beasts, letting his fellow orcs use them as mounts. Honestly, if Long had done something similar, simply going around killing any Beast that opposed him, things might have worked out similarly. His ability was unique in that it balanced power levels, letting him become as strong as whatever opponent he was facing, at least ability wise, which wasn''t something to scoff at at the higher levels of power. As long as his skill exceeded theirs, his victory was assured, and given humans innate intelligence, this wasn''t a difficult condition to meet. Of course, then the Bonded wouldn''t exist, and Long would still need to protect a weak, ever growing human population on his own¡­ though, he would still be alive¡­ Andrew honestly didn''t know what decision he''d make in that situation.


    Elder Barry paused, frowning as he went over the various examples he''d personally observed, before coughing awkwardly. "Yes, well, as long as you''re evil to those outside your own, I don''t suppose it''d be too much of a problem. You know what they say: sometimes being kind to others is being cruel to yourself."


    Andrew shook his head. "Anyway, none of that is important right now." He commented, getting the conversation back on track. "We tested everything out and it''s pretty much completely confirmed. Me and Cathryn are Bonded, in every sense of the word. How are we going to handle this?"


    "How do you want to handle this?" Elder Barry asked. "This is a situation we''ve never encountered before. Two individuals suddenly Bonded¡­ our normal methods won''t be sufficient. We obviously can''t treat you both as the same person, because you aren''t, but we also can''t say you''re both separate individuals either. So, many decisions are up to you. Would you rather share a credit account, or have two separate ones? Would you like to be able to join separate organizations? If you have separate credit accounts, how should we divide the credits when Andrew participates in something like a Beast Tide, which is only made possible by his Bond with Cathryn?"


    They both considered the questions, their thoughts intermingling as they did. "Okay, so, first, we should only need one credit account, so that solves a lot of problems there." Andrew began. "I don''t think we need to be able to join separate organizations either, but¡­ maybe leave it open as an option, just in case? Honestly, for a lot of things, it''s better to just treat us like one person. The only issue would be things like living situations or official identities on Earth¡­ actually, anything on Earth, really. How about we do that? For anything Outside, we''re one, but on Earth, we''re two. As long as we don''t have to be too far away from each other, obviously."


    Elder Barry nodded. "That should be acceptable." He agreed, before leaning forward, with a strange glint in his eye. "Now, for a somewhat¡­ tangential issue. We would like to suggest that you impregnate Cathryn, sooner rather than later."


    Both teenagers froze. "Excuse me?" Andrew replied while Cathryn flushed deeply, attempting to shrink into her chair.


    Arose coughed. "Allow me to explain. Due to your unique condition, many of the upper ranks have been very interested in what it will look like once you have children. We''ve been content to wait, allowing you to find your own partner as you like, but¡­ with this Bond, we cannot let you simply decide to not have a child with her. You see, with another Bonded, you may have a higher chance of the child being Bonded, but likely nothing more. However, with Cathryn¡­ there is every chance that a child between you two would result in something unique, like Andrew. Maybe not exactly the same, but anything even close could give us the edge we need to finally put to rest the threats surrounding us."


    Andrew was stunned. People were interested in his kids?!? Like he was some sort of animal being bred for his genetics?!? He knew the Bonded were invested in finding ways to increase their population. They were slowly growing, but so were the threats they had to face. If they could find a way to rapidly increase their population, then several problems would resolve themselves almost instantly. Andrew understood that, on some level, but instinctively, he rejected the idea that his reproduction should be dictated by anyone other than himself. That anyone besides the woman he decided to have kids with should be in any way interested in them. Those kids were his.


    Andrew took a deep breath as he let out a bit more of his Tiger and Lizard auras, helping him focus on responsibility and giving him a bit more emotional detachment. "Okay, first, while I understand where you guys are coming from, we''re both still in high school. There is absolutely no way I''m going to have any kids until after I graduate." Andrew stated firmly, before glancing at Cathryn, who was trying to hide in her chair, wishing she was literally anywhere else. "I also don''t want to be forced to have kids. I''ll do it once, to see what happens, but anything after that is between the two of us, not some edict handed down by the higher ups."


    Elder Barry frowned. "I don''t think you truly understand how important this could be for us. Your children could-"


    "Barry." Arose interrupted in a cold tone. "He''s right. This is his life, not ours. Even making him have one child is pushing it. I won''t have my grandson turned into some sort of glorified stud."


    Elder Barry hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Yes, you''re right, I apologize. I let myself get too focused on the communal benefits, while ignoring the individual costs. Thank you both for making even this small sacrifice for the Clans." He stood, giving Andrew and Cathryn a slight bow, before returning to his seat


    Andrew glanced at Cathryn again, realizing he''d literally just promised to have a baby with her, before coughing and looking away. "Alright, so, that''s taken care of. I should probably get Cathryn home then. If we keep her out too late, her family might get worried."


    Elder Barry chuckled, shaking his head at the young man''s obvious attempt to escape an uncomfortable situation. "I won''t keep you any longer then. I wish you both luck as you navigate this unique situation you''ve been thrown into. And don''t forget, I''m always here to help if you need me!" He shouted after them as Andrew practically carried Cathryn out the door, rushing to escape before the two old men made any more requests of them.

 Aura: 16 - Exploring the connection (3)

    Andrew and Cathryn returned to Earth, sneaking out of the basement to avoid being seen by Jack''s friends. Unfortunately, they quickly ran into the problem of how to actually get Cathryn home. Neither of them had a car, and she lived across town. Andrew considered it for a bit, before deciding to borrow Arose''s car. Arose always left an extra key by his front door, so after a quick trip next door, Andrew and Cathryn got into the car and he started it up.


    "Do- do you know how to drive?" Cathryn asked nervously as she noticed Andrew looking down under the steering wheel, as if he was trying to figure out where the pedals were.


    "Uh¡­ well, it can''t be that hard to figure out, right?" Andrew replied, shifting the car into drive, before stepping on the pedal. Cathryn screamed as the car peeled out of the driveway at full speed, swerving into the road before belting away.


    "Slow down, SLOW DOWN!!!" Cathryn screeched, scrambling in her seat to find some measure of stability to secure herself, the slim seatbelt not feeling very reassuring at the speeds they were going.


    "Would you calm down? This isn''t even that fast." Andrew scoffed as he went over sixty through a residential district. "I can run faster than this." He commented as he skidded onto a main road, his speed immediately increasing to over a hundred.


    "That was a stop sign!" Cathryn yelled.


    "Oh, right, signs¡­" Andrew muttered, looking at the signs along the side of the road. "What?!? Forty?!? That''s like a minimum, right?"


    "It''s the speed limit! As in, limit your speed to a reasonable, safe level!" Cathryn exclaimed, debating whether she should start praying.


    "We''d be crawling! It''s completely unreasonable!" Andrew argued back.


    "That was a stop light!" Cathryn screeched again.


    Andrew clicked his tongue. "Ah, crap. Stop distracting me, will you?"


    "You-!" Cathryn seethed in frustration, before falling silent, focusing on making sure she had all her safety points secured.


    Grumbling slightly, Andrew began to control his speed, going down to the speed limit, obeying the traffic rules, at least, the ones he knew. He was beginning to think he should have just carried her over in one of his Beast forms. Cathryn breathed a sigh of relief as his driving calmed down, and began actually giving him directions to her house. It only took a few minutes before they finally swerved into her driveway. "Alright, home sweet home!" Andrew announced, throwing the car into park and turning to Cathryn.


    Cathryn breathed out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god." She paused, before turning to Andrew. "Um, I- I guess I''ll see you around? Should- should we meet up tomorrow, or¡­"


    Andrew paused. "Well, I wouldn''t be against it, but I don''t think we need to meet up until next week, when it''s time to go hunting. Until then, well-" He tapped his temple. "We''re still in each other''s heads, remember? I don''t think meeting up will make any difference in how easily we can talk to each other."


    "I- I guess¡­" Cathryn paused. "Should- should I go to work tomorrow?"


    Andrew froze. "Aw, crap, we forgot to talk to Elder Barry about your cover story! Stupid kid talk made me forget everything else!"


    Cathryn flushed. "Yeah, that- I didn''t expect anything like that to happen¡­ not that I expected anything that happened today."


    "Today was pretty wild¡­" Andrew agreed with a slow nod. "But- well, it isn''t the worst thing that could have happened, right? I mean, as much as you got attacked by some strange robot thing and Bonded to the class psycho¡­ well, you do get to be immortal."


    "You''re not- well, you are, but I never thought you deserved to be the class psycho." Cathryn retorted. "Eric- Eric had been pushing you for years. I''m not saying what happened was right, or that he somehow deserved it, but¡­ I never thought you should be blamed for finally doing something to push back. People have a right to defend themselves. I know people brush bullying off as just kid stuff, but¡­ it''s literally torture, both psychologically and physically. It''s what abusers do. Why can we recognize how horrible it is in adults, but when it comes to kids, who are literally in the most formative time of their lives where it can do the most harm, we basically ignore it?!?"


    Andrew grunted, he agreed that bullying was horrible, and her arguments as to why made a whole lot of sense, but¡­ he wouldn''t absolve himself of the blame just because he was pushed. With the power he had, he couldn''t be pushable. He couldn''t be allowed a moment of weakness, even if it would be understandable for someone else. The consequences were just too great.


    "Andrew, you can''t- no one is that unshakable. No one should even be expected to be! Everyone needs to be able to be weak sometimes, even someone as strong as you." Cathryn reached out to grab his arm with a concerned look.


    "But I can''t!" Andrew growled, clutching the wheel, his knuckles whitening. "I''m too- too-" He paused, glancing at the wheel he should have destroyed by now. "Oh, right¡­ I can make myself weaker now."


    "You what?" Cathryn''s eyebrows shot up.


    "Didn''t I say something about that? I recently learned I can adjust my aura to control my strength. It- well, I guess I get a bit more wiggle room now." Andrew explained with a shrug.


    Cathryn frowned. "I- I don''t think that''s the point¡­"


    Andrew waved his hand. "Feh, it''s a moot point now."


    "But-" Cathryn''s expression twisted, before she let out a sigh. "Okay, fine, whatever. Let''s just- what am I supposed to do about work?"


    "Go?" Andrew shrugged. "Might as well, right? At least until we figure out what we''re going to do. People might get suspicious if you suddenly drop off the face of the earth. Keep doing your normal routine, and we''ll deal with things from there."


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    Cathryn nodded. "Right. No sudden big changes. Just go back to normal¡­" She grimaced. "I''m- that might be a little difficult."


    "Just do your best. Even if you make some small mistakes, the Clans will handle it. We''ve gotten pretty good at this, you know?" Andrew replied.


    "If you say so¡­" Cathryn muttered, before sighing and getting out of the car. "I''ll see you later. I really should get inside."


    "I''ll see you." Andrew waved, waiting for her to close the door, before starting the car and pulling away.


    Cathryn watched him drive off with a slight frown. *He could have at least offered to walk me to the door.* She complained internally, before sighing and heading inside.


    "You''re late." A grumpy voice came from the living room as she walked through the door.


    Instantly, Cathryn''s expression turned cold. "I don''t have a schedule. I can''t be late when there''s nowhere I''m supposed to be." The man sitting in the recliner snorted, not even looking away from the TV, ignoring her. Cathryn glared at him for a moment, before heading towards her own room. As she walked, she paused by the door of another room, peeking in to see her mother sleeping, still in her work clothes.


    Cathryn let out a sigh, creeping in to at least take off her shoes and jewelry, before tucking her in. She''d need to wake up and go to her second job soon, but Cathryn wanted her to get at least a little bit of comfortable rest. Cathryn then paced over to her own room, closing the door and sitting at her desk, pulling out a small notebook. She absently took a pen and wrote the date and the words ''Today I'' before stopping, not even sure what to write. Should she talk about the attack? Her journey to the Outside? Her strange new bond with Andrew? Would that be alright? She knew she should keep the Bonded secret, but¡­ this was her diary. It didn''t feel right to write it down, but it also didn''t feel right to just ignore everything that happened either.


    Cathryn bit her lip, considering what to do. Finally, she put the pen to paper and wrote. ''Today I spent the day with Andrew¡­''


    *


    Andrew sat in the forest, in his territory, deep in thought. Something about his Bond with Cathryn had given him an idea. The connection between them was a small thread of aura that connected their cores. If that could happen, could he use his aura to do anything else? He released his aura back to full strength, before attempting to push it out. Wisps of aura began to whip out of him uncontrollably, lashing out around him! Andrew flinched as he felt them hit something, before snapping back to him as he stopped pushing. "What was that?" He asked incredulously as he looked around where he felt his aura hit something. He suddenly froze as he saw what had happened. At the moment, nothing looked any different, visibly, but as he looked around, entire swaths of aura were gone, lines of grass that looked no different from rocks according to his aura sense. "What- what did I just do?" He muttered in disbelief. His aura had somehow torn the aura from the grass¡­


    He quickly focused on his own aura, looking for any differences, but thankfully, he hadn''t somehow acquired a ton of grass cores. He breathed out a sigh of relief, before frowning. What had he done then? Hesitantly he tried to send his aura out again, much more carefully, only sending out a small tentacle of aura this time. He looked at an untouched section of grass, before whipping it out, watching what happened this time. As his aura passed through, he saw the cores being pushed out of the grass, and then they winked out of existence. Andrew blinked a few times. "Huh¡­ that''s- that could be¡­" He paused, before frowning. "Is that- could this be how I got the Lizard core?" If he could steal cores¡­ he''d have to test it.


    Andrew glanced at the tree, considering it, before shaking his head. He didn''t want a giant dead tree in the middle of his territory, plus¡­ what would a tree core even do for him? Instead, his attention turned to the anthill nearby, delving into the depths, searching for one of the ones with wings. If he was going to get a new form, he wanted to at least get something potentially useful. It didn''t take long before he found one, and he carefully snaked a thread of his aura towards it. He hesitated for a moment, before wrapping his aura around the ant, and then pulling. The ant, which had been busily going about its business, suddenly stopped as its life was torn from it. Within Andrew, a fifth core now clumped together with the others. Andrew blinked a few times, before his form shifted, and sitting in his place was a tiny, winged ant. Cautiously, the ant flapped its wings, and it suddenly shot into the air, zooming away at lightning speeds. "Ahhhh!!!" Andrew''s tiny voice yelled as he literally shot through a nearby tree.


    He changed back to his human form, tumbling for a bit, before getting up and staring wide eyed at the hole that he had burst through the tree. "Now that''s what I call a bullet ant." He muttered in disbelief. He then paused as another idea occurred to him. He strode back to the clearing as slowly a pair of insect wings began to emerge from his back. He flapped them carefully a few times, feeling the amount of power he could put into them, before they began to buzz and he shot into the air! "Wooooohahahahaha!" He cackled in delight as he soared over the forest, completely forgetting he was buck naked for a moment.


    *A-Andrew?!?* Cathryn suddenly sent him a mental message, interrupting his flight.


    He came to a stop, hovering as his expression suddenly turned serious. *What? Did something happen? Do you need help?* He began to question her seriously, getting ready to answer her call.


    *N-no, I just¡­ I felt a weird burst of excitement from you¡­* She replied, a bit embarrassed. She probably shouldn''t have bothered him. The sudden emotion had just startled her.


    *Oh¡­ yeah, uh, I- I kinda just learned how to fly¡­ got a little excited.* Andrew explained sheepishly.


    *Oh, oka-* Cathryn paused, eyes widening. *Y-you can fly?!? Is- is that a Beast thing?*


    *Only if you have wings.* Andrew replied with a smirk.


    Cathryn paused. *But¡­ you don''t have wings?*


    *I didn''t have wings.* Andrew corrected her.


    Cathryn paused for a longer period of time, her mind struggling to process that statement, before finally giving up. *I-I''m going to get back to work¡­*


    Andrew chuckled as he flew back towards his territory. *Have fun. Let me know if you need anything.* He quickly returned to the clearing, letting the wings disappear as he put his clothes back on, considering what he''d learned.


    At this point it was clear that what had happened back in the tunnels was that somehow his ability had moved on its own, reaching out to steal the Lizard''s core. The next question was¡­ what would happen if he pushed a core out of himself? Would it disappear like the grass cores? What would that mean for him? He could already feel himself merging with the ant core, turning it into him, just like he had the Lizard core. If he just got rid of it¡­ wouldn''t that be like ripping out a piece of himself? Andrew shuddered. He wasn''t going to touch that any time soon.


    Instead, he turned his attention to the new core within himself, mushed against the others as it tried to fit in. The first thing he noticed was how weak it was. Even at full power, it was weaker than the level he usually withdrew his other cores to. Not that this was particularly surprising. It did come from an ant. He didn''t really expect anything particularly powerful. Still, the form itself was more useful than he''d expected. Even in ant form, he still had his other auras empowering him, plus, well, the wings. He could already see the usefulness of this new form. All that power in a practically invisible form, the ability to fly¡­ he was looking forward to his next hunt. Particularly since, with the realization of this new ability¡­ he was going to need to think about what other cores he wanted to steal.


    Andrew cocked his head. How would that work actually? How did it work now? When he absorbed crystals, how was the energy distributed? Theoretically, his Human core absorbed all the extra energy, but what about the others? Did they get the energy first, then the extra went to the Human core? Andrew paused. Wait, that wasn''t the issue. If he had too many cores, would any of his abilities really grow? Sure, his physical strength would increase, but that was only half of what made Beasts truly powerful. As abilities grew, they became truly ridiculous. If he never had access to that kind of power simply because he had too many cores¡­ Andrew sighed. It just wasn''t worth it. Unless an ability was truly special, he wouldn''t steal a core. What he had right now was more than enough.


    There was one other idea Andrew thought he could test before he was done for the day, but¡­ it was risky. Using his aura, he could attempt to connect another core to his own, like the connection between him and Cathryn, but¡­ maybe it wasn''t the best idea to do something that might get him Bonded to a piece of grass. Andrew debated back and forth for a moment, before letting out a sigh and getting to his feet. He was done for today.

 Aura: 17 - Pool party

    "Hey, you''re back!" Jack exclaimed, throwing an arm around Andrew''s shoulder as he walked in through the back door. "Finally done with your secret forest mumbo jumbo?"


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "For a bit. I''ve learned some new tricks that I need to consider more thoroughly before I decide how to progress."


    "New tricks?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don''t you have enough of those already?"


    "I ain''t no old dog." Andrew retorted with a chuckle. "I can learn new tricks all I want. In fact¡­" Andrew grinned, his head suddenly shifting into a horror show of mandibles and compound eyes. "What do you think of this?" He hissed.


    Jack''s eyes widened, quickly looking around to make sure no one else was there. "What are you- stop that!" He exclaimed in a panic as Andrew changed back.


    Andrew couldn''t help but laugh at Jack''s panicked expression. "Calm down, no one was around, it''s fine. Neat trick though, huh?"


    Jack shook his head. "Don''t scare me like that, dude. How''d you do that?"


    "I can apparently steal¡­ well, I call them cores, but it amounts to the form and ability of a life form. I just stole an ant''s core." Andrew replied with a shrug. "Pretty neat, huh?"


    "I guess." Jack shrugged. "I mean, you could already turn into giant, fuck all Beasts, so this isn''t too much of a change, is it?"


    Andrew clicked his tongue. "You''re no fun."


    Jack rolled his eyes. "Come on, let''s go. The others are in the pool and I wanted to see if you''d be interested in joining us."


    Andrew frowned, almost rejecting the offer on instinct, before pausing. Maybe without needing to worry about controlling his strength, swimming could actually be kinda fun¡­ "You know what, sure. Let me go get changed. I''ll meet you there." Andrew replied, heading off to his room to change. He then headed over to the pool, freezing as immediately every head turned towards him. "Uh¡­ hey guys." He waved awkwardly.


    "Damn Jack! Your little bro is built!" Kevin commented. "What''s your workout routine, man? I''ve been trying to put on muscle for months and I still can''t get a decent line going." Kevin continued, flexing a bit with a frown as he examined his own musculature.


    Jack snorted. "Don''t even ask. All that''s from running around in the forest acting like a monkey. That and godly genes." He commented, shooting a wink Andrew''s way.


    Kevin raised an eyebrow at Jack. "If his genes are so great, where are your muscles?"


    Jack sighed wearily. "I had to give them up to remain in the mortal world. A sacrifice I had to make to experience your mortal woes."


    Kevin snorted, smacking the water to send a wave at Jack''s face. "Whatever dude." He turned to Andrew. "You just gonna stand there, Mr. Divine, or do we have to throw you in?"


    Andrew paused, before grinning as he gave his Monkey side a bit of a boost. "You can certainly give it a shot, but I don''t like your chances." He retorted, flexing slightly.


    Kevin blinked, before grinning as well. He glanced towards the others. "Guys, I think that was a challenge. How about we show this punk the dangers of disrespecting his elders?" Jack''s friends laughed, the three guys about to jump out of the pool, when Jack interrupted.


    "Hey, hey! No rough housing around the pool! Water plus cement equals hospital visits in the near future." Jack scolded them, before turning to Andrew. "You get in here before they do something stupid."


    "Yeah, yeah." Andrew rolled his eyes, jumping over the edge and doing a cannonball.


    "Nice of you to join us, nature boy." Sarah greeted him, splashing a bit of water at him as payback for the wave he''d just sent over everyone. "You know you don''t need to spend all your time in the forest, right?"


    "And you don''t need to spend all your time communing with your phone, but that doesn''t stop you either, huh?" Andrew retorted with a grin, splashing her back.


    Sarah gasped in mock offense. "I''ll have you know that me and my phone share a special relationship!"


    "Social media isn''t special, Sarah, it''s what''s killing real socialization." Amy commented.


    "Philistines! You''re all just stuck in the past!" Sarah exclaimed.


    "Yeah, yeah." Andrew rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Honestly, who would want to spend all their time looking at what other people were doing? That just sounded dumb.


    "Done!" Kate announced breathlessly, excitedly holding up a now inflated beach ball, causing everyone to turn towards her. "First one to let it touch the water or knock it out of the pool is the loser!" She yelled, tossing the ball at the group before jumping in after it. Everyone quickly got into the game, people slowly getting eliminated and moving to the side, until it was down to just Andrew and Kate, battling it out for dominance. Andrew normally would have just stepped back from the game, his real strength making any sort of competition impossible, but now that he could adjust his strength down to normal, he actually wanted to try. His little sister put up a hell of a fight, too. The girl was pure athleticism, and he wouldn''t be surprised if she went professional in something, if she could actually decide which sport to actually focus on. Still, even without his strength, Andrew had enough of an advantage to pull ahead, whooping as Kate dived and smacked the ball too hard, sending it flying out of the pool.


    "Volleyball, girls versus boys!" Kate yelled the moment she lost, running off to grab a net to pull across the pool.


    Jack shook his head. "I have no idea where that girl pulls her energy from."


    "Judging by the contents of her room, junk food and soda." Amy commented. "If she moved any less, she''d gain fifty pounds overnight."


    Under Kate''s prodding, they all played a few games of volleyball, switching up the teams a few times, though the consensus was that Andrew and Kate should never be on the same team. Eventually though, everyone was tired, except Kate of course, and they retired to the hot tub. The hot tub wasn''t exactly small, but nine people was still a little much, so it took some creative squeezing before they all fit. Surprisingly, Amelia had ended up in Jack''s lap, Andrew shooting his older brother a questioning look, receiving a wink in return. Andrew would need to follow up on that.


    Amy gave Amelia a glance as well, her eyes narrowing slightly, before surreptitiously beginning an interrogation attempt. "You said you were taking psychology, right? What do you think of your school''s program?"


    "Well, I''m in a counseling specialized program, so it focuses mainly on disorders and therapy approaches. They do a lot to get us connected with the local therapists though, providing internship opportunities as well as bringing in guest speakers on special topics. I''m actually starting an internship right after this trip is over." Amelia explained.


    Amy nodded. "Interesting. I''m thinking of going for psychology myself, but I wanted to focus more on research. Do you know anything about their research programs?"


    Amelia shrugged. "Not really. I assume they''re good, and I haven''t heard any complaints, but I haven''t actually looked into them."


    Amy eyed her. "I see."


    Sarah rolled her eyes. "Don''t you think it''s a little early to be worrying about college? I didn''t start applying until earlier this year and I got in just fine!"


    "That''s only because-" Amy began, before pausing, remembering their company. "I just want to be prepared. Is that so bad?"


    "Programs matter more for degrees like the social sciences, especially when you consider research." Jack added. "For tech degrees, you could get one from anywhere and still be competitive."


    Sarah shrugged. "I just want to learn how to hunt trolls. As long as they can teach me that, I don''t care where I go."


    "You don''t need college for that. I can teach you." Andrew piped up.


    Sarah gave him a wary look. "Really?" She asked, wondering if there was some sort of magic or ability he could use to actually track people through the internet.


    "Yup. See, the first thing you need to do is find a mountain-" Andrew began.


    "Not those trolls, jerk!" Sarah yelled, splashing him as he burst out laughing.


    The conversation moved on, Jack''s friends telling some funny stories from college, more than a few involving Jack, and Andrew relaxed against the wall of the tub, smiling in contentment. He could feel everyone in the pool genuinely getting along and enjoying each other''s company. Amy would still occasionally ask Amelia a question in her round about way, getting some form of information from the answer that only she would understand, but from what Andrew could tell, Amelia seemed to be passing Amy''s tests rather well. He also noticed Kevin and Kristen getting a bit handsy with each other under the water, but he wasn''t about to call attention to it. It was all very¡­ normal. Andrew let out a sigh. He could use a bit more normal in his life.


    *


    "Andrew, I believe there''s something you have to tell us, yes?" Helen commented, raising an eyebrow at him as the family ate breakfast together the next morning, a sharp edge in her tone. Jack''s college friends were all still sleeping, the group having gone out the previous night and stayed out way too late. The only reason Jack was there was because Helen had literally dragged him out of bed and plopped him into his chair.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Andrew froze, frantically searching his mind for something he''d forgotten to tell his parents. "Uh¡­ this?" Andrew asked, doing his ant head trick. Maybe Jack had said something to them?


    Helen''s eyes widened, dropping her fork. "You- how did-" She stammered, before pausing and taking a deep breath. "We''ll discuss that later. No, I was talking about a certain girl you''ve recently¡­ connected with."


    Andrew''s frown deepened. Who had he- oh. His eyes widened. "Oh¡­ you mean the thing with Cathryn."


    "Yes! The thing with Cathryn!" Helen growled.


    "Who''s Cathryn?" Sarah asked curiously.


    "This girl I know from school." Andrew replied.


    "You know people at school?" Sarah asked skeptically.


    "Vaguely." Andrew answered, rolling his eyes.


    "Potential girlfriend?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "I wish." Andrew sighed. "No, the thing with Cathryn is more¡­ complicated."


    "And yet your mother and I had to hear about it from Arose, not you." Stephen commented in a serious tone, leveling a stern look at him. "Why is it you felt you couldn''t come to us with this? We''re your parents! We should be the first people you come to when you''re in trouble!"


    "I did go to you!" Andrew protested. "It happened during the mall thing! Grandpa is just the one who picked me up, so he''s who I talked to about it! And then, after that, it was just a thing. I didn''t really think about telling anyone about it!"


    Stephen rubbed his temple, sighing in exasperation. "Andrew, in the future, we would like to be informed when there are major developments in your life. Also, we would like to actually meet this Cathryn. She''s practically our daughter at this point. We should get to know her at the very least."


    "I am so confused." Sarah groaned.


    "Your brother went and got himself bound to some random mortal, turning her into a Bonded and him into her Beast." Helen growled.


    His sisters'' eyes widened. "That can happen?!?" Sarah asked incredulously.


    "How would something like that even be possible?" Amy muttered, frowning in thought.


    "Is there a way for me to do it?" Kate asked hopefully.


    "By all indications, it was a freak accident brought on by Andrew''s unique situation. It may be possible for some people to do something similar but it would require you to venture into the wilderness and interact with wild Beasts, who would be more likely to eat you than bond with you." Stephen explained.


    "So you''re saying there''s a chance." Kate replied.


    Stephen rolled his eyes. "Yes, as much of a chance as developing superpowers from rolling around in nuclear waste."


    Kate''s eyes widened. "Would that work?"


    "Only for Andrew." Stephen retorted with a grin.


    Andrew cocked his head. "I''m pretty sure I''m still susceptible to radiation. Though¡­ huh. How does my transformation work? Do you think I could remove tumors using it?" Andrew suddenly froze. Was that how he''d survived the stomp?!? Wait- no, he hadn''t transformed¡­ maybe the damage was bad enough that it healed automatically? He''d have to test that.


    Helen fixed him with a glare. "You''re not off the hook yet, buster. I want that girl at my dinner table tonight, understood?"


    Andrew saluted. "Yes, Ma''am."


    Helen nodded. "Good."


    *


    *When do you get off work today?* Andrew sent Cathryn later that day, after she''d woken up.


    *Around five. Why?* Cathryn asked warily.


    *My parents want to meet you.* Andrew explained. *Now that we''re Bonded, you''re essentially half their child as well, so they want to get to know you.*


    Cathryn froze. *You- you want me to meet your parents?*


    Andrew frowned. *I wouldn''t say I want you to, this is more of a them thing. Particularly my mom. Still, it''s probably a good idea. They''re both Bonded, obviously, so you''re going to be interacting with them a lot over the years, or maybe I should say eons, especially since they''re my parents and you can''t get too far away from me. Best to start with a good impression, rather than ignoring them until you need them.*


    Cathryn hesitated. *I- okay, I can be free tonight. I''ll just need to bring an extra change of clothes¡­* She muttered, more to herself than to Andrew.


    *Sounds good. I''ll pick you up a little after five, outside the mall.* Andrew told her.


    *Okay¡­ no, wait, why don''t you just call me over?* Cathryn asked.


    Andrew paused. *Well, I could but where would you like to leave a random pile of clothes, and what are you planning on wearing once you get here?* He asked, grinning slightly.


    Cathryn froze. *N-never mind.*


    Andrew laughed. *Alright, then, I''ll pick you up at five. See you then.*


    Cathryn sent a feeling of agreement, before shaking her head, focusing on getting ready for work, before suddenly pausing. Andrew was picking her up?!?


    *


    "Ready?" Andrew asked as Cathryn walked out of the mall, looking around nervously.


    She sighed in relief as she didn''t see a car, before frowning. "Are we not driving?" She asked hesitantly.


    Andrew grinned. "Nah, I have something better." He replied, waving for her to follow as he headed towards the tree line.


    Cathryn hesitated, but she didn''t exactly have many options at the moment, so with a groan, she followed, catching up as they reached the trees. "How- why are you taking your shirt off?!?"


    "I don''t want to ruin it." Andrew shrugged, as a moment later, thin, gossamer wings erupted from his back. Before Cathryn could even react, he picked her up and they were off.


    "Holy- shit!" Cathryn exclaimed as her shock turned to amazement as she watched the world below shrink as Andrew carried her higher and higher.


    "Neat, huh?" Andrew grinned as he stopped climbing, heading towards his home.


    "It''s beautiful¡­" Cathryn muttered as she watched the world from above, watching the tiny dots of cars speed along. She could even see her house. "But, what if someone sees us?"


    "The Clans will handle it." Andrew shrugged. "Goats can fly once their ability reaches a certain point, so they''re used to dealing with stuff like this. Besides, we''re moving too fast for anyone to get a good look anyway." He added as he began to descend, landing in the woods behind his house.


    Cathryn frowned. "We''re here already?" She asked, as Andrew put her down. "But- I barely felt anything! There wasn''t even any wind!"


    Andrew chuckled. "Yeah, it turns out our wind ability is pretty effective for that."


    Cathryn gave him a strange look. "Turns out? You didn''t know you could do that?"


    Andrew shook his head. "No. I- you remember how I said I have this strange, furry lizard form? Well, I didn''t always have it. I¡­ acquired it at some point, along with the ant form that gave me wings just now. I haven''t fully explored its ability yet."


    Cathryn nodded slowly, before shaking her head. "Okay, hold on, wait. How many forms do you have again?"


    "Five: Human, Monkey, Tiger, Lizard, ant." Andrew answered, holding up his hand and raising each finger as he counted off the forms.


    "Okay¡­ and they give you your abilities?" Cathryn asked hesitantly. She didn''t know quite how it worked, but he''d just mentioned that Goats could fly, so she guessed abilities were tied to a specific form?


    "Right. The Monkey gives me the ability to sense and transmit emotions, the Tiger lets me create a territory that I can control the space within, the Lizard lets me control wind, and the ant is just an ant¡­ no ability." Andrew replied.


    Cathryn nodded, trying to wrap her mind around the idea. "So, each form gives you one ability¡­ except for human and ant."


    "Actually, my Human form might give me an ability. I have an idea what it might be, but I haven''t actually tested it yet." Andrew replied.


    Cathryn froze. "Wait, humans can have abilities? Like, regular humans?"


    Andrew shook his head. "No, just me. And apparently this guy named Long who lived thousands of years ago. And possibly our kids."


    Cathryn flushed. "R-right. So that''s- that''s why-"


    "That''s why the higher-ups are so interested in us having kids, yes." Andrew nodded. "Long was strong. Stronger than most other Beasts. If I, or our children, can be as strong as he was¡­ it will be very good for the Clans and humanity as a whole."


    Cathryn bit her lip. "And- and you''re okay with that? Being- h-having a kid with me?"


    Andrew gave her a weird look, wondering why she was so flustered by all this. "Sure? Why not? It''s just one kid."


    Cathryn almost tripped as he said that. "What- You- just- how can you say that!?!" She asked incredulously.


    Andrew frowned. "What''s the big deal? We''re both going to have hundreds of kids, thousands even! Why make a big deal over a single one we''ve been asked to have?"


    Cathryn froze. "We- we- we- we-"


    Andrew gave her an amused look. "You''re really not getting this whole immortality thing, are you? Cathryn, you''re going to live forever, or at least until something kills one of us. Which, as you get older, becomes increasingly unlikely. Even if you aren''t trying to have kids, you''re going to end up having a sizable amount."


    "What- what about my eggs? Won''t- won''t I run out at some point?" She asked nervously.


    Andrew cocked his head, before frowning. "I would normally say no, because normal Bonded don''t have that issue, but¡­ you aren''t a normal Bonded¡­ I guess we''ll see?"


    Cathryn''s expression twisted. "That isn''t exactly a helpful answer."


    Andrew shrugged. "I''m not exactly a helpful person." He paused. "Though, I will say, my new ant side does make me a bit more motivated in that department. It also really wants to have kids, but honestly the Lizard had that one covered already."


    Cathryn blinked a few times. "Excuse me, what? You- you have sides?!?"


    "Don''t you?" Andrew pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her. "Aren''t there times you feel more motivated to do something than others? Times you feel like just letting loose, or just curling up and relaxing? My sides are like that. They help me get in a certain mindset, based on the core I give priority. It''s perfectly normal, I just have a bit more control than other people."


    Cathryn frowned. She guessed he had a point there¡­ though the way he talked about it made it seem weird. Moods were one thing, but talking about ant or Lizard sides? That seemed like it took things a step too far.


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "It''s really not a big deal, seriously."


    Cathryn sighed. "Fine, whatever. It''s your head, not mine. Just- be careful, alright? I don''t want you suddenly turning into a completely different person on me."


    Andrew snorted. "Would that be such a bad thing? But don''t worry, that isn''t how this works. As I said, each core is like a mood. It doesn''t change who I am, at least, not who I really am. It just¡­ gives me more options." Cathryn gave him a worried look, before nodding. Now was not the time to dig into that mess. Andrew glanced back at her with a twisted expression, before deciding to drop it as well. They were already at the house. They could argue later.

 Aura: 18 - Family dinner

    Andrew showed Cathryn to a guest room for her to change, and she emerged a few minutes later in some nicer clothes, following Andrew to the living room where his sisters were waiting while his parents were busy in the kitchen.


    "So, you''re Cathryn, huh?" Sarah asked, getting up and giving her an evaluating look, the moment they walked in.


    "Y-yes?" Cathryn stepped back a bit, a little weirded out by the sudden intensity. "And you are?"


    "Sarah, stop freaking her out." Amy sighed, getting up as well, approaching Cathryn. "This is Sarah, I''m Amy, and that''s Kate. We''re Andrew''s sisters." She introduced them all, holding out her hand.


    "Nice to meet you." Cathryn replied, shaking her hand nervously.


    "So you''re in Andrew''s head?" Kate asked curiously. "What''s that like?"


    "It''s not- I only get some thoughts every now and then, unless I focus¡­ I try not to focus." Cathryn explained.


    "That bad, huh?" Sarah snickered.


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "Yes, my mind is a horrible place. Really, no one should be in there."


    "It''s more that it feels like an invasion of privacy¡­" Cathryn muttered.


    "Please, Andrew invades everyone''s privacy. That emotion sensing ability is bullshit." Amy snorted. "It''s actually nice that someone can finally show him what it''s like."


    "Hey, I''m literally incapable of doing anything else!" Andrew protested. "It isn''t like I chose this ability."


    "Just because you can''t help it doesn''t mean it isn''t inconvenient for the rest of us." Amy retorted. "We don''t judge you for it, obviously, but it''s still satisfying when you have to deal with it yourself, so we know you know how it feels."


    "Fair." Andrew sighed. "By the way, where''s Jack?"


    "He took his friends out for dinner. Mom and Dad wanted to be able to talk without worrying about keeping secrets." Sarah explained with a shrug.


    "Gotcha." Andrew nodded along.


    There was a short pause, before Amy turned to Cathryn. "So¡­ have you and Andrew known each other long?"


    "Kinda?" Cathryn replied hesitantly. "We go to school together, so we''ve always known of each other, but we''ve never really been friends. Especially not after¡­" She trailed off, glancing towards Andrew as his expression darkened. "He isolated himself from everyone after that. It was hard to even approach him."


    Amy sighed. "Yeah, even we have a hard time getting close to him at school."


    "You guys don''t need the stigma of being the sisters of the dude who killed a kid." Andrew grumbled defensively.


    "Isn''t that our decision to make?" Sarah commented, raising an eyebrow at him. "You don''t have to protect us. We aren''t ashamed of you, and anyone who would care about something like that isn''t worth being friends with in the first place."


    Andrew sighed at the familiar argument, one they''d repeated dozens of times. "People suck sometimes, but that doesn''t make them bad people. Why ruin perfectly fine friendships over something that doesn''t even matter? There''s barely any time to hang out at school anyway. It''s just not worth it."


    "How is it not worth it to keep you from being fucking miserable all the time!?!" Sarah retorted.


    "I''m not miserable! I''m fine! I don''t need people to like me! It''s not like they''ll be around very long, anyway." Andrew countered. Who cared if everyone rejected him? He''d reject them! He wouldn''t bother with them and they wouldn''t bother with him. Good fucking riddance!


    "Andrew¡­" Cathryn placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at him with concern, feeling the hurt and frustration coming through their bond.


    "What? I''m fine!" Andrew protested.


    "Andrew, you can''t lie to me." Cathryn replied softly. "I know what''s going on in there."


    Andrew froze, his expression twisting. "I don''t need them." He spat. "Maybe- maybe I need someone, but not them. Their acceptance wouldn''t mean anything to me. I''ve seen what they accept, and it''s all empty and meaningless, based on nothing. I''m not going to let myself live and die for something like that. I''m not going to work my ass off to get that kind of acceptance."


    "Yet you won''t let us risk it to help out our own brother?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow.


    Andrew sighed. "If you already have it, why throw it away? It''s at least something. It''s comforting when it''s there, and stable enough to last through most hardships. The situations where it might fail you are situations you''re unlikely to ever find yourselves in. Situations that only happen to freaks like me."


    "You''re not a freak!" Kate protested fiercely, glaring at him.


    "Yes, I am." Andrew retorted blandly. "I''m not saying it''s a bad thing, but objectively, my experiences are so far outside the norm, they can only be called freakish. I''m not even close to normal by Bonded standards!"


    "That still isn''t an excuse to avoid people." Sarah huffed, crossing her arms.


    "They avoided me first." Andrew shrugged. "I''m just not chasing after them."


    *


    The conversation died a bit after that, but thankfully dinner was ready not much later, and everyone was called over to help set the table and get everything together. Arose arrived just as they finished setting up, Ertemis hanging on his arm, surprising everyone. Apparently they''d decided to couple again. They all sat down and after a quick round of introductions for Cathryn and Ertemis''s sake, they began grabbing food, everyone digging in, focusing on eating for the first few minutes.


    "So, Andrew, Cathryn, I''ve heard a few of the details, but I''d like to hear from you how this¡­ Bond formed." Helen began after the initial food frenzy was over.


    Cathryn pulled her eyes away from the spectacle that was Andrew''s eating habits, wondering how he managed to not make a mess while shoving his food around like that, turning to Helen. "I- I''m really not sure¡­ there was this- this thing, invisible, and Andrew showed up to fight it. It tried to grab me, then when Andrew pulled me away¡­ something seemed to click and suddenly we were in each other''s heads."


    "Actually, it happened when you grabbed me, after I pulled you away and was heading after the machine." Andrew interjected, wiping his face with a napkin. "The machine grabbed you, I grabbed the machine so it wouldn''t take you with it when I kicked, then you grabbed my wrist¡­ maybe it was the skin on skin contact? Though¡­ you definitely touched me when I paid for my food earlier, so it probably wasn''t just that."


    "What were you feeling at the time? When you grabbed him?" Stephen asked Cathryn curiously.


    "I- I''m not sure¡­ I just remember being scared, for both of us. I- I didn''t want him to get hurt or to leave me alone with- with whatever that was." Cathryn explained hesitantly.


    "Hmmm¡­ desperation, a high stress environment, physical contact¡­ if the Bond was already prepared, waiting, this situation would provide the perfect trigger." Ertemis commented thoughtfully.


    "So, lesson learned. Don''t go saving random girls at the mall." Andrew snorted. "Or at least avoid touching them¡­"


    "Really, avoiding going around touching random girls is probably good advice in general." Stephen commented with a smirk.


    "Unless you''re really good at it." Arose added with a wink.


    "Don''t be crass, dear." Ertemis chided him with a pat on the arm while Helen snorted in disgust.


    "Does it really matter though?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow. "I''m pretty much the only person this could possibly happen to, and it already happened. I can''t be Bonded to two people, or something like this would have happened before, when a Bonded saved someone or something."


    "True, but¡­ I''m not saying this is likely, but with your multiple forms, can you really be sure you can''t create multiple Bonds as well? At least as many as you have forms, in theory." Stephen pointed out.


    Andrew''s eyes widened as he realized that wasn''t only possible, it might even be probable. "I should wear gloves¡­ and long sleeves. With duct tape."


    Stephen chuckled. "Don''t worry, I''m sure you''re not going to find yourself saving too many damsels in distress in the near future."


    "You know, it doesn''t have to be a girl¡­" Amy pointed out. "Be careful of any men you save too."


    "I think I just need to avoid interacting with mortals, period. It always seems to get me in trouble." Andrew grumbled.


    "Not the best track record, no¡­" Stephen muttered.


    Arose snorted. "I''ve seen worse. Seus couldn''t go a day without either fucking or killing some poor mortal."


    Ertemis sighed. "I think it''s a Rabbit thing¡­ too much energy, not enough outlets. Though they seem to have calmed down after their foray into the battery industry."


    "E-excuse me¡­" Cathryn piped up hesitantly. "Did- did you say Zeus?!? As in the god Zeus?!?"


    "It''s actually Seus, dear. With an ''S''." Ertemis replied. "But yes, that is how you mortals know him. You might also recognize me as Artemis, and this one as Eros. How they mixed the letters up, I have no idea."


    "Time and poorly kept records." Arose commented. "When you fade into myth, things tend to get a bit fuzzy."


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    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "So- so the Greek myths are real?!?"


    "Ha! No. Well, mostly." Arose replied. "It''s true that we existed and had influence for a time, but most of those stories are just that: stories. The Greeks were very creative, and as long as there was an interesting idea, they would go with it. They would literally make up myths while drunk off their ass. Wonderful people, really."


    "I did say we used to be gods." Andrew commented.


    "I didn''t expect them to be your grandparents!" Cathryn hissed back.


    "Alright, enough! This is getting off topic." Helen interjected. "We''re here to learn about Cathryn, not some ancient history that has little to no bearing on how we operate nowadays." She turned to Cathryn. "Do you have any plans for college? Potential careers?"


    Cathryn froze. "I- I can still have a career? I thought- won''t I have to work Outside?"


    Helen turned to Andrew, frowning. "What have you been telling this girl?"


    "Nothing!" Andrew protested. "I just said I was going to be joining an organization, and that since we''re Bonded, she''ll probably have to join too!"


    Helen clicked her tongue, before turning back to Cathryn. "Bonded can still have careers, yes. We go to college, learn various trades, get jobs to help support ourselves while we raise our families, anything your average mortal might do. For example, Stephen currently works as a counselor here in town."


    "Or you could own a private island hidden in the middle of the Mediterranean, where a small native population worships you as a god." Arose interjected. "You know, if you were looking for options."


    Cathryn blinked at Arose a few times, before ignoring him and turning to Stephen. "You''re a counselor?"


    Stephen smiled. "I am. Are you interested in counseling? I could let you shadow me if you''d like."


    Cathryn hesitated. "I- I''m not sure¡­ I know I want to help people¡­ people who are stuck in abusive situations, but- I''m not sure how." She muttered, her expression falling as frustration welled up within her. "They just don''t see how damaging it is, and they just won''t do what it takes to escape! How- how do you help someone who refuses to help themselves?!?"


    A few glances shot towards Andrew, before looking away awkwardly. Stephen coughed as well, before answering. "This may sound a little harsh, but¡­ you don''t. When someone refuses to acknowledge the truth of a situation, a logical argument isn''t going to change their mind, and a helping hand will only sustain their belief that things aren''t so bad. The situation needs to change, something needs to happen that actually shows them the reality of their situation, and unfortunately, that change usually happens when the situation hits its lowest point. You hear it all the time. ''My life was X, and then I hit rock bottom.'' Without consequences, people rarely take the step back to truly observe their life and what they''re doing wrong. Only when things get really bad are they truly shaken and forced to adjust."


    "But then¡­ how do I help?" Cathryn asked.


    "You show them what''s wrong, make sure they know you''re there to help them whenever they''re ready, make sure they know how to get out if they want to, and then you leave them alone." Stephen stated firmly. "People are free to make their own decisions, their own mistakes. You can save people from a lot of things, but you can''t save them from themselves. You can''t force them to change. Once they do, you can be there to catch them, to support them as they struggle to get better, but you can''t help someone walk on a broken leg. When something is broken, you need to wait for it to heal before you can use it. Walking on a broken leg will only break it more, and a broken mind will only continue to break. The break needs to go away, the thought process convincing them their situation is okay needs to change, before they can learn to walk again."


    Cathryn crumpled in on herself slightly. "I don''t think I could do that¡­ I don''t think I could handle watching people hurt themselves over and over, just waiting for them to want to change."


    Stephen sighed, nodding in agreement. "Few can. It takes a certain level of heartlessness, which doesn''t come naturally to those who genuinely want to help people. It''s almost a paradox. If you care about helping people, you can''t care too much about helping people. It''s why many medical professionals get burnt out¡­ you can only watch people harm themselves for so long before something breaks. You either become jaded, seeing every patient as the enemy, or you quit."


    Andrew''s eye was twitching as thoughts continued to flow through his connection with Cathryn, images of a tired, machine-like woman who worked and worked to provide for her family, while a lazy, bitter man sat to the side, leeching off her, doing nothing to help. A man who spent all their money on alcohol, on gambling, on other women, not even bothering to hide it. Yet she refused to leave him, refused to kick his lazy ass out, refused to see how much better their lives would be without him! Even when he came home drunk, even when he beat her when the money he''d wasted ran out, she still stayed!


    "Andrew? Are you okay?" Helen asked, concerned.


    "Oh no, he''s pissed. Probably something to do with whatever is making her so depressed." Arose commented, gesturing towards Cathryn.


    Cathryn jolted out of her swirling thoughts at Arose''s comment, turning to Andrew with wide eyes as she felt his fury on her behalf. Andrew took a deep breath, releasing the aura from his Lizard core until he gained a proper distance from the outrage he felt at Cathryn''s father''s actions, allowing him to push it away for a moment. The Lizard wasn''t great with emotions. He shot her an awkward smile. "Sorry about that¡­ your dad''s a dick."


    Cathryn couldn''t help but smile back. "I know."


    No one spoke for a moment, everyone silently picking at their food, not sure what to say, until Arose spoke up. "Okay, I have to know. How on Earth did you just do that?" He asked curiously. "I literally watched your emotional profile shift!"


    "I would like to know as well." Stephen commented, giving Andrew a concerned look.


    "Uh, well, you see-" Andrew explained about his cores and how they affected his mood. "So I just increased my Lizard core''s influence, and it helped me gain some distance. I''m still angry, but¡­ I don''t need to be angry, if that makes any sense."


    "It seems like a function Monkeys get once their ability reaches a certain level, mood altering." Arose commented thoughtfully. "This aura ability you have¡­ it seems more versatile than we initially thought. You should probably talk with an Elder. They can at least help you think of ways to explore it more."


    Andrew hesitated before nodding in agreement. He hadn''t had much luck with the Elders so far, but they were supposedly experts. It couldn''t hurt to ask them, right? The conversation resumed, Helen asking Cathryn a few more pointed questions about her interests and life goals, while Arose did his best to derail the conversation in any way he could, which honestly did a lot to keep the dinner from feeling like an interrogation focused on Cathryn. By the end, everyone had accepted Cathryn as a new part of the family. There was still some awkwardness of course, mostly on Cathryn''s end. She wasn''t sure how to handle this new group of people who were suddenly very interested in her life. They offered support almost thoughtlessly, as if buying her new shoes or a better backpack was inconsequential. Sarah practically insisted on taking her out shopping for new clothes! She wasn''t used to anyone being this¡­ involved in her life. At least, not in a positive way.


    After dinner was over, Andrew borrowed Arose''s car again to take Cathryn home, though this time he made sure to actually follow the traffic laws, for the most part. Cathryn still had a death grip on the overhead handle as they pulled into her driveway. "Why- how do you make driving a car more nerve-wracking than freaking flying!?!" She exclaimed.


    Andrew gave her a weird look. "What do you mean? I was going slow as fuck! How could you consider that nerve-wracking?!?"


    Cathryn shuddered, jumping out of the car, before pausing and turning back. "I- thank you. For introducing me to your family. They were¡­ nice."


    Andrew shrugged. "No problem. It was my mom''s idea anyway, I just picked you up." He chuckled, climbing out of the car himself.


    Cathryn froze as she saw Andrew getting out, her eyes widening. "What are you doing?" She asked hesitantly.


    Andrew paused. "Walking you to the door? Isn''t that what you wanted me to do last time?"


    Cathryn flushed. "You- you heard that?"


    Andrew chuckled, nodding. "Turns out, thoughts related to us have easier times getting through. At least, as far as I can tell."


    Cathryn nodded, thinking that made a lot of sense, before something else occurred to her and she froze again. "Then- you- when I was-" She stammered, her flush coming back as she thought about when she was writing her diary, a lot of what she wrote related to Andrew.


    "It was like I had a narrator in my head for like fifteen minutes." Andrew grumbled. "Though, I will say, you kinda made me sound like an asshole¡­ I wasn''t trying to control everything, it''s just- well, I know the Bonded better, so I just figured I''d take care of it."


    Cathryn flushed deeper. "Maybe- maybe I was a little harsh. I don''t think you''re an- an-" She paused, before saying the next word in a barely audible hiss. "Asshole¡­ you just- I know you''re trying to care about people, but you have too much confidence in what you understand¡­ I think you need to take the time and try to understand where other people are coming from sometimes, instead of just focusing on what you know."


    Andrew frowned. "I would have listened if you''d said something. Hell, I wouldn''t have had a choice! I thought- you were so confused. I don''t think you even could have said anything."


    Cathryn shook her head. "It isn''t about listening, it''s about- look, I know you did what you thought was best for both of us, but you barely even stopped to consider asking for my opinion! Especially- Andrew, you said we''d have a baby together without even thinking of talking to me about it! You just assumed I''d agree because it was the best solution you could think of! I mean, you''re probably right, but¡­ I would have appreciated it if you''d at least tried to consult me." Cathryn explained, venting a bit of her frustration at him.


    Andrew''s frown deepened. "But I could tell you weren''t in a position to say anything¡­ you were still stuck on the idea of having a kid period, completely embarrassed that anyone was even talking about this, or that anyone would suggest you have a baby with me."


    Cathryn groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, I know, but that isn''t the point! It isn''t about my ability to respond, but respecting me enough to do it anyway!" Andrew grunted. He supposed she had a point, but it just seemed like a waste of time. Cathryn rolled her eyes. "Andrew, you can''t skip respecting other people just because it''s convenient. Everyone deserves respect, no matter what."


    Andrew glanced at the house, his expression hardening. "What about him? Does he deserve respect?" He spat.


    Cathryn froze, before curling in on herself. "He''s- he''s damaged, in his own way¡­ I''m not saying what he does is right, and I don''t think my mom and I deserve to stick around and just take it, but¡­ he''s more unhappy with himself than anyone else. He''s frustrated, depressed, angry, and there''s nothing anyone can do to help him."


    "That''s not an excuse-" Andrew began.


    "I''m not saying it is!" Cathryn snapped, glaring at him. "He is absolutely responsible for his actions, and he could- he should be better, but¡­ I have sympathy for why he thinks he deserves to do what he does."


    Andrew stared at her for a moment, before sighing. "Still sounds more like a rabid dog that needs to be put down to me." He grumbled, his Lizard side much more comfortable with the idea of killing someone who ''deserved'' to die.


    Cathryn hesitated. "Maybe¡­ I''ve- I''ve thought about it, what it would be like if he was just gone, so we could be free¡­ hoping that the alcohol would finally get him, and all this would be over¡­ I don''t- maybe that''s wrong of me, I don''t know. It just- it seems like it''d be easier. If he wasn''t around."


    Andrew paused, glancing towards the house. "I could probably do it, you know¡­ it wouldn''t even be hard. I could just take out his core, and- no one would even suspect anything. It''d just look like he died for no reason, confusing, but¡­ the world is full of mysteries. What''s one more?" In this mindset, he really would do it too. Why not? It''d be better for everyone involved.


    Cathryn was stunned, not even sure how to respond, knowing Andrew was serious. Deadly serious. "Andrew, you can''t! You- you''d be a murderer! Even if you didn''t get caught¡­ I couldn''t let you live with something like that on your conscience!"


    Andrew snorted bitterly. "I''ve lived with worse. At least this one actually deserves to die." Andrew turned to Cathryn with a serious look. "Weren''t you just talking about how much better your life would be without him? I can give you that! I can make him go away, no pain, no struggle, just¡­ gone."


    Cathryn hesitated, biting her lip, before shaking her head. "No. I- I can''t¡­ He''s still- maybe- maybe he could get better¡­ one day."


    Andrew watched her with a sad expression. "Will you really allow him to continue hurting you, just on the hope that ''one day'' he might change?"


    Cathryn paused. "No. No, I won''t. But I don''t need him to die to keep him from hurting me either¡­ I''ll- I''ll leave. Go my own way." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I- I''m going to stop helping, stop enabling this situation. If- if my mom still stays, still allows him to treat her this way¡­ that''s her decision. I won''t put myself through it anymore."


    Andrew glanced at her, before nodding. "I can help with that too, whenever you''re ready."

 Aura: 19 - Back Outside

    Two days later, Cathryn moved into Andrew''s house. "You''re sure this is okay?" Cathryn asked hesitantly, carrying her backpack stuffed with clothes, while Andrew followed with a few garbage bags full of the rest of her stuff. Cathryn thankfully didn''t have much to bring with her, so once she had everything organized, the two of them had snuck over while both her parents were out, gathering everything up within half an hour, before bolting. Cathryn had only left a note explaining her decision.


    "Of course, dear!" Helen replied, pulling her into a hug. "Even if you weren''t Bonded with my son, we couldn''t turn away someone so desperately in need of help. The fact that the Bond makes you practically our daughter now only reinforces that."


    Cathryn flushed, hesitantly returning the hug, while Andrew grinned, moving past to take the bags to her new room, a small guest suite with a private bathroom and sitting room for her. It even had its own fridge and microwave for food, though anything more intensive would require a trip to the kitchen. "I- I could at least pay rent-" Cathryn began, before Andrew let out a sharp laugh.


    Helen pulled back, fixing Cathryn with a serious glare. "We are not misers who need to penny pinch over the miniscule addition to our expenses your presence will entail." She scolded Cathryn sharply. "The best payment you could give us would be to focus on building a firm foundation for your future, not running yourself ragged trying to repay us out of some misplaced sense of pride, understand?" Cathryn nodded, unable to do anything else under Helen''s stern gaze. Helen immediately smiled brightly. "Excellent! Let''s get you settled then, shall we?" She continued, dragging Cathryn inside.


    Helen showed Cathryn around, before helping her put away her things, along with Andrew, heading off as soon as they were done, leaving Cathryn sitting on the couch in the sitting room, looking stunned. "How are you feeling?" Andrew asked, sitting next to her.


    "It''s just so surr- was that a joke?!?" Cathryn asked, smacking Andrew as he burst out laughing.


    "It''s a big change. Admittedly not the biggest you''ve been through in the past few days, but¡­ big nonetheless." Andrew commented seriously after they calmed down. "It''s normal to feel a little off. You''ll get used to it."


    Cathryn sighed. "I just- at the beginning of the week, all I wanted was to pick up some extra shifts, so I could bring home some more money to help my mom out¡­ now- I learned that literal monsters exist, and I''m connected with one! I left my home, I''m not even sending money to my mom anymore, and- and- what is she going to do? How is she going to handle this? Did I give her enough time? Maybe- maybe if I''d waited a bit longer, given her time to prepare-"


    Andrew interrupted her. "It would have made less of an impact, yes, but that''s not a good thing. The impact is what might finally convince her to change! My dad has this theory¡­ people get into these patterns, these systems of thinking, and if nothing shakes the system up, they''re just going to keep falling into the same pattern, over and over. If you want to change behavior, you need to break the system, shake it up, and hopefully the pieces fall into a healthier pattern."


    Cathryn let out a frustrated sigh. "I hope- I hope you''re right." She paused, looking over at him. "Thank you. For everything¡­ I know- I know all this is inconvenient for you." Cathryn snorted. "Everything about me is inconvenient for you¡­ I''m sorry- I''m sorry you had to be bound to a mess like me."


    Andrew raised an eyebrow at her. "You''re sorry? Cathryn, this Bond is actually pretty good for me. I was stuck doing shit work for shit pay, but now I can actually go out and hunt. I don''t have to worry about taking risks anymore! You''re like the safety line that lets me climb the mountain! If anyone should be sorry it''s me. Your entire world got turned upside-down. Plus, you got attached to me. As we''ve established, I''m kind of an asshole."


    Cathryn smiled slightly, shaking her head. "No you aren''t. You at least want to help people, in your own, weird way¡­ I still think you need to listen to people more."


    "I''ve been thinking about that actually. I get the whole respect thing, and I''m not saying it applies to how I treated you before, but if someone obviously isn''t in a place where they can make reasonable points, then consulting them would just cause an argument, right? Like, if someone is doing something objectively wrong, then you wouldn''t stop to consult them. You''d just stop them!" Andrew replied. "Plus, the fact that they''re doing something wrong shows that they have faulty reasoning. Why would I listen to someone who is objectively wrong?"


    "Because what if they aren''t wrong? What if you''re the one who''s wrong?" Cathryn asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Plus, even if they are wrong, how are you supposed to help them if you have no idea where they''re going wrong? Someone who lashes out out of spite is much different than someone who lashes out out of fear or insecurity, even if it looks the same on the surface."


    "I mean¡­ I guess?" Andrew responded noncommittally. "There are still things that are objectively wrong though. I don''t think you can deny that."


    "Oh, like what? Murder?" Cathryn asked.


    Andrew nodded absently. "For one, yes."


    "Yet you seemed to think it justified the other day, didn''t you? Was that wrong?" Cathryn immediately replied before Andrew could continue, a bit of smugness in her tone.


    Andrew froze. "That- there''s a difference between killing and murder. Murder is killing just to see someone die or for your own convenience. Killing someone because there''s no other way to prevent them from causing other people harm, someone who has proven they''re irredeemable, isn''t murder, it''s justice."


    "How do you prove someone is irredeemable? How do you know there''s no other way to stop them?" Cathryn asked.


    Andrew paused, considering it for a moment. "Unrepentance? Consistent, repeated actions with no signs of remorse? People who know what they''re doing is wrong, and do it anyway. The people who, for whatever reason, refuse to change, no matter what. Maybe they have reasons, sure, but they''re still hurting people, and you can''t just let that go on without doing something about it."


    "Okay, sure, but how do you know that? What if someone is going around killing people, but the people they''re killing are all awful people who, by your definition, deserve to die? How would you know that without talking to them and listening? If you just saw them killing people and assumed they were objectively wrong, you''d end up making a huge mistake!" Cathryn retorted.


    "So don''t go around killing random people? I never suggested that in the first place. But when you find someone you know is wrong, who continues to hurt people, and no one is able to stop them, then yes, I wouldn''t have an issue with killing them." Andrew replied with a shrug.


    "But how do you know?!?" Cathryn shot back in frustration. "How are you getting this information! You have to be listening to someone, right? You can''t make a decision like that in a void! You need information!"


    Andrew cocked his head. "Yeah? I never said otherwise."


    "You- that''s the whole point of this conversation!" Cathryn exclaimed. "All I''m saying is you need to listen more! I''m not arguing over whether you need to fucking investigate before you fucking kill someone!" She yelled, before her eyes widened and she covered her mouth, looking around like she''d just broken her mother''s favorite lamp.


    Andrew gave her a weird look. "What is your issue with swearing?" He asked, genuinely confused.


    "It''s vulgar." Cathryn hissed.


    Andrew grunted. "It''s just a way to emphasize your statements. More cathartic than anything. Sure, excessive swearing could be an issue, but the occasional curse to get your point across shouldn''t be an issue. Your last statement was a perfect example."


    "It''s still not something you should get in a habit of." Cathryn muttered back.


    "Fair enough." Andrew shrugged, before getting to his feet. "I should probably go, let you get settled in."


    Cathryn began to nod, before freezing. "Hey! You aren''t getting out of this that easily!" She exclaimed. "Admit it! You need to listen to other people more!"


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about." Andrew shook his head, suppressing a grin as he walked out of the room.


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    "Get back here!" Cathryn jumped up, chasing after him. Andrew laughed, running just fast enough to stay ahead of her as she chased him through the house and out into the woods. Cathryn showed a surprising amount of stamina as she chased him all the way to his territory, where he jumped up into his tree, resting on a sturdy limb as Cathryn glared up at him, panting breathlessly from the run. "Just. Admit. I''m right!"


    "See, in order to do that, I''d have to listen to you, which would mean I listen to people, which would make you wrong, so no." Andrew retorted with a grin.


    Cathryn let out an aggravated yell, before collapsing backwards onto the grass. "You''re a jerk." She pouted, giving him the stink eye.


    "As long as I''m right, who cares?" Andrew snickered, sliding down a ramp of hardened space to land next to her.


    Cathryn grumbled bitterly, ignoring him as she rested after that run. "What is this place?" She asked after she''d recovered, sitting up and looking around. It looked like a normal clearing, except¡­ she felt a weird sense of comfort here. Like- like she belonged here. More than she''d ever belonged anywhere.


    "This is my territory." Andrew replied. "I control the space here, and I can observe everything inside it. It''s the ability of my Tiger form. Weak in the wild, but in our territory, we are king."


    "I thought you were gods." Cathryn joked with a grin.


    "Who says we can''t be both?" Andrew chuckled.


    "Was that your mom''s side?" Cathryn asked. "Ruling as kings instead of gods?"


    "No, Tigers are more focused on defense, the primary bulwark between the Clans and the rest of the Outside. They base their territories along the walls of the City, keeping them hidden and protected. Only a few Tigers have ever had much of a presence on Earth." Andrew explained.


    "Right¡­ I forget about that sometimes. The Outside. An entirely different world¡­ It''s crazy." Cathryn sighed. "So that''s where your mom''s parents are? Outside?"


    "I''m not actually sure¡­ Beasts can go decades without contacting each other." Andrew shrugged. "They could be on some extended hunting trip deep in the Outside, or a few towns away, raising their own family. Who knows? Hell, it could be both. They''re not necessarily together right now."


    Cathryn frowned. "What do you mean?"


    Andrew paused. "Well, you see, most Bonded practice a form of¡­ let''s call it limited monogamy. They don''t commit to lifelong relationships, because¡­ well, that would be a really, really long time. I''m mean, think about how often mortals get divorced, and their lives usually last less than a century. So instead, Bonded commit to being with each other for a certain time period, usually something like thirty to forty years, depending on how many kids they''re planning on having. Then, once they''re done, they go their separate ways. There are those who settle down more permanently, and some who do the whole polygamy thing, but those are much less common. Particularly polygamy¡­ that always seems to get messy for people so it never lasts very long."


    "I guess that makes sense¡­" Cathryn muttered, before letting out a sigh. "This is going to take some time to get used to. A bunch of immortals all sleeping around with each other¡­ huh, maybe you are gods."


    Andrew clicked his tongue. "You still don''t get it. Cathryn, you''re Bonded now. What we are, you are. So if we''re gods, what does that make you?"


    Cathryn''s eyes widened in realization. "Shit."


    *


    Andrew spent the next few days teaching Cathryn what it was to be Bonded, starting with teaching her the Outerwords. "Ugh, can''t they all just speak English?" Cathryn groaned.


    "Do you know how much English has changed over just the last few centuries?!?" Andrew retorted. "The Outerwords are there so that Bonded can be gone for a few centuries, and not worry about coming back to everyone speaking a new language, if not several. Now focus."


    Still, as much as Cathryn complained, she was learning quickly. Something about their Bond made transferring knowledge a lot easier. It wasn''t anything like knowing everything the other person knew, but they communicated in a way that shared their own understanding of the knowledge, which helped the other understand it more easily. It only took Cathryn a day or two to get the basics of the Outerwords down, after which Andrew began teaching her about Bonded history and culture, all using the Outerwords to help her practice.


    In between all that, they had to deal with Andrew''s family and Jack''s friends. Andrew''s family wasn''t terrible, they were just a little¡­ invasive. They insisted on making Cathryn as much a part of the family as Andrew was, and Cathryn wasn''t adjusting to it well. She appreciated it, but she just couldn''t help but feel like it was all too much. She couldn''t help but feel like she was taking advantage of them, even when she knew they were doing everything willingly, insistently.


    As for Jack''s friends, the moment they saw Andrew with a girl, particularly after they saw him take her back into the woods, there was no convincing them that they weren''t a couple. And since there was no way to actually explain otherwise, at least not without giving away the secret of the Bonded, the two just had to put up with it. Cathryn didn''t seem to mind for some reason, but Andrew quickly got tired of the innuendos and probing questions that came every time he had to take Cathryn back into the woods for a lesson. Thankfully, it didn''t last long.


    The group''s visit ended and it was finally time for Andrew and Cathryn to head to the Outside to hunt, as well as look around at a few potential organizations. Andrew had talked to his parents and gotten a few recommendations that he planned to check out, figuring Li Jing would have done the same. Andrew paused as he thought of Li Jing. Boy did they have some catching up to do.


    "Ready?" Cathryn asked nervously, clutching her bag. She wasn''t sure what to expect out there, but she knew she''d be meeting Andrew''s girlfriend. That had been a shock when Andrew had told her about it. Of course, girlfriend was sort of a loose term for Bonded, but still. What was she like? What would she think of her? Would she be okay with the fact that she and Andrew were Bonded? What about when the two of them were- they figured out that strong emotions got through the Bond very easily. Would she have to watch while they- Cathryn flushed deeply. This could get awkward.


    "Ready." Andrew nodded with a sigh. He had to agree with Cathryn. This could be awkward. But¡­ he wasn''t about to give up on Li Jing.


    The two headed down to the basement, taking the railcar to the portal station, before stepping into the portal square. Andrew looked around, until he saw Li Jing waving at him from nearby. He quickly walked over, unable to keep from smiling. "Jing!" He greeted her, pulling her into a hug. "You would not believe how much I missed you."


    Li Jing smiled, returning the hug as she pressed herself against him. "I missed you too." She replied. After a good few seconds of holding each other, they pulled apart, Li Jing finally noticing Cathryn standing awkwardly off to the side. "Who is this?" She asked, turning to Andrew.


    Andrew hesitated. "This is Cathryn." He paused, wondering where to start, before letting out a sigh. "We have a lot to talk about."


    *


    "And now she''s living with us and I''m teaching her about the Bonded." Andrew finished explaining as they arrived at the cabin they''d claimed at the base camp.


    Li Jing was silent for a moment as she processed everything she''d just been told. It was¡­ a lot to take in. "This¡­ Bond. How do you think it happened?"


    Andrew shrugged. "I honestly couldn''t tell you. Something about the situation? The danger? The fear?"


    Li Jing frowned, considering it for a moment, before shaking her head. "Weird. But with you, what isn''t?"


    "Rude." Andrew snorted, poking her. "Come on, let''s get settled. After all that, all I want is a nice, relaxing week of hunting things down and killing them."


    Li Jing gave him a weird look. "That''s relaxing?"


    Andrew glanced at Cathryn. "Now that I actually have a Bonded to return to? Hell yeah it is."


    Li Jing frowned. "You''re weird."


    "Isn''t he?" Cathryn agreed.


    "Hey, if I wanted to be judged, I would have invited Karen." Andrew complained.


    "Who''s Karen?" Cathryn asked.


    "A friend from our first hunt." Li Jing explained.


    "Friend." Andrew added, making air quotes.


    "Stop it." Li Jing poked him. "She was nice."


    "She hated me!" Andrew protested.


    "She was nice to me." Li Jing elaborated with a grin. "Plus, she only hated you at first. She was the first to cry when we thought you were¡­ lost."


    Andrew paused. "Huh¡­ that''s something, I guess. Still, she ignored me for the rest of the week. I wouldn''t exactly call that friendly."


    "She''s shy. Give her time." Li Jing replied.


    "Okay, no. I refuse to believe Karen is shy. No fucking way." Andrew shook his head in denial.


    Li Jing rolled her eyes. "Stupid."


    "He really is." Cathryn sighed in agreement.


    "You know what? Fuck it." Andrew threw up his hands in exasperation. "I''m going to go out there and kill shit. You two have fun doing¡­ whatever this is." He snorted, turning into an ant and zooming off, leaving a pile of clothes.


    The two girls stared at the pile of clothes, wide eyed, before turning to each other. "Did you know he could do that?" Li Jing asked hesitantly.


    "I knew he could turn into an ant, but¡­ I thought it was a big ant." Cathryn replied, dumbfounded. "I mean, where does all the mass go! He can''t- does it just poof away?!?"


    "The current theory is a specialized pocket dimension, but there''s no proof of it." Li Jing replied, releasing Li Mei, who ran off towards the gate. "If it is there, it is hidden even from the most powerful Horses."


    Cathryn pinched the bridge of her nose with a groan. "Right, freaking magic."


    Li Jing smiled. "Yes. Magic." She paused. "Would you like to get lunch? I believe we should get to know each other."


    Cathryn glanced at her, before nodding. "Yeah, we should."

 Aura: 20 - Best prize

    A Squirrel carefully crept through the underbrush, when out of nowhere, a small blur pierced straight through its head, killing it instantly! Andrew transformed into his Monkey form a moment later, frowning slightly. "It''s quick, but it just isn''t satisfying." He sighed, growing claws to dig out the Squirrel''s crystal. He backtracked a bit, finding a roughly made sack full of more crystals back where he left it, before searching for his next prey. He probably should have waited for Li Mei¡­ at least they could take turns watching the bag. Plus¡­ well, he hadn''t actually been upset by the two girls, he just- it felt awkward in there.


    Cathryn was just kind of there while he and Li Jing talked, which made sense since this was Outside and Cathryn didn''t have much to contribute on anything except, well, him. He didn''t really want to stick around for that, though the Bond still sent a few snippets through¡­ thankfully, from the little he got, he did still have a girlfriend, which- he couldn''t even express how much relief he felt at that. Still, he also got the impression he should keep his distance for a bit longer. He''d let the two of them get used to each other while he hunted, then tonight¡­ he and Li Jing had some catching up to do.


    A few hours later, once the sky began to turn dark and Andrew''s makeshift sack was struggling to hold any more crystals, Andrew''s Monkey form grew wings and he flew back towards the base camp. He was still a few hundred feet away from the walls, when he suddenly hit a wall of solid space! "Gah!" Andrew let out a grunt of pain, sending a spike of panic through Cathryn, beginning to fall as he lost his bearings for a moment, hitting another wall of solid space below him. Andrew groaned, getting to his feet, feeling around as he found himself completely boxed in. "What the-"


    "What are you, and why are you attempting to infiltrate our territory." A deep voice growled. Andrew turned to see a large Tiger slowly padding towards him, walking on platforms of solid space as he ascended through the air towards him.


    "Uh, I- My name is Andrew Xavier Stone. I''m a Bonded! Well, kind of. I''m weird, but I''m safe! Look me up, you''ll see!" Andrew explained nervously. He was an idiot! How could he think he could just fly into the base camp, and no one would say anything about it? Of course they would stop and strange, winged Monkey trying to skirt their defenses!


    The Tiger gave him a look, not saying anything, probably while his human side looked Andrew up. "It says you have both a Monkey and a Tiger form. There was no mention of these wings."


    "I can sort of pick up new forms. I got these from an ant. See?" Andrew quickly transformed into his ant form, then into his Tiger form. "And here''s my Tiger form! I''m really sorry about this, I wasn''t thinking and I just wanted to get back to my cabin. It won''t happen again, I promise."


    The Tiger looked him over with a wary look, before nodding. "Very well. We will need to do a quick ability test, to confirm you have the documented abilities and that you aren''t just a shapeshifter, but after that you are free to go."


    Andrew nodded, following the Tiger down his steps to the wall, then into a familiar looking testing room, where he sent ability energy into a machine that analyzed the energy, confirming that he had both the Monkey and Tiger abilities. The Tiger''s human half arrived once he was confirmed to be himself, shaking his head and grinning. "I never would have believed it was possible if I hadn''t seen it myself. A human actually transforming into a Beast! Who would have thought?" The man snorted in disbelief. "Alright, kid, in the future, make sure to check in with the local guards when you arrive at a base camp if you want to avoid all this, alright? Plus, it''ll let us add any extras you''ve picked up to your file, helping us confirm your identity with even more certainty."


    Andrew paused. "So I should probably add that I also have a Lizard and air control ability, huh?"


    The man blinked. "I''ll just need to confirm it¡­" Andrew shifted into his Lizard form, before sending his air control ability into the tester, which showed an error. "Ah, yeah, that version only confirms Clan abilities. You''ll need to actually control some air."


    Andrew shrugged, sending an air blast at the wall, making some dust fly up. "Good?"


    The man nodded. "Perfect. Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time at Base Camp Fortuna."


    Andrew breathed out a sigh of relief, returning to his Monkey form and picking up his sack of crystals, before heading back to the cabin. "Welcome back." Li Jing greeted as he tossed the sack inside, turning into an ant to fly to his room.


    "Hey." Andrew''s tiny voice greeted her as he flew past. "Give me a second to change. Oh, also, there are a few Deer crystals in there if you still need them."


    Li Jing hesitantly picked up the sack, using just the tips of her fingers, trying not to touch too much of it as she dumped out the crystals. "What is this?" She shouted back towards Andrew.


    "It looks like half a squirrel." Cathryn commented with a disgusted expression, leaning in to take a closer look.


    "I didn''t have a bag, so I had to make my own!" Andrew yelled back.


    "Did you just rip the skin off a Squirrel?!?" Li Jing asked incredulously.


    "Of course not!" Andrew retorted, stepping out of the room as he pulled on his shirt. "I don''t know how to skin something¡­ but I do know how to cut something in half and dig the insides out." Cathryn gagged. "What? It worked!"


    "This is disgusting." Li Jing grimaced, dropping the ''sack''.


    "I think I''m going to puke." Cathryn groaned, rushing for the bathroom.


    Andrew snorted. "Y''all are just jealous of my ingenuity."


    Li Jing rolled her eyes, unable to hide her smirk. "Dork." She muttered as she searched through the crystals, pulling out the ones from the Deer. "Thank you."


    "No problem." Andrew grinned as he sat in one of the couches. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn''t occasionally bring my girlfriend some shiny rocks?"


    Li Jing rolled her eyes again, sitting next to him. "Ability crystals aren''t rocks."


    "Eh, close enough." Andrew chuckled, putting his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. He glanced at the bathroom. "Wow, she really is throwing up¡­" He turned to his ''sack''. "It isn''t that disgusting, is it?"


    "Andrew, it''s still sticky." Li Jing grimaced. "I need to wash my hands." She held them up, keeping them from touching anything. "We''ll need to wash those crystals too."


    "Yeah, but we need to do that anyway." Andrew shrugged. "I''ll put them all in the machine once Li Mei is back." He paused. "Hey, actually, how is she doing? Don''t you need to¡­ do whatever it is normal Bonded do?"


    Li Jing shook her head. "She''s strong enough to not need my guidance all the time. At this point, all I need to do is give her hints every now and then. Letting her act on her own will help her develop her intelligence faster. She''ll be back soon."


    Andrew nodded. "Want to get dinner after she''s back?"


    Li Jing smiled. "I would love to."


    Cathryn stumbled out of the bathroom a moment later, still looking a bit queasy. She glanced at the ''sack'' again, before quickly looking away. "Get rid of that- that thing!" She groaned.


    "Hey, I made that bag with love and care!" Andrew protested, repressing a smirk.


    "Get rid of it!" Cathryn growled.


    "You''re breaking my heart, Cathryn." Andrew sighed, getting to his feet, grabbing a paper towel to pick the ''sack'' up and toss it in the trash. "There, it''s gone." He announced.


    "All the way gone!" Cathryn yelled. "Take it to the dumpster!"


    Andrew sighed. "So finicky." He muttered, lifting out the bag and taking it to the dumpster while Li Jing was struggling not to laugh on the couch. He quickly took the bag of trash to a nearby dumpster, returning to find Li Mei dropping an actual sack by the door, before turning to smoke as she returned to Li Jing. Andrew picked up the sack, dumping the contents into the crystal cleaner, before grabbing the crystals he''d gathered and putting them in as well, then starting it up. Once they were done, he''d let Li Jing take the ones she needed, while he took the rest. Then, of course, he washed his hands. The crystals were sticky.


    With all that done, he turned to Li Jing, all cleaned up and ready to go. "So, dinner?"


    "Dinner." Li Jing nodded with a smile.


    Andrew glanced at Cathryn. "Uh, feel free to explore yourself. Everything''s free, so-"


    "I''ll just eat here." Cathryn shook her head.


    Andrew shrugged. "You do you. We''ll be back later." He grabbed Li Jing''s hand, walking out of the cabin with her.


    They wandered around the camp for a bit, looking for someplace to eat. Outside of the cabin area, the base camp was more like a small town, with shops, restaurants, and plenty of ways to entertain yourself. Since Beasts didn''t need their human half to supervise them the vast majority of the time, the humans needed other things to occupy themselves. There were bowling alleys, movie theaters, opera houses, circuses, anything you could think of. There were even places to procure¡­ accompaniment, of whatever flavor you preferred.


    Andrew yelped as he felt a sharp pain in his arm, after getting his attention caught by a particularly well proportioned woman with pointed ears. He rubbed his arm, turning to Li Jing. "What was that for?!?"


    "Don''t stare." She humphed, crossing her arms and turning away.


    "I wasn''t- I''ve never seen an elf before, alright! I was just curious." Andrew complained, unable to keep himself from shooting the woman another glance. Simply inhuman.


    Li Jing snorted. "Sure."


    Andrew flushed in embarrassment. "So, uh, what do you want to eat?"


    Li Jing paused, thinking about it. "How about there?" She asked, pointing at what looked like a classic diner.


    Andrew frowned. "A little basic, don''t you think? I mean, they have restaurants from all over, here! Why go for regular American?"


    "Regular American is all over for me." Li Jing pointed out. "I want to see what you usually eat. Come on."


    Andrew paused, before shrugging. "Alright, but next time we''re going to a regular Chinese restaurant, deal?"


    Li Jing giggled. "Deal."


    The meal was basic, but just like everything in the Outside, absolutely delicious. Andrew wondered if there was some sort of magic meat they used, before realizing there was absolutely some sort of magic meat they used. Just the meat from a Beast Tide could supply the base camp for months! "I''m delicious." Andrew muttered in a mix of horror and awe.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Excuse me?" Li Jing asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "I just realized they must be using Beast meat to make all this taste so good." Andrew muttered. "I''m a Beast. Therefore, I''m delicious."


    Li Jing blinked, looking down at her burger, before looking back up at him. "You have strange thoughts."


    "I do, don''t I?" Andrew grinned, returning to his own burger. "So, how was your day with Cathryn? I got bits and pieces, but I didn''t want to intrude."


    "Good. She''s an¡­ interesting woman. I could see her being good for you." Li Jing replied.


    Andrew frowned. "How so?"


    Li Jing paused, considering the question. "She has more¡­ considerations. You''re used to being more solitary, only needing to consider yourself. Cathryn however seems to consider everyone but herself. I think you two will balance each other out."


    Andrew frowned, before shrugging. He couldn''t exactly say she was wrong¡­ "I guess I could see that."


    Li Jing grinned. "See? Already making you better. Before you would have been like ''I have to be alone. I''ve done terrible things. You wouldn''t understand.'' Now you just agree."


    Andrew flushed. "I wasn''t that bad."


    "You were." Li Jing nodded. "Though¡­ it did help me decide to be with you."


    Andrew''s eyebrows shot up. "What?"


    Li Jing flushed slightly. "I thought I could save you. That we could save each other. I felt how lonely you were, and- I felt the same. I just wanted to grab you and never let you go, because I knew what you were going through, and maybe- maybe you would grab me back. When you disappeared¡­ it felt like a life line had been cut, and when you came back, I knew I couldn''t bear to let it slip through my fingers again."


    Andrew frowned. "So you like me because we''re both depressed?"


    Li Jing immediately shook her head. "No, I thought we could be together because we were both depressed. I like you because you''re bold. Even when you were the most vulnerable one on the team, you never hesitated to put yourself in danger. You planned around risking your life first. You didn''t see us as shields to keep you safe." Li Jing paused. "All my life, I''ve been told that Bonded don''t take risks. Outside, we send out our Beasts, and on Earth, we send out mortals. Before the first hunt, I had never left our compound. A mortal body double took my place in any outing, going to school for me, playing sports for me, making friends for me, while I stayed home with a series of tutors and instructors. I was protected twenty-four/seven. The only reason I could even attend the hunt was because it was mandatory, and only Li Mei would leave the safety of the base camp. To see you not only venture into the wild, but to willingly risk your life¡­ I thought you had to be the bravest man in existence." She finished in a low murmur, flushing slightly in embarrassment.


    Andrew blinked a few times. "But- I''m not really all that brave¡­ I just- I don''t really think about it. Even if I die¡­ what does it matter? It''d just mean I was done. That I could be done. I mean, I''m not saying I want to die. There are still things I want to do, to experience, but¡­ in the end, life is work. An endless grind without any breaks. Death is almost a blessing at some point."


    Li Jing frowned slightly. "I don''t think many Bonded, or Beasts, would agree with you. They cling to life, doing anything, everything to keep it. Even mortals are more willing to risk their lives than most Bonded."


    Andrew sighed. "I know, I''m weird, but¡­ I don''t know. If I lived like that¡­ if I actually want to live my life, then I have to accept I might die doing so. Otherwise, I''d just end up huddled in some bunker, only doing the bare necessities to keep myself alive. What kind of life would that be?"


    Li Jing''s expression darkened, curling in on herself. "Unhappy. Lonely."


    "Right-" Andrew paused. "Right¡­ you- you did- you do live like that, don''t you?"


    Li Jing smiled lightly. "Less now. I can come here. Be with you. It''s¡­ better."


    "Jing, that''s- I can''t even imagine-" Andrew began.


    "Can''t you? I''ve felt your emotions, Andrew. I know what you''re going through." Li Jing interrupted.


    Andrew''s expression darkened. "My situation is different. I''m not trapped, I''m¡­ an outcast. I- I messed up, and I''m dealing with the consequences of that."


    "You keep saying that¡­ what exactly could you have done?" Li Jing asked. "You don''t have to tell me, but¡­ it''s hard to help when I don''t know what the problem is."


    Andrew hesitated before letting out a sigh. "I- when I was younger- As a Monkey, I have a gift for making friends with animals. I didn''t have many human friends at the time, because I was too strong to play most of the games, and being able to read people''s emotions doesn''t make them any easier to deal with, especially for a ten year old. My best friend at the time, the human one, convinced me to take a crow I''d befriended to school, to show him off. Then- there was an older boy who bullied me constantly. Any time he could, he''d steal my bag, ruin my clothes, try to push me around, and I couldn''t fight back, because- there isn''t any scenario where that would end well. So, when I brought Gregory- uh, the crow, to school, he- somehow he''d gotten a slingshot and he used it to- he killed him." Andrew paused, taking a deep breath to prepare for what he had to say next. "When I saw Gregory lying there, broken, I- I couldn''t handle it. I got so angry, and the rock was right there. I just- I threw it, without thinking and- and-"


    "It''s okay, I know." Li Jing reached out to grab his hand, eyes full of concern.


    "I should have known better. I should have been able to control myself!" Andrew continued, full of a frustrated tension, before suddenly it cut and he went limp. "After that, everyone was scared of me. Even the friends I did have abandoned me. And I can''t even say they were wrong. Compared to them, I''m a monster. A single slip up, one tiny mistake, and they''re done. Because of what I am, I''m just- I was just too dangerous. I won''t make any more mistakes, but¡­ I can''t escape the consequences of what I''ve already done."


    Li Jing got up and sat down next to Andrew, wrapping her arms around him, wordlessly holding him. Andrew held her back, resting his head against hers, connecting their emotions so that she could see him like he saw her. Two lonely teenagers, clutching each other through the pain of what they''d been through, and the joy of having found each other. It took them a while before they could let each other go and get back to their meal, though Li Jing never returned to her own seat, or lost contact with Andrew for more than a second.


    *


    Andrew and Li Jing walked out after finishing their meal, Andrew looking around as he put the heavy emotions behind him. "So, what do you want to do now? Catch a movie? Bowling? Pool? Chariot racing?" Andrew paused at that last one, wondering whether the venue was for watching or participating¡­ it didn''t look very large. "I''m up for anything."


    Li Jing frowned. "Andrew-"


    Andrew stopped her. "Jing, I know, but¡­ I''m not going to let it ruin our night. We came out to have fun, and fun we will have!"


    Li Jing paused before nodding, considering the options as she looked around, before stopping and pointing at a particular building. "There."


    Andrew followed her finger, frowning slightly as he saw what she was pointing at. "The arcade?" He asked, slightly raising an eyebrow at her. Li Jing nodded seriously. "Okay." Andrew shrugged, leading the way. As they stepped inside, Andrew immediately froze, before taking a step back outside, reexamining the outside of the building, before going in again to examine the inside.


    "First time?" The clerk waiting by the door asked with a smirk.


    "How-" Andrew began, looking around. From the outside, the arcade appeared to be a small box of a building, but once he stepped inside, the place became huge! There were even escalators leading to a second floor that the outside definitely did not have! At first he''d thought they''d walked through a portal, but that didn''t make any sense. The portal would have to be open permanently if Bonded were to actually stay here while their Beasts hunted, and that was illegal. No permanent portals were allowed between the City and the base camps, in case a Beast somehow slipped through.


    "They''re spatial enchantments." The clerk explained, gesturing to runes lining the door and walls. "They expand the space inside. Sort of like a pocket dimension, but not quite. More of a distortion."


    "Huh¡­" Andrew grunted, examining the runes. "What happens if they break?"


    "The space will slowly begin to collapse until it''s back to normal. It takes a few hours, so people have more than enough time to evacuate." The clerk explained. "But, I don''t suppose you came here for a lesson on spatial dynamics, now did you? Would you care to hear the rules of the arcade?"


    "Yes, please." Li Jing nodded, staring intently at the man.


    "The first floor is free of charge. You may play any game you like, win points, and exchange them for prizes. However, for the second floor, not only do you require credits to enter, but each game costs credits as well. Tests of strength, speed, reaction, and ability, to not only train yourself and your Beast, but also to gain special points you may trade for special prizes either here, or at any other location, including the main branch in the City. You may also use them to purchase time in the training rooms on the third floor." The clerk informed them quickly and concisely, offering them a pamphlet that detailed the games and prizes on the second floor in more detail, along with the guest cards that would activate the games and track their points.


    Since the two of them didn''t have many credits at the moment, plus they were looking for fun, not training, they stuck to the first floor, which was full of classic arcade games with flashing lights and loud noises. Li Jing immediately dragged Andrew to the section with games based primarily on skill rather than luck. "Win me prizes." She told him, a weirdly intense look in her eye as she pulled him towards the skee-ball machines, swiping her card to activate the game.


    "Prizes?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    "Prizes." Li Jing nodded seriously.


    Andrew leaned back, crossing his arms. "What''s in it for me?"


    Li Jing paused, before flushing. "Secret." She muttered, sounding embarrassed.


    "It''s a secret?" Andrew asked, and Li Jing nodded. "Then how do I know it''s worth it?"


    "Trust." Li Jing replied, looking him straight in the eye.


    "Trust¡­" Andrew muttered, before shaking his head and chuckling. "Alright, I''ll trust you. But I swear, if you trick me, I''ll use my ant form to leave little bug bites all over you!"


    "Liar." Li Jing stuck her tongue out at him. "Play. Win prizes." She pointed at the game.


    "Yeah, yeah. I''ll win your stupid prizes." Andrew grumbled, reaching down to pick up the skee-balls. Seriously though, how many points did she think he could get?


    *


    "That one. That one. That one. That one." Li Jing repeated over and over as she picked out prize after prize using Andrew''s winnings.


    *Weren''t these games supposed to be hard?!?* Andrew wondered internally as he was saddled with a growing pile of stuffed animals, remote control vehicles, and toy weapons. Mostly stuffed animals though. *They''re literally here for Bonded!* Andrew couldn''t believe how many points he''d gotten out of these games. How hard was it to just put the ball in the hole, or to make so many baskets?!? Even the timing on some of the more luck based games wasn''t very difficult! You just push the button at the right time! How hard could it be? Why the fuck was it so rewarding?!?


    "Will that be all, ma''am?" The attendant at the prize counter asked, her cheerful facade not having cracked for a single moment, despite the vague shock Andrew felt coming from her. Still, it wasn''t as bad as Andrew would have thought. Maybe this wasn''t that unusual? Talented Bonded wouldn''t have any difficulty with these games, right? Especially once they were a few centuries old. The arcade was probably a way for powerful Bonded to destress and feel good about themselves. Plus, it wasn''t like the prizes really cost the arcade anything. At least, nothing significant.


    Li Jing looked over all the prizes one last time, before nodding. "Done. For now." She still had quite a few points left. She was practically skipping as they left the arcade, Andrew following behind as they returned to the cabin. Li Jing giggled like a little girl as she jumped onto a bed full of stuffed animals, piling them on top of herself and squeezing them tight.


    Andrew leaned against the door frame, watching her play with a small smile. *Freaking adorable.* He thought to himself. Whatever Li Jing''s secret reward was, just seeing her this happy was more than enough reason to have done it. Li Jing suddenly paused, turning to look at Andrew as he leaned against the door. She scooted over in the bed, making space for him in her new nest, before crooking a finger at him. Andrew raised an eyebrow, before grinning as he carefully climbed into the space she''d made for him, wrapping his arms around her as they began to kiss, nestled in her nest of ''prizes''.


    Li Jing paused as she pulled away slightly. "Could you- would you mind- it''s stupid, nevermind." She shook her head in embarrassment, attempting to go back to making out, before Andrew stopped her.


    "What is it?" He asked, pulling away, wondering what would make Li Jing so embarrassed, yet disappointed.


    Li Jing bit her lip hesitantly. "I just thought, maybe, you could¡­ get¡­ fuzzy. Like a giant stuffed animal."


    Andrew got a weird look on his face. "I think that''s just called an animal, Jing."


    Li Jing flushed. "I just thought it might be nice if you were all fuzzy and warm¡­" Andrew smirked, before taking off his shirt, thick fur beginning to grow around his chest and arms. Li Jing''s eyes widened, her flush deepening as she buried her face in his furry chest with a small squeal, breathing deeply. "Best prize." She murmured happily as Andrew''s arms wrapped around her.

 Aura: 21 - Seeking employment

    Andrew woke the next morning, Li Jing still wrapped in his arms, snoring lightly as she drooled into his fur. He smiled contently, holding her a bit tighter as he simply enjoyed her presence for a moment. Still, the sun was rising and it was time to begin the day, so after that moment, he lightly shook Li Jing awake. "Good morning sleepy head." He greeted her as she looked up with a cute groan.


    Li Jing blinked up at him, as if trying to process where she was. Her hand rubbed his fur, before she suddenly sat up, eyes widening, then calming down as she remembered where she was and who she was with, a bright smile spreading across her lips. "Morning." She muttered sleepily as she leaned in to kiss him.


    "Ugh, morning breath." Andrew made a disgusted face as she pulled away, before bursting out laughing as she smacked his chest, pulling her in for another kiss.


    "Okay, go." Li Jing finally sighed as she pulled away from the kiss, climbing out of the bed. "I need to get changed."


    "I don''t mind." Andrew grinned, sitting up, not taking his eyes off her.


    Li Jing rolled her eyes, before pointing at the door. "Go!"


    Andrew chuckled. "Fine, fine." He got off the bed, heading towards the door. He considered making a joke about having seen it before, but¡­ he reconsidered as he realized that might hit a bit too close to home. Best not to remind the woman he wanted to be with of the time he betrayed her trust, especially not in a way that might make it seem like he did it on purpose. Particularly since she knew he had two sensing abilities that should have let him know she was in there. It''d be hard to explain that those sensing abilities required attention just like anything else. Everyone had ears to hear, but if you weren''t paying attention, you could miss what someone was saying right next to you.


    Andrew grabbed a change of clothes and hit the shower, before heading to the living room/kitchen area to get some breakfast. "Good morning." He greeted Cathryn cheerfully, sitting down across from her with a bowl of cereal. "How was your night?"


    Cathryn flushed. "It was fine. I- went to bed early. Did- did you have a¡­ fun night?"


    Andrew smirked. "Yes, but not in the way you''re thinking of. Me and Jing just cuddled last night. It was nice. She drooled on me."


    "Rude." Li Jing commented, poking him as she walked past to grab her own bowl of cereal.


    "True." Andrew retorted with a grin. "Is that my shirt?"


    Li Jing flushed slightly, picking at the shirt he''d tossed to the side last night. "You only wore it for a few hours. It smells nice."


    "I''m sure it does." Andrew chuckled, returning to his breakfast. "So, what''s the plan for today? More hunting? Check out some organizations? I could use some time to test out some abilities, but other than that I''m open to suggestions."


    "We should look at organizations first." Li Jing replied. "Work first, then play."


    "See, I''ve always been more of a ''play first, work a little, play again'' type of guy." Andrew commented with a grin, yelping as he earned himself a pinch.


    "Work first, then play." Li Jing repeated with a small smile.


    "Yes, dear." Andrew replied obediently, with a smile of his own.


    Cathryn was a bit lost, not sure whether she should add in her opinion or not, but seeing as the other two didn''t seem to expect her to, and she didn''t have much of one either way, she just continued to eat her breakfast. Ever since they''d gotten to the Outside, she hadn''t really been sure what to do. She felt more like Andrew''s accessory around here, like an extra. Even with all of Andrew''s lessons, there was just so much she didn''t understand about the Bonded and her place in all this.


    After breakfast, the three headed towards the center of the base camp, where the organizations'' headquarters were based. Part of the reason they''d come to this base camp was because a conglomeration of several of the organizations they were looking to join had come together to found and manage it, saving them multiple trips. Of course, they could always visit the headquarters in the City, but unlike in the base camps, the organizations had no obligation to place their headquarters in a central location there, meaning they''d need to run around all day to visit all of them.


    Every base camp needed experts in enchantment, logistics, management, and defense in order to be viable, and Base Camp Fortuna was a classic base camp. Four organizations had come together to form it, Enchantments4Less, Supply and Demand, MortalsRUs, and the White Tiger mercenary group. Enchantments4Less was, obviously, in charge of maintaining the various enchantments around the base camp. They kept the portals running, maintained the various machines needed to run the camp, made sure enchantments were up to code, and so on. Of course, Andrew and them didn''t have the expertise to even come close to touching any of that. Instead they would be tasked with pouring ability energy into Enchantments4Less''s power grid, which the various establishments around the base could tap into to power their own enchantments, for a small fee of course. The perk of this organization was that they could learn some basic enchantment as a part of their payment.


    Supply and Demand dealt with logistics. They transported goods to and from the City, hunted the surrounding wildlife for food, purchased crystals and rare materials, and so on. Their jobs with them would involve hunting purely for meat, not crystals. That wasn''t to say they couldn''t also hunt and gather crystals, but they had a certain quota of meat they needed to supply each week. The non-Beasts could also work as assistants, learning how to manage logistics from the higher ups. The perks of this job was that both the Beast and the human could work, right from the start, plus they would receive a storage ring right off the bat.


    MortalsRUs managed the various mortals that served the Bonded in the base camp. They made sure they had food and housing, managed their benefits, gave them skill training, and so on. The job they would do there would be to perform random inspections to make sure the mortals were both performing their tasks satisfactorily, and to make sure they weren''t being abused, or put in abusive situations, by their employer. The perk of this job was that they would essentially be paid to roam around the base camp and enjoy the services the mortals provided. Andrew noticed in particular that these services did include the mortals who provided ''accompaniment'', which¡­  Well, Andrew wouldn''t lie and say he wasn''t interested, but it didn''t exactly seem like a healthy option to him.


    Finally, the White Tigers maintained the defenses around the base camp, coordinated everyone during Beast Tides, hunted down any particularly powerful Beasts that decided to take up residence nearby, and so on. Their job with them would be to regularly patrol the area around the base camp, looking out for anything that might threaten them. The perk there was regular hunting, plus combat training. Unfortunately, the White Tigers didn''t have any low level jobs for humans, because humans were expected to monitor their Beasts while they worked, since usually low level Beasts didn''t have enough intelligence to properly investigate threats. Still, they would get pay plus any crystals they hunted. The White Tigers were probably the most profitable option available.


    "So, what do you guys think?" Andrew asked as they sat down for lunch after visiting each organization and talking to the recruiters. They could still look at other organizations tomorrow, but from what they''d heard from their parents, the other organizations would be pretty much the same, with slightly different benefits. Enchantment organizations would use you as a battery, logistics organizations would have you hunt for meat, management organizations would have you check in on the mortals, and mercenary organizations would use you as scouts.


    "We''re not joining MortalsRUs." Cathryn immediately stated, glaring at him.


    Andrew sighed. "Yes, I know. You''ve said it several times now. Which one do you like?"


    Cathryn hesitated. "I- I wouldn''t mind Supply and Demand. They have jobs for both of us and they''d teach me skills I could use even back on Earth."


    "I''d prefer Enchantments4Less." Li Jing commented, before pausing. "At least, an enchantment organization. I want to learn."


    Andrew frowned. "I actually like White Tiger. Everything else kinda just felt like work. White Tiger is more like an adventure!"


    Li Jing frowned. "I would need to constantly monitor Li Mei. It gets boring."


    "I wouldn''t even be able to do that. You don''t need me in your head to help you. I wouldn''t have anything to do!" Cathryn complained.


    "You could watch?" Andrew offered tentatively.


    "Andrew." Li Jing gave him a look.


    He sighed. "Alright, fine. No White Tigers." He paused, considering the other two options. "I think, between the two, I''d have to go with Supply and Demand. It''s the most flexible, which will help during the school year. Plus¡­ no offense, Jing, but the enchantment jobs are demanding, and there are other ways to learn how to enchant. Hell, my mom is a Master Enchanter, you could learn from her!"


    Li Jing paused, before flushing. "I could do that." She murmured.


    "Alright then, so, we''ll go with logistics." Andrew nodded. "I guess tomorrow we can head to the City and check out a few of the other options before making our decision. Sound good?" Both girls nodded. "Good." Andrew nodded as well.


    *


    After lunch, the girls headed back to the cabin while Andrew and Li Mei headed out of the base camp, with Andrew taking a proper bag with him this time. Once they were outside the walls, the two split up, Li Mei heading off to do her normal hunting, while Andrew had some experimenting to do. Supposedly his Human side had an ability, which may be where his aura abilities came from, or it could be Long''s copy ability, possibly both. The only thing Andrew thought was weird was that Cathryn didn''t seem to get any of his aura related abilities¡­ His theory was that since the Bond was formed from the pieces of Long''s ability, then it''s possible it didn''t pick up on his aura abilities because technically she was already supposed to have it. It wasn''t a great theory, and he barely even convinced himself it made sense, but it was the only reasonable explanation he could come up with.


    Andrew stowed his bag, before transforming into his ant form, searching for a Beast. It didn''t take him long before he found what could only be a velociraptor, except with feathers instead of scales. Wait¡­ weren''t people saying velociraptors were supposed to have feathers? Doesn''t matter, there was a dinosaur in front of him, and he needed to figure out how to copy its ability! It couldn''t be too hard, right? The first thing he tried was to take a small thread of aura, and poke the Velociraptor''s core with it. He''d realized that even if a Bond formed, he could just steal the core, and it''d fix itself, right? It''d probably work with Cathryn too, but¡­ he wasn''t about to go murdering someone just for a little more private time. Plus, their Bond was more beneficial than not.


    Andrew carefully guided the thread of aura towards the Velociraptor, reaching towards its core, hesitating for a moment before firmly poking it and¡­ nothing. "Eh?" Andrew cocked his tiny ant head in confusion. He poked again. And again. And again. "What the shit!" He exclaimed in aggravation, sending the thread of aura probing around the core. Maybe there was some sort of slot he was missing? Suddenly, his aura brushed up against something and¡­ the Velociraptor''s aura flickered, withdrawing slightly before pushing back as the Velociraptor''s head shot up. It released a warning hiss, eyes narrowing as it searched for its attacker.


    Andrew paused. "Huh¡­" He moved his aura back over the spot, but nothing happened and he frowned. Well, he tried to frown. Ants don''t really have those facial muscles. He saw the Velociraptor''s aura retract! He knew he''d done something. Andrew frowned as he sent his aura searching around the core again, but he couldn''t find that feeling again. He stopped to think, wondering what the problem was, when he paused. Maybe it was the intent? When he was searching before, he was looking for something to go in to. Maybe somehow he''d told the core to retract the aura, just like he told his own cores? Andrew considered it for a moment, before doing just that. He focused on the Velociraptor''s core, telling it to withdraw, just like he would any of his cores, and¡­ it did! Or at least, it tried.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The moment Andrew began to press his will against the core, the Velociraptor''s will pressed back, violently resisting his manipulation! Andrew frowned as he pushed back, concentrating on retracting the Beasts aura and slowly, he began to win! The Velociraptor roared in fury as it felt its strength decrease, shooting out wild blasts of mental force all around it. A wide arc caught Andrew, but barely shook him, the blow weakened by the wide area it covered. If the Velociraptor had been able to concentrate the entire attack on him, it might have been an issue, but his ant form was so small, the Beast had little to no chance of actually finding him. As panic set in, Andrew was able to weaken the Beast''s aura more and more, until finally it snapped, and the resistance broke, the entire aura retracting into the core, before it popped out of existence.


    Andrew''s eyes widened as the Velociraptor fell, dead. "Uh¡­ oops?" He apologized to no one in particular. Be hadn''t actually meant to kill the Velociraptor, at least not like that. Maybe he would have fought it after he was done experimenting, but to slowly drain the life from his opponent like that¡­ It seemed kinda cruel. And wasteful, because after all that he was exhausted! Would have been easier to just kill it. He''d just gotten a little too caught up in the sudden battle of wills, and¡­ he just couldn''t let himself lose. Andrew sighed. "Well, what''s done is done." He muttered, about to fly off. "Wait, almost forgot the-" He froze, staring at the body. "Uh¡­ why can''t I sense a crystal?"


    Andrew shifted into his Monkey form, growing talons as he cut into the Velociraptor, checking the brain, the heart, and the gut, but he couldn''t find any crystals! He searched even further, ripping the Beast''s body to pieces, but it wasn''t there! "Did- how-" Andrew rubbed his temple in distress as he tried to process the situation. The Beast had died, but no crystal had formed. The Beast had died from its aura completely retracting, and no crystal had formed¡­ "This¡­ this is way above my pay grade." Andrew groaned. All he got out of this was ''don''t kill things by retracting their auras''. He paused. Would this happen if he stole a core, too? Probably, right? He wished he''d stuck around long enough to check the Lizard''s corpse, but he''d been so disoriented at the time he hadn''t gathered any of the crystals there.


    Andrew stood there, pondering the problem for a moment, before clicking his tongue. This wasn''t even what he was here for! He was trying to see what his Human ability was! Of course, he couldn''t say that what he''d just done wasn''t his Human ability, but an ability that took that much effort and didn''t even leave him a crystal afterwards seemed pretty crappy, so he was kinda hoping there was something else going on. Of course, then he''d have to figure out where that ability had come from¡­ Andrew sighed. His abilities were a mess and all he wanted them to do was make sense!


    Returning to his ant form, he began to search again, before finding a Squirrel. There were an ungodly amount of Squirrels around the base camp. Around every base camp so far. Admittedly, their ability didn''t match any of the Clan abilities, making their crystals practically useless, plus their meat was rubbery and they were annoying to kill, so no one particularly wanted to hunt them, which probably led to this situation. Still, it was annoying. Andrew hesitated for a moment, before sighing and focusing on the Squirrel. It was still a Beast.


    Andrew considered his options for a moment, before switching to a different tact. Instead of focusing on his aura ability, he retracted every aura but the Human one. He was trying to use a Human ability, right? Might as well use a Human mindset. Funnily enough, Andrew realized this was the first time he''d actually brought his Human side to the fore. It just hadn''t seemed to have any notable qualities, so he''d never thought of it. The Monkey was goofy, the Tiger was responsible, and the Lizard was detached, but the Human? What was the Human?


    Andrew, the Human Andrew, turned his focus inward. What was he? He looked into himself, and saw emptiness. A void craving more. The need for companionship, for love, for some sort of connection, a bond with those around him. Andrew fell into the void, the desperate need filling him, calling out, and his ability answered. A new sense opened up, like his aura sense, but further reaching, and more basic, focused purely on ability. It was like a cover had been stripped off, showing the workings underneath. Things he saw using his aura sense, but couldn''t quite make sense of, suddenly laid bare as his new sense broke each ability down for him, telling him its nature, how it had changed, how he could use it, how he could connect to it, and make it his own.


    Andrew suddenly came back to himself. That was Long''s ability?!? No wonder he could keep the Clan''s at bay! The sheer range¡­ he could see at least two miles all around him. And he could connect with any ability within that range! Tactically, this ability couldn''t be beat. Any opponent could be seen long before they arrived, their ability analyzed, and a counter found. Even if you couldn''t find a counter, you could just steal their ability and fight them on equal footing! Or, if they were too strong, simply run and fight another day.


    Andrew paused for a moment, considering the ability from another angle. He felt the heart of the ability, of humanity. Let me find you, let me make myself like you, so we can be friends. The ability was strongest when surrounded by allies, by a diverse group of different abilities to pull from as needed. Yet, when Long had it, all he''d been surrounded by were enemies¡­ Andrew sighed. "Maybe I''m overthinking this." Whatever. It was what it was.


    Andrew quickly connected to the Squirrel using the new ability, confirming that it worked. A small ant twisted itself around and around, confirming he''d acquired the Squirrel''s stretchy ability. Through his aura sense, he saw a small thread between the Squirrel and him, much like the one between him and Cathryn, but more basic. Additionally, it didn''t connect core to core, but aura to aura, making it much less obtrusive. It was a simple sharing of ability, not of thought and feeling. Andrew nodded, releasing all his auras again as he turned into a streak, piercing through the Squirrel''s head. It was time to return to the hunt.


    *


    "What is that?!?" Cathryn asked as Andrew walked into the cabin after returning from his hunt.


    He tapped the hard covering over his crotch with a grin. "Carapace. Covers everything that needs covering, so I don''t need to worry about being naked anymore!"


    Cathryn gave the area another look with a twisted expression. "You look like a poorly made action figure."


    Andrew snorted. "You''re just jealous of my ingenuity." He turned to Li Jing as she stepped out of the bathroom. "Hey, Jing, what do you think?" He asked, spreading his arms. Li Jing froze, looked down, before beginning to shake as she attempted to hold in a laugh, giggles bubbling out of her as she utterly failed. Andrew''s arms fell in defeat. "I''ll go put on clothes." He sighed. He quickly retreated to his room to get changed, before returning, sitting between the two girls on the couch and wrapping his arm around Li Jing, pulling her close. "So, what do you guys want to do tonight? Watch a movie? Go bowling? Chariot racing?"


    "You guys can go out. I''ll just stay here." Cathryn immediately replied.


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "Cathryn, we aren''t going to abandon you every night. That''d just be rude!" He turned to Li Jing. "Right?"


    Li Jing nodded. "We could all stay in and watch a movie if you don''t want to go out." She suggested, leaning around Andrew to look at Cathryn.


    Cathryn shook her head. "No, no, guys I don''t want to make you guys stay in because of me! Go, have fun! I''ll be fine!"


    "Who says staying in won''t be fun?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "We can order pizza, put on a dumb movie, it''ll be great!"


    "Action movie." Li Jing retorted, poking his side.


    "Funny, action movie." Andrew countered with a poke of his own. Li Jing paused, before nodding in agreement. "There, see! It''ll be great!" He turned back to Cathryn with a grin. "Come on, I''ll order the pizza, you guys pick out the movie. Pepperoni okay?"


    "Anchovies!" Li Jing immediately retorted.


    "You''re disgusting." Andrew stuck his tongue out in disgust. "I''ll get them on half. Cathryn?"


    "Pep-pepperoni is fine¡­" She replied.


    Andrew nodded, moving to the kitchen and activating an enchantment, pulling up a small screen before selecting a nearby pizza place and putting in their order. Electronics never quite made it to the Outside, the Bonded opting to adapt enchantments to emulate technology, or vice versa. It was generally accepted that technology was for Earth while magic was for the Outside. Things just generally worked better that way, probably something to do with the mismatched physics now that Andrew really thought about it. It wasn''t bad enough that they couldn''t work between the two, but it seemed like the more you did, the more likely things were to fail. A single device could work fine in the Outside, but an entire electrical grid would require constant maintenance to stay functional, and the reverse was true on Earth. It was like they weren''t meant for the other environment, so everything that could go wrong, would.


    Once Andrew finished ordering the food, he returned to the living room to see the girls seriously studying the screen as they tried to decide which movie to watch. "Wait, hold on, what language will the movie be in?" Cathryn asked as she suddenly realized a problem. "Do they translate the movies into Outerwords?"


    "No. There are translation enchantments in the TV." Li Jing explained. "Everyone will hear what is said in their own language."


    Cathryn paused. "Oh, right, magic¡­ that''s still taking some time to get used to."


    "You''ll get there." Andrew assured her with a grin. "Hell, even I didn''t know about the translation enchantments. I would have been just as stumped as you are."


    Cathryn frowned at him. "You didn''t?"


    Andrew shook his head. "Nope. My family tends not to use enchantments all that much."


    It was Li Jing''s turn to give him a weird look. "Didn''t you say your mom was a Master Enchanter?"


    "She is, but for her that''s work. Electronics are the fun new toys they get to play with. My parents still use a fax machine because ''it''s just so fascinating''." Andrew chuckled. "Plus, they aren''t very ''Outer focused''. They prefer to stay on Earth, making babies and doing what they can to help. They both have side jobs to get credits, though they''re more like hobbies at this point, but overall they''re happy with the level of power they''re at and just kind of want to sit back and enjoy their lives, at least for now."


    Li Jing nodded in understanding, but Cathryn looked incredulous. "You have access to literal magic, and you just ignore it?!?"


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "It isn''t magic magic. We aren''t casting spells or anything. Abilities produce energy and we can use that energy by sending it through a series of runes to create an effect. It''s just like electricity, just different."


    "We can''t make storage rings with electricity!" Cathryn protested.


    "You can''t make storage rings with electricity, yet." Andrew countered. "Sure, it''s harder to do with electricity, but we''ve only had like a hundred years to develop it so far, and it''s already practically caught up with enchantment, and we''ve had millenia to develop that!"


    "But enchantment can do things electricity could never do!" Cathryn exclaimed.


    Andrew shook his head. "They''re just different ways of using energy. See, enchantment is all about converting energy to get the effect you want, while electricity powers a machine to produce an effect. In enchantment, energy can be converted, directed, shaped, moved about in really any way you like, but it only does the one thing. Mental energy stores information, light energy makes images, barrier energy makes barriers, portal energy makes portals, translation energy translates, and so on and so on. Weaving all that energy together, you can get some pretty sophisticated effects, but all of it is coming from individual energies doing whatever it is they do.


    "Electricity, on the other hand, doesn''t actually do anything. All it does is move and things happen based on that movement. Energy in enchantment moves to, but all it does is get the energy from one place to the next. It might get converted on the way there, but that''s it. So if you want a new effect in enchantment, you need a new type of energy. However, if you want something new using electricity, you just need to know how to power it. Enchantment is more useful on the low end, while electricity is more useful on the high end. The problem comes when you try to use one in the other world. Enchantments on Earth want to move when they should have an effect, and electricity in the Outside wants to have an effect when it needs to move."


    Li Jing gave Andrew another weird look. "And you didn''t know about the translation enchantment."


    "Hey, I''m good with theory, not in practice." Andrew shrugged. "Mom likes to talk shop every now and then, but it''s always concepts, not how things actually work or are used. Also¡­ most of that is just off the top of my head. I don''t know if it''s actually true or not. Makes sense though, right?"


    Li Jing rolled her eyes, while Cathryn frowned. "I still don''t know how electricity could ever power a storage ring." She grumbled, crossing her arms.


    "It''d probably be something along the lines of breaking things down and then rebuilding them when needed." Andrew shrugged. "I also don''t think you could trap a small space in something you could fit around a finger using electricity. Maybe a backpack though? Eh, we''ll see."


    Cathryn sighed with a nod, before freezing. "Holy shit, we will see, won''t we? We''re going to live that long!"


    "Yup!" Andrew grinned. "Isn''t it exciting?"

 Aura: 22 - Uncomfortable

    After Cathryn calmed down from a mini panic attack over the looming eternity before her, they finally picked out a movie, and not much later the pizza arrived. The three cuddled up on the couch, Li Jing and Andrew together, while Cathryn hugged a pillow. Occasionally Andrew felt a hint of dissatisfaction from Cathryn, but everytime he glanced over, it went away. Thankfully, Li Jing was very happy cuddling with him, so he didn''t particularly mind the little bit of dissatisfaction from Cathryn. Still, he figured he should probably talk to her about it later, and also about the mini spike of panic that''d gone through her when he''d decided to talk to her about her dissatisfaction.


    They ended up watching a second movie, a pure comedy that time, before heading to bed. Andrew spent a few minutes saying good night to Li Jing, hoping for another invitation to spend the night cuddling, but Li Jing firmly pushed him away and sent him to his own room, though he sensed a bit of regret as she did. More emotions to wonder about. He was about to head to his own room, when he hesitated and turned towards Cathryn''s instead. Might as well talk to her about it now, right? Though, he supposed he didn''t actually need to go to her room to do that¡­ eh, face to face felt more natural anyways.


    Cathryn opened the door just as he was about to knock, inviting him inside. "Saw me coming, huh?" Andrew grinned.


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "You thought about me when you decided to come over. You know how that works."


    "Right, right." Andrew nodded. "So, what''s up? You weren''t the happiest of campers back there."


    Cathryn sighed, sitting on the bed. "It''s nothing. I just- I''m a little jealous. Of you and Li Jing. You''re just so- so- cute together, and I''m- I''m just a third wheel." Cathryn muttered sullenly.


    Andrew leaned against the wall, his expression twisting slightly. "Huh¡­ there''s not much I can do about that¡­ except maybe not rub your face in it. But then, just ditching you to go do our own thing all the time also feels wrong¡­" His frown deepened.


    "You don''t need to do anything!" Cathryn protested. "I-I''ll deal with it. If it weren''t for these stupid abilities, no one would even have to know! Just- just ignore it, like it should be ignored, okay?" She asked, in a slightly pleading tone.


    "Cathryn, I can''t-" Andrew began, before pausing for a moment. "Whoa¡­ is this how my family feels when they talk to me about school?" He blinked a few times. "I guess it does kinda suck to watch someone you care about be unhappy. Not much you can actually do about it though, huh?"


    Cathryn nodded, before pausing, her eyes widening slightly. "You- you care about me?" She asked hesitantly.


    Andrew gave her a weird look. "Yeah? Why wouldn''t I? I mean, we are Bonded. That right there makes us practically family. Plus, we''re going to have a kid together at some point. Even if I absolutely hated you, I''d have to care about you just because of that. Not that I do hate you¡­" Andrew paused, considering his feelings towards Cathryn. "I know this entire situation has been¡­ weird. We''ve both been out of our depth, dealing with this strange situation we''ve found ourselves in. It hasn''t given us a lot of time to actually get to know each other. However, from the little I have gotten to know of you¡­ I can''t say I hate it. I mean, we are like polar opposites, don''t get me wrong. It''s just- it isn''t as bad as I thought it might be. Honestly, the problem before was probably that we weren''t on the same page. You kept coming to try and help me, but I wasn''t dealing with what you thought I was dealing with. I didn''t isolate because no one reached out to me, I isolated because I was literally too dangerous to be around. When I was being bullied, I was frustrated that I couldn''t do anything about it, not that it was actually happening. Plus, I literally am a Tigermonkey! Don''t you tell me they don''t exist!"


    Cathryn got a weird look on her face. "You remember that?"


    "You don''t forget someone telling you your existence is fake, Cathryn." Andrew commented with a chuckle. "Plus, we had that argument a few times that year¡­ I got a little obsessed, I''ll admit."


    Cathryn giggled. "You drew them on everything."


    "I was designing! I had to make sure my combined form had all the best parts of both!" Andrew explained.


    Cathryn froze. "Wait, you actually turned into that?!?"


    Andrew grinned, his form shifting. "Gaze upon my perfection."


    Cathryn blinked a few times. "A freaking Tigermonkey."


    "Technically, Tigermonkeyhuman, but yeah." Andrew shrugged as he turned back to normal. "Anyway, now that we''re on the same page, your points actually make sense. They aren''t just annoying. A different viewpoint from someone who actually understands what I''m going through is more helpful than I would have thought. So yes, I care about you, because I think being with you will make me a better person and- and I want that."


    Cathryn stared at him for a moment, before letting out a groan and falling back on the bed. "Why did you have to be with Li Jing!?!"


    Andrew frowned. "What''s wrong with Jing?"


    "Nothing! That''s the problem! She''s amazing! The two of you together are amazing! Which is why I feel like a bitch when you say something like that, and all I want to do is- is-" *kiss him like I''m trying to suck his soul out through his mouth!* The thought finished in Cathryn''s head as she groaned in frustration, covering her face with her hands.


    Andrew paused, blinking a few times. "Wait, you like me?" How- how the fuck had she hidden that from him?!?


    Cathryn sighed, letting her hands fall to her side. "I''ve liked you since kindergarten."


    "Bullshit!" Andrew blurted out almost instinctively. "I can literally sense emotions! All you''ve ever felt towards me is annoyance and frustration! See, right there! Like I just fucked up, or you were expecting me to do something and I didn''t do it. Either that or you''re just plain nervous around me. But then again, most people are nervous around me¡­"


    "What do you think liking someone looks like?!? It''s nervousness, annoyance, and frustration! Worrying about what you''re going to say to them or what they''re going to say to you, annoyed when they don''t respond the way you wanted them to, and frustrated when nothing you do turns out right!" Cathryn retorted, sitting up to glare at him.


    Andrew frowned. "Jing didn''t do any of that! She just enjoyed talking to me, being around me. Of course, I didn''t really get it until I almost died and she started talking about not being able to let me go, but still!"


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "When have we ever talked?!? Every conversation we have turns into an argument! We''re literally arguing right now!"


    Andrew paused. "That actually kind of speaks to my point¡­"


    Cathryn threw her pillow at him. "Just get out of here!"


    Andrew caught the pillow. "Wait, wait, no, hold on." He shook his head, taking a breath. "Okay, so, you like me. I don''t really see it, but¡­ well, I know you aren''t lying to me. But what''s the problem?"


    Cathryn frowned. "You''re with Li Jing."


    "Yeah?" Andrew asked expectantly, as if she was supposed to say more.


    "You''re with Li Jing." Cathryn repeated, stressing each word.


    "Again, yeah?" Andrew gave her a weird look. "So what? I know I explained how Bonded relationships work. This isn''t exactly a problem for us."


    "Andrew, it isn''t that you aren''t with me, it''s that I have to watch you be with her!" Cathryn exclaimed, her expression twisting in pain. "I know it''s selfish, I know it''s unreasonable, but every time I see you with her, feel you with her, all I can think of is how I wish it was me. I-I can''t imagine spending years like that, watching as you fell in love with someone else. Could you? Would you be okay with watching Li Jing fall in love with another man?"


    Andrew flinched as the image went through his mind, of Li Jing curled up on the couch with someone else. Seeing that would be¡­ difficult. He knew Li Jing would be with other guys, and that was fine by him, but having to actually watch it happen? "What do you want me to do?" Andrew asked slowly, frowning deeply. He couldn''t just give up Li Jing. He wouldn''t. But he also didn''t want to hurt Cathryn.


    "I don''t know." Cathryn replied, her voice going slightly hoarse. She began shaking her head. "I shouldn''t have even brought this up. I can''t- you can''t just spend eternity with me. You don''t even know if you like me!"


    Andrew shook his head. "No, we''re going to figure this out. We''ll talk to Li Jing. We''ll do- we''ll do something. I won''t give up my happiness for you, but I''m not going to ask you to give up yours for me either. We''re going to find a way to make this work for both of us."


    *


    "So, that''s the situation." Andrew sighed after explaining everything to Li Jing. Cathryn sat at the table, absolutely miserable as she stared fixedly down at the table, while Li Jing just listened attentively with a serious expression. "I''m not going to give up on you, but I don''t want to keep hurting Cathryn." Andrew''s expression twisted. "I just don''t know how to get around the Bond."


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Li Jing''s brow furrowed as she turned to Cathryn. "If I may ask, what exactly is the problem? Do you just not like us together?"


    "No!" Cathryn immediately shook her head. "I think you two are great together! I just- it just hurts. When- when I see you two together, and I''m- I''m not, it just- it just hurts."


    "Would it help if you were with someone?" Li Jing asked.


    Cathryn hesitated. "Maybe? I- I''m not sure¡­" She thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head. "I don''t know, but it wouldn''t help anyway. I don''t like anyone else! I don''t think you two are going to put your relationship on hold until I find someone."


    Andrew and Li Jing glanced at each other, before both sighing and nodding. That solution wasn''t going to work. "So, you like us together, you just don''t like that you aren''t a part of it?" Li Jing asked. "What if you were a part of it? All three of us, together?"


    Cathryn froze. "You- you''d be okay with that?"


    Li Jing paused, before nodding slowly. "Yes. I know Andrew likes me. I''m secure in that. If he likes you as well, that doesn''t change how he feels about me. I don''t like the idea of spending less time with him, but I don''t want to hurt you just so I can spend more time with Andrew. The real question is would that work for you? Andrew and I would still be together. Would that be a problem?"


    Cathryn considered it. "We- we could try."


    Andrew coughed. "Okay, I''m just going to step in and say, as much as this idea is very appealing, I think there''s some¡­ trickiness to it you two are kind of ignoring." He interjected. "I''ve considered what a situation like this would look like and I''ve come to the conclusion that the only way something like this works, is if all three parties love each other equally. If people start playing favorites, start wanting one person more than the other, then people start fighting, and then everyone is unhappy." Andrew paused. "I agree that this might be the only solution we can make work, but before we do anything else, you two need to work on your relationship. I''m not going to step into something that''s going to blow up on me in a few years."


    Both girls turned to him, narrowing their eyes. "And why were you thinking about situations like this?" Cathryn asked, Li Jing nodding in support.


    Andrew flushed. "Okay, don''t laugh, but¡­ when I was younger, and less informed about the nature of the Bond, I thought, since I was a human and a Beast, I would¡­ have to be with both. The idea kinda stuck with me and I gave it a lot of thought since then, trying to figure out how to make it work, even after I figured out that wasn''t how it worked."


    Cathryn frowned while Li Jing smirked. "Li Mei says if you try anything, she''ll bite you."


    "I wouldn''t expect anything less." Andrew chuckled. Beasts weren''t like humans, they were like, well, beasts. They only felt the urge to mate when they were in heat or something, and with the Bonded, their Beasts never did that. They still felt affection for each other, but it was more companionable, not sexual. "So, yeah, anyway, that''s my piece. If you two can like each other, then I think we can go for it. If not¡­ I don''t know what we''re going to do if not."


    Cathryn glanced at Li Jing, before looking away with a flush. "I-I don''t- I think I can care about Li Jing, but¡­ I''m- I''m not a lesbian."


    "Oh, that isn''t what I meant." Andrew shook his head. "I think you both need to care about each other, but you don''t need to want to sleep together. It just can''t be a situation where you only care about me, while competing with each other. If you care about each other, then you''ll want the other to be just as happy as you are, so you won''t mind sharing. At least, that''s how I think it would work. I don''t exactly have any experience with this. But the other way absolutely wouldn''t work. I know that much."


    Cathryn nodded slowly in understanding. "O-okay, so¡­ you just- you just want us to care about each other?"


    "Essentially." Andrew nodded.


    "That- that should be easy enough, right?" She asked, turning to Li Jing. "You''re an amazing person¡­ I already feel bad for even feeling like this because you and Andrew are obviously a great couple and if it weren''t for this stupid Bond I could just let you two be happy, and-!" Cathryn paused, taking a deep breath. "I- I can''t imagine taking more than you''re already giving me¡­ what I''m asking for is horrible enough."


    Li Jing shook her head. "You shouldn''t feel bad. You didn''t ask for this. You didn''t do anything wrong. You''re just in a horrible situation and there isn''t any good solution. If anything I''m the one being unreasonable. I''m the one who is capable of giving up, of moving on. I could live a life without Andrew-"


    "Uh, as Andrew, can I say absolutely fucking not to that?" Andrew interjected. "There is no part of this where I''m willing to give you up. Not unless it''s what you actually want. Which you don''t. So it isn''t happening."


    Li Jing smiled sadly at him. "Andrew, I like- I love you, but we aren''t Bound together. Separation would hurt, but it isn''t impossible, and we would heal. For Cathryn, separation is impossible. She would have the wound ripped open again and again as long as we are together."


    Andrew scowled. "Okay, fair, but counterpoint, no. I agree that hurting Cathryn over and over is a bad thing, but hurting each other, even if we''ll heal, isn''t any better. If I have to give you up because of her, even if I try not to, I''m going to resent it, and any relationship we could have had would be impossible because of it. Especially since our Bond would make hiding something like that literally impossible."


    Cathryn''s expression twisted as she curled in on herself. "I hate this."


    Andrew nodded. "It''s a shitty situation."


    "We''ll make it work." Li Jing stated firmly, reaching out to place a hand on Cathryn.


    Andrew sighed. "It''s going to take a lot of work, but yeah, we will. I won''t accept anything less."


    Cathryn looked up, glancing between the two of them, a small spark of hope lighting in her chest. Maybe- maybe it could work¡­ with these two¡­ maybe.


    *


    Andrew left the two girls to talk things out, heading out of the base camp to hunt. They decided they''d look at organizations tomorrow, and Andrew didn''t want to interfere with the two of them figuring things out between each other. The relationship between them couldn''t be about him, or it wouldn''t work. They needed to be friends, sisters, or whatever on their own, regardless of him.


    Andrew sighed internally. What was he even going to do with two girls? Would they be together, together? He knew it was the classic male fantasy, but mechanically, it just didn''t work. It just seemed like he''d end up doing a lot of extra work for the same amount of pleasure. He wasn''t about to say it was a problem, but why would you want to seek something like that out? It seemed like you could get a lot more out of it by just focusing on one girl, but if he did that, what would the other one be doing? Would they have to take turns? That seemed like a recipe for disaster. How do you make sure you''re giving everyone enough attention without turning it into some sort of chore? ''Hey Honey, it''s Wednesday, so it''s your turn for sex.'' That would just be awkward. Love needed some sort of¡­ spontaneity. It couldn''t just be scheduled.


    Andrew shook his head as he felt a headache coming on. The more he thought about it, the more complicated it all felt. Love relied on being comfortable with the other person, but the very nature of sharing was un-comfortable. In order to make everything fair you had to make rules, and rules restrict, and restrictions are naturally uncomfortable. Unless maybe if you didn''t care about being fair? But if you don''t care about being fair, do you really care about the relationship? Or maybe you cared about the relationship more than being fair?


    Andrew tore through Beasts mindlessly as these thoughts ran through his head, getting lost in the haze until the light began to fade and he stumbled back to the cabin, somewhat dreading whatever the girls had come up with. "Hey¡­" He greeted them as he walked in. "So¡­ any progress?"


    "Go put on clothes. I''m not talking to you while you look like that." Li Jing replied, gesturing to his carapace crotch covering.


    "It''s convenient!" Andrew protested, heading back towards his room. He returned a moment later, all dressed. "So, progress?"


    "We''ve figured things out a bit." Li Jing nodded. "I''m responsible for making sure you spend time with her, while she''s responsible for making sure you spend time with me. As long as we''re both dedicated to that, then there shouldn''t be an issue, because we''ll be fighting for each other, instead of ourselves."


    Andrew nodded slowly. "Okay¡­ what''s my deal then? What do I do?"


    "You are going to spend tonight with Cathryn, because you two need to have an actual relationship if any of this is going to work." Li Jing replied, pushing Cathryn towards him while she flushed in embarrassment. "You two go out and have fun."


    Andrew felt a hint of disappointment, before squashing it immediately. That was exactly why he had to do this. He would rather spend the night with Li Jing, but he couldn''t think that way if this was going to work. He needed to spend time with Cathryn, develop their relationship, so he wanted to spend time with her as well. Ugh, this was going to take work. He paused, glancing at Cathryn as she curled in on herself again, having picked up a few of his thoughts. "Hey, come on, let''s get out of here. We''ll do something fun." He grabbed her hand, pulling her after him.


    "N-no, you- you should stay with Li Jing. You guys can only be together here! We can work things out after!" Cathryn protested.


    "Nope!" Andrew kept pulling her along.


    "W-wait!" Cathryn tried to stop him, but Andrew just ignored her, picking her up as she continued to struggle, causing her to yelp.


    "Let''s go see what this chariot racing thing is all about!" Andrew announced excitedly, carrying Cathryn over his shoulder as he walked out of the cabin.


    "You can put me down now." Cathryn grumbled after they''d walked for a bit. Andrew chuckled, putting her down gently, but keeping a grip on her hand. Cathryn flushed awkwardly, grumbling incoherently, before glancing nervously at Andrew. "Why- why are you doing this? You don''t even like me."


    "True, but I don''t not like you either. I''ve never really considered liking you. Up until last night, you were just¡­ Cathryn." Andrew explained with a shrug. "I mean, think about all our interactions up until now. We''ve never really gotten to know each other, we''ve just been dealing with all the shit we''ve been going through. And before all that, you were a mortal, and¡­ well, unless you''re going to be a huge asshole at some point, getting into relationships with mortals is just a bad idea. Twenty year relationship, tops, before you have to ditch them because you aren''t aging. You haven''t been on option for so long, I kinda just didn''t think about it when it suddenly changed."


    Cathryn frowned as she considered what he was saying. "So what now?"


    "Now, we go watch some chariots race each other, we have fun, and we try to get¡­ comfortable with each other." Andrew replied. "Then¡­ we''ll talk."

 Aura: 23 - Optimism

    "That was more violent than I''d expected." Andrew commented, frowning as he and Cathryn left the venue for chariot racing. He''d been thinking something like Nascar, but instead it was like bumper cars with things that broke. Thankfully there were protections in place so no one actually died, but there were definitely injuries.


    "Do you think that one guy will be alright?" Cathryn asked nervously.


    "He should be. We do have healing enchantments, but¡­ I''m not sure how good they are at reattaching arms." Andrew''s frown deepened.


    Cathryn shuddered. "Can- can we go somewhere else?"


    "Yeah, definitely." Andrew nodded. That had been a bad idea.


    They looked around at the different offerings, before deciding they should probably get some food first, ending up in a Greek sandwich place. Cathryn moaned as she bit into hers. "Why is all the food around here so good!?!"


    "I think it''s the Beast meat." Andrew commented. "Something about having ability energy just makes you taste good." Cathryn''s eyebrows rose, before she flushed and Andrew grinned. "I heard that. Who knew you had a dirty side~" He teased her.


    "Shut up!" Cathryn groaned, her flush deepening.


    "You know, you can try it later. Who knows? Maybe it does taste good." Andrew continued, his grin widening.


    "You are the worst!" Cathryn exclaimed, covering her face in embarrassment.


    "Hey, it was your idea." Andrew chuckled, giving her a look. She was kind of adorable like this.


    Cathryn peeked out from behind her hands, still flushing. "You- you think I''m adorable?"


    Andrew froze, before shaking his head. "Right, the Bond. Yes, you''re adorable. I enjoy teasing people, you know? I think it comes from my Monkey side. Seeing someone get all embarrassed over a little joke¡­ it''s cute."


    Cathryn shifted uncomfortably, not sure how to respond, which was honestly even cuter, and Andrew thinking that caused her to shift even more, even as she tried not to, which was even more cute, and so on and so on. It was like a recurrent loop of adorableness and all Andrew had to do was watch. Slowly, Cathryn''s thoughts began to shift and Andrew''s eyebrows rose. The things she was thinking¡­ audacious, yet intriguing. "I-I can''t- please- please stop." Cathryn begged with a groan, covering her face again.


    Andrew coughed awkwardly, looking away as he concentrated on something else. Oh, hey, there was that elf- "Ow!" Andrew flinched as Cathryn flicked his ear.


    "Don''t you have enough on your plate right now?!?" Cathryn asked, a hint of anger in her tone.


    "What- it isn''t- it''s not like that!" Andrew protested. "I''m just- there''s an inherent level of curiosity that seeing an attractive woman brings out in a man! I would never act on it, but I mean, come on! That shit is ridiculous! You wouldn''t be human if it didn''t give you ideas!"


    Cathryn crossed her arms with a huff. "Yeah, right."


    Andrew groaned. "You- wait, okay, look, I can prove it!" He began to adjust his aura, putting his Human side as low as it would go while pumping up the rest, before looking back at the elf. "See? Nothing!" He exclaimed, turning back to Cathryn. "Without my human side, the elf is just meat. It''s a purely physiological response! But you. You''re still adorable. That''s me. Not my meat sack''s urges, but my honest feelings." He explained, returning his aura to normal as Cathryn began to flush again. He grinned. "Of course, when my human side is here, well, I have plenty of meat sack urges to go around."


    She immediately kicked him under the table, making Andrew laugh even as he rubbed his shin. "I don''t get you sometimes!" Cathryn huffed. "Are you sweet or are you a pervert? Are you selfish or are you selfless? Do you care or are you just doing what you think you''re supposed to do?"


    Andrew shrugged. "I''m complex. I''m all of those things, and none of them. We all are. People are very¡­ situational. Take Jing for example. When we first started talking, she''d barely say more than a word or two! Now? She''ll give entire speeches! Is she quiet? Yes, in certain situations. But she''s the furthest thing from it in others. Hell, you just went from completely embarrassed to angry in the span of a few seconds! That''s just how people work. It''s not about figuring out who people are, but which situations bring out which sides of them, and why."


    Cathryn blinked at him. "And now you''re insightful too. Great." She suddenly groaned. "I am so out of my league."


    Andrew snorted as he suppressed a laugh. "Okay, yeah, no, leagues aren''t a thing. People are people and certain people fit together better than others, but it isn''t some arbitrary ''league'' that does it. It''s just different people wanting different things. Disqualifying yourself from being with someone just because of some imagined ''ranking'' that puts you higher or lower than them for some arbitrary reason is just stupid."


    "And now you''re insulting." Cathryn replied, though she couldn''t keep herself from smiling lightly.


    Andrew rolled his eyes, grinning slightly. "The truth is never insulting."


    "The truth is usually insulting." Cathryn retorted. "It just needs to be said anyway."


    Andrew paused. "It depends on your definition of insulting I guess. People may be insulted by the truth, but that doesn''t make the truth insulting. I think to be insulting, there''s an intent that needs to be behind it. You have to want to insult someone. But a statement of fact has no intent behind it. It just is. Maybe the way you say it could be insulting, or the reason you want to say it could be insulting, but that isn''t the truth."


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "I think you''re just playing with words so you sound right."


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about." Andrew grinned.


    *


    After they ate, the two decided to just walk around the base camp for a bit, talking. They held hands, laughed, joked, teased each other¡­ Well, Andrew teased Cathryn. It really was too easy. By the end of the night, they felt¡­ comfortable. It wasn''t at the level Andrew and Li Jing had, but there was progress. Andrew could actually see where a relationship with her would go. He could see them actually being happy together. The only hitch was he still wasn''t confident in all three of them being happy together. He knew he could make either relationship work, individually. Both girls were pretty great, and he knew he''d be lucky to be with either one of them. But balancing both of them? He felt a little out of his depth. Even though things seemed to be going well, everyone working together to make this strange situation a functional relationship, Andrew couldn''t help but feel like somehow he was going to fuck this up. He''d end up neglecting one, neglecting both, going too far and insulting them, making them uncomfortable, or worse, ending up taking advantage of them both as he turned into some sort of self indulgent asshole feeding off-


    "Okay, I can''t believe I''m the one saying this, but you need to calm down." Cathryn placed a hand on his shoulder, looking at him in concern.


    Andrew grimaced. "Sorry. Just- there are so many ways this could all go wrong. If any of us get lazy¡­ it''ll all blow up."


    "I- I''m sorry." Cathryn apologized sadly. "If it weren''t for me¡­ none of this would be happening."


    Andrew sighed, shaking his head. "It isn''t your fault. It isn''t anyone''s fault! It''s just life, and life- life sucks sometimes."


    Cathryn got a distant look in her eye. "Yeah¡­"


    Andrew glanced at her. "I guess we''ve both been through some shit, haven''t we?"


    Cathryn smiled sadly. "Yeah."


    Andrew wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "We''ll make it work, don''t worry. I''m not going to let this blow up on us as well. This will be something good. I''m not going to let life bone us again." Andrew assured her, before blinking. "Cathryn, I''m trying to be sweet here."


    Cathryn flushed. "I-I can''t help it! My mind just goes there!"


    "The question is, do you go there?" Andrew commented suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows.


    Cathryn''s flush deepened. "I- I don''t- I mean- if- if you''d like-"


    "Whoa, whoa, hold on." Andrew pumped the brakes, pulling away. "I was joking. We''re barely starting our relationship. I''m not going to push you like that." Cathryn flushed even deeper, and Andrew sighed, shaking his head. "Damn it! I made things awkward."


    "No! It''s my fault¡­ I should have known it was a joke." Cathryn groaned. "I just- me being here is slowing everything down for you! If- if I could make that up to you¡­"


    "Okay, wow, no, that''s- listen, Cathryn, we can''t- you are not some object to be used as a transaction, understand? If we- when we''re together like that, it''s going to be because we both want it, not because you feel like you have to." Andrew explained in a clear, stern tone.


    Cathryn twisted awkwardly, her flush returning. "But¡­ I do want it¡­ maybe not now, exactly, but¡­ I- I know I can trust you. That I want to be with you. That- that I want to¡­ be with you. If- if you did ask¡­ I wouldn''t say no."


    Andrew froze, several different instincts fighting within him. The primal part that just wanted it. The nervous part that worried about making a mistake. The thoughtful part that wondered what the consequences of doing this would be. The part of him that was actually starting to love this woman, and just wanted to be with her. The part that loved Li Jing. Andrew took a deep breath. "If- if it weren''t for Jing, then- I honestly might take you up on that offer. We aren''t getting away from each other, and barreling forward with our relationship wouldn''t really change that. However- we can''t jump forward and leave Jing behind. We need to make sure all three of us are okay with how things are progressing, and if that takes longer, then it does. We''ll deal with it. We have time."


    Cathryn hesitated, before nodding. "You- you''re right. I''m being selfish. Sorry."


    Andrew shook his head. "No, not selfish, just¡­ it''s easy to forget there are three of us in this. We have to watch each other, and make sure we don''t screw it all up." Cathryn nodded again.


    They walked in silence for a moment, slowly making their way back to the cabin. "I think we''re stuck like this." Cathryn muttered after a moment, frowning.


    Andrew glanced at her. "What do you mean?"


    "I mean¡­ you can''t not choose me, because of our Bond. It turns it into a situation where you either choose me or you choose both of us. You wanted to choose Li Jing, but that wasn''t an option, so you chose both of us. However, now that you have chosen both of us, then choosing me is no longer an option, because if it was, then the relationship would no longer be fair, and that just wouldn''t work. I have to be in this relationship, you have to be in this relationship, which means Li Jing has to be in this relationship if it''s going to be fair. We''re stuck. None of us can leave." Cathryn explained, sounding somewhat dazed as she did. "There- there was a part of me hoping that eventually either Li Jing would get tired of this and go, or you would like me enough to be okay with leaving her for me, but¡­ I have to kill that part of myself to make any of this work, don''t I? It can''t be an option. We''re balanced on a plate over a pit, and if any of us move, we all fall." Cathryn frowned. "No¡­ me and you would fall, because we''re shackled together and can''t escape. Li Jing could escape, but we can''t let her, or we fall. We have to cling to her, prevent her from escaping to survive."


    "Yeah¡­ though it isn''t about survival, just the two of us being at least vaguely miserable¡­ for the rest of our very, very, very, very long lives." Andrew paused. "Death may be the better option here. Though, with time, who knows what would happen? Maybe things would suck for a century or two, and then slowly get better."


    Cathryn shuddered. "A century is still a long time to be miserable."


    Andrew sighed. "True. So, we''ll hold on to Jing as tightly as we can, and if it turns out we can''t¡­ we''ll deal with the consequences." Cathryn smiled sadly, nodding along. They walked a few more steps, before Andrew''s arm snaked out, wrapping around her waist and pulling her close. "I''m going to hold on to you too, even if I don''t have to, because I want to." He told her seriously, looking her right in the eyes. "Even if we are stuck¡­ I still want this. I want all of us to be happy. Including y-"


    Andrew cut off as Cathryn suddenly pressed forward, pushing her lips against his. Andrew''s eyes widened for a moment, before settling into the kiss, pulling her closer as he pressed in as well. Maybe he was an idiot, but in that moment, he knew this was all going to work out. Three teenagers in love. What could go wrong?

 Aura: 24 - Back to school

    The rest of the week went smoothly as the three of them continued to figure things out. There was definitely some awkwardness every now and then, particularly when all three had to be together. It was fine when they were just hanging out, or even cuddling, but anything more intimate always left someone out. Andrew only had so much attention to give at once. No one seemed to be complaining yet, but it left Andrew frustrated. He didn''t want to leave anyone out. Unfortunately, unless he could figure out some way to split himself in two, there wasn''t any solution. All he could do was focus on one or the other and hope they understood.


    Other than the relationship issues, the three had looked at all the logistics organizations and applied to three: Supply and Demand, Gravy Train, and Cornucopia. They just had to wait to hear back, which wouldn''t take more than one or two weeks. All three had quota requirements instead of time requirements, which would allow them to work around their school schedule once it started up again. They had a lower base salary than the ones that had shifts, but if they did extra work, they could get bonuses, so it evened out. Plus, they all gave storage rings, which could adjust size to fit anything from humans to large Beasts, so that was nice. The only form he couldn''t keep it on was the ant, though he could still carry it.


    The rest was just hunting and ability testing, mostly Andrew playing around with his new Human ability. None of the Beasts in the area were particularly powerful, so he never got a huge power boost, but it was fun playing with the different abilities. He figured out that as long as he kept his ability connected, he not only got the ability, but he also slowly learned how to use the ability from the Beast. The longer he stayed connected, the better he got, until he was just as good at using the ability as the Beast he got it from. Even more reason why Long was feared. A few years of dedicated training, and he''d be an expert in using practically any ability!


    At the end of the week, the three gathered in the portal square, ready to head home for the weekend. "So, we''ll see you in a few days, right?" Andrew asked Li Jing, squeezing her hand slightly.


    Li Jing nodded with a smile. "It''s just a short break."


    Andrew sighed. "Until it isn''t. We''re hardly even going to see each other once school starts!"


    Li Jing grinned. "Are you sure about that?"


    Andrew froze, giving her a weird look. "What do you mean?"


    Li Jing flushed. "Remember when I said I had a surprise for you?" Andrew nodded. "I''m coming to America. As an exchange student. I worked everything out with the Elders last week. We''re going to school together."


    Andrew was stunned. "Are- are you serious? That''s- that''s amazing!" He laughed, pulling her into a hug, holding her tight, picking her up slightly in his joy. He felt a bit of¡­ something come from Cathryn, before it was quickly covered up with genuine happiness that Li Jing was coming to America. They could all be together! It was amazing! "Shit. I wish you were coming now." Andrew sighed as he pulled away.


    Li Jing pinched him. "Don''t be selfish. Be good to Cathryn while I''m gone. We''ll see each other soon." She then turned to Cathryn, pulling her into a hug. "You watch him, alright? Make sure he behaves."


    "I will." Cathryn smiled. "Plus, he''s better behaved than he seems."


    "I''m a good boy." Andrew grinned.


    Li Jing giggled. "You''re a dork." She pulled away, picking up her bags. "I have to go. I''ll see you guys soon."


    "We''ll see you." Andrew nodded, waving as she left.


    "We''ll miss you!" Cathryn waved energetically.


    Li Jing waved as she left, heading to her own portal home, while Andrew and Cathryn picked up their own bags and headed to theirs. "Time to get back to it." Andrew sighed as the two of them walked through, back to America.


    The weekend passed without incident, and soon the three were back together, life slowly falling into a routine. Halfway through the next week, they joined Supply and Demand, beginning their work. Andrew and Li Mei hunted for meat, while Cathryn and Li Jing helped supervise the mortals hired to process the various goods brought in by the Beasts. They learned how to check books, keep ledgers, and everything else involved in managing a large logistics network. Every day they grew, Andrew and Li Mei increasing their power as they continued to absorb crystals. Li Mei finally got the Deer mutation, gaining the ability to condense her water jets into beams, as well as to shoot them from any part of her body. Not only did it make her hunting more efficient, increasing their income, but it gave Li Jing some power to actually defend herself, beyond just getting people wet, which Andrew was very much in support of. Summoning your Beast was a decent form of protection, but being able to blast them yourself was even better.


    He also did some experimenting with his abilities, specifically his Human ability. He managed to easily snag Arose''s ability when he went home, which gave him something that was both powerful and familiar to start, but he immediately noticed a few issues. First, if the person he got the ability from was smart enough, they immediately noticed what he''d done. Second, when he cut the connection, due to aforementioned noticing, the ability strength got tanked. His stolen ability was only strong as long as he was still connected to the person he''d stolen it from, so unless he wanted to constantly hunt only a few miles away from the base camp, his Human ability wouldn''t do him much good.


    That led to the only real issue he''d run into: hunting around the base camps was¡­ sparse. Well, not sparse. The Beasts were there, but they were all weak. Ability level ten, maybe twenty or thirty tops. Even with Andrew''s perfect compatibility, that would only increase his ability level by three, max. Hunting on his own, would get him a bunch of tens, a few twenties, and maybe a thirty in a day. Half of that was turned into credits, while Andrew focused on crystals compatible with one of his three stable abilities, giving the rest to Li Mei. He didn''t focus on his Human ability because as much as it was powerful, he didn''t want to neglect his other abilities for it. He didn''t want to just be a second Long. Besides, it grew fast enough just using the leftovers from the crystals his other abilities absorbed. All told, he probably increased his actual power by about forty or fifty a week.


    He knew he shouldn''t complain. Li Mei only increased hers by about twenty, and that was with Andrew feeding her any compatible crystal he could find. The average Bonded could only swing an increase of ten or so a week. For the average Beast, even a good hunter would only hit two or three a week. It just felt wrong to go around killing such weak Beasts so easily. It felt like slaughter, more than hunting. Like he was some sort of monster. He missed the days when Beasts were a threat he could face.


    "Maybe I should go to the Arena." Andrew muttered.


    "Why haven''t you gone to the Arena?" Li Jing raised an eyebrow at him.


    "It''s a little late, isn''t it?" Cathryn frowned. "We start school next week."


    "I didn''t think it''d be worth it." Andrew answered Li Jing first. "I''m not strong enough to get very high in the Rankings, and I''m not skilled enough to get far in the tournaments." He then turned to Cathryn. "And school won''t exactly change our schedule, will it? We''ll still be busy most of the day, free on weekends and evenings."


    "I think you might do better in tournaments than you might think." Li Jing commented.


    "What do you mean?" Andrew asked, frowning slightly.


    "Have you ever seen yourself fight?" Li Jing asked. "You''re like a machine."


    Cathryn blinked. "He is?"


    Li Jing nodded. "All those years of controlling his strength, I think."


    "I guess? But that doesn''t mean I''ll be good right? I mean, some of these people have been fighting for centuries. How am I supposed to beat that?" Andrew retorted.


    Li Jing shrugged. "You may need to train a little, but I think you''re closer than you might think."


    Andrew paused, before shrugging. "I guess I could give it a shot. Mostly I just want a fucking challenge again! I''m starting to feel lazy."


    "Oh, you''re one of those." Li Jing gave him a weird look. "Thrill seeker."


    "I wouldn''t say I''m seeking thrills. I just want to feel like I''m actually doing something, instead of just¡­ stagnating." Andrew sighed.


    "Just because it''s easy, doesn''t mean you''re stagnating. Progress is progress, no matter how small." Li Jing retorted.


    "Yeah, I know. I''m not going to do anything crazy. I just think the Arena might help." Andrew shrugged. "I''ll join the Rankings and¡­ I''ll think about the tournament."


    "After school starts." Cathryn interjected. "I want to make sure we actually have time for this before you go committing to anything."


    Andrew shrugged. "Fair."


    *


    That weekend, they all helped Li Jing move to America. It wasn''t all that difficult. They had portals, storage rings, and a fake family to host her, full of Support Staff, a few houses away from Andrew. "This is ridiculously easy." Cathryn frowned, helping Li Jing organize her room.


    "Isn''t it?" Andrew grinned. "No moving van, just a ring¡­ and a portal to another world."


    "Less talk, more work." Li Jing chastised them.


    Andrew rolled his eyes, grinning as he went back to hanging pictures, pushing nails into the wall. He stared at one of the pictures, a scenic panorama of some landscape. "What''s up with these? Why all the landscapes?"


    "I like landscapes." Li Jing retorted defensively.


    Andrew shrugged. "Fair enough."


    "So¡­ school tomorrow. You guys ready?" Cathryn asked.


    "As ready as I''ll ever be." Andrew groaned. "Ugh, I''m going to be surrounded by people again."


    "What''s wrong with people?" Li Jing frowned.


    Andrew grimaced. "Nothing in particular, just¡­ everything I have to do to fit in, and all the things I don''t do. The games people make of life, when all they have to do is just get along¡­ high school is like the worst example of it all, too."


    Li Jing blinked, before turning to Cathryn. "He- he''s not wrong. But people do try! They just kind of get caught up in it all and¡­ it''s hard to go against the tide when you''re all caught up in the midst of it." Cathryn explained.


    Li Jing turned back to Andrew. "She''s right, but it''s still annoying." Andrew shrugged.


    Li Jing nodded. "I''ll deal with it. I want to know people."


    "Then you might want to keep some distance from me." Andrew sighed. "I''m not popular. If you want to make friends, my presence would be a major barrier."


    "No." Li Jing stated firmly. "I want friends, but I''m not giving up on you to make them."


    The room fell quiet for a moment. "What- what are we going to do? About us?" Cathryn asked. "We- if we act like- like we are¡­ there will be questions."


    Andrew snorted. "What are they going to do? Avoid me more?" He paused. "But yeah, for you two, this might be an issue¡­"


    Li Jing frowned. "I don''t want to pretend¡­"


    "I''m not suggesting we do, but¡­ maybe we just don''t do anything too overt while we''re at school? We don''t need to pretend, but we also don''t need to throw it in people''s faces, right?" Cathryn replied tentatively.


    "Define overt?" Andrew asked, narrowing his eyes at her.


    "Like making out in the middle of the hallway or something." Cathryn explained. "I''m not saying we can''t be together, or even hold hands and stuff, but there''s no need to ramp up the intimacy in public."


    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Andrew paused, before glancing at Li Jing. "That seems fair, right? I mean, people will still know, obviously, but as she said, no need to be crude about it. Though¡­ again, this might hurt your chances of making friends."


    Li Jing shrugged. "Doesn''t matter. I would rather be me and alone, than someone else and adored."


    Andrew grinned, pulling her close. "This is why I love you." He replied, leaning in to give her a kiss. Cathryn smiled at the two, before turning to continue with the decorating. It was good to see them getting along. She just wished Li Jing would be ready to step up their relationship soon.


    *


    "I''ll drive!" Andrew announced, pulling out the keys to his new car as they left the house to head to school.


    "No you will not!" Cathryn immediately shot him down, stealing the keys. "I''m driving."


    Andrew huffed. "I have gotten better, you know."


    "You said that last time. I''m driving." Cathryn didn''t budge, shooing him off to the passenger side.


    Andrew rolled his eyes, unable to keep the grin off his face as he got in, while Li Jing smirked as she slid into the back seat. Cathryn drove them all to the school at a sedate pace, the very letter of safety. "I think a turtle just passed us." Andrew grumbled.


    "Hardy har har." Cathryn retorted sarcastically. "It isn''t a race!"


    "We''d lose." Li Jing commented dryly.


    Cathryn just tightened her grip on the steering wheel, focusing on the road as her lips flattened into a line. When they finally reached the parking lot, she and Li Jing began to get out, while Andrew just sat there. "Well, are you coming?" She asked, a bit more angrily than she intended.


    Andrew started. "Oh, we stopped moving? I couldn''t tell."


    Cathryn narrowed her eyes at him. "Watch it, mister. You''re pushing it."


    Andrew snickered. "Sorry, I couldn''t help it." He grabbed his bag, jumping out of the car, and the three of them began to walk in.


    "There you are, you fucking cunt!" A voice roared from behind them as Cathryn froze. Andrew''s expression hardened as he felt the fear pour out of Cathryn, turning to see a greasy, angry looking man stomping towards them from the street. "Who the fuck do you think you are?!? Abandoning your family! Moving into that hoity toity mansion with your rich little sugar daddy! Hiding behind gates to keep me from seeing you! Well, what are you gonna do now!?! No gates here, bitch! No guards to throw me out! You''re coming home with me, now!"


    He went to grab Cathryn, when Andrew stepped forward, putting a hand on the man''s chest. "Back off." He demanded, glaring at Cathryn''s father, resisting the urge to end him right here, right now.


    "Don''t you fucking touch me!" He pushed Andrew away. "Stay the fuck out of this!" He continued, putting a finger in Andrew''s face that Andrew only kept himself from biting off by imagining how bad it would taste. "This is between me and my whore of a daughter!"


    Andrew took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before he put a hole in this man''s chest while Cathryn both hid behind him and did everything she could to hold him back. Li Jing stepped in. "Sir, I am not aware of what happened between you and Cathryn, but she has made her decisions and you have no right to call her these sorts of names. Please leave and let us be on our way."


    "Who the fuck are you?!?" Cathryn''s father eyed her, before roughly pushing her to the side. "Get the fu-ack!" He began to choke.


    Andrew wasn''t even sure when he moved but he was suddenly holding Cathryn''s father a good six inches off the ground, by the throat. He wasn''t even sure when he''d released his aura. "Give me one good reason why you shouldn''t be dead right now!" Andrew snarled, glaring at the man, terror beginning to well up inside him as he struggled against Andrew''s steel-like grip.


    "Andrew please, please, don''t do this! He''s not worth it!" Cathryn pleaded, pulling at him with little to no effect. Li Jing put a hand on his shoulder as well, shaking her head.


    Andrew looked between the two, before sighing and turning back to Cathryn''s father as he slowly began to turn purple, his gaze hardening again. "I never want to see you again, understand? You see me? You run. You see Cathryn? You run. You see Jing? You run. If you try to pull something like this again? No one will hold me back." He dropped him, the man gasping for air as he clutched his throat. "Get the fuck out of here."


    As Cathryn''s father scrambled away, Andrew looked around at the dead silent parking lot, all eyes on him, all of them wide, with no one knowing how to react. He saw his little sister having just gotten off the bus, her eyes wide as well. "That. Was. Awesome!" Kate yelled excitedly, breaking the silence as people began to cheer.


    "Fuck that guy!" Someone yelled, spitting in the direction of Cathryn''s father.


    Andrew shifted awkwardly under the attention, picking up his bag from where it had fallen. "We should get inside." He muttered.


    Cathryn was looking a little dazed over what just happened, but a slight nudge from Andrew knocked her out of it. She immediately flushed, starting towards the school, before pausing and turning back to Andrew, giving him a sudden, quick hug. "Thank you." She whispered before letting go, wiping her eyes.


    Andrew smiled and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Any time." He then turned to Li Jing. "Are you okay? He didn''t hurt you, did he?"


    Li Jing smiled. "You had him before he could do more than touch me. I am fine."


    Andrew sighed in relief. "Good. Good." He paused. "Also, why are you British?"


    Li Jing shrugged. "It is how I was taught. My English tutor was British."


    "I can''t believe you didn''t tell us you could speak English sooner." Cathryn grumbled. "We could have been speaking English this entire time!"


    "You needed practice." Li Jing replied with a grin, poking her. Cathryn snorted, but she grabbed Li Jing''s hand as well, giving it a squeeze, obviously grateful that she''d been there to help.


    The three barely even noticed they were all walking hand in hand, until Cathryn began to notice some strange looks and dropped the other two''s hands with a flush. Andrew and Li Jing shared amused looks, but they weren''t going to push Cathryn right now. She had more than enough to deal with at the moment.


    Someone rushed up as they walked in. "Cathryn, there you a-" Benjamin cut off with a yelp as he noticed Andrew come in after her, taking a wide eyed step back, falling silent.


    Cathryn frowned as she noticed the blatant fear and nervousness coming off Benjamin, as well as Andrew''s darkening mood as he felt it too, a mix of pain and anger simmering within him. "Knock it off, Benjamin! What do you think he''s going to do, eat you?" She scolded him, a thread of anger weaving into her tone. Andrew was not some monster to be feared!


    Benjamin flinched, another spike of fear shooting through him as if he thought Andrew might do just that. "Let''s just go." Andrew snorted bitterly, pushing past Benjamin, Li Jing quickly following after giving Benjamin a curious glance.


    Cathryn stayed behind, crossing her arms and glaring at Benjamin. "Are you really that scared of him?"


    "Cathryn, he''s dangerous!" Benjamin hissed, glancing after Andrew nervously. "You have to stay away from him! Whatever he''s involved in¡­ whatever he is, it''s too dangerous for normal people like us!"


    Cathryn froze for a moment, narrowing her eyes. "What are you talking about?"


    Benjamin fidgetted nervously for a moment, looking around. "You- you''re going to think I''m crazy, but- it- it needs to be said. I- I don''t think-" He paused leaning in closer to whisper. "I don''t think Andrew is human. I think- I think he''s something else¡­ like a vampire!"


    Cathryn froze, eyes widening. "Wh-what?" Benjamin knew- well, he didn''t know, but he suspected Andrew was¡­ different?


    "I''ve gone over it a million times!" Benjamin continued nervously. "The way his parents never seem to age, unnatural feats of strength, weird connection with animals¡­ it''s all there!"


    "Unnatural feats of strength?" Cathryn asked hesitantly.


    Benjamin nodded seriously. "What happened with Eric was the big one, but there have been other things, stuff I dismissed at the time. Things that he should have struggled with, but just didn''t. Bags of chips torn apart, soda cans crushed into thin disks, jaw breakers chewed¡­ I-I know it doesn''t sound like much, but it all adds up!"


    Cathryn gave him a complicated look, before shaking her head. "Even if that''s true, so what? He''s still Andrew. He was your friend! Why are you acting like he''s suddenly going to snap and murder us all?"


    "Because he could! If he wanted to, he could kill any of us! All of us! He''d probably get away with it too, using the vampire Illuminati!" Benjamin retorted.


    "And anyone else could just bring a gun to school and do the same thing." Cathryn countered. "Look, I don''t know why you think Andrew is some kind of- of- whatever, but even if he is, he''s a good one! He''s never done anything to any of us, even if he could!"


    "What about Eric?" Benjamin replied.


    Cathryn paused. "Eric- Eric was a special case. He wasn''t trying to kill him."


    "But he did!" Benjamin continued. "That''s the problem! He doesn''t even have to try to kill us! A little slip of the hand, and boom, we''re dead! It''s like making friends with a bear or a tiger! They play nice, most of the time, but all it takes is one slip up and you''re done!"


    "Those are animals! This is Andrew! He can control himself!" Cathryn protested.


    "But what if he doesn''t?!?" Benjamin retorted.


    "It doesn''t matter! He does! You can''t treat someone like a monster just because of something they might do! Andrew is a human being! He deserves the benefit of the doubt!" Cathryn exclaimed. She finally shook her head. "I''m done with this. Believe what you want. I have class." She turned and left.


    Benjamin watched her go with a helpless expression. This was why he''d never said anything! He knew she''d just call him crazy and- and- Benjamin froze. She hadn''t called him crazy. She''d barely even argued about it! She''d been more focused on the fact that it didn''t matter¡­ did- did she know something? Did she know what Andrew was? But then, why did she defend him? Benjamin''s eyes widened in a sudden realization. Had Andrew turned Cathryn into his thrall?!? This was bad. This was very bad! If- If she told, then¡­ Benjamin gulped. What would Andrew do to him once he knew he knew? Benjamin nervously glanced at the doors of the school, debating whether he should run, before shaking his head. They were vampires! They''d track him down in an instant! He- he needed insurance. Something- something that would force them to keep him alive! Benjamin froze. He had no idea what that could even be! He gulped nervously. He was in trouble.


    *


    "Fuck Benjamin!" Cathryn growled, throwing herself into the seat next to Andrew.


    "Wow, he got you to curse? He must have really pissed you off." Andrew chuckled, slightly enjoying the feeling of someone else dealing with the little prick.


    "He''s just- he has the right idea and he''s going in the completely wrong direction with it!" Cathryn complained. She then focused on Andrew. "You apparently gave him too many hints, and now he thinks you''re a monster."


    Andrew blinked a few times. "That''s his issue?!? Seriously?!?"


    Cathryn sighed, nodding. "He thinks somehow you''re going to slip up and kill us all."


    Andrew paused. "Well, that''s fair I suppose."


    "No it isn''t!" Cathryn retorted vehemently. "You''ve never given anyone any reason to think you''d do something like that!"


    "Except Eric." Andrew replied.


    "Eric doesn''t count!" Cathryn exclaimed. "He was a bully who tortured you for years! That isn''t playing with a wild animal and getting hurt accidentally, that''s poking a wild animal and being surprised when it bites! The first doesn''t count because you know what hurts people, and you won''t, while the second is the natural response to torture, and not your fault!" She finished, seething.


    "Cathryn, it''s okay." Andrew reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.


    "No it''s not! You aren''t some monster and you don''t deserve to be treated like one!" Cathryn protested, her angry tone turning to frustrated sorrow. "I''ve seen monsters, and you are the furthest thing possible from something like that." She choked, tears beginning to fall. Li Jing slipped out of her chair to give Cathryn a hug from behind, while Andrew went to his knees in front of her, keeping a comforting grip on her shoulder and grabbing one of her hands. "I-I''m sorry. It''s- I''m sorry." She apologized.


    "Cathryn, it''s okay. It''s been a lot all at once. I get it." Andrew assured her. "Do you want to get out of here? We can go somewhere quiet for a bit. It''s just the first day, nothing important."


    Cathryn shook her head. "No. No. It''s fine. I''ll- I''ll be fine." She muttered with a sniff. "I-I''m sorry. All my crap seems to be coming up today."


    Andrew smiled lightly. "It happens. Life happens. You just make sure to tell us what you need, and we''ll take care of it, alright?"


    Cathryn nodded. "I just- I just need a distraction. I can''t- I don''t want to deal with this right now." Li Jing paused, before leaning in to whisper something in her ear. Cathryn froze before flushing. "Oh, that''s very distracting."


    Andrew frowned as he looked between the two of them. "What? What-" *What''d she say?* Andrew asked Cathryn.


    "Secret." Li Jing stated firmly.


    *It''s a secret.* Cathryn agreed, her flush deepening.


    Andrew almost dug into Cathryn''s mind for the secret, but held himself back, firming up the walls between them instead. Andrew and Cathryn had gotten a lot better at managing their connection over the summer, learning how to keep stray thoughts from leaking through involuntarily. They even learned how to completely block each other out, but they rarely did, not only because they enjoyed feeling each other through the Bond, but because it could be dangerous if something happened. Still, despite all that, Andrew still got a little hint as Cathryn began to wonder what she was going to wear tonight.

 Aura: 25 - Return of the Machine

    The rest of the morning was fairly uneventful, mostly just the teachers getting them back into the swing of things. Andrew was a bit distracted due to two much different, but equally aggravating factors. The first was obviously Benjamin, who had waves of fear literally billowing off of him as he sat stiffly in his seat, avoiding looking anywhere near Andrew or Cathryn. It was like he thought he was about to die or something! The other was Cathryn herself, who refused to let him into her head, but wouldn''t stop thinking about whatever Li Jing had told her! His Monkey ability still let him feel her nervousness and excitement, as well as Li Jing''s amusement at the both of them, which wasn''t helping either!


    "Would you please just tell me?!?" Andrew begged as the three of them headed to lunch, heading towards one of Andrew''s favorite, isolated spots.


    "Surprise." Li Jing retorted with a smirk.


    Andrew scowled. "I already have it half figured out anyway!"


    "Do you?" Li Jing asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    Andrew hesitated, before letting out a groan. "Damn you, you evil woman!"


    Li Jing giggled. "You''re cute when you''re frustrated."


    Andrew scowled. "This surprise better be good." He grumbled.


    Cathryn hesitated. "It''s not-" Li Jing shot her a look and Cathryn sighed. "Look, just don''t overthink it, alright?"


    Andrew''s scowl deepened. "That only makes things worse!" Li Jing let out another giggle as they arrived, all three sitting down and beginning to eat. A squirrel jumped out of the bushes, jumping onto Andrew''s shoulder as he held up a chip for it. "You won''t mess with me, right Squirrelten? You''re a good friend."


    "You have the worst naming sense." Cathryn sighed, shaking her head.


    "Not naming our kids." Li Jing added with a nod.


    "What? You don''t think Boyone would be a good name?" Andrew asked with a smirk.


    ""No!"" The both of them declared in unison, both glaring at him sternly.


    "Kidding, kidding!" Andrew laughed, raising his hands. "Come on, there''s a difference between a random squirrel and my own child. I''ll give them good names, I promise." He assured them.


    Li Jing snorted. "You better."


    The three continued eating, Cathryn experimenting with her emotion sense to get Squirrelten comfortable sitting on her as well. Andrew suddenly paused as he felt something tickling the edge of his aura sense. Frowning, he focused on the sensation, and immediately swore. "Shit! There''s a Beast!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet and releasing his aura. "Jing, stay with Cathryn!" He snapped, rushing towards the Beast.


    Andrew carefully made his way towards the Beast, avoiding the other students as he headed towards the edge of the campus. Andrew couldn''t see the Beast yet, but it seemed like it was lurking in a nearby patch of trees, just watching the students. However, as he got closer, and the Beast became clearer to his aura sense, Andrew frowned. The aura felt weird¡­ condensed¡­ *Is- is it another one of those machines?* Andrew wondered as he recognized the aura. It felt just like the machine that had tried to grab Cathryn back at the mall! What was one of those doing here?!? Andrew snuck closer, trying to stay out of sight of the machine, making an arc so he''d end up behind the machine, maybe see what it was up to.


    Suddenly, just as he was sneaking by a tree, it exploded! "Shit!" Andrew cursed, dodging as more attacks headed his way, destroying the trees around him as he rushed towards the machine. A few students noticed the commotion, looking over towards the trees frowning in confusion. "Shit, shit, shit!" Andrew cursed, trying to stay out of view as he tackled the machine! He rolled the thing into a pile of bushes as its invisibility broke, getting on top of it as his hand grew talons, piercing into the machine''s chest and tearing out the core. In the next instant both the machine and core disappeared into his storage ring before he immediately rushed away, avoiding the students that arrived to check out the commotion as he made his way back to the girls.


    Andrew plopped down next to Cathryn, breathing out a relieved sigh. "Okay, all taken care of. It was one of those weird machines again, but I don''t think anyone saw it or me. There''s some destruction, but¡­ well, we need to report this to the Clans anyway, so they''ll figure something out."


    "Wait, hold on." Cathryn interjected. "You mean like the machine that tried to grab me back at the mall?!? Why would one of those be here!?!"


    Andrew shrugged. "To grab someone else? Or maybe to observe people? It didn''t seem to actually be doing anything, just¡­ watching. Until I got close, and then it tried to blast me. Hence the destruction."


    Li Jing frowned. "Strange."


    Andrew frowned at her, before pausing as he thought about it. "Huh¡­ why did it blast me? I should have just looked like a normal student¡­"


    Li Jing shook her head. "Strange that you''ve encountered two, when other Bonded have encountered zero. Both in the same area as well."


    Andrew''s frown deepened at that. "Do you think they''re targeting me or something?"


    Cathryn''s eyes widened and she gulped. "Or me!" She hissed. "At the mall¡­ it tried to grab me! And now¡­ this is like the first time we''ve actually been out since then! If it was here for anyone else¡­ it wouldn''t need to lurk around the school! There would be plenty of other opportunities to get to them!"


    "But why would these machines be targeting you?" Andrew asked, a bit of a skeptical edge creeping into his tone. "Whatever these things are, they''ve proven they can sneak around pretty easily¡­" Andrew trailed off as his eyes widened. "Oh, shit! What if- what if the issue isn''t that they aren''t around, but that no one else can actually find them! These things are perfectly invisible, no scent, no traces left behind, no thoughts or emotions to give anyone any idea they''re there¡­ the only way I find them is through my aura sense! These machines could be everywhere and no one would know!"


    Li Jing frowned. "But why would you only be finding them now?"


    Andrew paused. ¡°Because¡­ I wasn''t looking for them? I honestly didn''t pay much attention to my aura sense before, and there''s nothing particularly noteworthy about the machine''s aura. Plus, my aura sense isn''t that wide. Only like¡­ forty meters? Ish?¡± He frowned slightly, only just now realizing that his aura sense hadn''t actually grown with the rest of his abilities. Weird. ¡°Could be a ton of machines out there I''m not seeing.¡±


    Cathryn shuddered. "This does not make me feel better."


    "Cathryn, again, why would these things be targeting you specifically?" Andrew raised an eyebrow at her. "No offense, but you''re- you were just a normal mortal."


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    "Was she?" Li Jing interjected thoughtfully. "We''ve been assuming that your Bond has something to do with you, but¡­ what if it has something to do with her?"


    Andrew blinked. "I don''t follow."


    Li Jing rolled her eyes. "If Cathryn is the reason you two could Bond, if she could Bond with any Beast, and whoever is behind these machines knew that¡­"


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "Oh, that''s terrifying."


    Cathryn glanced between the two of them nervously. "Why?"


    "Because that would mean someone could be out there, making their own Bonded!" Andrew explained, frowning as he considered the implications. Bonded were scary because their Beast side was almost impossible to kill. As long as they had the opportunity to return to their human side, they''d survive. Other than that, their abilities were fairly average. However, if someone was making Bonded¡­ it''d only taken a single moment for the Bond between him and Cathryn to form. If you tricked something like the Black Dragon into forming a Bond¡­ a previously undefeatable Beast would suddenly have a fatal flaw! If you kept control of the human, then you could force the Black Dragon to fight for you! Andrew''s mind went over all the terrifying Beasts that lived in the Outside, his mouth going dry.


    Of course, that was just the worst case scenario. Still, the Bonded had already proved that even with average abilities, the Bond was more than enough to provide a stable foothold for development. Most major groups in the Outside needed a Beast Lord to keep them stable. The Orcs had the Orcgod, the Elementals had the Walking World, and the Nature Alliance had the Great Ent King. Any one of these Beasts could single handedly face off against entire armies! The Bonded could stand shoulder to shoulder with these groups because even if they were defeated once, they would be back to fight again and again, constantly wearing away at the enemy until they had nothing left. The only way to truly defeat them was through absolute, overwhelming power. If someone else was kidnapping humans to form an army of their own¡­ Andrew wouldn''t go so far to say they were screwed, but it''d definitely be an issue, particularly since anyone who was kidnapping humans would automatically become the enemy of the Bonded. They could be drawn into a conflict that would never end!


    Andrew rubbed his temple, feeling a headache coming on. "This is bad."


    Li Jing nodded. "We need to inform the Elders."


    "Right." Andrew nodded. "Hopefully we caught this early. If not¡­"


    Li Jing grimaced. "There will be trouble."


    *


    The moment they got out of school, the three rushed home, Cathryn even letting Andrew drive. After calming down a bit, they realized they were making a lot of assumptions, so they decided not to immediately go to the Elders, but instead to talk to Arose first. If nothing else, he''d be taken more seriously than a small group of teenagers panicking over a strange machine that could be flattened by a Beast that hadn''t even been hunting for an entire year yet. Both machines hadn''t been much of a threat, maybe around fifty points physically, a little bit stronger on the ability front, but that''s it. Terrifying for mortals, but for Bonded? Barely even a blip on their radar. That actually made them even more worried though. The machines seemed designed to stay under the radar for Bonded, while targeting mortals, which seemed to confirm their theory.


    "That''s an¡­ interesting theory." Arose muttered, leaning back in his chair as they finished explaining everything.


    "Look, I know it''s a little¡­ we don''t really have much to go on, but this is the second machine I''ve run into. There''s something going on, and with what happened to me and Cathryn¡­ I don''t know, I just think it''s worth investigating." Andrew shrugged helplessly.


    Arose let out a sigh. "I agree, but how? You seem to be the only one who can actually find these machines, and even then, only in a limited radius. We aren''t going to have you walk around the entire world just on the chance there might be more of these machines out there."


    "But if they''re kidnapping people-!" Cathryn began.


    "People get kidnapped all the time, by humans." Arose stopped her, shaking his head. "If your theory is true, it would be bad, and no one disagrees with that, but¡­ bad things happen. Tragedies happen. You will all see your fair share as life goes on. If you live and die on the well being of every individual, you will live a miserable life. Do what you can, when you can, but don''t let it consume you. That way lies madness."


    Cathryn''s expression twisted. "That''s a little cynical, don''t you think?"


    Arose shrugged helplessly. "Time makes cynics of us all. I watched my children die as Beasts raided our tribes over and over, until we found Earth. Then I watched as my children turned on each other, the moment they grew accustomed to their security. I''ve seen more horrors than you can imagine visited upon my descendants by their own brethren, worse than any Beast could conceive of. I''ve tried to fix it, tried to make things better, and only made them worse. Do I want all of humanity to live safe and secure lives, finding all the happiness they can? Of course I do! But after millennia of making mistake after mistake in pursuit of that goal, I have learned that unintended consequences follow every decision we make. Helping one person may very well damn another. So we have patience. We take time. We observe. So that when we do act, we don''t make things even worse than they were before. I understand this is hard for you. The folly of the young is that they want every issue solved now. But I promise you, if you act hastily, without the proper forethought, you will regret it, as so, so many of us already have."


    "But-" Cathryn began again.


    "Listen, I understand your frustration, but Andrew won''t be useful until he grows. The stronger he becomes, the wider his range will be, and the more effective he is. He''s already shown a rapid pace of development and this situation won¡¯t change in the next five years. When his ability can stretch for tens or even hundreds of miles, then he can effectively track down these machines. We will, of course, look into other methods to find these machines in the meantime, but none of that is your concern. All you need to focus on is helping Andrew grow.¡± Arose talked over her, shutting down any protest. ¡°I know simply working on one''s self seems selfish, as if you''re ignoring the needs of others, but if you never develop yourself, you will never develop the capacity to help anyone else. The idle thought of the wealthy can match the lifetime dedication of the poor."


    Cathryn glanced at Andrew. If he was the only one who could find these things¡­ it was smart to grow the range at which he could sense them. Right now he''d have to spend days searching a city, but if his aura sense kept growing, that could shorten to a few hours, or even minutes! With the portal network, they could cover most of the world in an hour or so if his aura sense was powerful enough. Arose was right, it just made sense to focus on Andrew getting stronger. It just didn''t sit right with her to just ignore a potential threat while they focused on themselves¡­ which was exactly Arose''s point. "Ugh, being Bonded is so complicated." She groaned, rubbing her temple.


    Arose chuckled. "If it was easy, then we would have solved all the world''s problems ages ago. But I will say, we are getting better. Slowly, yes, but it''s happening."


    Andrew coughed awkwardly. ¡°Not to ruin your point, but I actually have no idea how to grow my aura sense¡­ It doesn''t grow with my other abilities.¡±


    Arose blinked. ¡°Well¡­ that does complicate things, but your aura sense is currently the only method we have to actually detect these machines, so¡­ Figure it out? There''s really nothing else to be done. Unless you think your current range is sufficient enough to search the entire Earth for these machines?¡±


    Andrew grimaced. ¡°Not really, no.¡±


    Arose shrugged. ¡°Then my point still stands. Focus on yourself until you have the power to actually make a difference. Until then, your contribution is essentially pointless.¡±

 Aura: 26 - Meeting the parents

    Cathryn glanced at Li Jing as they left Arose''s house. "Should we start now?" She asked hesitantly, a hint of nervous excitement in her tone.


    Li Jing nodded. "Yes." She grabbed Andrew''s hand, dragging him towards his house, Cathryn following excitedly.


    "Uh, what are we starting?" Andrew asked, looking between the two girls. Li Jing just smirked at him, and his imagination went wild. Was this what he thought it was? Were the three of them finally going to¡­ Andrew''s breathing quickened, his heart pounding and his palms beginning to sweat. On one hand, the idea filled him with excitement. He loved both Li Jing and Cathryn, and he wanted to be with them in any and every way he could. On the other¡­ They''d been walking the tightrope of this relationship fairly well so far, but sex complicated things. Making sure no one felt neglected while not turning the entire thing into some sort of chore¡­ it would be hard. He knew they needed to figure it out eventually. He wanted to figure it out, but¡­ he was scared. If anything would make this all fall apart, it was this.


    Li Jing dragged him into his room. "Sit." She ordered, pointing to the bed as Cathryn closed the door behind them.


    "Jing, are you sure about this?" Andrew asked nervously.


    Li Jing nodded. "Very sure. It''s time."


    "But if we mess this up¡­" Andrew gulped nervously.


    "We won''t." She assured him, smiling softly. "I love you. And I love Cathryn. Nothing will change that."


    Andrew hesitated, before nodding letting out a nervous sigh. "You''re right. All that matters is that we love each other, and keep loving each other."


    "Exactly." Li Jing nodded, her smile widening as she turned, opening his closet. "Now, let''s pick out something nice for you to wear. You need to look good when you meet my parents."


    Andrew froze, his brain doing a one eighty and flipping upside down. "That''s the surprise?!? We''re meeting your parents!?!" Andrew asked incredulously


    "Of course." Li Jing glanced at him over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow at him. "Why? What did you think it was?"


    Andrew flushed brightly. "I-I-I-" He stammered, until both Li Jing and Cathryn erupted in laughter. His eyes widened. "You tricked me!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet.


    "I told you not to overthink it." Cathryn retorted with a smile.


    "Dirty boy." Li Jing added, tossing an old shirt at him.


    Andrew''s eyes narrowed at them, before jumping forward, grabbing one in each arm and pulling them into a pile on the bed as they let out high-pitched shrieks. His hands wandered over their bodies, hitting all their ticklish points as they twisted and squirmed, giggling uncontrollably. "You mess with me, I mess with you!" He growled. He kept it up for a few minutes, until the girls were breathing hard, collapsing against him.


    Li Jing smacked his chest weakly. "Rude."


    "You''re rude!" Andrew retorted.


    Cathryn snorted. "You thought it was funny and you know it."


    "Only my Monkey side." Andrew grumbled. "My Tiger side is highly offended."


    "Dork." Li Jing rolled her eyes, before leaning in to give him a kiss.


    "You can''t soothe my rage that easily." Andrew huffed as she pulled away.


    Cathryn leaned in to give him a kiss as well. "How about now?" She asked with a smirk.


    "It''s a little better." Andrew muttered petulantly.


    The two girls shared a look, rolling their eyes and hopping out of the bed. "Come on, we need to get you dressed. We''re finally meeting Li Jing''s parents!" Cathryn exclaimed excitedly.


    Andrew immediately sat up, his eyes widening. "Oh shit, we''re meeting your parents!" He exclaimed. "They aren''t- they don''t hate me for stealing their daughter or something, do they?" He asked Li Jing nervously.


    Li Jing paused, flushing slightly. "They don''t¡­ yet."


    Andrew blinked. "Yet?"


    Li Jing coughed awkwardly, her flush deepening. "They¡­ aren''t exactly aware of you yet."


    Andrew blinked a few more times. "So¡­ the first time they''re learning of us is tonight?!?"


    "Yes." Li Jing nodded.


    "They- they aren''t going to like us, are they." Cathryn interjected with a worried expression.


    "It- it isn''t about that." Li Jing replied, shaking her head. "My parents¡­ My parents are very overprotective. I didn''t even let them know I was moving until I was already gone. If they knew about you- about any of this, they would have tried to stop me! I- I needed to wait until I was on my own, so they couldn''t do anything."


    "If they''re that bad, why are we even talking to them?" Andrew asked, frowning.


    "Because they aren''t bad, they''re¡­ they just worry too much. They love me, and I love them too. I want them to still be a part of my life." Li Jing explained. "I know they care about me and want what''s best for me. They just can''t see that I need to be free to be me."


    Cathryn let out a small laugh, causing the other two to give her a strange look as she flushed in embarrassment. "S-sorry! It isn''t funny, just¡­ I''ve always wished my parents would care about me more. The idea of parents who care too much¡­ it just hit me weird." She explained sadly.


    "Oh, Cathryn." Li Jing muttered, pulling her into a hug, holding her tight and rubbing her back.


    "Jing, it''s okay." Cathryn protested. "My family- they just-" She let out a sad sigh. "They''re mortals¡­ even if I did have a good relationship with them, they won''t be around for long. We should focus on helping you with your parents."


    Li Jing just hugged her tighter. "If anything that means we should focus on your parents more. My parents will always be there. Yours won''t."


    Cathryn suddenly turned to scowl at Andrew. "That''s terrible!"


    "Sorry! I didn''t want to think it, it just happened!" Andrew apologized.


    Li Jing looked between them, confused. "What did he think?"


    Cathryn scowled. "He thought it was funny that the parents who won''t always be there are never there, while the parents who are always there are never going away."


    "Andrew." Li Jing chastised him, giving him a stern look.


    "I know, I''m sorry!" Andrew groaned, covering his face with his hands, cursing his Monkey side. He just knew that''s where that thought had come from. Though his Lizard side probably didn''t help¡­


    Li Jing snorted, shaking her head. "Come on, let''s get you dressed. At least you''ll look presentable." She commented, causing Andrew to let out a groan.


    *


    The three of them finished getting ready, the girls having put together a business casual look for Andrew while they wore nicer looking dresses, and they all headed to the portal station. They were meeting Li Jing''s parents at a restaurant in the City, ostensibly for Li Jing to discuss her sudden move with them. "You didn''t technically lie." Andrew muttered.


    "I didn''t lie at all." Li Jing stated, raising her chin slightly. "I moved because of you. It''s the simple truth."


    "Jing, there is a big difference between ''I moved to assert my independence'' and ''I moved so I could shack up with my new boyfriend and girlfriend''." Cathryn replied.


    Li Jing flushed slightly. "We aren''t ''shacking up''. We are in a long-term, committed relationship."


    "We know that, but I''m pretty sure your parents aren''t going to see it that way." Andrew commented. "They seem kinda like ''worst case scenario'' type people."


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Li Jing''s flush deepened. "Regardless, they''ll have to accept it. My love life is not theirs to dictate."


    Once they arrived at the restaurant, a server led them to a private room. Li Jing paused at the door, hesitating, nervousness radiating off of her. Andrew placed a hand on her shoulder. "It''s okay. We''re here for you." He assured her.


    Li Jing took a deep breath, before nodding and opening the door. "Jing''er!" A woman immediately exclaimed the moment she walked in, rushing forward to hug her. "We were so worried! How could you just leave like that! We thought you''d been abducted!"


    "I left a note." Li Jing pointed out with a frown.


    "Notes can be forged." A man commented seriously. "Young lady, this was very irresponsible of you. You cannot be out on your own yet! Do you not understand the dangers we face?!? You are coming home with us this instant!"


    "Andrew!" Cathryn hissed, scowling at him.


    Andrew jumped slightly, having been distracted looking between the older man in the corner he''d thought was Li Jing''s dad, and the much younger looking and obviously Bonded man that was clearly actually her dad, feeling like an idiot. *Monkey was not the right choice to emphasize.* He groaned internally, quickly switching to Tiger and putting on his serious face. "Mr. Li, Jing is officially an adult now. She has the right to live her life in any way she likes, and you can''t force her to do anything."


    Li Jing''s father looked him up and down with a distasteful expression. "Who is this insolent whelp who dares to lecture me on how to raise my own daughter!?!"


    Li Jing stepped away from her mother, taking Andrew''s arm. "Father, this is Andrew¡­ he''s my boyfriend." She paused, before taking Cathryn''s arm as well. "And this is Cathryn, my girlfriend."


    Li Jing''s parents'' eyes widened, looking between the two of them. "You can''t be serious." Her father stated flatly.


    "Is this why you felt you needed to run away?" Her mother asked carefully. "Because you''re bisexual?" She paused. "And- and poly?"


    Li Jing flushed in embarrassment. "No, I- Mother, Andrew and Cathryn are Bonded."


    "Well, I should hope so." Her mother commented, giving her a weird look. "Getting into relationships with mortals is the height of foolishness."


    "No, I mean they''re Bonded to each other." Li Jing elaborated. "Andrew is a Beast, and Cathryn is Bonded to him."


    Her mother blinked in confusion, while her father''s eyes widened as he turned to Andrew. "You are Andrew Stone?"


    Andrew blinked. "You know me?"


    Her father grunted. "Your case has been a topic of much discussion among those in leadership. The second Long, they say." Andrew grimaced at that. He wasn''t sure how he felt about people seeing him like that¡­ Long was the protector of humanity, the progenitor of the Bonded. Being the second Long felt like a lot of pressure he really didn''t want. It wasn''t that he wouldn''t do his best to help where he could, but¡­ what if he couldn''t do what they wanted him to do? He didn''t want to let everyone down just because he couldn''t be who they wanted him to be. He just wanted to be him. "You and my daughter are together?" Li Jing''s father continued thoughtfully. "How¡­ interesting." The man''s emotions seemed to vacillate between worry and pride as he looked between Andrew and Li Jing. Eventually he grunted again. "Come, have a seat. I see we have much to discuss."


    Li Jing glanced between Andrew and her father, a confused, surrealness coming over her. Her father actually seemed to approve of Andrew! It was outside her wildest expectations. She''d thought at best she''d get grudging acceptance from him. She sat down next to Andrew, Cathryn sitting on her other side and grabbing her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. After ordering some food and drinks, Li Jing''s mother turned to her. "Please, tell us. Why did you feel you couldn''t discuss this with us earlier?"


    Li Jing hesitated. "I- I didn''t think you would understand."


    "Jing''er, we''re your parents! We''re here to support you, to guide you! If you don''t talk to us, how can we help?" Her mother replied with a frown.


    "Mother, I- I know you want to help, but- but you never let me make my own decisions!" Li Jing exclaimed. "I- I just needed to do this on my own, to decide something for myself. And- I wasn''t going to give up on Andrew and Cathryn. This was something I had to do."


    Li Jing''s father frowned. "Why would you need to run away to be with your lovers? If you stayed with us, we could keep you all safe! Our compound is more than enough to accommodate two extra people."


    Li Jing shook her head. "Andrew and Cathryn are only part of why I needed to leave. I- I know you want to keep me safe, but¡­ I need to be free to experience the world! To actually interact with people! I can''t- I can''t keep hiding in a compound for the rest of my life. I won''t!"


    Her father blinked. "Jing''er, you don''t understand the dangers you may face! Until your ability is powerful enough, taking the chance of something going wrong is simply foolish! Something as small as a car accident could end your life before it has even started! A madman with a gun could end your life before you could even react!"


    "And so I should hide from everything?!?" Li Jing retorted angrily. "Life may be dangerous, but if you avoid all the dangers, you don''t even have a life to lose! Living just to live is pointless!"


    "Living is life!" Her father countered. "Our immortality gives us the time to be patient and safe! Taking unnecessary risks just for ''excitement'' is short sighted and idiotic!"


    Li Jing groaned in frustration. "This is why I had to leave! You just don''t get it!"


    "All I get is that you''re a young and foolish girl who can''t be trusted to make her own decisions!" Her father yelled back.


    Li Jing got to her feet. "This is pointless!" She growled, turning and beginning to stomp out of the room.


    "Jing''er, wait!" Her mother called after her, Li Jing hesitating for a moment, glancing back. Her mother turned to her father. "Apologize!" She demanded.


    Li Jing''s father grimaced, before letting out a sigh. "Jing''er, I''m sorry. I just- I want you to be safe! You have no idea what dangers are lurking out there!"


    "Even if the world is dangerous, it''s a risk I need to take!" Li Jing retorted. "If you can''t understand that, then we have nothing more to talk about!"


    "Jing''er, please, if you just wait a few more years, pick up the right mutations, you can be prepared for the dangers of the world!" Her mother pleaded.


    Li Jing shook her head. "There will always be a reason not to take risks. It will always be safer to focus on protecting yourself. But that isn''t a life I can live anymore. I-I hope you can learn to accept that." She sighed, turning and heading out the door.


    Li Jing''s parents shared distressed looks, while Andrew and Cathryn glanced at each other, shifting uncomfortably. "Well¡­ it was nice meeting you both." Andrew coughed awkwardly, getting up to follow Li Jing out, Cathryn jumping to her feet as well. "We should do this again sometime."


    Cathryn scowled at him. "Don''t be rude." She hissed, before turning to Li Jing''s parents. "I''m sorry this didn''t go very well. I hope we can meet on better terms next time." She apologized, bowing slightly.


    "Please, just- help her stay safe." Li Jing''s father pleaded with a twisted expression. Andrew and Cathryn hesitated before nodding. They wanted Li Jing safe just as much as anyone.


    "How is what I said rude, and what you said isn''t?" Andrew complained as they turned to leave.


    "Because what I said was sincere!" Cathryn explained, rolling her eyes.


    "I was totally sincere!" Andrew protested.


    "But the way you said it wasn''t!" Cathryn replied.


    Andrew frowned. "That doesn''t make any sense!"


    Cathryn sighed. "Look, I''ll explain later."


    Andrew frowned, but they had bigger issues to deal with at the moment. He quickly led Cathryn towards where Li Jing was hiding, huddled on a bench in a nearby park, covering her face with her hands, a light sniffing coming from her as she cried quietly. Andrew sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close. "I''m sorry that didn''t go better." He whispered, rubbing her shoulder softly as Cathryn sat on her other side, wrapping her arm over Andrew''s and placing a hand on her knee.


    Li Jing sniffed. "I knew they wouldn''t change overnight, it''s just¡­ I want them to understand! To just see how lonely their restrictions made me! How terrible it is to be kept locked up in a gilded cage! To- to accept that I need to be free to be me."


    "They''ll come around." Cathryn assured her. "They obviously love you¡­ when they see how well you can do on your own, they''ll see how crazy their restrictions have been. You just need to give them time."


    Li Jing sighed. "I hope so."


    *


    Benjamin rushed to his computer the moment he got home, pulling up an obscure, cryptid site and creating a new thread titled ''I think my best friend has been enthralled by a Vampire!''. He then wrote up the details of his observations on Andrew, how his parents didn''t seem to age, his strange feats of strength, how he seemed to know things he shouldn''t, and how easily he made friends with animals. He then explained how Cathryn had changed, turning against him and becoming completely besotted with Andrew. There was even another girl he seemed to be with, and neither of them seemed to mind the other! He finished by asking how he could protect himself and save Cathryn. The first few replies weren''t very promising.


    [This A guy sounds hot. Do you think he''d be interested in a third?]


    [Fake post. Vampires aren''t born, they''re made! Plus, this A obviously has zero weakness to sunlight. If you''re going to claim someone is a Vampire, at least do your homework!]


    [Your girl found someone better, dude. Doesn''t make the guy a Vampire. Take the hit and move on.]


    The vast majority of the replies were like that, Benjamin quickly losing hope in receiving any helpful replies. That is, until he received a private message. [It seems like you''re dealing with an emotional Vampire. They manipulate the emotions of those around them to make them reliant on them, slowly feeding off them until they grow tired of them and discard them, leaving them empty, emotionless husks. These Vampires tend not to be violent, so you should be safe as long as you don''t overly antagonize them, but your friend seems to already be lost. Even if you pull her away from the Vampire, she''s already dependent on him, addicted to him. Without regular access to the Vampire, her addiction would claw at her, eating at her until she could no longer function. However, if you act soon, you may be able to save many more from the same fate. A young Vampire is a rare find. If we act soon, we may be able to stop this threat from growing into something much more serious.]


    Benjamin blinked as he stared at the message. [What do you mean by ''act''?] He asked nervously.


    The other person replied quickly. [To ensure the Vampire''s destruction, of course. These creatures prey on our kind, taking advantage of us in every way they can, draining our resources, keeping us distracted with conflicts and vain entertainment. We are at a severe disadvantage and we must strike back whenever we can. After seeing what this monster has done to your friend, how can you simply sit back and allow him to continue?]


    Benjamin hesitated, before his expression turned serious. [What do I need to do?]

 Aura: 27 - Growth

    Andrew studied the core of the machine he''d killed earlier, frowning slightly. It was such a weird little thing. Its aura was condensed, like a crystal, but it actually had a core. His aura extended to examine the core as his frown deepened. Was this thing alive? Andrew paused, activating his Human ability. If the core was alive¡­ Andrew clicked his tongue as the core failed to show up. It must not have an ability. Andrew then grabbed the core''s core with his aura, dragging it out. Without the machine, the thing was pretty much useless anyway. Might as well see what he could get out of it, right?


    However, as he pulled the core in, it did something weird. It immediately latched onto his Lizard core and copied it! Additionally, it actually seemed to steal aura from the Lizard core, its aura strengthening while the Lizard''s weakened. "Hey!" Andrew protested in a panic, attempting to stop it. He wasn''t about to let some weird core make his weaker! Instinctually, he grabbed the aura, yanking it out of the new core and stuffing it back into the Lizard core. Unfortunately, he ended up taking out all the aura, and the new core immediately winked out, disappearing.


    Andrew blinked. "Huh¡­ that was weird." He muttered. He turned his attention back to his cores. He''d been practicing manipulating his aura, but he''d never tried to move it like that before. Not between cores. He examined the cores hesitantly, before grabbing the aura in his Lizard core again and carefully shifting it towards his Monkey core, slowly feeding it into it. His eyes widened as he felt the range of his emotion sense grow. "Ho-ly shit!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet. This was huge! This was really, really huge!


    *Andrew? What happened? Why are you freaking out?* Cathryn sent through their connection as she noticed his excitement, a little bit of grouchiness seeping through. She''d been trying to go to sleep when he''d suddenly erupted.


    *Pay attention to your emotion sense, particularly the edge of the range.* Andrew sent back as he began moving aura back and forth between the Lizard and Monkey cores, causing the range to grow and shrink rapidly.


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. *How are you doing that?!?* She asked incredulously.


    *Aura manipulation!* Andrew exclaimed. *You know how the strength of an aura determines the strength of an ability?*


    *Yeah?* Cathryn sent back hesitantly, wondering what he was getting at.


    *Well, apparently, I can move my aura between my cores, strengthening one and weakening the other! So, I can make sure the abilities I need at any given moment are as strong as possible!* Andrew explained excitedly.


    Cathryn frowned. *That''s great, but weren''t you already complaining about your opponents being too weak?* She asked skeptically. *Wouldn''t that just make things worse for you?*


    Andrew paused. *Uh¡­ shit, you''re right.* He frowned, before perking up. *It''ll help me fight stronger people in the Arena!*


    Cathryn scowled. *You''re still waiting to make sure it doesn''t affect us in school.*


    Andrew rolled his eyes. *I know. But school is easy and the Arena shouldn''t take too much time. At least, as long as I just do the Rankings, not the Tournaments. Just pop in for a quick fight or two over the weekend or something. That should be fine, right?*


    Cathryn hesitated. *I guess¡­*


    *How about we head over this weekend to try it out?* Andrew suggested. *School isn''t going to ramp up for a few more weeks anyway, so even if it does take more time than we thought, it won''t really hurt us.*


    Cathryn sighed. *Fine. But if this messes up my GPA, I will make you pay!*


    *


    Over the next few days, they all began to settle into the flow of the school year. Li Jing was having fun meeting new people and making friends. She even joined the swim team, which Andrew thought was kind of cheating, but she was having fun, so he was happy for her. As for Cathryn, she was already firmly entrenched in the student council, which Andrew was convinced gave her more stress than enjoyment, but she insisted on doing it anyway, so he wasn''t going to push her. Which just left Andrew himself¡­


    "You have to join a club!" Cathryn insisted.


    "I really don''t think I do." Andrew retorted. "What would I even do?"


    "You could join a sports team." Li Jing offered.


    "What would be the point?" Andrew replied. "I pretty much just choose whether I win or lose based on how much of my aura I let out. There''s no competition!"


    "So how about you do something mental? Like the chess club!" Cathryn countered.


    "Yes, because a bunch of skittish nerds are going to feel so comfortable just hanging out with the class psycho." Andrew grumbled.


    "Andrew, you can''t think like that." Li Jing chastised him softly. "You should at least give them a chance. Maybe they''ll surprise you."


    Andrew grimaced. "What if they don''t give me a chance? They all see me as this monster who would just as soon kill them as look at them."


    "So show them you''re different!" Cathryn retorted. "You always avoid people, hiding because you''re scared of how they''re going to look at you, but if you actually tried, they''d be able to see how great you really are!"


    "I''m not scared-" Andrew began defensively.


    "Andrew, I''m literally in your head." Cathryn stopped him with a look. "I know how much you hate being rejected, but you can''t avoid people just because you''re scared of being hurt! Just try the chess club, alright?"


    "I''m not scared-" Andrew began again, getting frustrated.


    "Then why not join the chess club?" Li Jing interjected with a grin.


    "Because- ugh, fine! I''ll join the damn chess club!" Andrew threw up his hands in exasperation.


    "Great! Let''s get you signed up now!" Cathryn jumped up excitedly, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the club sign-ups.


    "W-wait, now?!?" Andrew asked nervously. "Can''t we wait til next week or something?"


    "Nope! We''re doing it now!" Cathryn shook her head, continuing to pull him along.


    "But shouldn''t we focus on school for this first week?" Andrew protested.


    Cathryn snorted. "Seriously?"


    Andrew grimaced, but he was already grasping at straws. He had to hang around after school anyway because of the girls'' clubs, so he really had no excuse. He just did not want to deal with people acting all weird around him. He wasn''t scared! Cathryn just ignored him and got him signed up for the chess club. Even worse, the club''s first meeting was that evening! Andrew didn''t even have time to get ready before Cathryn was dragging him towards the room and shoving him through the door, drawing the attention of everyone in the room!


    *Introduce yourself!* Cathryn prodded him mentally, elbowing him slightly.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "H-hey, I''m Andrew¡­" Andrew introduced himself, giving them all a small wave. A range of emotions emanated from the kids in the room. Some, those who obviously knew Andrew''s reputation, looked at him nervously, clearly wondering what he was doing here. Others just seemed to be curious or even slightly amused by how awkward he was.


    *Give them time.* Cathryn comforted him. *They aren''t rejecting you, they just don''t know you yet.* She assured him, before stepping out and heading to her own club.


    "Hey Andrew!" An upbeat girl, one of the ones who seemed to be amused by his greeting, stepped forward. "I''m Cecilia. Have you ever played chess before?"


    Andrew nodded. "My parents taught me."


    "Oh cool! Do you want to play a quick game?" She asked.


    "I guess." Andrew shrugged.


    Cecilia led him to a table, setting out a chess map and a clock. "Have you ever played with a clock before?" She asked.


    "No, but I know the concept." Andrew replied, taking a seat across from her and beginning to set up his side of the board. Cecilia started the game with a classic king''s pawn opening, which Andrew mirrored for a bit, until she tried to lure him into a trap, forcing him to shake things up. Cecilia frowned as Andrew forced her into a trade which ended with her down a pawn, getting a serious expression on her face as she stared at the board. Unfortunately for her, Andrew had been taught by his parents, who''d both been playing the game for centuries now, so every trick she came up with was quickly countered or subverted. It didn''t take long before she had to tip her king over.


    "Wow." Cecilia muttered, pushing back from the table. "You''re good!"


    Andrew flushed slightly at her sincerity. "Uh, thanks¡­ My parents have been playing for a while, so they taught me a few tricks."


    "They must be pretty good, huh?" Cecilia responded.


    "They''re¡­ experienced." Andrew replied hesitantly. "They''ve seen a lot, so they know a lot. Which, I guess, is its own form of being good¡­"


    Cecilia gave him a weird look, before shaking her head. "Come on, I''ll introduce you to the others. Maybe see if Robert is free to play! He''s the best in the club, but I think you could give him a run for his money."


    Cecilia showed him around, introducing him to the other members of the club, which included a surprising amount of girls. Andrew had been of the opinion that chess was something for nerdy guys, but apparently it was for nerdy girls too. Not that there were a lot of them, but there wasn''t a lot of anyone. The club was pretty small, just fourteen people including Andrew and Cecilia, and five of them were girls, again including Cecilia.


    "Now we need four more girls to even things out." A guy named Tim grumbled as he shook Andrew''s hand. "Do you think you could convince your girlfriend to join too?"


    Andrew gave him a weird look. "She has student council."


    Tim clicked his tongue. "Damn." He frowned, as if considering a problem. "If we get one more guy, the ratio will be two to one¡­ acceptable." He muttered. "Maybe I could rope in Calvin."


    "Is there something¡­ up with him?" Andrew leaned closer to Cecilia to ask in a whisper.


    "We think he has OCD." Cecilia whispered back. "He''s a good guy though, don''t worry."


    Andrew blinked at that, a weird feeling welling up inside him. Almost like he was jealous of Tim. Like- like he wanted to be the one people said ''don''t worry, he''s a good guy'' about. "I bet he is." Andrew muttered, giving Tim a significant look. He wasn''t about to dismiss someone just for being a little weird.


    Cecilia continued to introduce him around, getting to the people who had been almost avoiding him up until now. "Oh, Andrew, this is Robert!" Cecilia announced, literally grabbing the guy before he could run away.


    "H-Hey." Robert greeted Andrew nervously, his eyes shifting as he looked for a way to leave.


    Andrew grimaced at him. "Dude, I''m just here to play chess. I''m not going to hurt you."


    Robert froze while Cecilia looked at him weirdly. "Why would you hurt him?" She asked with a frown.


    "I wouldn''t." Andrew grumbled bitterly as Robert''s nervousness spiked, feeding off his growing irritation.


    Cecilia looked between Andrew and Robert, her frown deepening. "Okay, what''s going on here? Do you two know each other?"


    "We don''t know each other." Andrew replied, crossing his arms as he stared at Robert. "Which rumor did you hear? That I''m from some sort of mob family? I''m being trained as a child assassin? I''m a Vampire?" Andrew frowned. "Why is it always Vampire? I like garlic and I''m always outside! It makes no sense!"


    Robert blinked at him. "Uh, no¡­ I- uh¡­ do- do you not remember me?"


    Andrew paused. "No?"


    Robert flushed. "I- we used to- I was one of- the three of us-" He stammered, struggling to get the words out, before pausing and taking a deep breath. "I was friends with Eric."


    Andrew''s eyes widened as he finally put the pieces together, matching Robert''s name and face to one of the two guys who were always with Eric, helping him bully Andrew and Benjamin. "Oh."


    Robert''s flush deepened. "Yeah¡­"


    Andrew frowned. "I thought you moved."


    "N-no, my parents just homeschooled me until high school¡­" Robert explained.


    "Ah, that makes sense." Andrew nodded. "So¡­ you aren''t scared of me?"


    "Oh, no, I''m definitely scared of you." Robert replied, shaking his head. "You''re jacked and have more than enough reason to be mad at me! You could probably kick my ass with both hands tied behind your back! Why we ever thought it was a good idea to pick on you is beyond me." He shuddered.


    "Dude, I''m not going to hold something you did five years ago against you." Andrew assured him.


    Robert eyed him hesitantly. "Are you sure? We were awful to you. I''d understand if you wanted some pay back."


    Andrew snorted. "I think what happened to Eric is worse than anything you guys did to me. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."


    Robert grimaced. "That- you couldn''t have known what would happen, and you''ve probably suffered more than any of us because of it. I know for a fact Jimmy is the source of at least a few of the rumors going around about you."


    Andrew frowned at that, before shaking his head. "That''s a different issue. If Jimmy is still being an asshole, then yeah, I''m going to be angry at him, but you''re obviously different now, so why would I hate you for a person you no longer even are?"


    Robert smiled slightly at that. "I- thank you." He paused. "I still have to apologize for the person I was¡­ I''m sorry." He apologized seriously.


    "It''s- it''s fine, man. I''m sorry for what happened too." Andrew apologized as well, holding out his hand. Robert grabbed it and they shook hands firmly.


    "Wow¡­ you guys sound like you have history." Cecilia commented in a slightly stunned tone. She turned to Robert. "If I''m hearing this right¡­ you used to be his bully?!?"


    Robert flushed. "I- I wasn''t a good kid when I was younger. I didn''t see how much what I did hurt people¡­ I just thought it was funny."


    "Wow¡­ I can''t even imagine that. You''re so sweet now!" Cecilia shook her head in disbelief.


    Andrew smiled as Robert''s flush deepened. It was actually somewhat nice to see his old bully actually being better. Proof that people could change. His expression fell as he realized Eric never got the chance. Who knew how he could have ended up if Andrew hadn''t stolen any chance he''d ever have to be better. "So, do you want to play a game?" Robert turned to ask him nervously, shaking him out of his funk.


    Andrew smiled again. "Sure."


    *


    After chess club, Andrew met back up with Li Jing and Cathryn, the three of them heading to the Outside to hunt. They still had a quota to fill for Supply and Demand, so they needed to spend at least a few hours hunting every day. "So Robert is a chess geek now? And he''s better than you?" Cathryn asked incredulously.


    "Well, barely. He won two out of three, and they were all close. But still, super weird, isn''t it?" Andrew shook his head in disbelief. "The way people can change sometimes¡­ it''s kinda impressive."


    Cathryn sighed sadly, her thoughts turning to her father. "It makes it that much more depressing when they don''t."


    Andrew hesitated. "Yeah¡­" He agreed, his mind wandering towards Eric again.


    Li Jing nodded as well as she thought about her parents. "Sucks."


    Andrew snorted. "That does about sum it up, doesn''t it? The people you actually want to change seem to do everything they can not to, while people you barely even notice seem to change like that." He snapped his fingers with an irritated expression.


    "Yeah, some people just need to be dragged kicking and screaming into everything." Cathryn rolled her eyes, elbowing Andrew.


    Andrew flushed as he followed her train of thought. "I just don''t see why I should put all this effort into making nice with a bunch of people who are just going to die on me." He mumbled under his breath, knowing it was a weak excuse, and getting weaker.


    Li Jing hooked her arm through his, patting it lightly. "There, there. You''ll get there eventually."

 Aura: 28 - Arena

    "Hello, we''re here to get Ranked?" Andrew explained as he walked up to the counter at the Arena.


    The attendant nodded. "The three of you?" She asked, looking between him, Cathryn, and Li Jing.


    "Actually, that part gets a bit complicated." Andrew began. "See, I''m actually technically a Beast-"


    "Oh! You must be Andrew! Yes, we''re aware of your situation." The attendant interjected with a smile. "Here, take these. They''ll buzz once we''ve found suitable opponents for you." She explained, handing them two small devices, one for Li Jing and another for Andrew.


    The three of them began to wander around the Arena while they waited for the devices to buzz. Li Jing suddenly grabbed Andrew''s arm, pointing. "Is that Karen?" She asked.


    Andrew glanced over. "Maybe? Do you want to say hi?"


    "We should." Li Jing nodded, heading towards Karen.


    "Jing!" Karen exclaimed the moment she caught sight of her, rushing over to give her a hug. "It''s been a while! How have you been?"


    "Good." Li Jing replied with a smile. "How have you been?"


    Karen''s expression fell slightly, a thread of sadness running through her. "I''ve been great!" She replied, overly excitedly.


    "You sure about that?" Andrew asked, stepping forward.


    Karen jumped slightly, her eyes widening, before narrowing as she saw who it was. "Andrew." She greeted him flatly.


    "Karen." Andrew greeted her back, rolling his eyes. "Seriously though, you alright? I noticed a bit of sadness back there."


    "Stupid Monkey." Karen grumbled under her breath, before letting out a sigh. "It''s nothing. Just some family issues. You know how much pressure they can put on you. They always want you to be doing better! To hunt more, to get higher in the Rankings, to get better at Alchemy¡­ it''s just a lot of pressure."


    Andrew and Li Jing shared a look. "Yeah¡­ family can be rough sometimes." Andrew sighed. "We''ve been dealing with some of that lately ourselves. Not mine, really, but Cathryn and Jing''s have been tricky."


    Karen blinked. "Cathryn?" She asked hesitantly.


    "That''d be me." Cathryn stepped out from behind Andrew with a small wave. "It''s nice to meet you."


    Karen stared at her. "Are you- I don''t remember seeing you at the first hunt."


    "Yeah, that''s kind of this whole thing." Andrew began to explain. "There was this weird machine that came after her and in the process of saving her, we got Bonded, so¡­ well, kinda self explanatory after that."


    Karen stared at him incredulously and Cathryn smacked him upside the head. "None of what happened after that was self explanatory!"


    "I know, but it''s complicated and I don''t want to explain it!" Andrew retorted.


    Cathryn rolled her eyes, turning back to Karen. "Sorry about him. He spent most of his childhood being weird, so he doesn''t have the best social skills."


    "Hey!" Andrew protested.


    "Am I wrong?" Cathryn asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "No, but it''s still rude." Andrew replied petulantly, crossing his arms.


    Li Jing giggled at the two of them, shaking her head, before turning to Karen. "This summer has been rather eventful for us."


    "I-I see." Karen glanced between them all with a weird expression. "Does- does that mean you two are still¡­"


    Li Jing nodded. "Yes, we''re still together."


    "Oh¡­ how does that work with the two of them like that?" Karen asked, beginning to frown.


    Li Jing flushed slightly. "It- works with the both of them."


    Karen''s frown deepened, before her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh."


    "It was a little weird at first, but¡­ It works. Surprisingly, it works really, really well." Li Jing explained with a smile.


    "So far." Andrew added.


    Cathryn elbowed him hard in the side. "Stop being pessimistic!"


    "What! We''re still pretty much just starting out! There are so many things that could trip us up! I think we can do it, but still, things might get rough." Andrew replied. "It isn''t pessimistic, it''s realistic!"


    Cathryn pinched the bridge of her nose. "Andrew, just because it''s true, doesn''t mean you need to say it every damn time!"


    Andrew blinked. "But then how would everyone know it?"


    "They don''t need to know it!" Cathryn retorted.


    Andrew frowned. "But-" Suddenly the device in his hand began to vibrate. "Oh, guess they found me an opponent."


    Karen''s eyes widened. "You''re fight-" She paused. "Oh, right, you two are Bonded¡­ wow, that actually helps you out a lot, doesn''t it?"


    "It really does." Andrew nodded as they all began to head back to the front counter.


    "There you are!" The attendant called as they got close. "Your opponent is in room four D." She explained, taking the device back and handing him a slip with his and Cathryn''s name on it, as well as the name of their opponent, a Kevin Francis Coal.


    Li Jing still had to wait for her opponent, so she stayed behind with Karen, the four of them agreeing to meet out front when they were all done, while Andrew and Cathryn made their way down to room four D. From the outside, the room didn''t look like it would be big enough for anyone to fight in, especially not Beasts, but as they stepped in, it was clear the Arena made liberal use of spatial enchantments. "This is unnecessarily big." Andrew whistled as he walked in. The room was practically as big as the entire Arena outside!


    "Ha! You should see some of the good rooms. Beasts get bigger as they get older, so the higher level rooms need to be massive to accommodate the older generations. I''m Klaus, by the way. I''ll be judging your fight with Kevin here." A man commented with a grin, holding out his hand.


    Andrew thought back to how large Arose''s Beast was. "Yeah, they would need to be pretty big¡­" He muttered as he took Klaus''s hand, shaking it. "Uh, I''m Andrew. Which you probably already knew¡­"


    Klaus smiled. "Indeed. Well, shall we get started then?" He asked, looking between Andrew and Kevin. They both nodded, Kevin releasing his Beast, a large Rooster, which lept towards the center of the arena, letting out a loud crow of challenge. Andrew grinned, his clothing disappearing into his storage ring as carapace covered his skin like armor, talons growing from his hands, and wings erupting from his back. He let out a roar of his own as his wings vibrated, sending him shooting toward the center of the arena.


    "What the fuck?!?" Kevin stepped back in horror, Francis flapping away from the alien looking thing in front of it as well. "I thought I was fighting a Bonded! Not- not whatever this thing is!"


    Klaus was staring at Andrew wide eyed as well. "Uh¡­ Andrew, this- I- I was informed that you were of the Tiger and Monkey Clans? What- where did this come from?!?"


    Andrew''s head turned back to normal. "I can pick up new forms. So far I have Human, Tiger, Monkey, Lizard, and an ant. This is sort of a combination of all of them." He explained. He then turned to Kevin. "And I am Bonded. To her." He pointed at Cathryn, who waved awkwardly.


    Klaus hesitated for a moment, before shrugging. "Well, this is the Rankings, not a tournament. No such thing as unfair here." He turned to Kevin. "I know this is abnormal, but Andrew is a Bonded Beast and he qualifies. Either fight or forfeit."


    Kevin hesitated, before nodding and taking position on the sidelines as Francis stepped back into the ring, eyeing Andrew warily. Andrew grinned as his head turned back, falling into a crouch as he prepared to fight. Francis was much stronger than the Beasts he faced outside the base camps, and he was excited. Cathryn moved to her side of the arena, watching Andrew with a serious expression. If Andrew got injured, she needed to call him back as soon as possible.


    "Ready?" Klaus asked, both sides nodding. "Three, two, one, fight!"


    The moment the fight started, Andrew''s wings began to vibrate, sending him bolting to the side as a fountain of fire burst from Francis''s beak! The stream of fire followed him as he continued to circle around the Rooster, slowly moving closer and closer. Once he got close enough, he used a burst of wind to send him straight at Francis, talons poised to strike! However, before he could get close enough, a burst of fire erupted beneath Francis, sending him flying into the air, burning Andrew''s wings as he passed through. "Gah!" Andrew cried in pain as the thin, gossamer wings burned, sending him tumbling.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Francis let out a cry as he descended on Andrew, his own talons flashing as he clawed at Andrew. Andrew cursed as the talons dug into his carapace, sending a blast of air straight into Francis, blowing him off of him, but leaving large rents in his carapace. Another blast of wind sent him flying at Francis again, talons ready. Francis sent another burst of fire at him, but Andrew just blew through it, slashing down on his wing, causing him to let out another cry, this time in pain! Francis tried to pull away, slashing with his talons to try and keep Andrew at bay, but Andrew''s small form easily weaved between his swipes, air blasts continuing to send him at the giant Rooster, his talons digging deeper and deeper into his skin, until he turned to a cloud of aura flying back to Kevin.


    "And the winner is Andrew!" Klaus announced. "Well done!"


    Andrew let out a groan as he shifted back to normal, only keeping some carapace around his crotch, wincing as he poked a few of the long scratches in his skin. He then turned to Kevin, giving him a thumbs up and a tired grin. "That was fun! Good fight! You almost had me there with that fire ambush!"


    Kevin shook his head. "That carapace of yours is insane! Something as small as you would usually be torn apart the moment Francis''s talons even grazed them!"


    Andrew raised his arm, showing the deep furrows that still remained. "It was still pretty close!" He replied.


    "Not close enough, obviously." Kevin chuckled, walking over and giving Andrew a firm handshake. "It was a good fight."


    Andrew grinned as he shook his hand back. "It was."


    "Though whatever this is¡­" Kevin gestured down at Andrew''s carapace crotch. "Not a good look dude."


    Andrew scowled. "It''s efficient. I don''t want to get blood on my clothes."


    Kevin shook his head. "Whatever you say, man. Good luck with your next fight." He added, patting him on the shoulder.


    "You too." Andrew returned his pat, before making his way back to Cathryn.


    "Take this slip back to the front desk and they''ll record the result for your official ranking." Klaus was explaining to Cathryn, going over the slip with her.


    "Thank you." Cathryn nodded, taking the slip, before rushing over to Andrew. "That was amazing!" She exclaimed, pulling him into a hug.


    "Ah! Pain!" Andrew yelped as she squeezed his wounds.


    "Sorry!" Cathryn exclaimed, pulling away as she flushed in embarrassment.


    Andrew clicked his tongue. "Look, now you have blood all over you too!"


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "It''ll wash out."


    "The healing room is only ten credits, just so you know." Klaus commented. "It includes a spa, so it''s a nice way to get back in shape for your next fight, or just destress after a long day. They''ll even wash your clothes." He added, with a significant glance towards Cathryn''s clothes.


    Cathryn turned to Andrew. "What do you think?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Why not? We should probably see if Jing is done first, though."


    Cathryn nodded and the two of them left the room, heading back to the lobby of the Arena. After they left the room, Andrew glanced around surreptitiously, making sure no one was watching, before flexing his aura, all his wounds slowly disappearing as his aura brushed them, letting out a sigh of relief as all his pain disappeared. "There we go. Much better."


    Cathryn shook her head. "I still don''t get why you''re hiding that you can do that."


    "Because it defeats the purpose of the fight!" Andrew replied, briefly dissipating as he began to return to Cathryn, all the blood falling to the ground, before he canceled it and reformed, his clothes appearing on him in the next instant. "If I can''t lose, what''s the point?"


    "To see if you can win?" Cathryn replied. "Just because they can''t kill you, doesn''t mean you can defeat them."


    Andrew frowned. "I guess¡­ still, it seems more fair to just not heal until after the fight."


    Cathryn just shook her head. "So, do you still want to hit the healing room?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Why not? Jing is still going to need to heal Mei, so it''s probably a good idea."


    Cathryn smiled, beginning to get excited. "I''ve never been to a spa before!"


    Andrew cocked his head. "Neither have I, actually. I''ve never really seen the appeal, really¡­ Why would you pay for a stranger to spend an hour touching you?" Andrew''s expression twisted, shuddering slightly as the thought ran through his mind. "Might be nice to sit in a hot tub for a bit, or maybe the sauna¡­ but we have those at home, you know?"


    Cathryn frowned. "Well if you put it that way, of course it isn''t going to sound good! You can''t see it as a stranger, but a professional. It''s like paying someone to clean your house."


    "I guess¡­" Andrew muttered noncommittally. He wasn''t exactly against the idea of the spa, he just didn''t see the appeal. He''d give it a shot, though. Who knows? Maybe it''d surprise him.


    Once they reached the lobby, they handed in the slip for their fight, before finding a bench to sit and wait. It didn''t take long before a disappointed looking Li Jing returned, handing in her own slip at the front desk, before heading over to Andrew and plopping herself straight into his lap, cuddling into him. "We lost." She grumbled bitterly.


    "It''s okay, it happens." Andrew assured her in a comforting tone. "That fight was harder than I thought it''d be¡­ though, I probably shouldn''t have been surprised. The Bonded in the next Rank should have at least four years on us, or the equivalent skill level." There were about a hundred Bonded born each year, which meant, since Bonded officially joined society as sixteen, there were about eighty-four hundred Bonded in under one hundred Rankings. Bonded naturally got stronger as time went on, so their Ranking would get higher simply due to time. Trying to raise your Ranking early would mean facing those who had years, or potentially even decades of experience on you, at least until you got to the hundreds.


    "So you lost too?" Li Jing asked.


    "No, I won¡­ it was just harder than I''d expected it to be." Andrew replied absently.


    Li Jing pulled away to scowl at him, giving him a hard pinch. "You suck!"


    "Ow! Hey! Quit it!" Andrew protested, squirming as she continued to pinch him.


    "No!" She growled, continuing her assault. Andrew''s eyes glinted as he returned her assault, beginning to tickle Li Jing, causing her to squirm in his lap, until she was unable to keep pinching him and began to giggle. "Stop! Stop!"


    "Never!" Andrew retorted with a grin, until Cathryn smacked his arm, causing him to stop.


    "We''re in public." She hissed.


    Andrew paused, looking around, noticing a few people giving them amused looks. "Ah¡­"


    Li Jing sat up with a flush as Andrew stopped, giving him one last pinch. "Rude."


    "You started it!" Andrew protested. Li Jing just stuck her tongue out at him, before leaning against his chest. Andrew shook his head, but he still wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Little brat." He muttered in her ear.


    "Your brat." She muttered back smugly.


    Cathryn shook her head at the both of them, smiling lightly. "So, Jing, the judge for our match told us about a healing room with a spa if you''re interested."


    Li Jing perked up. "Spa?"


    Cathryn nodded. "You know, massages, facials, mud baths, saunas, all that."


    "Acupuncture?" Li Jing added hopefully.


    Cathryn paused. "Maybe? Probably?" She offered hesitantly. "I''ve never actually been to a spa¡­"


    Li Jing nodded. "We should go."


    Cathryn smiled. "Yay! Spa day!"


    Andrew glanced at her, smiling slightly as he quirked an eyebrow at her. "Weren''t you the one worried about us wasting time here? Something about not having enough time for school?"


    Cathryn flushed. "We already finished our homework for the week! It''s different!"


    "Uh-huh. So you aren''t going to want to do this every week?" Andrew asked, his smile widening, the amusement clear in his voice.


    "If- if we have time¡­" Cathryn muttered, her flush deepening.


    Andrew snickered, shaking his head. "It''s okay, if you want to enjoy the spa, we can enjoy the spa."


    *


    Once Karen got back as well, not having done any better than Li Jing and looking absolutely miserable about it, they all headed to the healing room to unwind. Andrew tolerated the massage, but if anything it felt like the massage actually made him more tense. On the other hand, the acupuncture was great! No excessive touching, just tiny needles hitting his trigger points. Much more relaxing. The rest of the treatments were hit or miss, but overall, it was a decent experience. Four out of five, would go again. All four of them were sitting in a hot tub at the end, feeling absolutely relaxed as they enjoyed the hot, bubbling water. "Well, this was nice." Andrew commented.


    "It was great!" Cathryn sighed emphatically, leaning against him on the right.


    "Good." Li Jing agreed, leaning against him on the left.


    "I still can''t believe you won your first match." Karen grumbled.


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "Are you still on that? I have unfair advantages. You can''t compare yourself to me."


    "I can and I will!" Karen retorted with a growl. "Tons of Beasts have natural advantages over us! It isn''t an excuse to be lazy and stop working to beat them!"


    Andrew blinked. "I guess? But if you''re already doing everything you can, why beat yourself up over something you can''t change?"


    "Is that the attitude you''re going to have when the Orcgod''s horde descends on us and destroys everything we know and love?!?" Karen retorted angrily. "Just an ''oh, that sucks, but I did everything I could''?!?"


    Andrew paused. "Yes?" He answered hesitantly, feeling like somehow this was the wrong answer, but not having any other response to give. He''d go down kicking and screaming, but if there was nothing he could actually do about it, then why would he beat himself up over it? He was already busy beating himself up for his actual mistakes. It''d just be stupid to start adding imaginary mistakes on top.


    Karen scowled at him. "You are the single most frustrating man I have ever met in my life."


    Cathryn burst out laughing at that. "You have no idea how many times I''ve thought that exact same thing. I swear, all we did was argue every time we saw each other for like ten years."


    "You still argue." Li Jing muttered.


    Cathryn flushed. "Well, it''s different now¡­ they''re constructive arguments."


    "Plus, half the time we''re just pretending to disagree." Andrew added.


    "I knew it!" Li Jing exclaimed.


    "We aren''t pretending!" Cathryn retorted. "We''re exploring different perspectives! There''s a difference."


    "We literally act like we have opinions we don''t have! What else would you call that besides pretending?" Andrew countered.


    Cathryn huffed. "You aren''t wrong, but the connotation is off! Saying we''re pretending makes it sound like we''re just goofing around."


    "Well, we are kind of goofing around." Andrew pointed out.


    "You both realize you are literally arguing about arguing, right?" Li Jing stated, giving them both a bland look.


    "Yeah?" Andrew replied, cocking his head at her. "What''s your point?"


    Li Jing let out a weary sigh. "Nothing."

 Aura: 29 - Death

    Benjamin waited in a small coffee shop, shifting nervously as he glanced between his phone and the door. Every time the bell rang, he''d jump, studying the person entering carefully, watching for some kind of sign, before looking away again. He was studying his phone, wondering if he''d read the message wrong, when a seemingly normal customer sat across from him. "Hello, Benjamin. Nice to finally meet you." The man greeted him, taking a sip of his coffee.


    Benjamin blinked at him. "You-" He froze as the man opened his jacket slightly, revealing a green pin of an arrow piercing a skull. Benjamin gulped nervously, pulling out a small packet and handing it over to the man.


    "You got everything?" The man asked, opening the packet slightly to check it. Inside were several pictures of Andrew, an outline of his usual schedule, and maps of the town and school with specific locations circled in red.


    Benjamin nodded. "Y-yeah. But it isn''t much¡­ he just goes between school and home, and that''s it."


    "You never know what will make a difference." The man muttered. "That being said, this does seem to be a simple job. We can probably get it done tomorrow."


    Benjamin blinked. "That- that''s it?" He asked hesitantly.


    "That''s it." The man nodded. "A simple pull of the trigger to end a future monster. Of course, the aftermath is a painful death, or years on the run, since the creatures don''t take kindly to the death of one of their own, and they have many resources at their disposal. But there are many of us, and few of them. Which is why we include the second part of our deal." The man commented, as he undid his pin and slid it across the table to Benjamin, along with an envelope.


    Benjamin took the pin and the envelope, opening it to find several tickets, a detailed itinerary starting later that evening, and several documents for false identities associated with each ticket. "A life for a life." He muttered, gulping slightly.


    The man nodded. "You take my place, training until the time comes for you to fulfill your duty. Good luck." He stood to his feet, giving Benjamin a final nod goodbye, before turning to leave.


    Benjamin sunk back in his chair, letting out a breath. That was it. There was no turning back. He''d sealed Andrew''s fate with a few pictures and some simple information. It seemed fitting that he''d sealed his own in the same instance. From now on, his life was no longer his own. He''d give up his family, his friends, his future to be a weapon against these creatures, a tool that could be used to end one before they became too powerful. His eyes hardened as he took a deep breath and stood to his feet, picking up his bag and leaving the coffee shop, heading towards the nearest bus station. He had a long journey ahead of him.


    *


    "Have you seen Benjamin today?" Cathryn asked with a frown as they headed towards their usual spot for lunch.


    Andrew snapped his fingers. "That''s what''s missing! The ever-present feeling of dread he gave off! Man, I was wondering why I felt so relaxed today."


    Cathryn let out a frustrated sigh. "He just doesn''t get it! Still, it isn''t like him to miss school¡­ I hope he''s alright."


    Andrew paused. "Maybe he got kidnapped by one of those machines?" He offered with a shrug.


    Cathryn smacked him. "Don''t joke about that!"


    "Who''s joking?" Andrew retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. "We''ve encountered them twice already. The odds of more showing up are pretty high at this point."


    Cathryn scowled. "That better not be what happened." She grumbled.


    Andrew shook his head as they sat down. "It probably isn''t. The better odds are that he''s sick or something."


    "I know, but now I''m wor-" Cathryn began with a sigh, when she was suddenly cut off by Andrew''s head exploding!


    Andrew''s vision went dark, a brief vision of a dark room with a five sided table appearing, the table beginning to split, before an ashen aura enveloped it, pulling it back together as his head reformed. He felt a hard lump form in his chest, before it dissolved back into him, like he''d just absorbed an ability crystal or something. Andrew blinked briefly as both Li Jing and Cathryn stared at him with horrified looks, a few other onlookers giving him looks of disbelief as well, the blood and brains splattered everywhere making it clear that what they''d just seen was not just a part of their imagination. "He is a Vampire!" Someone exclaimed in horror.


    "Did I just get shot?!?" Andrew muttered incredulously, turning towards where the bullet had come from, his aura flaring as he did. His pupils turned to pinpricks as his vision sharpened, catching a glimpse of the man lying flat on a nearby hill just in time to see the rifle he was holding fire again. Suddenly his skin turned to carapace as the bullet hit him square in the middle of his forehead, knocking him back slightly, but not actually hurting him. "Yup, I was shot." Andrew growled, his eyes narrowing as his wings formed, bursting from his back and vibrating as he shot into the air, hurtling towards the man on the hill.


    The man cursed, scrambling to his feet, but before he could even get two steps away, Andrew was on him, knocking him to the ground and grabbing his gun, breaking it to pieces. "Cursed monster!" The man growled, pulling out a knife and lunging at Andrew, attempting to stab him in the chest.


    Andrew just rolled his eyes, grabbing the man by the wrist and breaking it, causing him to scream in pain and drop the knife. "If it didn''t work the first two times, what makes you think the third would be any different?" The man just spit at him. "Rude." Andrew growled, the full implications of what the man had done only just hitting him. This man had tried to kill him! If not for whatever weirdness was going on with his aura, he would have died! If he''d targeted Li Jing or Cathryn, they would have died! If he''d actually succeeded, Cathryn still would have died! His grip tightened on the man''s wrist, grinding the bones to dust as rage built within Andrew''s chest. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn''t take my time slowly turning your body into ground sausage while you scream in agony!" He hissed, emphasizing his point by grabbing the man''s hand with both of his and twisting it, mangling it into a bloody pulp. Not his brightest move, however, as the man immediately blacked out due to pain. Andrew frowned as he held the limp man up by his mangled arm. "Well, shit." Andrew sighed.


    *


    Andrew didn''t even bother hiding anything, shifting into a mix of his Monkey and ant form, grabbing the man with his tail and flying back to Cathryn and Li Jing. He quickly grabbed them and flew away again, taking all of them back to the house. The moment they landed, Arose burst out of his house rushing over to them, having sensed their panicked and confused emotions. "What happened?!? Why are you in your Beast form?!?" He demanded.


    Andrew turned back to his human self, dropping the man in front of Arose. "This fucker shot me! Everyone saw!"


    Arose paused, before quickly kneeling down and ripping open the man''s shirt. He grimaced as he glared at the tattoo of an arrow piercing a skull on the man''s chest. "Monster Hunters." He spat in a tone of sheer disgust.


    "Monster Hunters?" Cathryn asked nervously, glancing between him, the furious Andrew, and the cold Li Jing, all of whom were staring at the man like he was a bug that needed to be crushed.


    "Mortals who have learned of our existence and decided we''re a threat that needs to be exterminated." Arose explained in a low growl. "They target children, because older Bonded have already mutated their abilities to enhance their defenses."


    "Thankfully they focused on me, instead of Jing." Andrew commented, a hint of relief bleeding through his anger, which suddenly surged again as he continued. "If they''d gone for her¡­" He growled, eyes hardening.


    "They didn''t, and we can only be thankful for that." Arose interjected. "The real question is how did they find you?!? This town is too small for their operatives to have a presence here¡­"


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    They all frowned in thought, before Cathryn and Andrew suddenly shared a look. "Benjamin!" Andrew spat angrily. "That little piece of shit!"


    "Benjamin?" Arose asked, raising an eyebrow at them.


    "He''s- he was our friend¡­" Cathryn explained hesitantly. "When we started school, he told me- he was convinced Andrew was a Vampire. If- if he told anyone¡­"


    "Of course he told someone!" Andrew exclaimed. "He was obsessed with those damn cryptid sites! He probably put his theories all over the damn things, giving the Monster Hunters everything they needed! I swear, once I get my hands on him." Andrew finished with a growl, flexing his hands, miming choking someone.


    "Andrew, you know he wouldn''t do something like this on purpose!" Cathryn protested. "He''s just an idiot, not evil."


    Arose hesitated. "That may not be the case¡­ Monster Hunters are required to recruit a new operative before they begin their mission. Once they make themselves known, we can catch them fairly easily, so the only way they can continue operating is by constantly recruiting and replacing their number. The most common targets for recruitment are the very people who brought the Bonded to their attention, since they usually already have grievances against us¡­ If this Benjamin is the one who informed them, the odds are he''s one of them now."


    Cathryn''s eyes widened. "But¡­ no, Benjamin wouldn''t- he couldn''t do something like that!"


    Andrew''s expression twisted. "She has a point¡­ Benjamin was kind of a coward. I don''t think he''d have the guts."


    Arose grunted. "We shall see. This event requires a lot of clean up." He let out a sigh. "The Dogs will be busy." He paused. "And we''re going to need to move." He cursed.


    "Wait, what?" Cathryn asked, her eyes widening. "Why would we move?!?"


    Arose gave her a look. "Cathryn, the Monster Hunters know we''re here! If we continue to stay here, the three of you will continue to be in danger! They failed once, but they will try again! And next time, they won''t just try to kill Andrew. They start with rifles, but once that fails, they move to explosives. We can''t risk you or Li Jing getting caught in the crossfire. We need to relocate to someplace safer."


    Li Jing scowled. "My parents won''t let me hear the end of this." She grumbled.


    "For now, we''ll need to move to the Outside until we can create new lives for ourselves." Arose continued, before glancing at Andrew. "We''ll also need to give you more lessons on how to remain under the radar." He looked at the other two. "Might as well teach the both of you as well. You can never be too careful."


    *


    The next few days passed in a blur as they packed everything up. Andrew''s parents took the move in stride, not the first time they''d been through something like this, and Amy was her usual matter of fact self, but Kate was taking things hard. She''d just joined the track team and started making friends, and now she had to give it all up for who knows what! Jack and Sarah were both in college, and not local ones, so they had the option to either come with the rest of the family or stay at college, only needing a minor increase in security to make sure no one would try to kidnap them to get to Andrew. It wasn''t a common strategy of the Monster Hunters though, so it wasn''t too much of a concern. The Monster Hunters solely focused on the Bonded, and while they didn''t mind collateral damage, they didn''t purposely bring civilians into their fight. Or maybe they just believed the Bonded wouldn''t care for mortals, since they believed they were monsters. Admittedly, there were Bonded who wouldn''t give two shits if their family was threatened¡­ Still, if Jack and Sarah stayed at college, they wouldn''t be able to contact the rest of the family, at least not for a while. Relocating would be pointless if the Monster Hunters could just follow them back to the family. They had to choose between their lives and their family, and they had to choose soon.


    Andrew hated that he had to put his family through this, and he despised Benjamin even more because of it. Once they''d discovered his disappearance, they''d gone through his computer and found the messages from the cryptid site. Even if Cathryn didn''t want to believe it, Benjamin''s guilt was clear. Admittedly, it was also clear that he believed Andrew was some kind of monster who had mind raped her into submission, but Andrew refused to accept that as an excuse! As far as he was concerned, if he ever saw Benjamin again, he was dead. He was even tempted to hunt the little shit down, but the Monster Hunters were smart enough to make sure no operatives could give away information on the others. The Monster Hunter they''d caught couldn''t even tell them when Benjamin had left, let alone where he''d gone.


    That Friday, Andrew stood in the living room of his emptied out home, along with his parents, Cathryn, Li Jing, Amy, Kate, and Sarah. Sarah had only just started college, so she decided to go with the rest of the family, but Jack had put in too much work already to just give it up. He was also getting increasingly serious with Amelia, which Andrew thought was the bigger issue. If someone had asked him to choose between Cathryn or Li Jing and his family¡­ there was no way he''d give Li Jing up, and he literally couldn''t give Cathryn up, not that he would even if he could.


    "This sucks." Kate grumbled bitterly.


    "I''m sorry." Andrew apologized with a twisted expression. "If I''d been more careful¡­ if I''d never tried to be friends with Benjamin-" Andrew''s expression darkened as he thought over how much better his life would have been if he''d just ignored the weird boy sitting next to him on the bus. Benjamin would never have noticed the oddities surrounding him. He''d never have pushed him to bring Gregory to school. He''d never have drawn the attention of Eric that first day. Andrew''s life would have been completely different! "I should have just kept to myself from the start." He spat bitterly.


    "Andrew¡­" Cathryn muttered in a pained tone, placing a hand on his shoulder as she gave him a concerned look. The problem was¡­ he had a point. His life probably would have been better if he''d never made friends with Benjamin.


    "Son, life isn''t that simple." Stephen sighed. "Yes, when you give someone a chance, you open yourself up to being hurt, but if you never open yourself up, you never give anyone the chance to be good either. You could live a life without risk, but what kind of life would that be? Not one I would like to live."


    Li Jing grabbed his hand, squeezing it. "Don''t become like my parents, scared of anything that might hurt you." She whispered.


    Andrew blinked as he considered that. At first he wanted to completely reject the idea that he was anything like Li Jing''s parents. He wasn''t scared of living his life! But¡­ wasn''t that exactly what he''d been doing? Avoiding people because he didn''t want to be hurt? Putting up emotional walls, instead of physical ones? He scowled. But people sucked! Half of them refused to see anything from any point of view but their own! Hell, most of them didn''t recognize that there was any other point of view!


    *What about me?* Cathryn sent. If he''d completely given up on people, never interacted with anyone¡­ would they be Bonded? Would she have just been taken by that machine? Would he have even cared enough to try and save her? *Would you give me up just to stop what happened with Benjamin?*


    Andrew blinked, before wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. *Never.* "This still sucks though." He grumbled aloud. "Fuck Benjamin."


    "Language!" Helen scolded him.


    "Dear, I believe in this scenario, that is a perfectly valid use of the expletive." Stephen commented, a hint of amusement in his voice. Helen just grunted in grudging acceptance.


    Andrew and his sisters took a moment to look around the house, the place that had been their home for their entire lives, the place they''d probably never see again, all because of a stupid kid who saw things he didn''t understand and assumed the worst. For the first time, Andrew questioned the wisdom of the Bonded hiding who they were, what they did for humanity. If people only knew, then things like this would never happen! However, as his thoughts turned to how humanity would react to the knowledge that there was an entire world full of creatures that could end them with a thought¡­ He let out a weary sigh as he imagined people arguing that they should nuke the Outside. Humanity tended to overreact when they thought they were being threatened. Case in point, Benjamin.


    "We should go." Stephen suggested as he felt his childrens'' emotions stabilize, placing a hand on Kate''s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. She was the one having the most trouble with all this. Kate twisted to give Stephen a hug, burying her face in his chest as tears began to flow. She hated this! It felt like she was just getting to start her life, only for it to suddenly be yanked out from under her. She knew it wasn''t Andrew''s fault, but¡­ a part of her wished he could just be normal. That she''d never been born into this Bonded mess! It just- it wasn''t fair! Slowly they all began to move down to the basement, until they reached the railcar, meeting up with Arose and Ertemis as they came from their home, all of them piling in and heading to the portal station, leaving their old lives behind.

 Aura: 30 - Dream

    Andrew frowned as he stared down at the Squirrel he''d just killed. After helping his family move into their temporary home in the City while they waited for their new identities to be established, He, Cathryn, and Li Jing immediately began to hunt. They''d been neglecting their hunting as they dealt with everything, and if they didn''t work fast, they wouldn''t make their quota for Supply and Demand that week. That wasn''t why Andrew was frowning however. Ever since he''d been shot, he''d felt¡­ off. Nothing seemed to be different, but he felt like he was weaker. He just couldn''t be sure, because the Beasts around the base camp were weak and had been easy to kill since practically his first week of hunting. He switched his aura to his emotion sense¡­ Was it smaller? He wasn''t sure. He switched to his Human ability, and it was the same. He thought it might be smaller, but he wasn''t sure. When he''d learned he could move his aura around, he''d messed with his abilities so much he couldn''t be sure what was normal anymore. The only thing he was sure about was that his aura sense hadn''t changed, still sitting at a radius of about forty meters, which was frustrating in a different way since he still hadn''t figured out how to actually grow it. Andrew let out a frustrated groan. He''d need to go see Elder Barry and get his abilities tested.


    His mind wandered back to the feeling he''d had when the bullet had pierced through his head, idly rubbing his chest. Something had been different about it. Andrew had been hurt before. His entire chest had been crushed by that Lizard. But¡­ he''d never felt like he''d died before. When that bullet hit him¡­ his cores had tried to leave! If he hadn''t caught them with his aura¡­ they would have been gone. Then there was that lump that seemed to dissolve like an ability crystal¡­ the more Andrew thought about it, the more he was sure he''d actually died. His ability crystal had formed in his chest, just like any other Beast. And then¡­ he''d come back, and reabsorbed it. However¡­ an ability crystal wasn''t all of a Beast''s power. It was only about ten percent. Is that why he felt weak? He only had ten percent of the power he''d had before he was killed?


    Andrew shuddered, hoping his theory was wrong, but unable to shake the feeling that it wasn''t. Then again¡­ trading ninety percent of his power to avoid dying wasn''t a terrible trade. Particularly when he was immortal and had the time to build his power back up again¡­ especially when his dying would take Cathryn with him. Andrew immediately perked up. Even if that bullet had cost him ninety percent of his power, it was worth it. He''d trade a lot more to keep Cathryn safe. Still, he''d have to see Elder Barry to make sure.


    *Awww!* Cathryn cooed at him through their connection, having noticed when his thoughts turned to her. *You love~ me!*


    Andrew rolled his eyes, unable to keep himself from smiling. *If you didn''t already know that, you haven''t been paying attention.*


    *It''s just nice to confirm it every now and then.* Cathryn sent back, along with a feeling of warmth and security. *I love you too.* She added, sending him the mental equivalent of a kiss emoji. A moment later, the image of Andrew''s head exploding in front of her flashed through the connection as well, along with a clawing, anxious emotion.


    Andrew''s eyes widened. *What was that?!?*


    *Sorry. I just- I was thinking about how much I love you and how I never want to lose you, and then¡­ when you were shot- I felt it Andrew. It was like you were being torn away from me! I- it just got to me. The idea that something so random could steal you away from me forever¡­* Cathryn trailed off, a lump catching in her throat.


    *Cathryn¡­ I''m not going anywhere.* Andrew assured her. *I mean, let''s be honest here, if taking out my head didn''t do it, I don''t think anything will.*


    *I-I know, but¡­ what if they go after me next?* She gulped nervously. *If they get me, they get you. I can''t- the idea that I could be the reason to die, when nothing else seems to be able to do it¡­ I''m- I''m just a burden to you now.*


    *Cathryn, no.* Andrew retorted firmly. *You will never be a burden to me.*


    *But without me, you could be going deeper into the Outside! You could find the powerful Beasts and actually grow! But you''re stuck around the base camp because I''m tying you down! It isn''t fair!* Cathryn replied, her expression twisting in distress.


    *Cathryn, I don''t care about power! Power isn''t going to make me happy. Hell, if anything, power has made me unhappy more often than not. What does make me happy is you. I wouldn''t give you up for all the power this world has to offer.* Andrew insisted.


    Cathryn flushed. *Andrew¡­ you should come back soon.* Well, he didn''t need to be told that twice.


    *


    "I''ve been having weird dreams lately." Andrew muttered as he and Cathryn cuddled on the couch after a heavy make out session. They were both a little frustrated they couldn''t go any further, surprisingly Cathryn more than Andrew, but Andrew figured it was a matter of perspective. As a Bonded, Andrew had always been taught that the main purpose of sex was procreation. Because the birth rate of Bonded was so low, they were pressured to have as many kids as they could as often as possible. Pretty much as soon as you could, you were supposed to find a mate and get to work so you could help increase the Bonded population. So he''d always half viewed sex as some sort of duty. However, for Cathryn, she barely even considered the fact that sex made babies. She focused more on the intimacy and pleasure of it. Almost like sex was how you proved to someone you actually loved them. So the closer she got to Andrew, the more she wanted to do something, and the more it frustrated her that she couldn''t.


    "What kind of dreams?" Cathryn asked absently, idly stroking his chest.


    "I keep dreaming I''m trapped in this dark sack with all these other little squirmy things all around me. I can''t see, and all I can hear are vague, muffled noises around me." Andrew explained.


    Cathryn frowned. "That''s weird¡­"


    "Right?" Andrew agreed. "I''ve been having it for like a week now, and I just can''t figure out why."


    "A week?!?" Cathryn exclaimed. "Why didn''t you say anything earlier?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Didn''t seem important, and we were kind of dealing with other stuff, you know?"


    Cathryn paused. "Yeah¡­ what do you think it means?"


    "I feel like I''m trapped and surrounded by maggots?" Andrew offered tentatively. "Like, I mean, dreams are weird. It could be from frustration, or stress, or I could just be sleeping weird."


    "True¡­" Cathryn sighed. "Still, if you''ve been having it that frequently, it probably means something right?"


    "I guess, but I couldn''t say what." Andrew shrugged.


    *


    Elder Barry blinked at the displays on the testing machines. "I don''t- how is this possible?!?" Andrew''s power had reverted to practically the same as the first time he''d been tested! An entire summer''s worth of effort, simply gone!


    "I think I died." Andrew sighed, frowning slightly.


    Elder Barry blinked, then blinked again. "What?"


    Andrew coughed awkwardly. "Well¡­ okay, so, a bit ago, I learned that I could use my aura to heal myself. When that Monster Hunter shot me¡­ well, it wasn''t being a Beast that saved me. I- my head kind of exploded? But then it got better, cause of the aura. Still, in the instant between¡­ I think I died. I felt something hard form in my chest, before dissolving, like an ability crystal. I think¡­ all the power I''d gathered before did whatever happens when a Beast dies, and all I got back was what was in the crystal."


    Elder Barry blinked yet again. "Ah." He paused. "I''m going to be honest here, I''ve been an Elder for a couple thousand years now, and all my experience in that time has given me absolutely no idea how to advise you in this situation."


    Andrew cocked his head. "Hunt more and try not to die again?" He offered tentatively.


    Elder Barry paused again, before grinning as he let out a low chuckle. "Well, it''s a little simple, but I can''t argue against it."


    Andrew shrugged. "I mean, let''s be honest, most advice boils down to just keep doing what you need to do. The problems come in when you don''t know what you need to do, which isn''t the case here."


    "Succinctly said." Elder Barry nodded. "Well, you best get to it then."


    *


    Andrew was having that dream again. He was trapped in a dark, wet sack, surrounded by small, wriggling forms. Every night the sack seemed to get smaller, tighter, all the wriggling things struggling against the pressure. That night was the worst one. The pressure felt crushing, the wriggling things barely able to move with how tightly packed they all were. Andrew felt like if nothing changed, soon all of the wriggling things, including him, would be dead, and the others seemed to feel the same way as they began to struggle fiercely, thrashing around in a panic, until something burst! Andrew felt himself tumble to the ground in a pile with the other wriggling things, a cry involuntarily escaping from him. Moments later, he felt himself get scooped up by soft hands, carrying him away. Andrew felt something brush against his lips, his mouth instinctively opening as a piece of meat was placed in his mouth and he quickly began to chew as hunger surged within him, devouring the meat voraciously. More meat followed, until he was full. Then a bottle full of water was placed against his lips and he began to drink until his thirst was quenched. Finally, he was wrapped in a warm, soft blanket and placed in what he assumed was a crib.


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    *This dream is getting weird.* Andrew thought to himself absently. He spent a few hours lying in the crib, until he was able to finally blink open his eyes, the room suddenly coming into focus. He looked around, seeing that he was in a crib, a nice looking wooden one. He looked out through the thin bars, seeing another crib next to him with another bundle inside it. Another¡­ baby? Andrew frowned. Why was it green? Andrew struggled against his swaddling, trying to get an arm out. It took him a bit, but eventually he pulled his arm out enough to see it was green as well! *I''m dreaming I''m a green baby¡­ neat.*


    Andrew was pretty much helpless at the moment, so he had to just stare at the ceiling, bored. Occasionally he''d see a larger green ''person?'' moving among the cradles. He''d tried crying at them, not able to form words for some reason, but they''d just try to give him meat or water again, so he stopped. Unless he was hungry, of course, which was happening almost alarmingly often. It seemed like every time he ate, he''d just get hungry again in like half an hour! The crib also seemed to be shrinking, or rather, he was growing. He''d started as a baby, but a few hours later, he was a full blown toddler! At least that meant he could start moving though.


    Andrew kicked out of the blanket, shakily climbing to his feet by grabbing the bars of the crib, pulling himself up. He looked over the edge, getting a better look at his surroundings. He was in a largeish room, full of cribs, all of them containing green babies, or toddlers now. He also saw a small sitting area where the larger green people waited and observed the cribs. As one of the green people noticed him, coming over to see what he needed, Andrew suddenly heard a *ding* in his mind.


    [General Skill - Observe acquired. System unlocked! One skill point awarded.]


    Andrew blinked. *Uh¡­ what?* In the next instant, a¡­ status page? opened up in front of him.


    [Observant Goblin: 1


    Strength: 1


    Agility: 2


    Will: 14


    Intellect: 16


    Energy: 2


    Sensitivity: 444


    General Skill - Observe: 12


    Skill Points: 1]


    "Wahut?!?" Andrew exclaimed out loud, staring at the screen in disbelief, before he remembered he was dreaming. He''d been in the dream so long at this point, he''d forgotten.


    [Oh, we have a smart one!] The green person coming over to check on him announced. [Look, he''s already gotten his first skill!]


    Andrew glanced over at the green person, frowning slightly. What were they saying? He shook his head. It didn''t really matter. He then turned his attention back to the status page, studying it with a curious expression. His stats were completely nonsensical, which, he supposed, made sense for a dream. His physical stats were terrible, his mental stats were great, and whatever this ''sensitivity'' thing was, it was just plain ridiculous. Assuming the average was ten, where the fuck had that Sensitivity stat come from?!?


    Andrew''s train of thought was interrupted by the green person, or goblin if the status page was to be believed, picking him up, rewrapping the blanket around him, before carrying him out of the room. There was a small hallway with a few more rooms, the ones Andrew saw full of goblin children of various ages. The goblin carrying him didn''t take him to any of those rooms however, instead taking him out of the building entirely, carrying him down some cobblestone streets full of even more goblins. Andrew looked around, wide eyed, taking in the sight of what looked like a small, medieval town, the definition of quaint. The goblin carrying him took him towards a large building in the center of town. The goblin walked up to a small desk as they entered the building. [I need to see the shaman.]


    The goblin behind the desk looked up, looking between the goblin carrying Andrew and him with a surprised expression. [Already? He looks like he was born this morning!]


    The goblin nodded. [He was! But he was clearly looking at a status screen earlier.]


    [I hope he didn''t get something like ''Walking Goblin''. It''d be such a waste.] The goblin behind the desk commented, shaking their head. [The Shaman is just busy going over the reports on the harvest. You can head back now.]


    The goblin carrying Andrew nodded, taking him down a small hall, knocking on a certain door. [Come in!] A voice called from inside, prompting the goblin to open the door and walk in. [Ah, a unique system activation?] An older goblin stood to their feet as the goblin brought Andrew in, blinking as they took Andrew in. [A little young, isn''t he?]


    [He seemed to see the status page.] The goblin explained, a bit more hesitantly than they had when they''d told the goblin out front.


    [Well, let''s see then. No harm in checking, right?] The Shaman gave the goblin a smile, before focusing on Andrew. His eyes flashed, before widening in shock. [Four hundred and forty-four!?! Where did that come from?!?]


    Andrew frowned as the goblins began to freak out around him, yelling in gibberish. Even when things were happening this dream was boring! He almost preferred when he was in the sack. At least that was somewhat relaxing. This was just a bunch of weird, nonsensical crap! He wanted to go to sleep and he was already sleeping! *That''s it, I''m waking up.* Andrew grumbled internally, closing his eyes and attempting to force himself awake. The good news: it worked. Andrew woke up in his bed, cuddled up between Li Jing and Cathryn. The bad news: he was still in the dream. Andrew sat up in his bed as both sets of eyes widened in shock, causing the girls to wake up in a panic.


    "Who- what- where?!?" Cathryn stammered blearily, looking around for something dangerous, Li Jing doing the same.


    Andrew flushed. "Sorry, I didn''t- uh, something weird is going on and¡­ do you remember that dream I was telling you about?" Cathryn nodded while Li Jing frowned. "Well¡­ I''m having it."


    Cathryn frowned. "That''s what made you wake us both up? A bad dream?!?" She asked incredulously.


    "No, Cathryn, you don''t understand." Andrew shook his head. "I''m still having it! Like, right now! I''m some goblin baby and there''s these older goblins just freaking out around me, and I have a status page! I''m literally looking at it right now!" He paused as he noticed another oddity. From his perspective, the dream felt sped up, but from the dream him''s perspective, he seemed like he was slowed down. It was just so weird!


    Both girls looked at him like he was crazy, before sharing a look. "We should take him to a doctor." Li Jing stated firmly.


    "We should." Cathryn nodded in agreement.


    "Guys, I can literally heal myself! I''m fine!" Andrew protested, quickly running his aura over himself, just to see if that would get rid of the dream. No such luck.


    "You were shot in the head." Li Jing pointed out.


    Andrew paused. "Okay, yeah, I should see a doctor."


    *


    While the three of them quickly got dressed and ready to go, the dream had taken a turn. The goblins had stopped arguing, and the younger goblin had taken him back to the first building, but not to the same room. They''d taken him to a smaller room, and seemed to be trying to teach him how to talk. Weirdly, it seemed to be working too. The language just seemed to click, like he already kind of knew it, and just needed to learn the words. "What''s this?" Andrew asked, pointing at a picture of an apple.


    "That''s an apple." The goblin, who Andrew had recently learned was named Tapilek, replied, enunciating each syllable.


    "Apple." Andrew repeated slowly, getting a feel for the word. "And this?" Andrew continued, pointing at a picture of a banana.


    "A banana." Tapilek replied patiently.


    "Banana." Andrew repeated again. They were currently going over food in a large book full of pictures. Once Tapilek had taught Andrew how to ask questions, they''d started practically flying through the book. Tapilek only had to teach Andrew a word once, maybe twice if the pronunciation was particularly tricky, before he had it down. They''d already gone over colors and simple shapes, as well as basic needs like hunger and thirst, and after they finished with food, they moved on to simple tools and everyday objects, before moving on to more complex ideas like pronouns and emotions. After spending the entire afternoon on the book, Andrew felt pretty comfortable with at least basic conversation.


    Once it got dark, Tapilek fed Andrew one last time before taking him back to the crib room and putting him down to sleep for the night. Andrew laid in the crib, staring at the ceiling as thoughts whirled through his mind, keeping him from sleep. The more he thought about it, the more he believed this world was actually real! It seemed ridiculous, especially with the status page, but¡­ Andrew couldn''t think of any other explanation. He couldn''t have a dream while he was awake, could he? Plus, this world felt real, at least, the parts that weren''t the status page. Though even that didn''t seem too weird when he considered the Beasts and their abilities in his world. Many mortals would look at that as something ridiculous and unrealistic, simply because they''d never experienced something like it before. Could this status page be like that? Something he was rejecting simply because he''d never seen anything like it before?


    Andrew brought up the status page, staring at it with a frown.


    [Observant Goblin: 1


    Strength: 1 > 2


    Agility: 2 > 4


    Will: 14


    Intellect: 16


    Energy: 2 > 3


    Sensitivity: 444


    General Skill - Observe: 12 > 24


    Skill Points: 1]


    He''d kept growing throughout the day, his physical stats growing along with him. Additionally, as he kept observing things, his Observe skill had grown as well, though Andrew couldn''t say he noticed any difference because of it. The thing that confused him though was the Skill Point. What was he supposed to do with it? Suddenly, as he focused on the Skill Point, a new window appeared.


    [How would you like to spend your Skill Point?


    -Acquire Class Skill


    -Upgrade General Skill]


    Andrew blinked at the screen, before suddenly feeling like an idiot. Obviously the Skill Point was for skills! He focused on the Acquire Class Skill option, and a list appeared next.


    [Available skills:


    Claw


    Concentrate


    Eat


    Imitate


    Introspect


    Kick


    Memorize


    Punch


    Rest]


    Andrew frowned. *Well, those suck¡­ I think. I don''t really have much of a reference, do I? Maybe I should hold off until I talk to someone¡­* He closed the pages with a sigh, before focusing on getting to sleep.

 Aura: 31 - Monstrous Status 101

    "There doesn''t seem to be anything wrong with your mind." The doctor muttered with a frown, going over the results of a few detailed scans of Andrew''s head, using both Bonded and mortal technology. "And you''re still having these visions?"


    Andrew nodded. "Yeah, a goblin is teaching me how to speak their language right now."


    "Strange¡­" The doctor stared at the reports pensively for a while longer, before letting out a sigh. "I''m sorry, but I can''t see any medical reason why you would be hallucinating like this. You appear to be in perfect health."


    Andrew let out a sigh of his own. He''d been afraid of that. Was that world really real? "Well, thank you for checking."


    "I wish I could have been more helpful." The doctor commiserated, before turning to leave.


    Andrew quickly got redressed, before leaving the office and heading to the waiting room where Cathryn and Li Jing were waiting. "So¡­ I''m pretty sure there''s just another me out there." Andrew began to explain. "Like, I don''t know how, but¡­ I''ve literally been reborn as a goblin."


    Cathryn frowned. "But that doesn''t make any sense!" She hissed. "You aren''t dead! You''re still here! How can you be reborn?!?"


    Andrew began to shrug helplessly, when something occurred to him. Could it have something to do with his cores? Most people only had one, but he had five! He''d almost had six, but he''d- Andrew''s eyes widened. The core from the machine! He''d- it''d connected to him, and then- then he''d let it disappear? Was it somehow still connected to him when it¡­ got reincarnated? Was reincarnation real?!?


    "That''s insane!" Cathryn protested, following his train of thought.


    "Do you have a better explanation?!?" Andrew retorted.


    Cathryn hesitated, struggling to find some way to explain what was happening without just assuming Andrew was crazy. "Okay, no, but that still doesn''t mean you''re right!"


    "But I might not be wrong either." Andrew countered. "I could test-"


    "Andrew, please don''t." Cathryn groaned. "Just- you don''t know if there are any problems yet! I know you like things to be exciting, but just- just take things slow for a bit, okay?"


    Andrew took a moment to complain internally that he could use bug cores or something with little risk, but at Cathryn''s frown he sighed and nodded. "Okay, fine. I''ll just focus on handling this goblin thing for a bit." He assured her.


    Cathryn breathed a sigh of relief, while Li Jing looked between the two in confusion. "What did he want to do?"


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "He thinks he was reincarnated because he threw out a core, so now he wants to throw out even more cores."


    Li Jing''s eyes widened, before turning on Andrew with a stern gaze. "Don''t."


    "I already said I wouldn''t!" Andrew protested.


    Li Jing nodded. "Good."


    *


    Goblin Andrew woke up as the sun began to shine into the room, groggily stretching, before sitting up in surprise. He practically filled the crib now! It was like he''d jumped from two to five in a single day! He got to his feet, a much simpler task at this point, looking around as other goblin children did the same, looking around the room curiously, or more accurately, hungrily. Andrew was starving! Thankfully Tapilek was right there, ready for him with food and water. "There you go." Tapilek muttered softly as Andrew grabbed the meat and gobbled it down. Other caretakers were weaving through the cribs, bringing the other children their own piles of meat, beginning to move them from the crib room to the next room over.


    That didn''t concern Andrew, however. The moment he finished eating, Tapilek took him away again, back to the large building in the center of town and into the Shaman''s office. "Shaman, I have taught the gifted one how to speak. He seems to have a firm grasp of the basics."


    "Thank you. I shall handle him from here." The Shaman nodded. Tapilek put Andrew down, bowing to the Shaman, before turning and leaving. The Shaman turned to Andrew, smiling kindly. Or at least, as kindly as someone with a mouth full of sharp teeth could. "Now, little one, let us begin your education."


    The Shaman began by teaching Andrew even more about the language, giving him the basics necessary for the subject he really wanted to focus on. "Now, let us discuss the system." The Shaman began eagerly. "Every being on Dintara has six basic stats. The first is Strength, the power of the body. This determines how much weight you can carry, how damaging your attacks are, how much damage you can take, and so on. The next is Agility. This stat determines how well you can control your body''s power. The ability to move and act with precision. The next is Will. This is the power of the mind in the same way Strength is the power of the body. It determines how impactful your words and ideas are, and how easily influenced you are by the words and ideas of others. It also determines the power of your spells. Intellect is how well you control the power of your mind. Just as Agility focuses your Strength, Intellect focuses your Will, letting you apply it with precision."


    The Shaman then turned serious. "The next stat is the most important: Energy. Energy is the foundation of power. It amplifies everything we do. The basic use of Energy is to amplify one''s stats. One point of Energy will double one of your other stats for one second. Two points will double it for two and so on. Learning how to apply your Energy in the instant you need it, no more, no less, is one of the most important tricks you can learn. Skills will give you more uses for your Energy, but we can get to that later. The final stat is Sensitivity which determines how many units you can perceive. This allows you to adjust the amount of power or Energy you use to a greater degree. For you, your Strength, Will, and Energy can be split into four hundred and forty-four units! A simply ridiculous amount, particularly when your stats are so low." The Shaman shook their head in disbelief, still not understanding how a child could develop such a high stat. It was so disconcerting, they''d almost disregarded his also high, but less ridiculous, Will and Intellect! "It also determines how well you can perceive the world around you, increasing your ability to distinguish sights and sounds from further away, or to detect the differences between scents and tastes."


    "Now, let us discuss skills. Your skills are how you interact with the world. General Skills are simply a basic evaluation of your ability. The higher your level in the skill, the better you are at it. The exact meaning behind the levels is unclear, but in general, over twenty is good, over forty is excellent, and over sixty is masterful." The Shaman explained. "For General Skills, this is simply informative. What you need to focus on are Class Skills. Your Skill Points can be used to gain a Class Skill, upgrade a General Skill into a Class Skill, evolve a Class Skill, or merge two skills into a new Class Skill. These Class Skills will guide you in their use, allowing you to become more and more proficient as you use it, beyond normal practice.


    "This brings us to Classes. As goblins, we have what are called ''Monster Classes''. This means our Classes are defined by what we are. We do not get Classes like ''Archer'' but instead we get Classes like ''Goblin Archer''. This affords us unique opportunities, as it allows us to advance not only our Class, but our Race as well, enhancing our physical form along with our stats. Additionally, we have the capability to evolve. It is rare, but goblins with great accomplishments may evolve into hobgoblins, or even orcs or ogres! This not only benefits us, but our progeny as well. It is the dream of every tribe for one of their members to grasp Racial evolution." The Shaman sighed wistfully, before letting out a cough and getting back on topic. "You will receive the opportunity to evolve your Class at levels ten, twenty-five, fifty, and one hundred. Supposedly there are opportunities beyond that, but¡­ we have no knowledge of those heights. In order to level up, you must defeat other creatures in battle or use your Class Skills effectively, and each time you level, you will be granted twelve preassigned stat points, six points to spend as you wish, and one skill point. How you spend and utilize these points determines the direction and quality of your Class advancement.¡±


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    Andrew nodded slowly, having gotten most of the Shaman''s speech, though more than a few words were new and confusing. Still, context was a wonderful thing, and he thought he''d gotten at least the basics of everything the Shaman had explained. In particular, his Sensitivity finally made sense! He''d spent his entire childhood struggling to use as little of his strength as possible, and that had helped him learn how to distinguish between the smallest divisions. Still, he didn''t see how helpful it''d be. He didn''t have enough of any stat to care much about dividing them.


    "Now, our focus is going to be on figuring out which skills you need to make the most of your next evolution." The Shaman continued, pulling out a book and beginning to flip through it. "Given your high Sensitivity, we should focus on skills that make good use of that stat. Additionally, we should take advantage of your high mental stats as well." The Shaman muttered, carefully looking through the book. "Observe is a good start¡­ Imitation could be good as well¡­ Concentrate, Introspect, and Rest of course. Punch for some combat capacity. Or possibly Dodge and Block." The Shaman began to list down skills on a separate piece of paper, circling some and crossing out others as they continued.


    Andrew just sort of zoned out as the Shaman went on, focusing on what skills he would want. He appreciated the Shaman''s interest, but he wasn''t about to let anyone else decide how he should develop, at least not completely. He was still looking in a similar direction as the Shaman, wanting to focus on mental stats and skills over physical ones. If he was going to start a new life, he wanted to do something different with it. Plus, physical power had always been more of a nuisance to him than a boon in his other life. He probably needed to defend himself, so maybe he could look into these spells the Shaman had mentioned?


    The Shaman finished his list, focusing on Andrew again. "Now, here''s what I would suggest. The first Class Skill you''ll want to take is Rest, then Introspect. Once you have the skills high enough, you can merge Rest and Introspect into a meditation skill. Then you should take Concentrate as a Class Skill, which you can then merge with your General Skill Observe to create a study skill. Then you can merge both of those to create an inner sight skill, which is the basis of true Energy control, which is the foundation of magic." Andrew blinked. If he was going to put it that way, then yeah, he was definitely doing that. "Alternatively, you could take Rest as a Class Skill, then work on acquiring Introspect as a General Skill. That way, you''ll only need to spend five Skill Points to get an inner sight skill, but it may be of a slightly poorer quality due to the lack of assistance when developing your Introspect skill. In that same regard, you could spend an extra point to make Observe a Class Skill, maximizing the potential of your inner sight skill, but that would only leave you three Skill points to use on other skills, making it unlikely you''d be given any options beyond being a mage. Which, of course, is far from the worst Class one could end up with, but may not be the one that suits you the best, or which you would prefer to pursue.¡± The Shaman paused. ¡°I would suggest at least attempting to acquire Introspect as a General Skill and see how much you can develop it on your own before you commit to any path. After all, the more skills you have, the better.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Couldn''t I get Rest as a General Skill and buy Introspect instead?¡±


    The Shaman sighed. ¡°You could, but Rest is a devilishly tricky skill to increase without the system''s assistance, due to the fact that it is inherently an unconscious process. How can you examine what you''re doing wrong if you aren''t conscious of what you''re doing?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense¡­¡± Andrew agreed. ¡°Should I take Rest now?"


    The Shaman shook their head. "No, wait until you''ve matured a bit more. Rest will get you your next level fairly quickly, and increasing your stats while your body is still developing can stunt your growth. For now just focus on acquiring Introspect as a General Skill and developing your Observe skill. If you can develop both of them sufficiently, you won''t need to waste any skill points on them. Now, be warned, acquiring a General Skill is a bit tricky. You need to show a decent level of proficiency in the skill first, about level ten, before the General Skill will be added to your status page. So, if it takes you a bit to acquire Introspect, don''t worry. Just keep practicing, and eventually you''ll get there."


    The Shaman then found him a seat in the corner of his office so he could work on getting Introspect, before returning to his work. Andrew frowned as he turned his focus inward. The Shaman had told him that the key to Introspect was to focus on figuring out who he was and what he wanted and Andrew was finding it surprisingly difficult. It wasn''t that he couldn''t concentrate. He''d actually gotten the Concentrate skill about five minutes in. It was that he didn''t know how he was supposed to say what part of him was truly him. He knew there was a core self in there, some quintessential essence that simply expressed itself through his cores, but¡­ what was it? Was it his values? His desires? His fears? A combination of all of them? But then, what were his values? Family? He certainly thought they were important, but could he say he''d choose family over anything else? Andrew frowned. No, he couldn''t. He considered it more. What about love? He''d choose Cathryn and Li Jing over pretty much anything. Still, something felt off about that. Love wasn''t exactly a value, it was¡­ the best word Andrew could find for it was sustenance. Before Cathryn and Li Jing, Andrew had been like the walking dead: there, but not truly alive. He hated to admit it, but living life without any significant connection with another person sucked.


    Andrew paused. There was something in that¡­ he really didn''t want to depend on anyone else, yet he craved connection more than anything. Andrew''s expression twisted. Even just admitting that to himself made him feel weak. He liked to think of himself as self-sufficient. Sure, people might be nice, but they weren''t necessary. But that wasn''t quite true, was it? People¡­ people were what made life worth living. Andrew sighed. It made it that much worse that so many of them fucking sucked.


    "You okay over there?" The Shaman asked, raising an eyebrow at him. What did a child who was literally born yesterday have so much angst over?


    "Hm?" Andrew looked up, startled out of his thoughts. "I- yes, I am okay. Just¡­ trying to figure myself out."


    The Shaman nodded. "A difficult task, particularly for one so young. I will leave you to it."


    Andrew nodded back, refocusing on himself. He was someone who needed people, but hated it¡­ what did that say about him? Andrew cocked his head. Why did he hate it? Because he didn''t like people? Andrew frowned. No¡­ he knew enough about people to know that generally when people were shitty, it wasn''t anything personal. They were just so caught up in their own crap they didn''t consider anyone else, which¡­ Well, that was crappy in its own right, but it was hard to hold something against someone when they didn''t even realize they were doing it. It wasn''t that he thought it was too difficult, either. Relationships were work, he got that. It was just¡­ putting in all that work just to get hurt- Andrew grimaced. Not only was it a waste of time and effort, but being betrayed by someone you''d put your trust in like that was painful. Andrew hated to admit it, and would never admit it to anyone else, but he understood everything Benjamin had done. He saw the logic, accepted that with everything he''d seen, Benjamin probably did the best thing he could have¡­ but they''d been friends! He knew his nature was frightening, but how could he just ignore five years of friendship?!?


    Andrew resisted the urge to let out another groan, peeking at the Shaman, before refocusing. So, he didn''t like pain. That wasn''t so bad, right? Pretty much everyone didn''t like pain! Even those who do only like certain kinds of pain. It wasn''t weak to not enjoy pain. It was weak to let¡­ pain¡­ stop you. Andrew scowled. *Mother. Fucker.* He growled internally. He glared at nothing for a bit, before letting out a frustrated sigh. Fuck it, fine! He wouldn''t fucking isolate himself from people anymore! He''d make friends! Fucking-


    [General Skill - Introspect acquired.]


    Andrew glared at the notification as the Shaman gave him another glance, before shaking his head. What a strange child.

 Aura: 32 - Introspection

    Over the next few days, Andrew continued to work on his Introspect skill, which involved a lot of soul searching, which was more uncomfortable than he would like to admit. Taking an honest look at who he was, what his flaws were¡­ it didn''t feel good. He didn''t like having flaws! Which, he was realizing, was one of his flaws! The only silver lining was that the more he explored himself, the higher his Introspect skill rose. "I suck." Andrew grumbled bitterly.


    "Excuse me?" Cathryn asked, raising an eyebrow at him, while Li Jing looked at him with a frown.


    "I only try in areas I know I can succeed." Andrew replied, sighing and shaking his head. "That''s just- it''s lazy!"


    Li Jing blinked at him. "So?"


    Andrew frowned. "What do you mean ''so''?!?"


    Li Jing rolled her eyes. "Andrew, doing something when you don''t have a chance to succeed is just dumb."


    "Okay, but what if there''s a chance I could succeed, but the consequences of not succeeding are more than I''m willing to risk?" Andrew replied hesitantly.


    "That is also normal, yes." Li Jing responded, shaking her head with a slight smirk. "There is a cost and a benefit to every action. If the cost is greater than the benefit, why would you do it?"


    Andrew paused, considering that. "I guess¡­ I still think I overestimate the risks though. Like yes, there are consequences, but they seem worse to me than they actually are, and it keeps me from taking chances."


    "Does it?" Li Jing asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "You took a chance with me."


    "I did, but¡­ well, no offense, but you made it pretty clear you wanted to be with me. Plus, my Lizard core was influencing me pretty hard back then." Andrew explained awkwardly.


    "What about with us us?" Cathryn offered. "Trying to make a relationship work between all three of us had some pretty big risks."


    "Well, sure, but what other choice did I have? Any other option would leave at least one of us miserable." Andrew retorted.


    "So you take chances when it matters." Cathryn countered. "That''s all that''s important. Being a little conservative in your day to day life is fine."


    "I guess¡­" Andrew muttered, frowning slightly.


    "Now that is a flaw." Li Jing commented. "You need to get better at considering other people''s point of view."


    "Right!?!" Cathryn agreed.


    "Hey, I do! It just takes a bit for me to process it." Andrew protested. "I need to mull it over until I can see how everything connects."


    Li Jing shook her head. "It isn''t about how you change your opinion. It''s about the assumption that the things you consider important are the same things everyone considers important, and that they consider them important in the same way. But people have different ways of looking at the world that emphasize different things as important. If you focus on the plight of the poor, then you see charity and quality of life issues as highly important. However, if you focus on the economy, then you see financial policies as highly important. Neither is wrong, but both people would argue for hours because they have different focuses."


    "Okay, but both of those problems are actually interconnected, because without a good economy, what do you have to help the poor with?" Andrew replied.


    Cathryn frowned at him. "You do realize you just made her point for her, right?"


    Andrew blinked, then flushed. "Damn!" He cursed. "But- you can''t just consider things separately like that! Everything is connected to everything!"


    "Andrew, this is your problem." Cathryn placed her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. "You''re too focused on how you are right, and not enough on how they are right. You need to see the points others are making before you can present your own."


    Andrew was about to begin arguing again, when he paused, taking a moment to actually examine himself and how he was handling this argument. It was just like Cathryn was saying. He was more focused on trying to explain why you had to consider things as a whole than the point Cathryn was making, which was that he was too focused on his points! He took a deep breath. "Okay, I see your point."


    Cathryn blinked. "You do?"


    "Yeah?" Andrew replied. "It''s pretty obvious at this point. I mean, I''m literally in the process of doing it right now!"


    Cathryn shared a wide eyed look with Li Jing. "Did Andrew just admit he was wrong?"


    "He did." Li Jing muttered, turning to give Andrew a calculating look. "Should we worry?"


    Cathryn gave Andrew an evaluating look of her own. "Not yet¡­ but we should keep an eye on him."


    "Agreed." Li Jing nodded.


    Andrew scowled. "Guys, I am capable of self improvement."


    "You are." Cathryn nodded slowly. "After several rounds of arguments which slowly move you in the right direction."


    Li Jing nodded again. "You are a willful man. It isn''t a bad thing, but it makes changing your mind difficult."


    Andrew frowned. "Am I really that bad?"


    Cathryn shook her head. "No, it isn''t bad, because it isn''t like you force your opinions on other people. That would be an issue. You just¡­ you''re very firm in what you believe. There are certain issues where you make it very clear you think you''re right, or at least that you could be right. It doesn''t make you a bad person, it just makes it hard to argue with you sometimes."


    Andrew''s frown deepened as he thought about that. As he thought about everything they''d talked about. If these things were true, and he didn''t think Cathryn and Li Jing would lie, then he had some changes to make. He didn''t want to be inflexible or hard headed. Of course, he didn''t want to be too easily influenced either¡­ Andrew let out another sigh. "I still think I kinda suck."


    "Everyone kinda sucks." Li Jing pointed out. "No one is perfect. That''s the point. You suck, I suck, Cathryn sucks, but together, we suck less."


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    Andrew nodded slowly, before glancing at Cathryn as she began to flush in embarrassment. "Cathryn, thoughts like that are going to get you in trouble one day." He warned her with a slight grin.


    "I wish they''d get me in trouble now." Cathryn grumbled, before her eyes widened. "Oh, Jing, no, I didn''t mean that! If you aren''t ready, I don''t want to push you!"


    Li Jing blinked. "You- you''re waiting on me?" She asked slowly.


    Cathryn froze. "Y-yeah?"


    Li Jing blinked again. "I had been waiting on you."


    "You- you have?!?" Cathryn asked in disbelief.


    Li Jing nodded. "I was with Andrew first, so I thought you should set the pace of the relationship. If I set the pace, we''d have been sleeping together before you two even had time to get to know each other."


    "Cathryn''s been ready since pretty much that first night." Andrew interjected, causing Cathryn to flush.


    Li Jing paused. "Oh."


    "But I''ve known Andrew since we were five!" Cathryn rushed to explain. "Plus, with the Bond¡­ it''s hard not to feel comfortable doing things with him!"


    Li Jing frowned. "I thought you Americans didn''t consider yourselves adults until eighteen. Wouldn''t you want to wait until then?"


    Cathryn''s flush deepened. "W-well- see, we do consider eighteen adult, but¡­ it doesn''t really stop us¡­"


    "No it does not." Andrew snorted. "I noticed people starting at like thirteen. Way too young in my opinion. You still have so much maturing to do at that age!" He paused. "Not that we''re much better¡­"


    Both girls turned to look at him. "Are you ready for us to sleep together?" Li Jing asked, narrowing her eyes at him.


    Andrew froze, not expecting that question. Why would she ask? Of course he was ready! However, as he thought about it more¡­ "I am, but¡­ okay, if it was just one of you, I''d already be in bed and wondering where you were. But¡­ I don''t know how to handle both of you. Not that a few more years would really change that, but¡­ I''m hesitant, because I don''t want to mess things up. I love both of you, and I love our relationship, the way we''re all comfortable around each other. I''m just worried if we start bringing sex into it¡­ that comfort will go away. I mean, I''ve seen normal relationships ruined by sex! I couldn''t handle it if we started too soon and fucked all this up." Andrew finished with a weary sigh.


    The girls both blinked at him. "Andrew¡­ our entire relationship is something that could ruin a normal relationship." Cathryn pointed out. "We''re making this work somehow, and I don''t think bringing sex into it is going to change that. Anything that comes up¡­ we''ll deal with it together, just like we''ve dealt with everything else." She reached out, grabbing both Andrew and Li Jing''s hands and giving them a squeeze.


    Li Jing smiled at her, before grabbing Andrew''s other hand as she turned to him. "We''ll make it work." She nodded. "No matter what."


    Andrew looked between the two, a warm feeling beginning to grow within his chest. "You guys¡­ okay." He nodded, letting out a tense breath. "We can do this." He paused. "Uh¡­ how do we do this?" He asked hesitantly.


    The two girls froze, sharing a hesitant look. "You should go first." Cathryn insisted, squeezing Li Jing''s hand. "You were with him first, and you''ve been waiting the longest."


    Li Jing shook her head. "You should go first. I''ve already had too many firsts with Andrew. It''s your turn."


    Andrew frowned. "Guys, that- I don''t think it''s a good idea to keep score like that¡­ if we start basing what we do together based on what-" Andrew paused. "Crap, how do I word this? Uh, we can''t decide what Cathryn and I do based on what Li Jing and I do, just like we can''t base what you two do together on what you do with me. That''ll just turn into a bunch of score keeping and we''ll devolve into doing things just to keep things fair, and that- if we''re focused on being fair, we won''t be comfortable, and it''ll turn this relationship into work instead of something we enjoy."


    Cathryn frowned. "So what do we do then?"


    They all fell silent for a moment, before Li Jing''s eyebrows rose as an idea popped into her head. "Whatever we want?" She offered. "If we can''t plan, and we want to be comfortable, then¡­ we should be comfortable. If we feel like being with each other, then¡­ we just be with each other."


    Cathryn blinked. "So¡­ if we want it, we just¡­ go for it?" She asked hesitantly.


    Li Jing nodded. "Exactly."


    "But¡­ What if we both want it? At- at the same time?" Cathryn continued.


    Li Jing smirked, a slight twinkle in her eye. "Then we go for it."


    Cathryn frowned slightly, before her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh. Oh!" She flushed slightly as she met Li Jing''s eyes. "I- that- that could work¡­"


    "Then¡­ shall we?" Li Jing asked with a quick glance towards Andrew.


    Cathryn hesitated, before nodding, her flush deepening. "We shall." She agreed, both of them turning to Andrew with hungry looks.


    Andrew gulped, eyes widening as he began to back away. "G-guys, this seems- if this doesn''t work-"


    "Don''t worry." Li Jing began.


    "We''ll make it work." Cathryn continued. And then the two girls pounced!


    *


    Cathryn glared at Andrew''s crotch as if it had personally offended her. "I¡­ will¡­ defeat you!" She panted breathlessly.


    "Cathryn, just because I can keep going, doesn''t mean you have to keep going." Andrew shook his head, a hint of amusement in his tone.


    "You be quiet!" Cathryn snapped, shooting him a glare before refocusing on his crotch. Andrew just shook his head, leaning back, wrapping an arm around Li Jing, who was already beginning to snore lightly. It wasn''t like he was going to complain if she wanted to keep going. Still, a few seconds later, Cathryn let out a groan, wiggling in under his other arm with a bitter expression. "You''re inhuman." She grumbled.


    "I''m a Beast." Andrew snorted. "What did you expect?"


    "I just want you to be satisfied!" Cathryn whined.


    "Cathryn, I am satisfied. I''m more than satisfied!" Andrew assured her, pulling her close and giving her a kiss. "Just because I can do more doesn''t mean I haven''t done enough."


    Cathryn frowned at him. "Andrew, I''m in your head! I know you want more!"


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "Cathryn, I''m always going to want more. I mean, that was amazing! But that isn''t your problem."


    "Andrew, it is literally my problem!" Cathryn protested. "That''s like the whole point of the relationship! We keep each other satisfied, and if we don''t- if I don''t, then- then why are you with me?" She asked in a small, concerned voice.


    Andrew blinked. "Why- cause you''re amazing! You aren''t- the point of our relationship isn''t sex! I mean, don''t get me wrong, sex is great, but even if we couldn''t have sex I''d want to be with you. You''re a person I love, not just some body I can fuck."


    Cathryn blinked at him a few times, before flushing and cuddling closer to him. "I love you too." She muttered softly.


    "I love both of you, but if you don''t shut up, I''ll sic Mei on you." Li Jing grumbled. Cathryn and Andrew shared amused looks, before they all settled in to sleep.

 Aura: 33 - Potential

    Andrew''s life was going so well, he almost felt guilty about it, particularly when the rest of his family was dealing with all this crap because of him. His relationship with Li Jing and Cathryn was amazing in so many ways, he couldn''t help but feel like he was on top of the world every time he was around them, which was pretty much constantly. His other self was also doing well. A week after he was born, he finally stopped growing, stopping at what he thought the goblin equivalent of about thirteen was. His stats seemed to have stabilized at that point and his skills were developing nicely.


    [Observant Goblin: 1


    Strength: 2 > 7


    Agility: 4 > 13


    Will: 14


    Intellect: 16


    Energy: 3 > 10


    Sensitivity: 444


    General Skill - Concentrate: 22


    General Skill - Introspect: 21


    General Skill - Observe: 24 > 28


    Skill Points: 1]


    The Shaman had advised him to keep working on his Introspect skill until it was over twenty, in order to get better options for when he merged it with his Rest skill, which had been most of his focus over the last few days. In between training his Introspect skill, the Shaman would take Andrew around to see the rest of the small town. The building in the center was the town hall, where the Chief, a large, heavily scarred goblin with an infectious laugh, and the Shaman worked together to handle all the administrative needs of the town. Nearby was the blacksmith, who made all the town''s tools and weapons, the tailor, who made the clothes, and the apothecary, who made potions and gave out medical advice. He also introduced him to the local guards and merchants, pretty much anyone who did anything, but they were obviously less important than the first three.


    Every time the Shaman introduced him to a new person, they gave Andrew a little gift. Most people gave him small treats or trinkets, but the big four gave him more significant gifts. From the Chief, he got a map of the area around the town, detailing the goblins'' territory. From the blacksmith, he received a small dagger, perfectly sized for him, with a long thin blade, and an elegant sheath. From the tailor, a nice set of clothes, simple and functional. From the apothecary, he got a stamina potion and a wink, which¡­ Well, it was clear the apothecary was one dirty old man. Which Andrew found strange since he hadn''t actually seen any women around. When he''d first shown up, he''d figured goblins just didn''t have the same sexual dimorphism as humans, but the Shaman always called the other goblins by male pronouns. Andrew thought it was weird, but then he remembered they seemed to be in a medieval society, so he figured the women were probably just oppressed.


    Andrew didn''t have much time to spare for thoughts like that though. The Shaman kept him busy. Every day was filled with working on skills, touring the town, eating, and sleeping. Andrew felt like he was trying to prepare him for something, but he couldn''t quite figure out what. He kinda thought the Shaman was making him his apprentice, but he didn''t seem all that interested in actually showing him what he did. It was just working on skills and meeting all these people. He still couldn''t rule it out, though. Maybe the Shaman was just having him focus on basic skills first? He did seem to be overly interested in his first evolution.


    "My Introspect skill is over twenty." Andrew announced as he walked into the Shaman''s office at the beginning of the day.


    The Shaman looked up, blinking slightly. "Already? My, you are a gifted one, aren''t you?"


    Andrew blinked back. "Was- was it supposed to take me longer?"


    The Shaman cocked his head, pondering the question. "That is a question, isn''t it? For a normal goblin? Absolutely. Getting any skill over twenty in less than a month is an impressive feat normally. However, for a goblin with stats like yours? Such feats should be expected, yes? To those much is given, much is expected." The Shaman paused, before shaking his head. "But I digress. Your physical development appears to have run its course and with your Introspect skill over twenty, it is about time for you to begin leveling. You should take Rest as a Class Skill now." Andrew nodded, opening his status page and using his Skill Point to get Rest as a Class Skill.


    [Rest: Increase Energy regeneration by one percent per level while resting.]


    Andrew raised an eyebrow at the skill¡¯s description before dismissing it and turning back to the Shaman. "Done.¡±


    The Shaman smiled. "Well done. You should give it a try." He gestured to Andrew''s usual spot.


    Andrew nodded, moving to his spot and taking a seat, focusing on trying to rest. At first he didn''t notice much difference, but as he began to shift to get more comfortable, he noticed a strange¡­ nudging, guiding him, pushing him into more comfortable positions. He shifted more, getting more and more comfortable as he fell into a daze. Suddenly the system dinged.


    [Observant Goblin advanced to level two!]


    Andrew startled awake, looking around blearily. He leveled up? Already? But he''d just start- his eyes widened as he noticed that the sky had gone dark, the Shaman now working by candle light. "Uh¡­ how long have I been asleep?" He asked the Shaman nervously.


    The Shaman turned to give him an amused smile. "All day. You have a talent for Rest, don''t you?" Andrew blinked. He''d spent the entire day asleep?!? That- that didn''t even make sense! He''d just slept the entire night! It was like he''d wasted an entire day! Andrew paused. Wait¡­ he''d leveled up! So¡­ not a waste. Still, not exactly pleasant either. It didn''t feel like he''d done anything! "Did you level?" The Shaman continued, shaking Andrew from his thoughts.


    Andrew froze, before nodding. "Yes, I did."


    The Shaman nodded. "Excellent! Now, you can either merge your Rest skill with your Introspect skill or take either Concentrate or Observe as a Class Skill if you wish to work on your Introspect more.¡±


    Andrew nodded, pulling up his status page to consider his options.


    [Observant Goblin: 2


    Strength: 7 > 8


    Agility: 13 > 16


    Will: 14 > 15


    Intellect: 16 > 19


    Energy: 10 > 12


    Sensitivity: 444 > 446


    Class Skill - Rest: 42


    General Skill - Concentrate: 22


    General Skill - Introspect: 21


    General Skill - Observe: 28


    Skill Points: 1


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Free Points: 6]


    Andrew blinked. That was a lot of levels for Rest¡­ was all that from the system¡¯s guidance? If so, using an extra skill point to boost his Introspect wouldn''t be a horrible idea. But what if he was just good at resting? Andrew frowned for a moment before shaking his head. He didn''t have to choose now, did he? He had to make Concentrate or Observe a Class Skill at some point, so why not do that first and see what happens? He could decide what to do with Introspect later. Though¡­ Now that he was thinking about it, he hadn''t exactly worked on Concentrate or Observe yet. Maybe he should do that first, to see how far he could get on his own, before making one of them a Class Skill to see how much of a difference it made.


    ¡°Well?¡± The Shaman asked as Andrew dismissed his status page.


    ¡°I''m holding off for now.¡± Andrew explained. ¡°I want to see how effective the system''s guidance actually is before I commit to anything.¡±


    The Shaman raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Have you considered asking me how effective the system''s guidance is?¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The Shaman chuckled. ¡°It is encouraging that you''re confident in discovering your own answers, but at a certain point you''re simply wasting time. Particularly when it comes to basic questions such as how to tell whether it''s worth turning a General Skill into a Class Skill before merging.¡±


    Andrew coughed awkwardly. ¡°Right¡­ So, how do I tell if it''s worth it?¡±


    The Shaman grinned. ¡°The system''s guidance is most effective between levels one and nineteen of a skill, or what is commonly known as the foundational levels. Beyond that it simply allows you to learn faster, not necessarily better. Therefore, the primary concern you should have is whether you think you''re capable of pushing a skill higher. If so, then making it a Class Skill could save you valuable time. If not, then it''d simply be a waste.¡±


    Andrew frowned, considering that for a moment. Did he think he could push his Introspect skill any higher? Andrew hesitated for a moment before sighing. Introspection really wasn''t his thing. He wasn''t exactly great at seeing what his issues were, and even when he did see them, it made him more uncomfortable than anything. Though maybe it was good that his issues made him uncomfortable? It definitely motivated him to fix them. But honestly he was better off asking Cathryn and Li Jing what his issues were than trying to figure them out himself. He was just too confident in the things he did know to see the things he didn''t.


    [Introspect: 21 > 22]


    Andrew snorted at the notification, shaking his head. ¡°Alright, then there''s not much use in spending a skill point on Introspect. Though it probably wouldn''t be the worst idea to let Rest grow some more¡­ I''ll probably focus on Observe and Concentrate for a bit before deciding which one to make a Class Skill, if not both.¡±


    The Shaman smiled. ¡°A wise decision. There''s no reason to rush to merge your skills, though be careful not to waste time pushing for gains that simply aren''t worth it. If it takes longer than a couple days to level, then you''re better off merging. At least at this stage. As for the rest¡­ Well, I suspect you already know what you need to do, yes?¡±


    Andrew nodded. His work was pretty much cut out for him at this point. Work on his skills, level up, and merge them into a powerful inner sight skill, and then use whatever skill points he had left to round out his build. Not that he knew what that build would be at the moment, but that was something he had to figure out for himself, not something the Shaman could help him with. Well, unless the Shaman wanted to force him into a particular build¡­ But Andrew would sooner run than let that happen. He wouldn''t let himself be made into some kind of tool. Not that the Shaman had shown any particular interest in actually doing that, but with all the focus the goblins had placed on him, Andrew was¡­ wary. Even the Bonded had a hard time resisting the urge to force him to do things for their benefit. How much better could goblins be?


    *


    "You''ve probably been wondering why we are so focused on you." The Shaman began as he and Andrew walked back to the Shaman''s house, which Andrew had moved into pretty much as soon as he finished learning the language.


    Andrew blinked. What a coincidental topic. "Isn''t it because of my high stats?" He replied hesitantly.


    The Shaman chuckled. "Well, your stats are certainly promising, but no, they aren''t why we''re so focused on you. High stats are simply something to pay attention to, not something to focus on like we have with you. No, the reason we pay so much attention to you is because you''ve shown talent. Anyone can reach a high level simply by using their Class Skills over and over, but it takes talent to truly grasp one''s skills, taking them to greater and greater heights! The goblins who can do this become the pillars of our community, like the Chief or the craftsmen! These goblins provide benefit after benefit to us all simply by existing! This is why we focus on you and give you these opportunities, because if your talent continues to grow, you will become yet another pillar of our community, taking us to even greater heights! Even if your talent fails you at some point, it is a risk we must take, for the system can correct many flaws as you continue to level, but it cannot grant a goblin talent. Talent can only be discovered, and when it is, it must be cultivated with the greatest care." The Shaman finished, placing a hand on Andrew''s shoulder and giving him a kind smile.


    Andrew frowned slightly as he considered what the Shaman had said. He had talent? Well, obviously it would seem that way, particularly when compared to the other goblins his age, but he did have years of experience to rely on that the others didn''t. Andrew smirked slightly as he thought of how the Shaman would react when he actually fought for the first time. His skills in combat had to at least be in the forties, and Andrew wouldn''t be surprised if a few were in the sixties as well. He wasn''t sure that qualified as talent though. Andrew glanced at the Shaman. "So, you pay attention to me because of what you hope I''ll become?"


    The Shaman paused. "Hm¡­ not quite. You see, while we do hope you''ll become someone powerful who can help support the tribe, we hope that for every goblin. No, we''re giving you attention because we believe you need it. You have potential, but if you never have the room to exert that potential, it is wasted. Our goal is to give you the best environment to make the most of what you have, just like we do with all younglings. The only difference is that you require more, because you are capable of more. By now, the majority of your birthmates will have barely learned to speak. None have unlocked the system yet. The caretakers will spend weeks just getting them to the place you were when you were born! Even if they were given the same opportunities as you , they wouldn''t know what to do with them. They will have their own opportunities, which will take them down paths well traveled by the goblins before them. But you don''t have a path to follow, so you must forge your own. We can give you advice, warn you away from choices we know will be bad, but ultimately, we have no clue what you need to do or how you should do it. That is up to you. All we can do is help you prepare, and that is why you gain our focus. So that when you need us, we''ll be there."


    Andrew blinked up at the Shaman as a warm feeling began to grow in his chest. He still didn''t particularly like being singled out, being different from everyone else, but¡­ the Shaman kind of reminded him of Arose. He had expectations, yes, but he still obviously cared about Andrew. He wasn''t focused on what Andrew could be, but what he was, and what he needed to grow. It wasn''t forcing Andrew to be different, it was acknowledging that Andrew already was different, and dealing with the consequences. It was a subtle difference, but it made Andrew feel a whole lot better about how he was being treated by the tribe. He''d been seeing them like the Elders of the Clans, who only saw Andrew for his potential, like he was some sort of tool. Andrew didn''t want to be a tool. He didn''t want to be anyone''s hope or savior or whatever it was people thought they needed from him. He just wanted to be himself. And if the tribe was willing to give him the freedom to do that¡­ Well, he didn''t mind helping them out when they needed it either.

 Aura: 34 - Discussing Life

    Time passed at about twice the speed in the system world compared to the Beast world, so while only two weeks passed as Andrew''s family waited for their new lives to be ready, goblin Andrew had an entire month to work with. He spent a week working on both Observe and Concentrate, before deciding to take Observe as a Class Skill. Both skills were relatively simple to level, but there was clearly more potential in Observe than Concentrate. Which probably should have been obvious considering his Class. In the meantime his Rest skill had increased to sixty-four before petering out while his Introspect had managed to eke up to twenty-four and his level had increased to three, so he''d combined the two into Restful Meditation, which gave him a one point eight eight percent bonus to Energy regeneration and self reflection while meditating per level. Unfortunately, it also knocked the skill back down to level one, so Andrew had to work on raising it again, which let him reach level four in the process. It took another week of working on Concentrate and Observe before Andrew was comfortable merging them as well, after getting Observe to sixty-eight and Concentrate to thirty-six, creating Concentrated Examination, which gave him a two point zero four percent bonus to information gained from prolonged study per level.


    After he created his study skill, Andrew decided to focus on other skills for a bit, to give his meditation and study skills time to develop. He just needed to figure out what those skills would actually be. The Shaman suggested he pick up something he could use for combat, which Andrew had initially been hesitant to pursue, but after seeing the bonuses Class Skills provided, he figured it wasn''t the worst idea. He knew he wanted to pick up Dodge, but he was a bit torn between doubling down on defense with Block or adding in something like Kick or Swing for some offensive potential. On the one hand, he''d already dedicated half his skill points to getting magic, which should cover any offense he needed. On the other¡­ Well, Beasts that became over reliant on their abilities tended to end up dead the moment something came along that could counter those abilities. Plus he wasn''t sure when magic would actually be viable, but kicking someone''s skull in was always an option. Andrew nodded as he made his decision, deciding to merge Dodge and Kick for his combat skill, leaving his hands free for whatever magic he picked up.


    With that decided, he''d accounted for two more Skill Points, leaving him three more to work with. Inner sight handled magic, Dodge and Kick would take care of combat¡­ What else was there? Andrew frowned, considering the question for a moment. He could take more skills to help with either magic or combat, but that felt¡­ off. As much as he enjoyed the idea of using magic, he didn''t want to just be a mage, and the idea of being purely focused on combat bothered him even more. He wanted to be something other than a killer for a change. To be someone productive. So the question was, what did he want to do?


    Andrew paused as options began running through his mind, feeling a little overwhelmed by the possibilities. He could do anything! He thought of being like the blacksmith or the apothecary, being a craftsman who made useful tools for people to use. Though he wasn''t sure how he felt about being cooped up in some workshop for the rest of his life. He wanted to do something exciting, not just work all the time. Maybe he could explore? Though¡­ that wouldn''t exactly help the tribe. Unless¡­ trade was important, wasn''t it? Though he didn''t particularly want to do the whole trade caravan thing, lugging things back and forth all the time¡­ maybe he could just find the people to trade with and let others deal with it? Focus on finding routes and resources, mapping everything out so others could do the trading and mining and all that crap?


    Andrew nodded slowly. That actually sounded like fun! He could travel the world, experiencing different cultures, meeting interesting people, making friends, and braving whatever danger might be out there! Now, what skills would he need to actually do that? Obviously he''d need to be able to make maps. All his exploring wouldn''t be very helpful if he couldn''t actually tell anyone where he went and how he got there. That could probably wait though, or he could just do it with General Skills. He didn''t need to be an expert at making maps, he just needed it to be understandable. What he needed to be good at was negotiating, or diplomacy. He''d be the one representing his tribe out there, convincing others that they were worth trading with. He needed to be able to make a good first impression.


    Now, how did he make a negotiation skill? He pulled out the Shaman''s list of skills, looking it over. He''d need to be able to figure out what they wanted, which would be¡­ Imitate plus Deduce to make a prediction skill. Then he''d add in Communicate, right? Or was there another skill he needed to merge with Communicate before adding it to the prediction skill¡­ yes, he needed to turn Communicate into an argument skill by adding in Claim. Andrew paused for a moment. Claim was a skill? Like, just saying that something is? How did that work? It was literally just saying you thought something! How hard was that?


    Andrew shook his head, putting the weirdness of the Claim skill to the side. His issue now was that he had five skill points available, and he''d needed at least seven to get both skills before his Class advancement, which meant he''d either need to put off his combat skill or only get halfway through the negotiation skill. Andrew considered it for a moment before deciding to go with his combat skill first. As much as he didn''t want to be combat focused, he didn''t want to be combat inept either. After spending about a day working on Restful Meditation and Concentrated Examination, he reached level five and took Kick as a Class Skill, primarily due to the fact that his Dodge skill was already in the sixties and it didn''t look like it was moving any further, which Andrew wasn''t entirely surprised about. Dodging was essentially the core of his combat style back on Beast world.


    At that point, two things began to bother him. First, it was taking him longer and longer to level, the time it took practically doubling every time! If things continued this way, it''d take him months to reach level ten! The other issue was that despite all the time he had to work on Restful Meditation and Concentrated Examination, they were both only in the high teens, and they were progressing slowly. He brought his concerns to the Shaman, and the Shaman literally burst out laughing in an almost crazed cackle.


    "Ha- oh, that is- Haha! Ah, sorry! Ahem, sorry." The Shaman calmed down, still snickering every now and then, while Andrew frowned at him. "Artek (Andrew''s goblin name), let me ask you, what have you been doing all this time?"


    "Working on my skills?" Andrew offered tentatively.


    The Shaman nodded. "Yes, and what have you accomplished in this time?"


    Andrew paused. "Uh¡­ level five?"


    The Shaman snickered, shaking his head. "No, Artek, levels aren''t an accomplishment, accomplishments are levels! You have simply worked on yourself all this time, which only grants you the bare minimum of experience for using your skills. If you want to level, you must actually do something with your skills, something difficult. Instead of meditating in a quiet room, sitting on a soft pillow, try meditating in the middle of the training yard while the guards are running drills. Study something hard to see or understand. Then you will level up faster. But why would you want to push yourself like that at this point? As you''ve noticed, the more complex a skill is, the more difficult it is to train. Take the time you have to grasp your skills first, then worry about leveling."


    Feeling slightly embarrassed, Andrew got back to work. He mainly focused on training Kick in preparation for the merge with Dodge, adding in Restful Meditation when he needed a break and Confused Examination when he was bored, but he also made sure to take the time to pick up the General Skills he needed for his negotiation skill, to see which ones he should merge first. To his surprise, Claim was the clear frontrunner, jumping to over forty practically the moment he got it! "Why would my Claim skill be so high?" Andrew asked Cathryn and Li Jing, frowning slightly.


    "What''s a Claim skill?" Cathryn asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    "Uh¡­ essentially it''s the ability to say something is true. Like claiming that the sky is green, or that you own something. Stuff like that." Andrew explained.


    Li Jing blinked at him. "And you wonder why you''re good at that?"


    "Yeah?" Andrew replied hesitantly.


    Cathryn shook her head. "Andrew, what do you think of Benjamin?"


    Andrew frowned. "He''s a douche, but what does that have to do with anything?"


    "Why is he a douche?" Cathryn continued, ignoring his question.


    "Because he sucks!" Andrew replied, getting frustrated.


    "Andrew, that''s a claim." Cathryn pointed out, grinning slightly.


    Andrew paused, before beginning to flush. "Oh¡­ okay, yeah, that makes sense now."


    The rest of his skills were normal. Communicate was in the twenties, while Imitate and Deduce were in the low teens. Pretty much any skill he actually used in his regular life he could get at a little over twenty, while the more esoteric skills had to be trained more. Still, with all his experience from his other life, none of the basic skills were that hard, and he didn''t think they were meant to be. These were skills meant to be gained by young goblins, like the ones he''d been born with. He''d visited them a little after he''d talked with the Shaman, and they were dumb. He understood how they could take over a month to get a skill over twenty. Though considering he had sixteen years on them and his skills were only in their twenties¡­ maybe he shouldn''t be so judgmental.


    While goblin Andrew was working on his skills and leveling up, Beast Andrew was working on getting his own power back. While they waited in the Outside for everything to be ready, he could hunt pretty much constantly, almost like it was summer again. Plus, now that he knew he could move his aura around, he could be less discriminating with the crystals he absorbed. It didn''t give him much of a boost, since he already had a wide range of Beasts he could hunt, and his aura sense and Human ability helped him track down exactly what he needed, but he went from about fifty ability power per week, to about sixty. It was still going to take him a while to get back to where he''d been before he''d been shot.


    He was also trying to figure out how to grow his aura sense, but no matter what he tried, it didn''t seem to make a difference. Ability crystals didn''t help at all, and nothing he''d learned to do with his aura did anything. Killing Beasts with his aura just lost him the ability crystal and taking their core just gave him a new form and ability, which at least he could ignore now thanks to his aura shifting. He''d even tried shifting the aura from a Beast to himself, but even that didn''t work. The aura was just stuck inside the Beast, and no matter how much he tugged, it wouldn''t budge.


    Something he did notice, however, after probably a bit too much time had passed, was that his goblin self did have an aura sense, though not as large as his was, only reaching about sixteen meters by his estimate. He was just so used to having an aura sense that it didn''t strike him as weird when his goblin self had one too. But now that he was thinking about it¡­ It essentially confirmed that his aura abilities had nothing to do with him being a Beast, didn''t it? After all, his goblin self wasn''t a Beast, but he still had them, didn''t he? And normal Beasts couldn''t just ignore their heads exploding. So¡­ What did that make him? What was he? Was he even human?


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "What''s got you so mopey?" Stephen asked, nudging him slightly as he sat next to him on the couch.


    Andrew sighed. "Nothing. Just- I''m so freaking weird!"


    Stephen snorted. "Every teenager thinks they''re weird, Andrew. And they''re right! But that isn''t a bad thing. Everyone is unique in their own way, and that''s why people are so interesting, and why it''s so tragic when they''re gone. Even after centuries, you''ll never find a replacement for a lost friend."


    Andrew frowned, raising an eyebrow at him. "I think my weirdness is a little more weird than people usually get."


    Stephen coughed. "Yes, well, you may have a point there. However, your weirdness is based on what you are, not who you are, so it doesn''t really matter, now does it? You''re still a person, with all that goes along with it."


    "Technically I''m two people now." Andrew grumbled.


    "You and Cathryn being Bonded doesn''t mean you''re two people, Andrew." Stephen scoffed.


    "Actually I was talking about the fact I''ve been reborn as a goblin in another world." Andrew sighed. "I literally have two bodies at the moment."


    Stephen blinked, then blinked again, shook his head, pinched the bridge of his nose, looked back at Andrew, and finally let out a weary sigh. "Helen!" He shouted through the house. "The boy is keeping things from us again!"


    "Married or pregnant!?!" Helen shouted back.


    "Neith-!" Stephen began to shout back, before pausing and turning back to Andrew. "You haven''t married anyone or gotten them pregnant yet, have you?"


    "I would tell you if I got married, Dad!" Andrew protested.


    "At this point I''m not so sure." Stephen muttered, shaking his head. "And pregnant?"


    Andrew flushed. "I-I don''t think so¡­ but it could happen."


    "So sleeping together, but no warning signs, gotcha." Stephen nodded, causing Andrew to let out an embarrassed groan, before turning to yell again, stopping himself as Helen entered the room with a frown. "Did you catch that?"


    Helen nodded. "I''d assumed they were, though it''s nice to have it confirmed. Is that what he was keeping from us? You didn''t need to call me for that."


    "No, it''s something weird again." Stephen sighed.


    Helen''s frown deepened. "Did he Bond with another mortal? Not one of the girls, I hope."


    "No, no, something new." Stephen replied, gesturing towards Andrew. "Explain."


    "Okay, so, after the second machine showed up-" Andrew began.


    "Second machine?!?" Helen interjected incredulously.


    Andrew blinked. "Uh¡­ yeah. It happened on the first day of school."


    "That was over a month ago!" Helen threw up her hands in exasperation.


    "I told Arose?" Andrew offered nervously.


    "Of course you did! Because for some reason, you trust him more than you trust your own parents!" Helen yelled, glaring at him.


    "N-no! It''s just- he actually has the connections to deal with this kind of stuff! I was looking for- for like¡­" Andrew stalled, not finding the right words, so he started over. "If I''d gone to you, you would have just called Elder Barry, or gone to Arose yourselves! And Elder Barry would have just gone to someone like Arose! It made sense to just take it to him in the first place! It wasn''t like I was hurt or anything!"


    "He has a point, dear." Stephen commented. Helen huffed angrily, before gesturing for Andrew to continue.


    Andrew gulped nervously. "O-Okay, so, the machine¡­I was playing with its core, and I found a core- uh, an aura core inside it, so I took it out to see if I could figure out what was up with it. When I did, it sort of¡­ attached? itself to my Lizard core, sucking out its aura. I panicked and yanked all the aura out of the machine core and it disappeared. Then, about a week later, I started having these dreams about being trapped in a sack, which I now know was probably the egg or whatever goblins are born from. Then about the same time we moved to the Outside, I was born there, and now I have a goblin body in this world that has a system, and I''m learning how to use it and stuff. I think I''m going to try to be an explorer."


    His parents blinked at him. "So what you''re saying is, even if you do die, you''ll just be reborn somewhere else?" Stephen asked hesitantly.


    "Uh¡­ yes? But also, I¡­ kinda can''t die. Well, I kinda can, but really it just resets me, which, you know, annoying, but better than nothing, right?" Andrew replied, babbling nervously.


    "And how, may I ask, did you learn that?" Helen asked in a dangerous tone.


    Andrew gulped. "Uh¡­ well, when- when I was shot? In the head? The reason we had to move?"


    Stephen blinked. "Wait, you mean, when you were shot it- it worked?!?"


    "My brains went everywhere." Andrew nodded. "But then I got better, because I''m bullshit."


    "Huh." Stephen grunted numbly. "So you''re immortal immortal. Neat."


    "Stephen!" Helen chastised him. "Focus! Our son died and he didn''t tell us!" She turned to glare at Andrew. "Let me guess, you told Arose." She growled, her tone dripping with disdain.


    "No! I only told Cathryn and Li Jing!" Andrew protested. "Well, I didn''t tell them. They were there, so obviously they know." Andrew continued, before suddenly pausing. "Uh, though, I did tell Elder Barry¡­ I had to get my ability strength tested to confirm I was weaker, and¡­ well, it would have been rude not to explain, right?" Andrew offered with a nervous smile.


    Andrew could practically see the smoke billowing from Helen''s nostrils. "It would have been rude to keep it from Elder fucking Barry, eh?" She snarled in a terrifyingly steady tone. "Because Elder Barry deserved to know, but not your fucking parents!"


    "I-" Andrew began.


    "I''m not finished!" Helen yelled, cutting him off. "Starting now, once a week, you will sit down and tell us everything that has happened in your life since the last time we talked. And I mean everything! Whether it''s in this world, or the other! No matter how embarrassing! And if I figure out you''re hiding something from me, I will- I''ll-" Helen stumbled over her words as she tried to think of a suitable punishment. "I will throw a feast and make you the guest of honor! You''ll have to greet everyone, sit at the high table where everyone can see you, listen to speeches about your ''great'' deeds, and everyone will make a big deal out of you!"


    Andrew went pale. "No, please, I''ll be good!"


    "Then talk! What have you been doing!?!" Helen demanded.


    Andrew quickly began to tell his parents everything that he''d been dealing with over the past few months. He didn''t remember what he''d already told them, so he started with what happened with the Lizard and how he''d begun exploring his aura abilities. As he kept explaining, it slowly turned from just telling his parents what happened, to something more¡­ therapeutic. "And now¡­ I don''t know. I know we had to make this step at some point, but I''m still kinda worried that sex is going to complicate everything and someone''s going to get hurt and it''ll all fall apart." Andrew sighed.


    "Andrew¡­" Stephen sighed. "Okay, yes, things may get complicated, and someone might get hurt. It happens. It happens in any relationship! No one can be perfectly rational all the time, and there will always be disagreements and conflicts. However, what makes a relationship work isn''t a lack of conflict, but a dedication to make it work despite conflict! As long as both- er, all three of you are committed to the relationship and willing to work on it together, then you don''t have to worry about something ruining it for you, because the only ones who could ruin it would be yourselves."


    Helen nodded. "Every relationship has its own struggles, because no one will ever be one hundred percent on the same page as anyone else. The key is that when you do disagree, you work to find the solution that works for everyone, instead of fighting to get your own way."


    Andrew carefully considered his parents'' advice, going over his relationship with Cathryn and Li Jing as he did. Isn''t that what they''d been doing? Since they knew their relationship could be difficult, that there would be problems they''d need to deal with, they''d all been so careful. They didn''t let any problems go unaddressed, dealing with everything as well as they could, making sure everyone was comfortable and happy with how things were going. "That makes sense¡­"


    Stephen chuckled. "Well, we have been around for a while. We do know a thing or two." He then leaned forward with an interested expression. "Now, since you''re feeling better, I do have a thought. You have multiple cores, you can pull cores out of others, and you''ve already shown that you can have multiple bodies at once, so¡­ have you tried putting one of your cores in a different body? To see what would happen?"


    Andrew shook his head. "Cathryn doesn''t like it when I do weird experiments with my ability. She thinks somehow I''m going to end up screwing myself over or something."


    Stephen frowned, sitting back and crossing his arms. "Well, that''s just unreasonable."


    "Stephen!" Helen chastised him.


    "What? It is! The boy has this ability, and if he never explores it, how will he know what he can do?" Stephen protested.


    Helen rolled her eyes. "Stephen, how is it that you can be almost five hundred years old, and still not get that not everything needs to be done immediately?!? The children are still figuring their relationship out and finding their place in society! They can take some time to just be before delving into the mysteries of Andrew''s ability!" Stephen grunted noncommittally, but didn''t disagree. He was just so curious! Andrew''s ability seemed to have so much depth to it, and he was eager to see how far his son could go.


    Andrew hesitantly looked between the two of them. "So¡­ are we good? I don''t think I have anything else."


    Helen narrowed her eyes at him. "If that''s all¡­ Andrew, if you had talked to us, we could have been helping you deal with all of this!"


    "I know, but¡­ I guess I just didn''t think I needed help, you know?" Andrew replied. "I mean, the things I''m dealing with aren''t difficult, they''re just weird. It just seemed kinda petty to complain about it."


    Helen shook her head. "Andrew, talking about what you''re going through isn''t complaining! Letting the people you''re close to know what''s happening in your life is normal! It''s how you bond!" Helen sighed. "We''re doing this again next week. You don''t get to hide your life from us, understood?"


    Andrew nodded sheepishly. "Understood."

 Aura: 35 - Vinek and Corek

    "We''re moving to New Zealand!?!" Kate exclaimed incredulously after their parents announced the news. "But- why couldn''t we move somewhere else in America?!? I don''t want to be the weird foreign girl!"


    "You won''t be weird, you''ll be exotic!" Stephen countered. "Don''t focus on the negatives. If you feel like an outcast, you''ll be an outcast. Instead, think of all the new things you''ll get to experience! It''s a different country with a different culture! You''ll be like an explorer!" Kate just glared at him before letting out a frustrated groan and stomping away, Stephen letting out a defeated sigh as he watched her go.


    "Why didn''t we move somewhere else in America?" Andrew asked. He didn''t particularly mind living in New Zealand, he''d be an outcast anywhere, but it did seem like a radical move.


    Stephen let out another sigh. "It''s Clan policy not to place a displaced Bonded in the same country in which they were removed. It''s a holdover from when countries used to be tiny, and the population much smaller, but the Clans are slow to change and policy is policy. The best we could do was a similar country, and New Zealand seems like a good choice. Not so well known that you kids would have ideas about it, but close enough to America that you wouldn''t feel completely lost in their culture."


    There wasn''t much else to talk about, so they began to pack up again in preparation for the move. While his other self was busy, Goblin Andrew decided to take the day off and explore the town. He''d just hit level six and merged Kick and Dodge into Counter Kick, so he felt he deserved a little break. Also, his father''s comment about viewing themselves as outcasts or explorers had stuck with him. If he wanted to be an explorer, why not start here? Why not explore the strange new culture right in front of him? To start, he headed towards the merchant district, specifically the food vendors. When exploring a new culture, the best place to start was the food, right? It had nothing to do with the fact that it was closing in on lunch time. Nothing at all.


    As he arrived and began to look around, the first thing he noted was that there was a lot of meat. From his meals with the Shaman, he knew goblins could eat pretty much anything humans could, so they were probably omnivores, but it was clear they preferred meat. Meat was always the main course, with everything else there as a side. So the sheer amount of vendors selling meat didn''t surprise him, but he did wonder for the first time what that said about goblin culture.


    They''d obviously have a larger focus on ranching and hunting than they would on farming¡­ They''d have to in order to supply the demand for more and more meat. Which meant skills for handling and caring for animals would be in high demand. Also, animal products would be common¡­ Andrew looked around at all the leather clothes goblins were wearing. Yeah, that checked out. He then frowned as he noticed a distinct lack of milk based products. Thinking back, even when he''d first been born, they hadn''t given him milk, but water. It couldn''t be for lack of milk, which meant¡­ were goblins lactose intolerant? Andrew grinned as his deduction skill leveled up.


    Feeling proud of himself for already seeing something he hadn''t before, Andrew headed towards a vendor selling some sort of sweet glazed chicken, before freezing with a frown as he noticed a sign. [5 coins per stick] Andrew let out a groan. He''d forgotten about money! He was always with the Shaman, so he never carried money of his own. He didn''t even have money of his own¡­ This would cut his rest day short.


    "Want some?" A voice suddenly called out from beside him.


    Andrew glanced over to see a goblin who seemed to be about his age smiling at him, offering him a stick of meat. Andrew hesitated, before shaking his head. "No, I''m good. I can eat at home. You paid for it, you should eat it."


    "You can just buy me one next time." The goblin shrugged. "Come on, just take it!" He shook the stick at him. "I know you want it." Andrew was about to refuse again, when his stomach growled loudly and he flushed. Where had that come from?!? He wasn''t even all that hungry¡­ but upon hearing the sound, the other goblin grinned victoriously and shoved the meat stick into his hand. "My name''s Vinek. What''s yours?" He asked before taking a bite of his own meat stick.


    Andrew frowned down at the stick of meat in his hand, before letting out a sigh. "I''m Artek." Andrew replied, taking a bite as well. It was good meat and if Vinek was going to be so insistent, he wasn''t about to refuse.


    "You''re the Shaman''s apprentice, right?" Vinek continued.


    Andrew paused. "In a way¡­" He responded slowly, narrowing his eyes at Vinek. Was he trying to get something from him? He couldn''t tell¡­ it was so hard to read people without his emotion sense. "He''s training me, but not to make me into another Shaman. I''m just¡­ weird, and apparently in need of more specialized guidance."


    "That''s right! You''re some kinda genius, right?" Vinek nodded excitedly. "I heard you activated your system practically as soon as you were born! What was your first skill?"


    "It- it was Observe." Andrew replied somewhat awkwardly.


    "Observe?" Vinek asked, cocking his head. "Does that mean you''re going to be a Goblin Scout?"


    Andrew frowned. "What do you mean?"


    "Well, Observant Goblins tend to be scouts, right?" Vinek replied. "Just like Running Goblins tend to be messengers, Violent Goblins tend to be warriors, Defensive Goblins tend to be guards, Chatty Goblins tend to be merchants, and so on. It''s just¡­ what you''re built for."


    Andrew blinked. "Huh. Well, I was thinking along those lines¡­ I want to be an explorer who charts new trade paths or something like that." He explained. "I hadn''t associated it with being a scout, but the two aren''t terribly dissimilar."


    "New trade paths, you say?" Vinek asked with a glint in his eye. "Trade paths with who?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Whoever is out there, I suppose. It could even be offshoots of our own tribe. For example, say we find a location with some immovable resource, like a mine or something. We wouldn''t have people constantly traveling between the mine and here, right? We''d set up a new town by the mine and then we''d trade resources between each other. And to do that, we''d need trade paths."


    Vinek nodded. "I see, I see. So you want to be some kind of traveling merchant?"


    Andrew shook his head. "No, I''m not really interested in the trading part. I just want to find things. I''ll let other people deal with the trade and whatnot."


    Vinek cocked his head. "So you just want to establish these trade routes? You''d leave the actual trading to other people?" Andrew nodded and Vinek grinned. "Would you happen to be looking for a partner?"


    *


    It turned out Vinek was a Chatty Goblin with dreams of being the best Goblin Merchant the world had ever seen, and he was very interested in Andrew''s ideas. When Andrew brought up the idea of an entire trade network, he swore he saw the goblin start to drool. The idea of a partner got Andrew thinking, and he realized he''d almost made a mistake. First, he''d been too focused on trying to do everything on his own. He didn''t need to be some combination of explorer, diplomat, and trader, he could just focus on being an explorer while he brought along someone else to be the diplomat, and another to be the trader. That''s what led to his almost mistake. He''d been so focused on the distant future, he''d  forgotten about the immediate future. He had his first Class Advancement in just four levels, and no exploration related Class Skills! If he focused on negotiation before his first Class Advancement, his class wouldn''t be related to exploring like he wanted, it''d be related to negotiating! He''d be some sort of magic diplomat, which was the last thing he wanted. It''d probably send him down the path of being a shaman or something. Thankfully he hadn''t taken any of the negotiation skills as Class Skills yet, so he hadn''t actually screwed himself over.


    The question was, what skills should he take? If he wanted to focus on exploration¡­ he needed to be able to live and find his way through wild terrain. Places without roads or maps, where the nearest supply point could be days or weeks away. He''d also need a way to get other people through places like that, or it''d be pointless¡­ It seemed like the skills he needed to focus on were navigation, surveying, and¡­ nature? Survival? Hunting? Was there a skill for everything involved in keeping yourself alive in the wilderness? He''d need to ask the Shaman once he got back, but even if there was, it sounded like it''d be a pretty advanced skill¡­


    Andrew flinched as Vinek poked him in the forehead. "What''s got you all frowny?" He asked.


    "I just realized I almost ruined my plans before they even began." Andrew sighed, shaking his head. "I was hoping for an explorer type class without any explorer type skills."


    Vinek narrowed his eyes at him. "Aren''t you supposed to be the genius here?"


    Andrew flushed. "I wasn''t thinking about the system! I was just thinking about the skills I needed. I can figure out how to get places on my own! What I''m not good at is negotiating, so that''s what I wanted to focus on. I just forgot to account for the fact that my class is advancing in a few levels." He finished with a grumble.


    Vinek snickered. "You''re a funny dude. Come on, let me introduce you to the others!"


    Andrew hesitated. He wanted to head back and talk to the Shaman about his skills, but¡­ he had given himself the day off. Plus, he''d told himself he should be more willing to make friends, hadn''t he? Admittedly, he''d been thinking he''d apply that in the other world, but the goblins were friendly enough, right? He nodded to Vinek. "Sure, why not?"


    Vinek led Andrew towards the training area for the younger goblins, and Andrew reflected on the last time he''d visited the place. It''d been a few weeks, but he remembered watching as the others he''d been born with struggled with simple language exercises, their dull gazes barely even registering the caretaker''s patient attempts to teach them. It hadn''t even seemed like they were the same species at that point. He glanced at Vinek. He didn''t seem dull at all¡­ Maybe he hadn''t been fair to the other goblins at that time? They were barely a week old¡­ he probably shouldn''t compare them to where he was at that time.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Andrew and Vinek arrived to find a group of other young goblins engaged in a game of¡­ soccer? Andrew looked around. There didn''t seem to be any goals¡­ but there was a ball and certain goblins were certainly trying to keep the ball away from others. Suddenly one of the goblins kicked the ball straight at another, hitting him directly in the face! "Ha! Livek, you''re out!" The goblin exclaimed, as the goblin who''d been hit let out a frustrated groan, before stalking over to the sidelines to sit with the other goblins who were ''out''. It didn''t take long for Andrew to realize the goblins were playing a particularly vicious mix of soccer and dodgeball. Like soccer, you could only use your feet, and the only way to get someone out was to hit them in the head with the ball, which, since the players tended to keep their eye on the ball, meant they got hit in the face. A lot. It didn''t seem like you were allowed to block with your hands, but you could headbutt the ball, and if you hit someone else in the head with the ball, you were safe and they were out, unless they did the same. Also, contrary to what he first thought, there weren''t any teams, though that didn''t stop them from forming temporary alliances.


    Andrew watched until one of the larger goblins finally emerged victorious and raised his hands with a shout, the rest of the clapping and celebrating with him, even the one who''d just gotten nailed in the face. "Wooo! Nice job, Corek!" Vinek cheered and clapped along with the rest.


    Corek glanced over towards them, before grinning widely. "Vinek! You''re back! Did you bring the snacks?"


    Vinek raised his bag full of meat sticks with a grin of his own. "Of course! First stick goes to the victor!" He laughed, taking a stick and tossing it towards him.


    Corek reached out to catch it, but before he could, one of the others jumped and snatched it out of the air. "Haha, too slow!" He mocked, before dashing off with the snack.


    "Hey!" Corek protested.


    "Have another one!" Vinek yelled, before throwing another stick, as suddenly a new game erupted, everyone trying to grab the meat sticks out of the air as Vinek tossed them towards Corek. A few predictably fell in the dirt, but no one seemed to mind, as without fail, someone would immediately snatch it up, dust it off, and begin eating.


    Corek stomped over and snatched the last stick from a grinning Vinek. "First stick my ass." He grumbled, before taking a large bite and glancing at Andrew. "Who''sh dish?" He asked with his mouth full, a few of the others pausing and glancing over with curious looks.


    "This is Artek!" Vinek announced, clapping Andrew on the shoulder. "The genius student of the Shaman himself and future discoverer of trade routes, which will connect us with the rest of the world!"


    Corek gave Vinek a weird look, before gulping down his food. "What''s a trade route?"


    "A route for trade, obviously." Vinek replied.


    "So it''s a merchant thing?" Corek asked.


    "It''s more of a travel thing." Andrew interjected. "It''s just more important for trade."


    "Does it involve fighting?" Corek asked, cocking his head.


    Andrew frowned. "Not ideally, but if the trade route is threatened¡­"


    Corek finally grinned. "Then I''ll defend it! Perfect!" He glanced at Vinek. "Had me worried there for a second. What''s the point of something you can''t fight over?"


    Vinek rolled his eyes. "You are such a muscle head."


    "Yeah, yeah." Corek waved him off, before gulping down the last of his meat stick and letting out a loud burp. He then turned back to the rest. "Alright, who''s ready for round four!"


    All the goblins immediately whooped and quickly finished their food, before rushing back onto the field. "Come on!" Vinek exclaimed, grabbing Andrew and pulling him onto the field as well.


    "Wait! I''m still not clear on the rules!" Andrew protested.


    "Just don''t use your hands and try not to get hit in the head!" Vinek replied. "Oh, and try to hit everyone else in the head! It''s simple!"


    "But-!" Andrew began to protest again, but before he could say more than a word, he was distracted by a spherical object flying towards his head. Andrew''s eyes widened as he froze- or at least, as his mind froze. His body seemed to take on a mind of its own as his foot shot out, blocking the ball and sending it straight up into the air! Everyone paused as they watched the ball rise and fall. Then, as the ball came back down, Andrew flipped, kicking the ball with his heel and sending it right back at the goblin who''d kicked it at him, nailing him straight in the face!


    The crowd stared at Andrew in a stunned silence for a moment, before Vinek let out a cheer and the rest quickly followed. "That was amazing!" Vinek exclaimed, patting Andrew on shoulder. "How''d you do that?!?" He asked as the game paused for a moment, all the goblins performing flips of their own, or at least attempting them. There were a lot of failed attempts, but that just seemed to make the goblins laugh and give Andrew even more impressed looks.


    "Uh¡­ it''s a skill?" Andrew offered tentatively. "It''s called Counter Kick¡­ I got it by merging Kick and Dodge."


    "Kick and Dodge?" Corek frowned. "Why those two?"


    "Well, they''re both leg skills¡­ I figured they''d go well together." Andrew replied with a shrug.


    Corek nodded. "I see¡­ but isn''t that pretty limiting? You can''t wield weapons with your feet, so¡­ that''s pretty much the limit of those skills, right?"


    Andrew frowned. "I guess? But I don''t really need it to do more, you know? I don''t really care about fighting. I just need to know enough to defend myself and get away."


    Corek blinked at him like he''d just spoken in a foreign language. "You don''t- how can you not care about fighting!?! It''s what we''re born to do! That''s why we have claws!"


    Andrew paused, before shrugging. "Meh? I mean, I''m not against fighting, but it isn''t my goal."


    "Not everything has to be about fighting, Corek." Vinek interjected, rolling his eyes. "Take the caretakers for example! Where would you be without their skills?"


    "But that''s different!" Corek protested. "They aren''t going out into the wilderness! This guy is! If he can''t fight, what''s he going to do when he runs into a roving band of raiders?!? Just lay down and die!?!"


    "No, I''ll run away." Andrew countered. "Out in the wilderness, I don''t have to defeat anything. I just need to be able to escape. Then I can tell the big strong goblins like you about them, and you can go and defeat them."


    Corek froze, as if struggling between the idea of Andrew running away and the idea of being able to fight more. Vinek just snorted, grabbing the ball and tossing it at him. "Come on, let''s play!"


    Corek paused, before nodding, kicking the ball towards another goblin, the game quickly getting back underway. Andrew quickly learned that his skill gave him a bit of an unfair advantage. Several of the goblins were stronger and faster than him, but his skill let him handle the ball on an almost instinctual level, letting him practically run circles around them. The only one he had trouble with was Corek, who was both strong, fast, and skilled enough to back it up. It eventually came down to the two of them going back and forth with the ball, until Andrew managed to deflect one of Corek''s kicks right back at him, eking out the win.


    "Damn!" Corek cursed, rubbing his face, before letting out a laugh and clapping along with everyone else. "Good job! It''s been a while since I''ve lost one of these! Though if I could use my hands¡­"


    "You''d be cheating!" Vinek retorted. "There''s a reason we stick to kicking games with you."


    "Bah!" Corek waved dismissively, before picking up the ball and glancing at Andrew with a wink and a grin. "You up for another round?"


    *


    They all played a few more rounds, Corek and Andrew winning the majority of them, though in the last round, Vinek managed to get everyone else to gang up on both of them, taking them out in the first few minutes, before getting knocked out himself moments later as everyone immediately turned on him. "Bunch of damn snakes!" The goblin grumbled, rubbing his face.


    "Serves you right!" Corek snorted. "Turning them all against us like that¡­"


    "To be fair, we were winning the whole time." Andrew pointed out. "I''m honestly surprised they didn''t all gang up on us sooner."


    "Well, no one wants to get on the bad sides of the two goblins most likely to actually make something of themselves." Vinek commented. "Who would want to piss off the Genius and the Champion?"


    Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Champion?"


    "This brute right here." Vinek replied, lightly smacking Corek. "The first Vicious Goblin since the Chief, born and bred for combat! Why do you think he''s such a muscle head?"


    "Vicious Goblin?" Andrew frowned. "How''d you get that?"


    "By activating your system with a kill, instead of a skill." Corek replied with a grin. "They had us fight these boars, sort of a last ditch effort for those who haven''t activated the system yet. Usually you''ll get something like Dodge or Claw just fighting on instinct, but me, I woke up covered in blood, standing over a dead pig with its throat ripped out."


    "Which really just means your attacks were so clumsy they weren''t worth counting." Vinek added with a smirk.


    Corek flushed. "Hey! I got better, didn''t I?"


    Andrew frowned. "What do you mean by ''woke up''?"


    Vinek and Corek gave him weird looks. "When the system activated?" Corek offered tentatively. "You remember what it feels like, right?"


    "Yeah, like your mind suddenly turns on and you can actually think." Vinek agreed.


    Andrew blinked. "I¡­ actually didn''t notice much of a difference."


    They both blinked at him, before sharing a look. "Genius?" Corek asked Vinek.


    "Genius." Vinek nodded, as if it explained everything.


    "Wait, so you guys couldn''t even think until after the system activated?" Andrew asked incredulously.


    "Well, we could." Vinek replied. "But it was¡­ difficult. Like, I knew things were happening, that the caretakers wanted me to do something, but I couldn''t figure out what."


    Corek nodded in agreement. "It wasn''t that we couldn''t have thoughts, it was that the thoughts were slow and unimportant."


    "Huh." Andrew grunted. That¡­ explained a lot, actually.


    "So what was your activation like then?" Vinek asked, giving him a curious look.


    Andrew shrugged. "It just kinda happened, I guess? I was just in my crib, wondering where I was, so I got up and started looking around. Next thing I know, a notification tells me I unlocked the Observation General Skill, and a weird window pops up in front of me. Then the caretaker took me to see the Shaman and the rest is history."


    Corek shook his head. "Man, I don''t even remember being in a crib. My first memory was in the learning room, when a caretaker smacked me for trying to eat the chalk¡­"


    Vinek shook his head. "It''s no use comparing yourself to the Genius, Corek."


    Andrew''s expression twisted. "I wouldn''t say I''m a genius. I was just¡­ aware a lot earlier than you guys."


    "And you think that means you aren''t a genius?" Vinek asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    Andrew shook his head. "No. I just think it gave me a head start. It definitely helps, but if you guys had the same advantages I did, you''d probably be in the same position as me, if not a better one."


    "That''s¡­ obvious?" Corek replied, frowning at him. "If we were geniuses, we''d obviously be on the same level as a genius, because that''s what we would be¡­"


    "What I''m saying is that I''m not a genius!" Andrew protested. "I''m just¡­ privileged."


    "Because you''re a genius." Vinek insisted.


    "No, I''m- ugh, forget it!" Andrew groaned, throwing up his hands in frustration.


    Corek glanced at Vinek. "He''s a bit strange, isn''t he?"


    "He''s eccentric." Vinek retorted with a grin. "That''s what you get to call it when you''re a genius."

 Aura: 36 - Getting settled

    After hanging out with the others for a little longer, Andrew noticed it was getting late, so he said his goodbyes and headed back to the Shaman''s house. The first thing he did once he got back was grab the skill list and look through it, trying to plan out his new skill purchases. "Okay, let''s see¡­ Ah, navigation! It''s Walk plus¡­ Observe." Andrew blinked. "But¡­ I already merged Observe!" Survey wasn''t an option either, since it was navigation plus record, record being a combination of Draw and¡­ Observe again! Hold on¡­ if this skill required two Observes¡­ then there had to be a way to get Observe again, right? He''d have to ask the Shaman.


    He sighed. If he was going to be an explorer making trade routes, navigation and survey were non-negotiable, and he needed to get navigation before his Class Advancement. He couldn''t get to survey though, so¡­ he didn''t think Draw or Observe would help with his Class Advancement. He should probably find a different skill to get, one that would work better for his explorer path. It''d have to be a basic skill, so¡­ Andrew frowned. None of the basic skills seemed to be directly exploration related. He could see how a few of them would be helpful though, such as Hide or Climb. Carry wouldn''t be bad either¡­ Maybe Pack, too? He had to consider the future though, something that he could merge or advance into something useful. He could learn how to pack or climb on his own, and Carry was basic¡­ he was leaning towards Hide. It was useful on its own, and could be combined into all sorts of stealth skills which would be invaluable in the wilderness.


    "What has you all serious?" The Shaman asked as he walked in.


    "I''m considering which Class Skills to get before my advancement." Andrew explained. "I''m considering a navigation skill and Hide."


    "Navigation and Hide¡­" The Shaman muttered, before frowning slightly. "What sort of Class are you looking to get?"


    "Something exploration based?" Andrew replied, before briefly outlining his idea to find other people and resources, establishing trade routes between them all.


    "Interesting¡­" The Shaman muttered. "So you wish to be a Pathfinder? That is a respectable position. A dangerous one, not to be undertaken lightly, but if you have the gift for it, you could be a great help to the tribe. And with your Sensitivity¡­ you may have just been born for the role! Plus you''re already adding magic into the mix¡­ Oh, I''m getting excited already!"


    Andrew frowned. "How would magic help pathfinding?"


    "Magic helps everything." The Shaman replied. "While there are magic dedicated classes, which I would also support you at least considering, magic becomes a part of any class once it is unlocked. It can be interwoven with your skills, boosting or altering them based on your affinities. While a mage can create a fireball to throw at an enemy, a warrior could use magic to add fire to their attack, an archer could use wind magic to help them shoot further or to alter the arrows course after it''s been fired, a tailor could use it to harden the material of a shirt to better resist damage¡­ The uses of magic are truly innumerable. It turns whatever it touches into something more, and no one has ever regretted its presence."


    Andrew nodded slowly. That made sense¡­ "How do I know what my affinities are?"


    "After you unlock your inner sight skill, your Class Advancement will allow you to unlock affinities." The Shaman explained.


    Andrew frowned. "So even if you have an inner sight skill, you can''t use magic until after your Class Advancement?"


    The Shaman shook his head. "Magic is just controlling your Energy, so once you unlock your inner sight, you can use magic. However, without an affinity, the effects are limited, simply more specialized versions of Energy''s natural use, such as focusing a boost on a single skill or body part, magnifying its power to a greater degree."


    "Ah." Andrew nodded in understanding. That also made sense. Just being able to control your Energy didn''t give it any special abilities. It was still just Energy. It was simply your control over it that changed. With his questions about magic answered, Andrew moved on to the next topic that was bothering him. "So, if I want a navigation skill, I need to merge Walk and Observe, but I already merged Observe with Concentrate for my study skill¡­ that isn''t a problem, is it?"


    "Of course not!" The Shaman exclaimed with a laugh. "You still have the Observe skill, it''s just bound up in your study skill at the moment. You simply need to take it as a Class Skill again. Just go to the menu for acquiring Class Skills and you''ll find it, along with every other Class Skill you''ve previously had." The Shaman suddenly paused. "Actually¡­ you may have a rare opportunity here."


    Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"


    "As an explorer, your navigation skill will be of the utmost importance, yes?" The Shaman asked, Andrew nodding in agreement. "So why not take an advanced navigation skill? Instead of merging Walk with Observe, merge it with your study skill! You''ll need to merge your inner sight skill next level, then it will cost you two points to repurchase the study skill, and then you can use one to merge it with Walk right before your Class Advancement! Perfect!¡±


    "Hold on, hold on!" Andrew protested, struggling to process all the new info the Shaman had just dumped. "First, what do you mean by an advanced navigation skill?"


    The Shaman cocked his head. "Just that? It''s a navigation skill that is simply better than the basic one. Much like your study skill is an advanced version of Observe."


    Andrew blinked. "It is?" He paused. "It is, isn''t it?" The two skills were practically the same, it was just that his study skill was more focused. More¡­ well, concentrated. "Does that mean I could have gotten an inner sight skill with just Rest, Introspect, and Observe?"


    The Shaman shook his head. "No, there''s a threshold you need to surpass for true inner sight which requires the study skill. If you attempted it with simply Observe, you would be able to observe your body''s state, but you wouldn''t have the concentration necessary to find or control your Energy."


    "Ah, I see." Andrew nodded. "Then, why would I need two points for the study skill?"


    "Because it is a second tier skill." The Shaman explained. "In order to regain a skill as a Class Skill, you must spend an amount of skill points equal to the amount of skills used to make the skill, which in the case of your study skill, is two."


    "Gotcha¡­" Andrew nodded again, going quiet as he considered the Shaman''s suggestions. Restful Meditation and Concentrated Examination were both steadily gaining levels¡­ if he really worked on them, he could probably push them to their limits by the time he leveled up, or at least not long after. Since that was an option, it came down to whether he wanted an advanced navigation skill, or the basic navigation skill and Hide¡­ there really wasn''t a choice, now was there? An advanced navigation skill would give him a better shot at an explorer class. Hide wouldn''t. Once he was firmly on the path of an explorer, he could worry about auxiliary skills, but for now, he needed to focus on his core. He was even beginning to regret his Counter Kick, as he could have gone right for survey¡­ but what''s done is done. "Thank you." He nodded to the Shaman. "I know what I need to do now."


    The Shaman chuckled. "Let me know if you have any other questions. I''m always here to help."


    *


    Andrew''s family moved into their new home, which unlike their previous relatively modest, though still upper class home, was a full blown compound. Andrew let out a low whistle. "Wow¡­ how did we swing something like this?"


    "Simple!" Arose grinned. "I bought it."


    Stephen let out a sigh. "Four hundred and sixty and I''m living in my parents house again."


    Arose chuckled. "Only technically, don''t worry. Everyone will have their own place to make their own. I made sure there are three main buildings, one for Ertemis and I, another for you and Helen, and the last for Andrew, Cathryn, and Li Jing."


    "We get our own house?" Andrew asked, surprised.


    "He gets his own house?!?" Kate exclaimed incredulously.


    "Of course." Arose replied. "They''ll need the space once the babies start to come." He added with a wink.


    "Babies?!?" Cathryn exclaimed. "But¡­ we- we''re only sixteen! Isn''t it a little early to be considering babies already?"


    Arose shrugged. "Feel free to wait a few years, the decision is obviously yours. I''m simply making sure you have what you need when the time does come. This shall be your home for as long as you wish, and I''ve ensured it is suitable for whatever situation you may find yourselves in."


    "At least until something ruins it." Kate grumbled.


    Helen gave Stephen a look, nodding her head towards Kate, and he nodded back. "Come on, you little grumpy goose. Let''s find you a nice room. Maybe something right by the kitchen?" He offered, placing a hand on Kate''s back and guiding her towards one of the buildings, Helen, Sarah, and Amy following a moment later, giving the two space to talk.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Well, I guess they''re taking that one." Arose muttered, before turning to Andrew and the girls. "So, which one would you like? The one by the pool, or the one by the gym?"


    Li Jing turned to Andrew. "Pool?"


    Andrew shrugged. "Works for me. Cathryn?"


    Cathryn started, still clearly thinking about babies. "Huh? Oh, yeah, that should be fine." She muttered absently.


    "Oh, right, that reminds me!" Arose suddenly exclaimed. "The ocean is only a few miles that way, through the forest. All private property, so Li Mei is free to play as much as she likes."


    Li Jing''s eyes practically sparkled as she gave Arose a slight bow. "Thank you."


    Andrew smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Maybe after we finish moving in, we can take a trip over there and swim, eh?"


    Li Jing smiled back and nodded. "Let''s."


    Andrew then glanced at Cathryn, who was still slightly freaking out, rolling his eyes as he reached out to grab her hand, pulling her along. "Come on, Cathryn. You can think about babies later."


    Thanks to their storage rings, moving wasn''t so bad. It was mostly just deciding where you wanted things to go and taking them out of the storage ring so that they''d be there. Simple. Or at least, that''s what Andrew had thought. "What do you think about here?" Cathryn asked.


    "We''d block the outlet." Li Jing commented.


    "I know, but otherwise we''d be off center¡­" Cathryn frowned.


    "What about the other wall?" Li Jing offered.


    "We wouldn''t be able to see the door from there¡­" Cathryn muttered.


    "We could if we put a mirror here." Li Jing suggested.


    "But if we put a mirror there, wouldn''t we get a lot of glare from that window in the morning?" Cathryn retorted.


    Li Jing frowned. "Drat¡­ what if we put it in the corner here? Facing this way?"


    "But then we couldn''t use both sides." Cathryn sighed.


    Li Jing paused. "Then how about we face it this way, but leave a walking space here, enough to uncover this outlet, and give us access to the one over there?"


    Cathryn considered it for a moment, before nodding. "That could work."


    And this happened every. Single. Time! Andrew knew he shouldn''t complain, but he honestly couldn''t see what the big deal was about where the bed should be, or why the dresser needed to be on this side, instead of that one. He was just glad they let him put a TV on it.


    Andrew glanced out the window. "I don''t think we''re getting to the ocean today."


    "Hmm?" Li Jing looked up, before glancing out the window herself. "Oh. Sorry." She apologized, turning back to him, looking slightly embarrassed.


    "Eh, it''s fine. We can always go tomorrow." Andrew shrugged. "It isn''t like we''re short on time."


    "At least until-" Cathryn began, before freezing and letting out a groan. "Ugh, my academic record is going to be a mess!"


    "You do realize that''s largely irrelevant, right?" Andrew commented, raising an eyebrow at her. "The Clans have enough influence to get you into pretty much any university or program you like. The issue isn''t your record but your ability to actually perform in whatever program you end up in. But you''re pretty smart, so I don''t think you''ll have any problems."


    Cathryn scowled at him. "I know, but I wanted to earn it myself! I wanted to prove I could do it without anyone''s help¡­ but that isn''t really an option anymore." She sighed.


    "Yeah¡­ seriously, fuck Benjamin." Andrew grumbled, Cathryn grunting in agreement.


    "So, school?" Li Jing commented, getting them back on topic.


    "Right!" Cathryn nodded excitedly, before pausing. "How should we handle it? I mean, we''re joining halfway through the semester¡­ that''s going to be awkward enough. We should probably focus on adjusting before trying to get into anything new."


    Andrew nodded. "Agreed. There''s going to be enough to deal with already."


    "So¡­ no swim team?" Li Jing asked, sounding a bit disappointed.


    "I think you may have missed that regardless." Andrew commented. "They usually only take new members at a certain time."


    "Oh." Li Jing sighed.


    "However, we should still find a way to make friends. Get connected with the community." Cathryn interjected. "Otherwise someone won''t have any social life."


    "Hey! I can make friends!" Andrew protested. "I''ve already made two!"


    Cathryn raised an eyebrow at him. "You know we don''t count, right?"


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "No, I''m talking about Vinek and Corek."


    "Vin-" Cathryn began, before narrowing her eyes. "Are you talking about your goblin dream?"


    "I''ve told you, it isn''t a dream." Andrew replied. "It''s another world, just different."


    "Andrew, it has a system." Cathryn pointed out.


    "And we have Beasts. It isn''t that weird." Andrew retorted.


    "But that''s magic! A system is- it''s a game! Life shouldn''t be a game!" Cathryn protested.


    Andrew paused. "I mean, you''re not wrong, but that doesn''t mean it isn''t true."


    "I know, but it''s just so- so- ridiculous! I mean, I can accept the extraordinary. Magic, Beasts, the Outside, whatever. But a different world that''s run by a system?!? And it doesn''t even have the same rate of time as us! I''d think you were in some kind of simulation, but that sounds even more ridiculous, because how would that happen? You just got rid of one of your cores¡­ unless you were born and then immediately put into the simulation, but why? What would be the point?" Cathryn let out a frustrated groan. "It just makes no sense!"


    "Does it have to?" Andrew countered. "As long as it''s consistent, then who cares how unrealistic it seems? For the people who live there, it simply is, just like magic, Beasts, and the Outside simply are for us. I think you''re just overthinking it."


    Cathryn''s expression twisted, while Li Jing let out a small cough. "Weren''t we talking about Andrew making friends?"


    "Right! I still say it doesn''t count. They''re goblins. And they''re children. It''s like making friends with a puppy, you''re guaranteed to succeed!" Cathryn replied.


    "That-" Andrew began, before pausing, considering the events that led to him actually becoming friends with the two goblins. He essentially just stood around the food stalls and then Vinek found him¡­ "Okay, you may have a point, but friends are friends, right? I say it counts."


    "Andrew, you need to make friends with real people!" Cathryn retorted.


    Andrew frowned at her. "Cathryn, the goblins are real people. They''re just small, green people. With claws. And fangs."


    "Yeah, don''t be racist." Li Jing added with a smirk.


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I still say Andrew needs some human friends."


    "I dunno¡­ would humans even want to be friends with a goblin?" Andrew replied with a snicker.


    "Andrew, you can''t assume all humans are racist just because Cathryn is." Li Jing countered.


    "I''m not racist!" Cathryn protested. "And I meant in the real world! Not his dream, simulation, alternate whatever world!"


    "Wow, now you''re looking down on their entire world." Andrew shook his head in disappointment.


    "We really need to get this bigotry under control." Li Jing nodded in agreement.


    "Guys, I''m being serious!" Cathryn groaned, before pointing a finger at Andrew. "You can''t use your life in this other world to avoid making friends in this one!"


    Li Jing glanced at him, nodding. "She''s right. One doesn''t compensate for the other."


    Andrew let out a sigh. "I know, I know, don''t worry. I''m not planning on becoming a social recluse again. I was just saying I''m getting better. Even without pressure, I managed to find myself some friends, so you guys don''t need to worry so much, alright? I just¡­ I want to do it at my own pace. Find people who are worth being friends with. Not people who''ll just abandon me the moment things go bad¡­ cause if there''s one thing I''m sure of, it''s that in my life, things always go bad." He finished with a dark expression.


    Li Jing reached out and grabbed his hand. "Not everything." She muttered quietly, smiling softly.


    Cathryn nodded in agreement. "We aren''t going bad on you. You''re stuck with us, mister. No matter what."


    Andrew paused, before smiling lightly. "Yeah, I know." He reached out and grabbed Cathryn''s hand, pulling both girls into a hug. "You two are the best thing that has ever happened to me." He whispered, squeezing them tight, as they hugged him back. He then released and let out a sigh. "Now, let''s finish unpacking, eh? If we end soon enough, we could still watch a movie and cuddle." He added with a wink.

 Aura: 37 - Back to school: Redux

    Days passed, Andrew and the girls quickly settling into their new home, making it their own. It took them a few days just to appreciate their newfound independence, both the benefits and the downsides. At first, they were just glad for the extra privacy, taking full advantage of it. They also enjoyed the freedom to eat, sleep, and clean however they liked. However, it didn''t take long to realize they had to eat, sleep, and clean however they liked. Freedom is a responsibility, and without anyone to set the rules, they had to set them. They had their first real fight over who would do the dishes¡­


    "I should do them! I can make water jets out of my hands! It''s easy for me!" Li Jing yelled.


    "You do most of the cooking! I should clean the dishes!" Cathryn retorted.


    "You''re already doing the laundry!" Andrew protested. "I should do the dishes! I make the biggest mess!"


    Okay, it wasn''t that bad a fight, but it still got weirdly heated. That is, until Li Jing had the idea of doing everything together, which¡­ honestly, why didn''t more people do that? Even something as boring as dishes became almost fun when you did it with someone you love. Make it two and it was downright pleasant! Of course, that didn''t solve everything, but it helped put it in perspective that they were all in this together, just like the relationship. It wasn''t about doing more or less, or keeping score, it was about living in a way that worked for everyone, so that everyone was comfortable. As long as they kept their focus on that, the little bumps weren''t so bad.


    Eventually though, it was time to go back to school. "You guys ready to go?" Andrew asked, shaking the keys in his hands.


    "Oh no. You are not driving!" Cathryn protested, getting up and snatching the keys from him.


    "Neither are you." Li Jing interjected, snatching the keys from her. "I''ll drive." Cathryn and Andrew shared a look, before shrugging. It was probably for the best. Li Jing was a good middle between them, driving wise. Not reckless, but not overly careful either. Not that Andrew would ever admit to being reckless.


    "Shall we go then?" Andrew replied, clapping his hands and the girls nodded. They quickly got their things together and headed towards the front gate, the car waiting in the communal garage for the entire compound. They waved at Amy and Kate, who were getting into Amy''s car, and headed out, Andrew providing guidance from the passenger seat, map pulled up on his phone since none of them had been to the school before, the entire registration process handled by the Clans.


    "What''s our first class?" Cathryn asked as they got out of the car.


    "Uh¡­" Andrew fumbled with the schedule. "Physics. Oof. Not a class we can skip if we want to sleep in."


    "We''re not skipping any classes." Cathryn stated firmly, giving him a serious look. "We''re already joining late! We can''t afford to miss things!"


    "We could miss math." Andrew retorted. "Math is the same everywhere."


    Li Jing frowned. "Isn''t physics just applied math?"


    "Yeah, but that applied part is what gets tricky." Andrew sighed. "You have to know the formulas, the variables, the tricks, the way the teacher words the problem¡­ it''s just better to go to the class, rather than trying to figure out what the teacher means when they say this the day of the test. For math, a problem is a problem, no if, ands, or buts. As long as you can solve it, you''re good."


    Li Jing cocked her head, before nodding. "Fair."


    "But you''re still going to math class." Cathryn added, poking his chest.


    "Yeah, yeah." Andrew rolled his eyes.


    After getting a bit lost due to some confusion over what the classroom numbers meant, they arrived just in time for class to start, everyone giving them weird looks as they shuffled in and found three seats together near the back. "Alright class, settle down!" The teacher yelled, getting everyone''s attention. "You''ll notice we have three new students today. You can get to know them after class. Now, let us review¡­" The teacher immediately launched into a short review, which Andrew was pretty sure was for their benefit.


    Andrew paid attention for the first fifteen minutes or so, until the teacher started doing example problems, and he started to zone out. He understood that example problems helped people understand the material better, but to him, it was just repeating what the teacher had just said, only slower. He let out a sigh, getting comfortable as he stared blankly off into space. His mind slowly drifted until something weird happened. He found himself in a state where he felt like he was both resting and completely aware at the same time. He could still hear the teacher talking, but it wasn''t like he was listening, more like he was just letting it flow around him, without focusing on it. Almost like he was-


    Andrew almost shook himself out of the strange state as he realized he was meditating! The same skill he was used to practicing as a goblin! It wasn''t that he''d never tried using the skill before, but he usually did it like he did as a goblin, finding someplace quiet, using the time to rest and reflect. He''d never done it in a place like this, where there was something else going on, or in such an¡­ unfocused way. It was interesting to say the least. One of the main points of meditation was that it left the mind free to think while the body rested, or at least, that''s what his Restful Meditation did. Maybe if he''d focused more on Introspect it''d have blocked out the outside world more, allowing him to just focus on himself, but that was besides the point. The point was that he was both napping and paying attention to the lecture at the same time! Freely taking in the information, while he let his mind drift! Was this that ''expanded awareness'' thing Buddhists talked about? Whatever it was, it allowed Andrew to pretty much coast through the rest of the lesson, simultaneously taking everything in and in such a daze that he barely even noticed when the class ended, only getting shook out of the state when Cathryn asked what their next class was.


    "Huh? Oh, uh¡­ chemistry." Andrew frowned. "Damn, they really just piled all the heavy crap up front, didn''t they? The class after that is biology."


    "Yeah, we have the worst schedule." A nearby student commented with a sigh. "I''m Aaron, by the way." He introduced himself with a small wave and a smile.


    "Andrew." Andrew replied, nodding back, the girls introducing themselves as well.


    "So, you three already know each other?" Aaron asked curiously.


    "Yeah. Our families all moved here together." Andrew explained, using the cover they''d already prepared.


    "They did?" Aaron asked, eyebrows raising in surprise as the three of them nodded. "Wow. So your families must all be pretty close then, huh? Or you''re part of some weird cult. Though if that were the case, they probably wouldn''t send you to school¡­"


    "Hey, just because it''s a cult, doesn''t mean it has to be isolationist." Andrew retorted with a smirk.


    "Actually, I''m pretty sure isolation is a big part of being in a cult¡­" Cathryn commented. "That''s how they make you reliant on them, isn''t it?"


    "I mean, usually, yeah, but I don''t think that has to be." Andrew replied. "For example, if the cult makes you financially dependent on them, then you can''t really get away from them even if they do let you go out."


    "But don''t cults want you to be as indoctrinated as possible? I feel like sending kids to school is counterproductive if that''s your goal." Cathryn pointed out.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Andrew shrugged. "Maybe it''s just not that good a cult? Just because it exists doesn''t mean it''s doing a good job."


    "It''s at least good enough to get us to move to New Zealand." Li Jing commented.


    "Hey, there''s nothing wrong with New Zealand. It wouldn''t be that hard to convince people to move here. Now if they convinced us to try and create our own tribe in the middle of the Amazon, that would be impressive." Andrew countered.


    "Maybe they''re being smart about it? Move us here first, building trust and reliance, as they control all the housing, until we have no choice but to follow them into the Amazon." Li Jing retorted.


    "Ooh, the long con¡­ man, these guys are devious." Andrew replied with a shudder.


    "I''m confused. Are you guys saying you actually are part of a cult?" Aaron asked skeptically.


    "If we are, it''s either incompetent or insidiously brilliant¡­ Fifty-fifty odds. Want to join?" Andrew asked with a grin.


    Aaron took an apprehensive step back and Cathryn rolled her eyes. "There''s no cult, our families are just close." She assured him, before turning on Andrew. "And you''re supposed to be making friends, not making people think you''re even weirder than you already are!"


    "But that''s my strategy!" Andrew protested. "I blindside them with extreme weird, so that when I pull back to my regular levels, they aren''t comparing me to normal, but to the ridiculousness I previously displayed!"


    "What if they refuse to interact with you after being abnormally weird?" Li Jing asked, cocking her head.


    "Then they aren''t worth being friends with?" Andrew replied hesitantly.


    Li Jing considered it for a brief moment, before nodding. "Seems sound. I approve." She turned to Aaron. "So, Mr. Aaron, are you worth being friends with?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.


    "Uh¡­ I- I should probably hit the bathroom before our next class." Aaron fumbled a clumsy excuse, before rushing out of the room.


    Andrew leaned closer to Cathryn. "Is it just me, or did Jing sound like a super villain right there?"


    Cathryn let out a defeated sigh. "Two minutes in and we''re already the weird kids."


    "To be fair, we are weird. It was just a matter of when they''d figure it out." Andrew replied with a shrug, grinning slightly.


    *


    As Cathryn had feared, it quickly got around that the new kids were weird, but strangely, Andrew didn''t really mind. With all the strange looks they got, he should have been feeling like this school was just like his last, with no hope of him having any sort of social life, but¡­ he just didn''t. It took him until lunch to finally figure out why. In his old school, all the looks had an undercurrent of fear and wariness to them, as if he was some kind of wild animal instead of a person. Here, the looks were more¡­ curious. The kids were studying them, not scared of them. Andrew didn''t mind if he confused people. Hell, he might even somewhat enjoy it! What he hated was being thought of as someone who couldn''t control themselves, who needed to be tiptoed around and carefully watched in case they snapped. Maybe because it reminded him of when he did lose control?


    Andrew''s expression darkened slightly as his thoughts flashed back to that day in the cafeteria, when he was abruptly shaken out of it by Cathryn grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze. "Don''t." She whispered softly. "Don''t let one mistake ruin your chance to start again. Don''t let your life revolve around one bad day."


    Andrew blinked, before letting out a snort. "Sorry, sorry!" Andrew raised his hands, fending off Cathryn''s offended anger. She''d been trying to be sweet! "I just- I''ve been hearing you mull that over in your head for weeks now! It was just funny to hear you actually say it."


    Cathryn froze, before flushing brightly. "I- it seemed like a good time¡­" She muttered in embarrassment.


    "It was." Andrew replied, squeezing her hand back. "Thank you."


    Cathryn smiled back and gave his hand one last squeeze, before letting go as they reached their next class. Andrew slipped back into his meditative state as the class started, but this time he didn''t focus on his awareness, but on Eric, making sure to guard his thoughts from Cathryn in the process. It wasn''t the first time he''d thought about him, and it definitely wouldn''t be the last. It was a constant struggle to reconcile the horror of what he''d done with the fact that it didn''t make him a horrible person. On the one hand, it was a fact that people who do horrible things are horrible people. That was just true. However¡­ he also knew that wasn''t who he was anymore. He wasn''t even sure if he''d been that person in the moment, or if all the factors involved had made the outcome inevitable. Andrew''s expression twisted slightly at that line of thought, because he didn''t want to defend what he''d done. Yes, he''d just been a kid who brought his friend to school, and watched that friend get killed. His anger was understandable. Perhaps even justified. But¡­ his response wasn''t. Just because Eric had done something horrible, didn''t give him the right to do something horrible back. He could say he hadn''t meant to, that he wasn''t in control at the moment, but he''d still done it. And that was horrible.


    Andrew paused. Maybe the key was in his recognition of that? The fact that he knew his actions were wrong? That he cared? Was the difference between a horrible person and a person who''s done horrible things the recognition of that fact? Did horrible people think they were horrible? Or did they think they were right? Unavoidably, Andrew''s thoughts turned to Cathryn''s dad. That was a horrible person. No sense that anything he was doing was wrong. Andrew frowned. But if he couldn''t see how anything he did was wrong¡­ was it really his fault? Well, no, harmful actions were harmful actions. If you did them, you sucked, no matter how conscious of them you are. However¡­ there had to be a difference between someone who didn''t know how bad what they were doing was, and someone who knew and did it anyway. For one, if you could just get them to understand, it''d be fine, they''d stop, and people could move on. For the other¡­ Well, they already understood, and they didn''t care. There was no fixing that.


    So where did that put him? He understood what he''d done was wrong. He didn''t think he was right to do it, or that Eric deserved to die. He wouldn''t let himself get into a position where he might lose control again and hurt someone. So, he was someone who''d done a horrible thing, but he''d never do it again. That made him¡­ okay? Still not great, obviously. He''d be great if he''d never done anything horrible in the first place. That was the ideal. But¡­ people were allowed to fuck up, right? Well, not allowed. That''d just lead to people taking advantage of it. Go ''oh, sorry, just fucked up once, my bad, don''t judge me'' and not give a single shit about the people they''d hurt. But, if you truly regretted what you''d done¡­


    Andrew sighed. This was complicated. Personally, he could accept that he wasn''t a terrible person at this point. He still wouldn''t say he was a good person, but he wasn''t awful. The question was how could he judge other people? He was looking for friends. Good friends. Yet¡­ how was he supposed to tell who was good or not? He couldn''t look at whether they''d done something horrible or not. He''d done something horrible, and he wasn''t a terrible person, so why would it matter for them? Of course, he couldn''t look for people who''d done horrible things, because there was no guarantee they weren''t horrible people either¡­ and based on Benjamin, just because someone hadn''t done something horrible, and despised someone else who''d done something horrible, it didn''t mean they wouldn''t be willing to do something horrible. Benjamin had seemed like a great guy until he found someone to assassinate Andrew.


    Andrew grimaced. Benjamin was proof that knowing what people were feeling didn''t mean he knew who people were. People were complicated. You couldn''t know how they''d act in a certain situation until they''d actually been in that situation. If only he could test- Andrew paused. Now there was a thought. If he could test people, then he''d have a better idea of who they are, right? Obviously he couldn''t do anything big, but¡­ well, he was already sort of doing it, wasn''t he? By acting a little extra weird, he could tell how willing someone was to accept someone different from themselves. He was definitely weird, and his life was even weirder, so if someone couldn''t accept that, they wouldn''t make a good friend. So what else did he want to test for?

 Aura: 38 - Sharing

    Goblin Andrew blinked at his status page.


    [Restful Meditation: 42]


    When had that happened?!? He''d gotten it over thirty just a few days ago! He didn''t expect to get it to forty until the end of the week, let alone forty-two! He hadn''t even done anything! It was thirty-one when he went to bed, then when he woke up and started practicing he''d suddenly gained eleven levels! Sure, his other self had been using it in school, which he hadn''t realized was a possibility, but- Andrew paused, blinking for a moment, before letting out a sigh. Right. Skill level was based on expertise. Since the system was so game like, he''d automatically fallen into an experience based mindset. You practice, gain experience, and level up. But that wasn''t how skills worked in this world. Well, it was, because experience in and of itself was a representation of practice, which increased expertise, but the focus was different. You didn''t need to practice. You just needed to get better. And since his understanding of how meditation worked had expanded¡­ Did that make him better at it? Well, obviously. According to the system at least. A full eleven levels better. Yeh.


    Still, now that his meditation skill was in order, Andrew was finally ready to create his inner sight skill! It turned out his games with the other kids gave him a significant amount of experience due to his Counter Kick skill, so he''d leveled up earlier than expected, and his Concentrated Examination skill had reached level thirty-six a while ago with no signs of any further improvement. Admittedly, he''d had the same feeling about his Restful Meditation skill¡­ was he moving too fast? Eh, probably not. "Alright, let''s do this." Andrew let out a breath, taking up a meditative posture as he pulled up the system and selected the option to merge Restful Meditation and Concentrated Examination.


    [Refreshing Self Examination: Energy regeneration and self awareness increased by 2.74% per level.]


    Andrew focused on the skill, feeling the familiar nudges as it guided him, showing him how to actually use the skill, or at least what he was doing wrong, which at this point seemed to be pretty much everything. He''d expected the inner sight skill to be an extension of his meditation, but the moment He''d tried to settle into his meditative state, the skill had practically smacked him over the head to push him out of it! He wasn''t supposed to let his mind drift, he needed to be focused. The meditation had made him aware of his body, given him a sense of distance, of perspective. Now he needed to study it.


    Andrew paused, before getting up and starting to move. He flexed his hands, shook his legs, twisted and turned, and did a few little hops. "Huh." That was¡­ interesting. Once he''d gotten his inner sight skill going, he realized he didn''t really need to maintain it. Just like he didn''t need to focus on the teacher to listen to the lesson in school, he didn''t need to focus on his body to be aware of it anymore. He simply was. He could feel his muscles contracting, his lungs expanding, his heart beating, everything in his body moving about in a synchronized ballet. And he could feel he had¡­ well, not control, but influence. It was simple for the muscles and lungs, obviously. Moving and breathing were things he''d already been aware of. But his heart beat? He couldn''t stop it, but he felt he could slow it down or speed it up by influencing a number of minor processes he''d never really been aware of before. It was like¡­ the inner sight didn''t give him more control, it just made him aware of everything he could control.


    "Trippy." Andrew muttered, shaking his head. This was going to take some getting used to, but he could get to that later. He turned his focus to something else, specifically his Energy. The thing he''d gotten the inner sight skill to see and control. It was¡­ sitting right there with his core. Literally surrounding it, actually. Which he guessed made sense? There wasn''t really anywhere else for it to be, right? Except anywhere it wanted, but if it could be anywhere, then why not have it gather around the core? Still, it gave him a weird sense of deja vu, since inspecting his energy using inner sight was a whole lot like inspecting his core using his aura sense. Once he made that connection, the two just sort of clicked together and¡­


    [Refreshing Self Examination: 22]


    "Huh." Andrew was getting a lot of surprises today. As it turned out, not only was inner sight a lot like his aura sense, controlling his Energy was a lot like controlling his aura as well. He received a General Skill called Energy Control in the mid twenties after a few moments of experimentation, which he decided was confirmation enough that the two worked on similar principles. To be fair, they were both essentially formless substances that he could only control mentally, so the connection between the two made sense.


    Speaking of connections¡­ Andrew focused on his core. There was a weird synergy between his aura sense and his inner sight skill. His aura sense obviously didn''t grant him inner sight, and his inner sight didn''t grant him aura sense, but they both dealt with seeing and influencing things normally unnoticed, so the use of one helped with the use of the other. However, when he used them together- well, they were both passive abilities, so he wasn''t technically using them, but when he focused both on his core, he saw it with a clarity he''d never had before. The core contained everything that was him. Or at least, everything that was his goblin self. Studying it gave him an implicit understanding of his physical and mental attributes, including behavioral influences, as well as his connection with the system. Andrew paused at that one. The system was a part of his core, an integral part of how he interacted with the world, just the same as his arms or legs. Andrew found that strange. He''d thought the system was a part of living in this world, but if it was a part of the core¡­


    Andrew turned his attention to the other connection he''d noticed. Well, it wasn''t so much a connection as a¡­ gap? Portal? Hole? Point? Whatever it was, it could barely even be said to exist, but through his expanded awareness of his aura due to his inner sight, he''d found it and he sent some aura into it, finding¡­ his other self. "Okay, that''s weird." Beast Andrew muttered, shaking his head as he was walking to his next class.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    "What is?" Cathryn asked, cocking her head.


    "There''s a connection between me and¡­ well, me." Andrew explained. "Like, I can reach my aura through and interact with his core, and vice-versa."


    Cathryn frowned. "That''s¡­ neat? I guess? But what does it do for you?"


    "No idea." Andrew shrugged. "I just figured it out. No idea what it means. Though if I had to guess¡­" His aura ability was all about aura and cores. He used his aura to find and manipulate cores. That''s what it was for. So if he could send his aura over, then the most likely explanation was that it was so he could move cores between this world and that one, which¡­ if the system was a part of his goblin core¡­ did that mean he''d be able to use the system in Beast world? It was likely, yeah? If you thought of the system as the goblin''s ability, then he''d already proven that having the core gave him the ability. That''s how he got his wind manipulation ability. The question was how the stats of the system world would translate to Beast world¡­ He''d need to experiment with this at some point. With an expendable core. Maybe he''d pick up an ant core again and try to send it over to his goblin self¡­ It was hard to deny the usefulness of flight and a carapace. Yeah, he''d do that once he got back home.


    *


    Goblin Andrew had to wait about five hours for Beast Andrew to get home, plus however long it took him to find an ant, so he spent the day practicing controlling his Energy and considering his future plans. He had three more levels till his Class Advancement, and he planned to skip a new skill next level in order to rebuy Concentrated Examination at level nine, before combining it with Walk at level ten. Since his Concentrated Examination wasn''t likely to get much higher than it already was, he should probably focus on getting his Walk skill as high as possible. He briefly checked his skill list and found it was already in the thirties, so with some dedicated practice, along with his new inner sight which gave him a much better idea of what his body was actually doing, he could probably get the skill to a decent level before the merge. He''d at least get it over forty, which should give the merged skill a decent boost.


    Thinking of the benefits of inner sight, he wondered why everyone didn''t take it. The Shaman already extolled the wonders of magic, plus the fact that simply being aware of your body would be huge for helping you improve your skills, inner sight was almost a necessity if you wanted any form of power, and that didn''t even touch the increased Energy regeneration. He''d performed a few kicks using Swift Kick Counter and immediately gained a level, simply because he was more aware of how he was kicking! He didn''t care how hard it was to get, everyone needed an inner sight skill. He''d need to make sure Corek and Vinek knew, at least for their next Class Advancement, if not this one.


    Back on Earth, Beast Andrew was starting to agree. It hadn''t happened quickly, but as goblin Andrew got used to his inner sight, the skill had slowly bled over to him as well. He hadn''t thought much of it at first, until he''d noticed the strange energy around his cores. It didn''t take long before he realized it was his ability energy. He also learned that it could be controlled, much like Energy and aura could, though he wasn''t sure what use there was for it. Ability energy just gave people the ability to, well, use an ability. You could also use it to power an enchantment, but that didn''t really take any skill¡­ still, it was neat, but that wasn''t why he appreciated the skill. No, what he appreciated was the increased control over his body, particularly for when he released his full aura. His rapid growth was starting to make him sloppy, and he was looking forward to getting some control back.


    Anyway, the day passed and the three of them headed back home, none the worse for wear. Their first day had been¡­ eh? No one seemed to know what to think of them yet, beyond the fact that they seemed to be pretty close. Andrew had heard more than a few people discussing which of the girls he was dating, most of them betting it was Cathryn. He wasn''t all that surprised, given that he and Cathryn were generally more¡­ touchy? Than Li Jing and him. Well, they both were touchy, they just went about it differently. Cathryn was more likely to hold his hand or lean on his shoulder, while he and Li Jing were more likely to get into a poking battle or tickle fight. Which was kinda weird, since Cathryn was the one who he argued with all the time, while Li Jing preferred companionable silence. Maybe it was just about different ways of teasing and playing with each other? Cathryn was more mental while Li Jing was more physical. Cathryn wanted you to talk to her, while Li Jing wanted you to play with her. And Andrew¡­ Well, he liked both.


    Honestly, with all the cores currently stuffed inside him, Andrew could express himself in pretty much any way he wanted. Which¡­ was one of the reasons he hadn''t pushed to do more experimenting with his aura ability. He knew his cores affected his personality. He used that fact to his advantage on a daily basis. However, if he could give each core its own body, then it made sense to split up as much as possible, letting his various selves hunt as much as they could. However¡­ What would that mean for his personality? He only had one human core. Could his human core maintain the relationship with Cathryn and Li Jing without the support of the other cores? He really didn''t know, and he was honestly a little scared to find out.


    Andrew shook himself from his thoughts as they arrived back home, Cathryn briefly stopping him to give him a hug and a quick kiss before he rushed off to find an ant. Andrew smiled as he wandered around the woods, focusing on his aura. That was the nice thing about having someone who loved you in your head. They knew when you were dealing with something and were always there to help. When he and Cathryn had Bonded, he''d been sure it''d be nothing but trouble, but he honestly wasn''t sure where he''d be without it now.


    *A lonely loner doing lonely loner things.* Cathryn teased through their connection.


    *Hey, I did already have Li Jing, you know. I wouldn''t have been lonely.* Andrew shot back.


    *But still a loner?* Cathryn replied.


    *Oh, definitely. I could have absolutely convinced Jing people aren''t worth it and we could have spent all our time alone together! Maybe we''d already have a kid on the way.* Andrew chuckled.


    *I think we''re stretching the definition of loner at this point.* Cathryn rolled her eyes.


    *To be fair, I started as a three in one package, so I don''t think I''ll ever qualify as a true loner.* Andrew pointed out.


    *Truly a party of one.* Cathryn snickered. *But seriously, you know Jing is more dedicated to getting you a social life than I am, right?*


    *Yeah, I am.* Andrew replied. *But the truth didn''t fit my joke, so I changed it.*


    Cathryn snorted. *You''re ridiculous. Don''t spend too much time out there, okay?*


    *Yeah, I''ll be back soon.* Andrew smiled. *Give Jing a kiss for me.*


    Ants weren''t terribly hard to find, so it only took Andrew another ten minutes or so to find an ant hill and take the core of another winged one before heading back. He walked in the door and froze as he found his girlfriends locked in a tight embrace, swapping saliva. Cathryn looked up with a smirk and a wink. "You said to give her a kiss."

 Aura: 39 - Animal core

    Andrew pulled a pair of shorts on, leaving both his naughty girlfriends to nap off their thorough punishment. "Had to be done." He muttered with a grin, before finding a quiet place to sit down and try to exchange cores with goblin Andrew.


    *I''m thankful I haven''t hit puberty yet, or I think I''d hate you, and I''ve already spent too much time hating myself.* Goblin Andrew sent as he got ready too, the words coming a bit fast due to the time difference.


    *When do goblins hit puberty?* Beast Andrew asked.


    Goblin Andrew paused. *I honestly have no idea. I''ll ask the Shaman later. After our experiment, of course.*


    *Of course.* Beast Andrew chuckled, both of them turning their focus inwards.


    Goblin Andrew stretched his aura through their connection, reaching for the new ant core, grabbing it, and attempting to pull it over to himself. However, as he tried to pull it through the connection, it got¡­ stuck. Goblin Andrew frowned. He felt that it wasn''t that he couldn''t pull it through, it was that something else was pulling it back.


    Beast Andrew frowned as well as he watched. *Hold on, let me try something.* He sent, before focusing on the core. When he''d lost the core that had become goblin Andrew, he''d taken all the aura out of it. Maybe if he did the same thing, it''d let the core travel through their connection? Either that or the core would simply disappear and he''d be born somewhere new, but¡­ well, he didn''t have any other ideas, so why not give it a shot?


    As Beast Andrew began to pull his aura out of the core, goblin Andrew noticed that the aura he had around it began to be sucked in. He quickly began to feed more aura over to it, until his aura completely replaced Beast Andrew''s aura and the core popped out of Beast Andrew and reappeared inside him. *It worked!* He exclaimed with a cackle. He wasn''t going to lie, he''d been missing his wings and carapace. The girls could say what they wished, but the carapace was eminently functional. Plus, who wouldn''t want to fly?


    *So, we can transfer cores back and forth.* Beast Andrew muttered, considering the possibilities. If abilities stuck with the core, which they seemed to, then if goblin Andrew sent him a core with the system¡­ They''d already shown that skills could be used by either of them, since once one of them knew how to do something, the other did too, and the system seemed to be designed to help people get better and better at using their skills. If they both had it, then they''d have twice the guidance! Well, not twice. With the time difference, goblin Andrew could practice twice as much as Beast Andrew. Plus, Beast Andrew had obligations, such as school¡­ though if he took skills he could use in school, like meditation¡­ eh, whatever. The point was that both of them having access to the system could only benefit them. Goblin Andrew just needed to find something else with the system and steal its core¡­ that might actually be a problem.


    "Do animals have access to the system?" Andrew asked the Shaman. If he could just steal a core from a pig or something, that''d be the best option.


    The Shaman shook his head. Ah, shit. "Not in the same way you or I do. While animals are capable of leveling up, some even becoming truly fearsome, they have no access to classes or skills, since they haven''t achieved sapience. However, the system is nothing if not fair, therefore, to make up for the lack of skills and classes, animals gain extra stats and can evolve significantly more easily than we can. They are also more easily affected by their environment. If they spend a long enough time around a certain attribute, their energy will naturally shift to match it, meaning animals around volcanoes tend to have fire affinities, while animals around glaciers tend to have ice affinities. So they still have their path to power, just like the rest of us, they simply can''t control it to the degree we can."


    Andrew blinked. That¡­ wasn''t exactly what he''d been hoping for, but it was definitely something he could work with. If goblin Andrew had an animal system as well as his goblin system, then he could use the animal system to progress quickly, while his goblin system focused on skills! Skills became harder and harder to grasp as he advanced, so if he wanted to be as powerful as he could be, he needed to take things slow. However, an animal system only needed to kill! He''d actually need to get an animal core before he could work out the specifics, but the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. Advancing as both a goblin and an animal, combining the best of both to be as powerful as he could be¡­ yeah, that had potential.


    Still, that didn''t solve the issue of how to get Beast Andrew a system core which could use skills. If sapience was required, then it meant he''d actually need to kill a person to get the core, which¡­ Well, that wasn''t really an option. He couldn''t kill someone just for their core. Maybe if he had to kill them anyway, he could take their core, but people like that didn''t exactly fall into your lap, now did they? And if he started seeking them out¡­ he wasn''t sure he could condone that. Even if he found someone who did deserve to die, the fact that he sought them out in order to kill them for his own gain felt¡­ icky. There was something innately wrong there, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on it exactly. Which meant that, for now, his other self would have to go without a system for skills.


    *


    Andrew was studying a bestiary, which he''d borrowed from the Shaman under the excuse of learning what he might face as he explored the wilderness, looking for the best animals to steal cores from. The only animals around the goblin village were farm animals, which Andrew had no interest in turning into, so he needed to find some other options. His ant form had defense and flight covered, so he was focusing on animals that would give him a better form of attack, something like the talons from his Lizard form, except for his feet. He was focusing on leg skills after all. Something like¡­ Andrew stared at the picture of something that looked vaguely like a kangaroo with the torso of an ape and the head and claws of a bear. Andrew imagined adding his carapace and wings on top of all that¡­ utterly terrifying. The problem was, the animal in question was rare, and unless he was lucky enough to find a young one, way too strong for him to mess with at the moment. No, he needed something a bit more practical.


    Andrew continued to peruse through the bestiary, considering his options. There were a few predatory birds to consider, their legs displaying some truly vicious talons, designed to grip and tear into their prey. However, they weren''t particularly good for moving, which was the entire purpose of legs in the first place. He didn''t want to gain an attack just to lose the ability to dodge. Plus, he already had wings. He was hoping for something like an ostrich, or maybe a cassowary, but he couldn''t find anything like that in the bestiary, which meant they probably weren''t native to the area. Andrew was about to give up and just go for one of the basic predators in the area, like a bobcat or something, when he saw it. The goblinoid section.


    The goblinoid section was an entire section devoted to animals with goblin-like, or human-like, traits, and it comprised a large section of the book. There were goblinoid deer, goblinoid pigs, goblinoid wolves, goblinoid bears¡­ goblinoid everything really. They all looked like bipedal versions of whatever animal they were related to. In particular, Andrew''s attention was caught by the goblinoid rabbits. A bit smaller than a goblin, they were fast with powerful legs that allowed them to easily maneuver through the forest. A form like that would compliment his skills wonderfully. He just wondered if they were really animals¡­ they were in the book, so probably? But no matter how he cut it, they didn''t look like animals. They looked like rabbit people. So Andrew resolved to do some research first.


    "You wish to begin exploring?" The Shaman asked a bit incredulously.


    Andrew nodded. "My skills are all at the point where training more wouldn''t do much. My Walk skill is already over forty, and I don''t even have access to the Concentrated Examination skill at the moment. The only skill I can use to gain experience at the moment is my Swift Kick Counter, and playing ball with the others can only do so much. I need to challenge myself, and the best place to do that is outside the safety of the village."


    The Shaman nodded slowly. "I suppose this was inevitable, though for it to happen so soon¡­ I must urge you, the wilderness is not a safe place. There are creatures out there that can and will kill you if given the opportunity. I won''t let you venture out alone. You will go with a contingent of scouts and you will only face the creatures they allow you to face, understood? This is for your own safety, and I implore you not to ignore their guidance."


    Andrew frowned slightly, before nodding. It wasn''t ideal, but this was probably the best he was going to get. He''d tried to sneak off in ant form, but he was a lot weaker in this world, so it''d taken him almost an hour just to reach the walls. Getting to the forest where the goblinoid rabbits lived and back would have taken him days, not counting however much time it''d take him to actually find one, since his aura sense wasn''t that great here. Still, once he was out there, he could sneak off using his ant form then, searching through the night.


    It only took the Shaman a day to get a group of scouts together, making sure Andrew had all the supplies he needed before they headed off towards the forest. It was also the first time Andrew had gotten a look outside the walls of the town and it was¡­ about what he''d expected. Farms full of livestock all around, goblins working hard to keep them all fed and cared for. It''d take them most of the day to reach the edge of the goblins territory, where they''d camp for the night before heading into the forest. Andrew spent most of the trip talking with the scouts, asking about what to expect when they reached the forest, which the scouts were glad to talk about. The forest was their life, so they had a lot to say about it.


    The point the scouts repeated over and over to emphasize its importance, was the need to stay hidden as much as possible. Don''t leave tracks, don''t walk out in the open, don''t leave any sign of your presence at all if you can help it, because anything you leave could be used against you in some way. Which, Andrew decided, meant the next skill he was picking up after his Class Advancement was Hide. If these guys felt the need to emphasize it while traveling as a group, then if he planned on traveling solo, he definitely needed it. He probably didn''t need to worry about actually dying, particularly considering this was his second body, but given his experience when he died to the sniper, he was pretty sure he''d be back at level one, which would be a pain in the ass.


    Finally, they reached the edge of the goblin territory, setting up camp a small distance from the forest. The scouts left Andrew to sleep while they took turns keeping watch, which worked out perfectly for him, as moments after he bedded down for the night, he shifted into his ant form and bolted into the forest. It was time to search for some rabbit folk.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Andrew was checking out a pair of weak auras, when he suddenly froze as four powerful auras came into range, almost on par with the Shaman, though still a bit weaker than the Chief. Andrew carefully crept closer, landing on a tree branch above them, before carefully shifting into his goblin form. His ant form wasn''t the best for actually seeing things. He carefully peeked through the leaves to see a group of four¡­ humans? They were at least close, though their hoods did a lot to obscure their features. He heard bits and pieces of conversation as the four talked quietly in a language he didn''t know around a small fire.


    Andrew studied them for a few more moments, wondering what a group of humans would be doing around here, before shifting back into his ant form and flying off to continue searching. He didn''t know why humans would be anywhere near goblin territory, but he knew there wasn''t anything he could do about it. It didn''t take him much longer to find a small group of the rabbit folk. They weren''t exactly uncommon, since, well, they were rabbits. It also didn''t take him long to realize that yes, they were animals, despite how they looked. Their eyes simply didn''t contain the spark of intelligence. Andrew quickly approached the two with the weakest auras, snagged their cores, and flew away with a smile, already happy with how successful his expedition had been.


    Now all he needed to do was kill enough to level up three times, and he''d be good to go! While it hadn''t been his main objective, he hadn''t lied when he told the Shaman he needed to challenge himself. Walk was as good as he was going to get it any time soon, and it was the same with Concentrated Examination. He didn''t want to waste any more time before his Class Advancement, if for no other reason than he was bored. The goblins were nice enough, but they didn''t really have much in the way of entertainment. Andrew needed something to do, and exploring the wilderness seemed like the best option. The sooner he could get started, the better.


    His animal forms acquired, Andrew made his way back to the camp, slipping into his bedroll and clothing, before carefully shifting back so that he grew into his clothes. After making sure everything was settled, he let out a yawn and went to sleep. He''d hand over the other rabbit folk core to his other self in the morning.


    *


    Andrew was shaken awake by one of the scouts early the next morning for breakfast. He got up and stumbled over to join them by the fire, munching on the small bowl of meat absently as Beast Andrew sent some aura over, snagging the extra rabbit folk core. "So, what''s the plan for today?" He asked one of the scouts, a goblin named Tiltek.


    "We know of a few small packs of weaker animals." Tiltek explained. "We''ll find them, make sure everything is safe, then let you fight a few. Repeat until you reach your Class Advancement."


    Andrew nodded. "A good plan."


    Tiltek chuckled. "You aren''t the first goblin to need an escort through the early levels, and I doubt you''ll be the last. Focusing on your inner sight will pay off in the long run, but it does leave you weak until you can really start to take advantage of it."


    Andrew nodded again, sighing as he took a look at his status page.


    [Observant Goblin: 7


    Strength: 8 > 25


    Agility: 16 > 31


    Will: 15 > 32


    Intellect: 19 > 34


    Energy: 14 > 36


    Sensitivity: 446 > 456


    Class Skill - Restful Self Examination: 22


    Class Skill - Counter Kick: 35


    General - (yeah, I''m not listing those. He has lots.)


    Skill Points: 0


    Free Points: 0]


    Andrew had been using his free points to keep his stats relatively balanced, adding two each to Strength, Will, and Energy per level, which made it so all four of his power stats increased by three each level, while his Energy increased by four and his Sensitivity increased by two, which was objectively wasteful in Andrew''s opinion. His Sensitivity was way too high already. He''d been tempted to use his free points to bolster his mental stats, since he did want to focus on magic, but ultimately he decided his physical stats were important too. Particularly since he didn''t have any way to actually use his mental stats yet. But now that he had an animal core, it should take care of his physical stats for him, right?


    Andrew turned his attention to the new core, focusing on it with his inner sight. One of the things Andrew had discovered, much to his frustration, was that the animal system didn''t actually have a status page. It made sense, he supposed. Why would an animal need a status page? It would only confuse it. Of course, that didn''t mean the animal didn''t have stats, they just couldn''t see them. As Andrew focused on the core, its stats became apparent.


    [Level: 0


    Strength: 0


    Agility: 0


    Will: 0


    Intellect: 0


    Energy: 0


    Sensitivity: 0]


    A whole lot of useless at the moment, but once he started leveling, that would change. He hoped. He didn''t really know how the system would determine experience between two cores, particularly when they were in the same individual. Would both his cores count as a group and split the experience, or would one take priority? He wasn''t sure, but the only way to find out was to kill, wasn''t it?


    After breakfast, the scouts led Andrew into the forest, thankfully in a direction away from the group of people he''d seen the other night. He didn''t know what the goblins'' relations with other species were like in the world, but he knew that generally in fantasy, they weren''t good. That, plus the fact that they were a monster species, meant that if the two groups met, the odds were there would be¡­ friction, and he didn''t know which side he''d be on.


    Obviously, at the moment, he was a goblin, and the goblins had been good to him. Better than most humans he''d interacted with, even. He wasn''t about to turn around and betray them just because there was a human on the other side. However¡­ as much as he was currently a goblin, he still identified with humanity. His family and his girlfriends were human! He wasn''t sure he''d feel comfortable attacking them if it came to that. So he really just didn''t want to make that choice. Also, given the auras of those four, if they met this scout group and attacked, the scouts were screwed. So it was better for everyone if they just never met.


    As they continued walking, Andrew realized the area they were heading towards was vaguely¡­ familiar. "Okay, there''s a small group of Rabbitoids-" Oh, that''s why it felt familiar. Also, yes, that''s what the goblins called the rabbit folk, but since Andrew considered the name ridiculous, he refused to use it. You couldn''t just add ''-oid'' to everything and call it done! Not that rabbit folk was much better¡­ "-that make their den nearby. Wait here while we scout it out and see if we can separate a young one for you to fight." Tiltek explained, before the scouts melded into the forest and disappeared.


    Andrew waited patiently for five minutes. Then ten minutes. Then twenty¡­ "How long does it take to check out some rabbits?" Andrew wondered with a frown.


    Suddenly, Tiltek reappeared along with the rest. "We''re leaving." He stated in a serious tone.


    "Why? What''s wrong?" Andrew asked, frowning.


    "The Rabbitoids are gone, and there are two dead with no signs of injury or infection." Tiltek explained, frowning seriously. "They appeared to be young and weak, so whatever caused their deaths shouldn''t be too powerful, but at your level, it is a risk I am unwilling to take. We will suspend all training activities in this area."


    The scouts immediately led Andrew out of the forest, before spending another day trekking across the fields to a different section of the forest. Because obviously if something was killing things without any trace of how, you wouldn''t leave your young, vulnerable genius in the area. Of course, the irony that the young genius was the one who caused this situation was not lost on him. *I''m an idiot.* Andrew grumbled to himself as he trudged along for yet another day of walking, which was at least good practice if nothing else. He should have figured the scouts would have him fight the rabbit folk. They were weak and prevalent, perfect fodder for a young goblin. He could have taken the cores after he fought them, with none the wiser. His only method of combat was essentially kicking them to death, so it wasn''t like they''d die quick. He''d have plenty of time to take the core. Well, unless he used his knife¡­ actually, he should definitely use his knife. Kicking something to death just seemed unnecessarily cruel. Still, he could have taken the core, then stabbed. But no, he just had to find them immediately and leave suspiciously dead bodies just lying there. Stupid.


    And so, after another day of walking, they set up camp for another night, planning on trying again in the morning. They woke up early, ate, and headed into the forest, searching for something to fight. It almost reminded Andrew of the First Hunt, just with a lot more oversight. The scouts found the prey, set up the ideal situation, and only then did they let him fight. Though, to be fair, the Bonded had a built-in safety net, so they didn''t need to worry about their safety as much. A bad hunt for the Bonded would just mean their Beast half would get pulled back through the Bond. A bad hunt for the goblins would mean serious injury or even death. Being a little more careful made sense in that situation.


    "We''ve isolated a young deer and run off the rest of the herd." Tiltek explained, gesturing in the direction of the animal. "You are free to fight it as you wish. If you need help, pat your leg like so, and we shall intervene."


    Andrew nodded, before slipping into the underbrush, stalking towards the deer. Comparing its aura to his own, he guessed it was around level three or four, which seemed a little low, but he wasn''t exactly strong for his level, so he supposed it made sense. He carefully approached, swinging around towards its blindspot, careful not to make a sound before¡­ in a split second dash, he rushed forward, delivering a powerful kick to the deer''s back leg! The deer cried out in pain as its leg made a sickening crack, twisting unnaturally as it instinctively tried to run, only to twist the limb even further, causing the deer to stumble and fall as Andrew delivered another kick to its side. Then Andrew was on the animal, his knife flashing as he pierced into its neck and up, hitting the brain, before slashing down into an artery for good measure, the deer''s struggles fading immediately as it bled out, or its brain died. Either way, it was dead, quick and clean. A surge of experience flowed into him and he quickly directed it towards his new core as he turned back to the scouts.


    Tiltek let out a low whistle as he approached. "That was impressive." He commented, nodding in approval. "If I didn''t know better, I''d say you''ve done this before. Quick, clean, and efficient, like a true hunter."


    Andrew froze. Had he fucked up again? He was used to hunting as a Beast, so he''d simply approached the fight as he would a hunt. But was that how a goblin who''d never left the town would approach a fight? Andrew''s expression twisted. Definitely not. He should have been clumsier, more nervous, less¡­ practiced. Not that he could change anything now. He let out a sigh. He was just fucking up all over the place this trip.


    Tiltek frowned at him. Why did he look unhappy? Shouldn''t he be proud of such a clean kill? Did he think it wasn''t clean enough? The deer had cried out, so he couldn''t say the kill was perfect, but why would Artek hold himself to such high standards? Tiltek sighed, reaching out to pat Andrew on the shoulder. "It''s good to want to be better, but don''t beat yourself up too much, alright? It''s hard to kill anything without making any noise. Limiting it to a single cry is still impressive, particularly for your first kill. Be proud!"


    Andrew blinked. "That- uh, thank you." He mumbled awkwardly. *Just take the win.* He thought to himself.


    Tiltek smiled, before signaling the scouts to move out. Two stayed behind to handle the deer, while the rest moved on to the next location. As they traveled, Andrew turned his attention to his rabbit folk core, focusing on it.


    [Level: 2


    Strength: 8


    Agility: 12


    Will: 8


    Intellect: 0


    Energy: 10


    Sensitivity: 10]


    He grinned. And so it begins.

 Aura: 40 - Raiders

    Andrew had to admit, the scouts were frustratingly good at their jobs. Even as they walked through a forest full of creatures that could end him in an instant, Andrew felt completely safe. Which meant that even as he leveled up, they ensured he would never face anything that might threaten him. Which also meant¡­ Andrew checked his animal core with a sigh.


    [Level: 4


    Strength: 16


    Agility: 24


    Will: 16


    Intellect: 0


    Energy: 20


    Sensitivity: 20]


    It was going to take forever to level both his animal core and his goblin core if the scouts would only let him face these low leveled mobs. What he needed to do was fight something with some heft. A level eight or nine predator, at least, but there was no way the scouts would ever let that happen. So, after hitting level four in his animal core, Andrew began to send the experience to his goblin core instead, focusing on getting it to level ten instead. The extra stats he''d gained were good enough for now. Once the tribe was ready to let him hunt on his own, then he could really start leveling it.


    "It''s getting late." Tiltek muttered, looking up through the trees. "We should get out of the trees and make camp for the night. If we''re lucky, you''ll level up tomorrow. Then it should be another two or three days to your next, and three or four after that, depending on the levels of the creatures you face. All told, we should be here for a week, maybe a week and a half before we return."


    "Is that good?" Andrew asked hesitantly.


    Tiltek laughed. "That''s excellent! Most of those we carry struggle to kill three or four creatures on their own before they must stop, which means they would take almost a month to level to ten from seven. Additionally, they are more likely to be injured, which would mean returning to town to heal before resuming. All told, we must usually spend almost two months doing what you will accomplish in a mere week! We are compensated the same either way, so you can imagine how glad we are to carry such a talented young goblin."


    "Wait, you''re paid for this?" Andrew asked, surprised.


    Tiltek raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course. We are rendering a service. Why would we not be compensated?"


    Andrew shrugged. "I guess I just thought it''d be part of the job? Just something you do as a scout."


    Tiltek shook his head. "No. Carrying means we dedicate potentially months to help another progress while we stall our own. We cannot dedicate much time to practice our skills and we cannot take you near the high level areas we need to hunt to raise our own levels. If we were not compensated for that loss, no one would wish to carry another. If we were forced to, we would only do so grudgingly, possibly rushing the young into situations too dangerous for them, in order to accelerate their progress, which would lead to injuries and possibly deaths that would otherwise not have occurred. However, with appropriate compensation, we are happy to carry, and the penalties for losing our ward ensure we are motivated to keep you safe through the process."


    *A little too motivated.* Andrew sighed internally. He really wished they''d let him face something more than half his level. He understood their caution, but it was getting frustrating.


    *


    Just like Tiltek suggested, it only took about a week for Andrew to level up to ten. He repurchased Concentrated Examination at level nine, and now all he needed to do was combine it with Walk before advancing his class, which he decided would be better done back within the safety of the town, where he could ask the Shaman for advice. The scouts were more than happy to be done earlier than expected, all of them clearly in a good mood as they began the journey back to town. However, as they got closer, their mood shifted, growing serious as it became clear that in their absence, something had happened.


    Scorch marks peppered the fields, painting a picture of two powerful casters in a pitched battle that raged across the tribe''s territory. The wall didn''t seem any worse for wear, maybe a light scorch mark here or there, but nothing major. However, once they got inside, it was clear that something had run rampant inside. Some buildings had holes in them, others fire damage, and many had both. A few had even completely collapsed or turned into burnt out husks. The damage was particularly bad in the center of town, where it was clear the fiercest fighting had taken place. The building for taking care of the young was simply gone, all that remained was an empty hole surrounded by debris.


    Andrew felt his heart clench. Vinek and Corek lived there¡­ "Artek!" The Shaman exclaimed, rising from a chair set up in front of the remains of the town hall along with a makeshift desk and rushing over. The Chief was there as well, standing up with a relieved smile and waving with his left arm¡­ cause his right was just gone. "I''m so glad you''re alright! We were worried the raiders might have gotten you!" The Shaman began as he carefully looked Andrew over, making sure he was alright.


    "What- what happened here?" Andrew asked, looking around in confusion.


    "Raiders." The Shaman spat viciously. "They blew up the spawning chambers and the rearing building, simultaneously launching attacks on the Chief and I. Luckily, we were together, consulting with your young friend Corek about his path. Together we managed to defend long enough for the others to arrive."


    "Then Corek-" Andrew asked.


    The Shaman smiled. "Corek is fine. The rest of your spawning group¡­" The Shaman let out a weary sigh. "What the Raiders lack in power, they make up in devastation. They cannot kill the strong, so they massacre the weak. Savages!" The Shaman finished with a snarl.


    "How- Did- Who- who survived?" Andrew choked out, staring intently at the Shaman.


    The Shaman hesitated. "The Raiders- they planned their attack perfectly. They attacked just as everyone was going to bed¡­"


    "But-" Andrew began, frustration in his tone. Why wouldn''t he just answer the question?!?


    "No one." The Shaman stopped him with a sigh. "Besides you and Corek, no one survived. Not from your spawning group, or any of the others. They''re all- They''re all dead."


    Andrew''s entire body went numb. Why? Why would someone do this?!? They- they were children! Images of the times they all played together flashed through Andrew''s mind. The little ones, so eager to participate, even when they lost almost immediately. The kind ones tending to anyone who got injured on the sidelines. The competitive ones giving their all to do the best they could. All of them simply having fun together, in a way only kids could. And now all those happy faces were just gone¡­ and for what? "Why?!?" Andrew hissed out, unable to articulate his question any further through the frustration and anger.


    "Because we''re monsters." The Shaman stated softly, and Andrew flinched. "No matter who we are, no matter what we do, that''s what we are. The system has decided. And because we are monsters, our existence cannot be tolerated by the ''noble'' races, because we exist to hurt them. We cannot exist without hurting them. And so we fight. Because we can''t live without them, and they cannot live with us."


    Andrew frowned. "I don''t- I don''t understand. Why couldn''t we live without them?"


    The Shaman frowned at him for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Yes, you would have missed that¡­ an oversight on my part." The Shaman paused, considering his next words carefully. "Artek, have you ever noticed that there are no female goblins?"


    Andrew blinked. "None?"


    "Not one. Every goblin born is male. It''s how our race works." The Shaman explained.


    "Then how-" Andrew began, frowning in confusion.


    "We must¡­ borrow the females of other races." The Shaman coughed awkwardly.


    Andrew''s expression twisted. "Oh. That''s- I mean, if someone was willing-"


    The Shaman snorted. "Who would be willing to endure something like that?!?"


    "I''m sure someone would." Andrew shrugged. "I mean, people are freaks sometimes. I could see someone getting off on fucking goblins."


    The Shaman gave Andrew the most incredulous look he''d ever seen. "Artek¡­ it isn''t the fucking that''s the problem. It''s the birthing. Orcs may have their volunteer concubines, but no woman would willingly subject themselves to the birthing process of a goblin!"


    "What-" Andrew began, frowning, before suddenly he remembered. A dark sack full of tiny wriggling creatures, all struggling together until the sack burst. That- that wasn''t an egg. That was- Andrew felt sick. Why?!?


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "We try not to be horrible about it." The Shaman explained as he saw the realization on Andrew''s face. "We keep the women numb, so they don''t feel anything. We also pace ourselves. In order to maintain our population, we only need one woman a year. In the first spawn, about half of those born are goblins, while the other half are female half-breeds, a mix of the two races, but¡­ animalistic in nature. They aren''t sapient. We can use the half-breeds to breed, but in their spawn, only one in four will be half-breeds. Then with those, only one in eight will be a half-breed. And finally, those in the fourth generation will only have goblins, and we''ll need a new woman. For the sacrifice of one, thousands are born¡­ yet it is still a horrible exchange. We know that. It''s simply what we must do."


    Andrew simply stood there, staring at the ground with an expression of sheer disgust on his face. He didn''t wonder why the Raiders had done what they''d done anymore. If he knew about a race of creatures like this back in the Beast world¡­ He''d definitely try to wipe them out. But¡­ Now he was a goblin. His friends were goblins. The goblins had taken care of him. Nurtured him. Looked after him. He couldn''t defend what they did, but¡­ they didn''t really have a choice, now did they? It was either this, or let their race go extinct¡­ they should probably just let their race go extinct, because holy shit but he couldn''t really expect them to. They didn''t choose to be this way. They wanted to live their lives as much as anyone else. They wanted to be a people as much as anyone else. Was it selfish? Probably. But it was a selfishness he couldn''t exactly blame them for. Procreation was literally one of the most fundamental instincts of a species.


    Still¡­ "This is probably a dumb question, since if there was a way, you''d probably already be pursuing it, but¡­ is there a way for us to survive without¡­ uh, doing that?" Andrew asked, his expression twisting.


    "The best option is racial evolution." The Shaman explained. "A hobgoblin is more like an orc. Still not great, but at least the woman doesn''t die in the process. If you''re really lucky, you may even evolve into something like a vampire! They simply need to drink the blood of the noble races, which¡­ still not great, but much more tolerable. Other than that¡­ Well, you''ve seen all the goblinoids running around."


    "The goblinoids?" Andrew asked, not sure what he was getting at.


    "They''re what happens when a goblin breeds with an animal." The Shaman explained. "All half-breeds, no sapience, just a bunch of goblin-like animals running around. We don''t discourage the practice, for various reasons, mostly because it''s hard to actually stop and why waste our breath? But it doesn''t actually do anything for us. There''s a spark that the noble races have that the monster races need to continue their own, and the only way to get it is by feeding off them in some way. So they hate us, but we need them, because otherwise¡­ we''d just be animals."


    "Fuck." Andrew groaned.


    "Indeed." The Shaman nodded. "And so we must endure their raids, watch as they murder our children, be constantly vigilant, as prepared as we can be to stand against them when they come. All because of something we have no control over."


    "I- can we even be mad?" Andrew replied. "I mean¡­ what we do¡­ it''s horrible. I get why they''d want to destroy us."


    "Do we not have just as much a right to exist as they do?" The Shaman asked defensively. "Are our lives worth less than theirs? We know what we do is horrible, but we harm few for the good of many. They harm many for the good of a few, and believe themselves to be justified for it!" He snarled. "They commit atrocities against us, time and time again! I understand their hatred, but it doesn''t change the fact that they have done worse to us than we have ever done to them! We fight to live, they fight to destroy!"


    Andrew frowned slightly, something about the Shaman''s argument feeling¡­ off, but he couldn''t quite put his finger on what. He saw the Shaman''s point. If you weighed each life as equal, then the noble races were doing a lot more damage than the goblins. But¡­ Well, the goblins were essentially parasites. You couldn''t really blame them for existing, but that didn''t mean you wouldn''t try to kill them whenever you could. Though¡­ parasites weren''t intelligent. Which brought Andrew right back to all life being equal. All intelligent life, at least. So was it right to sacrifice one life to create hundreds? Maybe? Maybe not? Has anyone solved the trolley problem yet? Andrew sighed. He just didn''t know. He didn''t like the idea of someone''s good coming at someone else''s expense, but if it was the only option¡­ He just couldn''t say one way or the other. All he knew was that this entire situation was well and truly fucked.


    *


    "So, how was your week?" Stephen asked as Andrew sat down with his parents for their weekly update. "Are you still hanging out with those two goblin kids?"


    Andrew grimaced. "I- was. There- there was an attack on the tribe. One of them didn''t make it."


    Helen and Stephen froze. "Oh, Andrew, that''s- I''m so sorry." Helen reached out to grab his hand in sympathy. "It''s always hard to lose a friend, especially when it''s caused by violence, not time."


    Andrew nodded numbly. "I- I want to hate the people who did it. But I can''t, because if I were in the same situation¡­ I''d probably do the same thing."


    "Recognizing that is a good first step." Stephen commented. "When we grieve, we tend to turn our sadness and frustration into hate and anger, which blinds us to reason and causes us to do things we¡­ regret. Taking a step back and forming a rational response will help you prevent that."


    Andrew let out a sigh. "I don''t think there is a rational response."


    Helen frowned. "Andrew, if people are attacking your tribe and killing your friends, you are obligated to defend them, even if that means hunting your enemies down and killing them yourself."


    "But what if they attacked to defend their people from us?" Andrew replied.


    "It doesn''t matter." Helen retorted. "It isn''t your responsibility to worry about their safety. If your tribe is doing something wrong, you must work to stop them, but in the meantime you defend them with every fiber of your being, because they are yours, and no one has the right to take them from you!"


    Andrew glanced hesitantly at Stephen, who shrugged. "Essentially. Your people''s safety is your first responsibility. Always."


    "But- what if my people are monsters. Like literal monsters." Andrew asked.


    "What do you mean?" Stephen asked, frowning.


    Andrew let out a sigh, before launching into the explanation of what goblins were and how they procreated. "And now I don''t know what to think, because goblins do have a right to live, but also people have a right to not be used as freaking spawning sacks! I mean, I would never put someone through something like that, so how can I condone someone else doing it? But I also wouldn''t be happy if someone told me I had to let my entire race die out! Like being told you''re evil simply for existing¡­ ugh, and maybe they fucking are, but who am I to judge that?!?"


    Stephen and Helen shared a look, before sighing in unison. Stephen turned back to Andrew. "Son, this is one of the hardest lessons to internalize, because it runs so counter to our instincts, but it is a simple fact that someone getting hurt is not the same as someone having done something wrong. The nature of these goblins is¡­ well, quite frankly, it''s horrifying. If I knew of anything like that lurking around my people, I would ensure their destruction by every means available to me. However, that doesn''t make them evil. They are simply doing what it takes to survive, and they are right to give their all to defend themselves from any and all attack. Neither is wrong to do what they do. They''re simply doing what is best for them and those around them, and the fact that it requires them to do horrible things to each other is a tragedy, but an unavoidable one. As much as it pains me to say it, it is your duty to defend these goblins, because they are your people. It is even your duty to help them¡­" Stephen''s expression twisted. "procreate. Never forget you are doing it at another''s expense, but when it comes to choosing between you and yours and complete strangers¡­ no matter how sympathetic you may be, they aren''t your responsibility. Your people are your responsibility and that''s who you have to choose every time."


    Andrew sat there silent for a moment as he took that in. Just like his dad had said, it was hard to accept. Even after his explanation, when he saw the logic, when it made sense, it still felt wrong. How could hurting people ever be right? But¡­ in the end, this situation was going to hurt someone. And as his dad had said, it was his responsibility to do his best to make sure the people getting hurt weren''t his own. "I just wish it didn''t feel so shity." Andrew grumbled.


    Stephen snorted. "That''s one of the signs you''re doing something right. It''s easy to do what you want to do, and to not do what you don''t want to do. Most people can even manage to not do what they want to do when they know it''s wrong fairly easily. It''s doing what you don''t want to do simply because you know it''s right that''s hard, and the true test of one''s character. Stopping yourself from being bad is the basics. Pushing yourself to be better is the goal."

 Aura: 41 - Class advancement

    With the quarters for young goblins destroyed, and the rest of their spawning group dead, Corek was moved into the Shaman''s residence with Andrew, the two of them sharing a room, and Corek¡­ wasn''t taking things well. "Corek, you have to eat something." Andrew pleaded, shaking a meat stick at him.


    "Why bother." Corek muttered, lying on his bed, staring blankly off into space. "Food won''t bring Vinek back. It won''t bring Drinek back. It won''t bring anyone back. So why? So I can keep living? To do what? Die like the rest of them?"


    "Corek, you can''t just give up!" Andrew protested. "Do you think Vinek would want that? No! He''d tell you to get your ass up, eat this meat, and go out and become the best goblin you can be! Become a Goblin Champion, or the next Chief! Become strong so you can keep something like this from ever happening again!"


    "You''re right. Too bad he''s dead." Corek replied. Yeah, Corek wasn''t taking things well. Not that Andrew didn''t get it. For him, he''d lost some friends. For Corek, he''d lost his family. All those goblins had been his brothers, as well as his friends. It was the closest thing to family a goblin got, and it''d been ripped from him out of nowhere. Andrew had no idea how to help someone deal with something like that.


    "Okay buddy, I''m going to leave this here if you decide you want it." Andrew sighed, placing the meat stick on a nearby table. "I need to go deal with my Class Advancement, but I''ll be back soon, okay?" Corek just grunted and rolled over, causing Andrew to let out another sigh. This was going to take some time.


    "How''s he doing?" The Shaman asked as Andrew walked into the secluded chamber below the house. Apparently Class Advancement was a bigger deal than skills (obviously) and it put you in a vulnerable state, so you needed to find someplace safe before you attempted it.


    "He''s still not eating." Andrew sighed.


    The Shaman shook his head. "I pity the poor boy. Losing everyone close to you like that¡­ just give him time. Eventually he''ll find his way. Just be there, ready to help him when he does."


    Andrew nodded, though he still frowned. "It just feels wrong to just watch him give up like that¡­ I feel like I need to do something to motivate him, but I have no idea what."


    The Shaman sighed. "I understand, but unfortunately, this isn''t something you can force. He has to want to be motivated before anything you say will have an effect. Until then, no matter how persuasive your words are, he won''t hear them, because he doesn''t want to hear them."


    Andrew scowled. "That is¡­ incredibly frustrating."


    The Shaman snorted. "Indeed. But that is an issue for later. Now, we must focus on your Class Advancement. Do you have your skills ready?"


    "I do." Andrew nodded, opening his status just to make sure.


    [Observant Goblin: 10 [+]


    Strength: 25 > 34


    Agility: 31 > 40


    Will: 32 > 41


    Intellect: 34 > 43


    Energy: 36 > 48


    Sensitivity: 456 > 462


    Class Skill - Restful Self Examination: 22 > 24


    Class Skill - Counter Kick: 35 > 38


    Class Skill - Precise Navigation: 13


    Skill Points: 0


    Free Points: 0]


    "Though, my navigation skill is only level thirteen¡­" Andrew muttered. "Is that going to be a problem?"


    The Shaman shook his head. "No. Class Advancement doesn''t take levels into account, only tier and quality."


    "Tier and quality?" Andrew asked with a frown.


    "Yes, tier and quality. The tier of a skill is based on the number of skills used to form it and the quality is based on the percentage boost per level." The Shaman explained.


    ¡°And how do those affect your Class?¡± Andrew prodded for more information, not wanting to miss anything before he started.


    ¡°Certain Classes have tier and quality requirements.¡± The Shaman shrugged. ¡°The higher you can get them, the better options you''ll have available to you. It also helps to have some accomplishments under your belt, but before your first advancement, there''s not much available for you to actually do. At least, not if you want to have a reasonable chance of survival.¡±


    Andrew frowned slightly at that. He was pretty sure he could have shot for some sort of accomplishment before all this. He sighed, shaking his head. It was too late now. Well, no, it wasn''t, but he wasn''t about to run off into the forest and try to fight some level twenty monster or something. He''d settle for having three presumably high quality skills. His inner sight skill was tier four at 2.74, his combat skill was tier two at 2.14, and his navigation skill was tier three at 2.44. If all that wasn''t good enough for something incredible, then¡­ ¡°You know, we don''t need to do this now.¡± Andrew began.


    ¡°Sit.¡± The Shaman snapped, giving Andrew a firm glare. ¡°A better Class isn''t worth risking your life over. Now come on, get going.¡±


    Andrew groaned slightly as he plopped down. ¡°Fine. How do I do this?¡±


    "Just focus on the option to advance and you''ll be taken to your inner world where you''ll be presented with your Advancement options. In the meantime, I will guard your body." The Shaman explained. Andrew nodded, taking a seat and a deep breath as he prepared himself. "Good luck." The Shaman added with a small smile, which Andrew returned, before he focused on the plus and the world went dark.


    *


    Andrew woke up in a small clearing in the middle of the woods. He sat up, blinking in confusion as he looked around. This- this was his domain! "What the-" Suddenly a loud *CAW* rang out and a crow flew out of the large tree in the center of the clearing, circling around before coming to land on a stunned Andrew''s shoulder. "Gr-Gregory?!?" He stammered in shock.


    *No, child. I am not your friend, but a simple guide, taken from your memories to ensure your comfort and acceptance.* The crow replied in a soothing voice that echoed through Andrew''s mind.


    "Oh." Andrew''s expression fell. Right, he was in the middle of his Class Advancement. Of course Gregory wouldn''t be here. This- this was his inner world. He let out a weary sigh. Damn it, now he was sad! "Let''s just get this over with." He grumbled.


    *As you wish.* The crow nodded, before waving a wing. As they did, a line of different goblins appeared before them, all clearly Andrew just¡­ altered slightly. The first one was clearly the mage, complete with long, flowing robes, a large staff, and a big floppy hat, all of which looked utterly ridiculous on a tiny goblin. You needed to be at least six feet tall to pull that crap off and goblins topped out at about four and a half.


    Andrew looked down the line and they were all like that. A warrior decked out like some action hero, a scout in a full ghillie suit, the pathfinder looking like some kind of survival expert, complete with the stupid little cargo shorts, and so on. Andrew frowned at the warrior, who seemed¡­ faded, almost like a ghost. "What''s up with him?" He asked the crow.


    *That is a path you qualify for, but would not be suited to.* The crow explained. *You may still choose it if you wish, but it would not make the best use of your skills and your skills would not qualify for its better traits.*


    Andrew frowned. "What do you mean?"


    *A Class is not simply given to an individual, it is molded to them, granting them abilities based on the skills they''ve developed. The more suited your skills are to the Class, the better the abilities you gain will be. A warrior has little use for navigation, therefore your skill would only grant you something along the lines of situational awareness, which is a far cry from what you could get in another, more suitable class.* The crow explained.


    "Huh¡­ So then, in your opinion, which class would make the most of all my skills?" Andrew asked. He was pretty set on the pathfinder already, but it wouldn''t hurt to see what this guy thought, right? The crow waved its wing again, and the goblins spun like a roulette wheel, until one stood in front of them, a goblin with gray skin, covered in black lines, eyes as dark- no, he didn''t even have eyes! Just empty pits, like holes in reality! "What the fuck!?!" Andrew exclaimed, taking a step back. Why- why would he qualify for something like this?!?


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    *The Goblin Voidwalker.* The crow stated. *It requires you to have an inner sight skill at tier four or higher with a quality over two, a navigation skill at tier three or higher with a quality over two, a combat skill at tier two with a quality over two, and the memories of another World.* The crow waved its wing again and another void goblin appeared. *The Goblin Voidmage would also do well, but it wouldn''t make as much use of your navigation or kicking skill, instead focusing purely on void magic.*


    Andrew blinked as he looked between the two goblins. "So¡­ I qualify for these because I remember another world?"


    *Correct.* The crow nodded. *To have died in another World and been reborn in this one without losing your self is an admirable accomplishment, and the system sees fit to grant you a suitable reward. Access to Void, reminiscent of the nothingness you traveled through to arrive here, seemed fitting. Do you object?*


    Andrew frowned. "I- no? I mean, I didn''t expect the system would even know about that, let alone want to reward it¡­ but, does it have to look so¡­ monstrous?"


    The crow cocked its head. *The class is merely echoing your perception of a void creature, much as you have your other classes. Your appearance will experience some alteration, but nothing as drastic as this.*


    "Oh¡­ well, good." Andrew coughed awkwardly. He really should have realized that¡­ "Can I compare this one with the pathfinder class? See what traits they both have to offer before I choose?"


    The crow nodded. *Certainly.* It waved a wing, and all the other classes disappeared, leaving just the pathfinder and voidwalker standing side by side, menus appearing in front of both.


    Andrew focused on Goblin Pathfinder first. The stats were¡­ decent? There wasn''t much of a change, just one extra point per level in Agility, Intellect, Energy, and Sensitivity, plus another two free points per level. Not exactly an impressive jump. Then Andrew turned his focus to the traits. The first was his inner sight skill, which, based on its quality, allowed him to choose one advanced affinity, two intermediate, or four basic, which meant he was taking Space, because obviously. What could be better for Pathfinding than space magic? Navigation gave him a trait called Lay of the Land, which gave him awareness of ''the land'' around him within Will meters, his Intellect determining the level of detail, for one energy per minute. As for Counter Kick, he got a trait called Powerful Legs, which multiplied his Strength by one and a half when it came to his legs. All in all, it''d be a good Class and a solid boost to his capabilities.


    Andrew then turned to the Goblin Voidwalker. The first difference was the stats, giving him an extra point in all of them, plus three more free points. Then he checked the traits. His memories of another world just straight up gave him the Void affinity, and his inner sight skill gave him the same options as before. He was about to pick Space again, when he paused and turned to the crow. ¡°Does the Void affinity overlap with Space at all?¡±


    *Void is the intersection of Space and Destruction. If your interest in space involves travel, then it is better in almost every way. However, it is incapable of forming spatial constructs, as the Void is the essence of nothingness and it erases anything it touches.* The crow replied.


    Andrew frowned, considering his options for a moment. His main interest was travel, but the other aspects of Space were useful too. In particular, he wanted to recreate his storage ring from Beast world. Not worrying about carrying around a backpack or anything was amazing. But was it worth giving up some other affinity for? Andrew sighed, deciding to come back to it after looking at the rest of the traits. For navigation he got Void Path, which allowed him to open a portal between two previously visited points, regardless of the distance between them¡­ Okay, maybe he didn''t need a storage ring. He could just open a portal back to his house whenever he wanted! Well, it still cost him Energy based on the size of the portal and how long he held it open, Will divided by ten meters for size, Intellect divided by ten seconds for time, so he couldn''t do it whenever he wanted, but still. Andrew chuckled slightly as he moved on to Counter Kick, which gave him Void Evasion, a short range teleport that allowed him to move Intellect divided by ten meters and carry Will kilograms in the process for one energy per jump. He then went back to his inner sight skill, thinking it over for a bit before deciding to take the intermediate affinities Shadow and Lightning. Shadow because he wanted to be able to hide if necessary, and Lightning because it seemed like a good nonlethal option. He didn''t want his only option to be erasing someone. Also it was cool.


    Andrew stepped back from the screen, letting out a sigh. After seeing what Goblin Voidwalker offered, he knew he wasn''t going for Goblin Pathfinder anymore. Voidwalker was just too good! Andrew nodded. "Okay, I''ve made my decision. Goblin Voidwalker."


    *A wise decision.* The crow nodded. *Now, let us see to your evolution options.*


    Andrew blinked. ¡°My what now?¡±


    The crow gave him a look. *Were you not told your advancement would be physical as well? Your race and Class are intertwined. You cannot advance one without the other.*


    ¡°Right.¡± Andrew muttered, remembering the Shaman saying something along those lines back when he first explained the system. ¡°Okay, what are my options?¡±


    The crow waved its wing again and a model of Andrew appeared before them. *First there is your basic enhancement for advancing from Rank one to Rank four.* The crow began as the model began to grow, shifting from an adolescent around four feet tall to a mature goblin closing in on five feet tall. *Now, do you wish to focus on power, flexibility, natural weaponry, your affinities, or some mixture of them all? Power would increase your mass, flexibility would grant you a wider range of movement, natural weaponry would enhance your teeth and claws, and your affinities would alter your biology to match their nature.*


    Andrew frowned. ¡°I don''t think I need better claws or teeth and I''m already pretty flexible¡­ some extra mass might be nice, but-¡± He cut off, realizing the choice was obvious. He could adjust all his physical properties using his cores, so only the affinities would give him something he couldn''t pick up on his own. ¡°Uh, okay, I''ll adjust my biology using my affinities.¡±


    *Which ones?* The crow asked.


    Andrew paused. ¡°Can I see all of them? Every combination, I mean.¡± The crow nodded and the model split into seven different versions, menus appearing in front of them. The first was the Shadow Goblin, which was entirely dedicated to going unnoticed, capable of becoming practically invisible by changing his skin to act like a chameleon''s on steroids, real Predator type shit. The Lighting Goblin, on the other hand, would give Andrew a new organ that could produce electricity, which could then be used to attack or strengthen his body. Finally, the Void Goblin would make him more resilient by flat out erasing a portion of any damage he took. The mixed versions were all the same, just with reduced effectiveness. Basically, each Rank advancement gave him a slot and the more of a slot he dedicated to an ability, the more effective it was. For example, if he gave a slot to the lightning organ, it''d produce an amount of electricity equal to his Energy stat per day and it''d be powered by his Will, but if he gave it two slots, that all would double.


    Since the shadow skin was based on Sensitivity Andrew decided to give it a slot, mostly because his Sensitivity was ridiculous, so even with a single slot he''d still be able to turn practically invisible. As for the other two¡­ as much as he liked the idea of the lightning organ, the idea of reducing all damage by an amount equal to twice his Will was too tempting to ignore. Particularly if it took his other cores stats into account as well. Ultimately he could do what the lightning organ could do with Energy. ¡°Alright, I''m done.¡± Andrew announced as he finalized his decision.


    *Are you satisfied with your choices?* The crow asked.


    "I am." Andrew nodded firmly.


    *Then so be it.* The crow replied, and the world went dark.


    *


    Andrew opened his eyes, finding himself back in the Shaman''s house, the Shaman looking at him expectantly. Andrew got up, stretching slightly as he took in the changes to his body and a growing awareness of his new traits, feeling their presence. Unlike skills, the traits were simply there. They did what they did, and that was that. Which, he supposed, was the difference between a skill and a trait. Traits were absolute. Skills required¡­ Well, skill. He glanced at the Shaman, pausing as he noticed they were almost the same height now. He looked down at his clothes, noting that they were a lot tighter than they had been¡­ he''d need to visit the tailor.


    "Well? How did it go? Did you get the Space affinity?" The Shaman asked, sounding a bit impatient.


    "I didn''t." Andrew replied, shaking his head.


    The Shaman frowned. "You didn''t? Why not?"


    Andrew hesitated. How was he going to explain his Void affinity? It wasn''t like he could hide it. While it did share similarities with Space, it clearly wasn''t. But there was no way he should have gotten it normally¡­ and the explanation involved explaining his memories from another world. He wasn''t sure he wanted to tell the Shaman about that. But he had to say something, right? "I was offered a special class. It''s rank four, and¡­ it gave me the Void affinity."


    The Shaman blinked. "That- well, that would work."


    Andrew nodded. "It gave me Void traits, in particular a portal trait and a short range teleport trait, so it was pretty much the only option. I could have gone for Goblin Pathfinder, but¡­ it would have just been doing the same things, only worse."


    The Shaman nodded. "Yes, yes, I understand¡­ it''s just- Void! That''s one of the major affinities! And to have it as a part of your class¡­ How was such a class even available to you?!?" Andrew sighed. That was the question he didn''t want to answer. "But I don''t suppose you would know that." The Shaman continued, causing Andrew to freeze. "Hmmm¡­ having such a high quality in all your skills is definitely rare, plus that ungodly Sensitivity of yours. Is Void related to Sensitivity?" The Shaman paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "Ah, but it doesn''t really matter. It isn''t something anyone else could exactly emulate, now is it? Simply a matter of luck." He turned to smile at Andrew. "Congratulations! You''ve taken a large step towards becoming a valued pillar of our community! I can only imagine how far you''ll go with the opportunities you''ve obtained!"


    Andrew blinked, before smiling back, relief flowing over him. "Thank you. I''ll be sure to make you proud."


    The Shaman placed a hand on Andrew''s shoulder, gripping it tightly. "I''ll always be proud of you, just as I am proud of every goblin who does their best for the tribe. No matter how you end up, I know you''ll have done your best." The Shaman assured him in a serious tone. "Don''t break yourself trying to be more than you are."


    Andrew paused, before giving him a nod back. He felt like there was a story behind that. Did the Shaman know someone who pushed themselves too hard and ended up hurt because of it? From the level of intensity he''d shown, it was probably something personal¡­ maybe he''d ask him about it later.


    The Shaman pulled back, clapping his hands together. "Now then, shall we test your new traits?"

 Aura: 42 - Experimenting

    Andrew''s new traits were simple to use but the actual execution was tricky. Thanks to his Sensitivity, Andrew could micro manage his Energy to a ridiculous degree, so the Shaman made him spend an hour figuring out exactly how much Energy he needed to use Void Step, since if he wasn''t taking a full load, he didn''t need to use all of it. Unfortunately, it also made it clear that his traits didn''t take into account the stats from his other core, which was a bit disappointing, but ultimately Andrew figured the stats were more like an ability than something physical, so it made sense. After that he started teaching him how to make the most of his Void Step. It didn''t conserve his momentum, so if he wanted to use it to attack, he needed to position himself so he''d have an opening, which meant waiting for his opponent to commit to an attack. However, that only worked once before they''d start throwing in feints, so he had to figure out how to tell whether they''d actually committed to an attack or not, which was a lot harder to do without an emotion sense.


    "Better!" The Shaman exclaimed after a quick exchange where he mixed feints and real attacks together as Andrew teleported around him. "You missed a few good openings, but you''ve got the basics down. Just keep practicing and you''ll get better. How''s your Energy doing?"


    "I only have about four points left." Andrew panted.


    The Shaman nodded. "Then we''ll call it for the day."


    Andrew nodded in agreement. Your Energy pool took an entire day to refill naturally, so even with the boost from his inner sight skill he wouldn''t be up for using any of his new abilities again for at least a few hours. He shuffled back into the house and grabbed a glass of water, downing it quickly before refilling it and taking a seat at the table, sipping at a slower pace.


    "So, what are your plans moving forward?" The Shaman asked, sitting down across from him.


    Andrew paused, considering the question for a moment. "Well, I''m not going exploring any time soon¡­ at least not far. I''m still too weak. I need to focus on learning how to use my affinities and picking up the ancillary skills I need to round out my capabilities, like a stealth skill and a negotiation skill. Oh, and I''ll have to transform my navigation skill into a survey skill. Which means I''ll need to work on my Draw skill and my navigation skill¡­" Andrew paused to do some calculations. He already knew the negotiation skill would cost him five skill points, stealth would cost him two, survey either three or four, depending on whether he used Observe or Concentrated Examination¡­ oh, who was he kidding. He was definitely using Concentrated Examination. That left him four more points to work with. He should probably get something for tracking, which¡­ he let out a sigh. His Concentrated Examination was doing work. But what would he merge it with? He paused. Would stealth work? Examining the hidden steps? Made sense, right? He glanced at the Shaman. Why not just ask? "Would merging a study skill and a stealth skill create a tracking skill?"


    The Shaman nodded. "One of the better ones, yes. Though with your skills¡­ it may be better to simply learn how to track on your own. You have plenty of skills related to observation, and your stealth skill will show you what signs to look for, since that''s what you need to remove to be stealthy, so all it will take is some practice to learn to look for the signs outside of that context. I''d suggest you focus on Energy Control instead. Something to help you make use of your affinities outside your traits."


    Andrew blinked at him, processing the fact that he''d actually forgotten he could learn how to do something outside the system. "Uh¡­ yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He muttered awkwardly, before quickly continuing. "What''s a good skill to merge with Energy Control?"


    "Energy Control is one of the few skills you don''t want to merge with anything else. Instead, you want to advance it into Energy Manipulation." The Shaman replied. "With Energy Manipulation you can start picking up manipulation skills for your specific affinities, granting you an even larger bonus than Energy Manipulation alone due to synergy. The more skills you can stack on a single effect, the better. Particularly when it comes to magic. Though that can wait until after your second Class advancement, since it''s best to spend as much time as you can developing your Energy Control, since its quality will affect every other magic skill you have.¡±


    Andrew nodded along. He definitely needed to pick up Energy Manipulation then. "That still leaves me with at least two more skill points¡­ what should I do with them?"


    "You should use them to Advance your skills to increase their quality. Definitely Advance your inner sight skill if you can, though that can wait until just before your Class Advancement." The Shaman replied. "Based on your goals, I''d recommend you focus on Advancing your survey skill as well. Or your kicking skill, depending on how much you struggle with combat.¡±


    Andrew paused, considering the Shaman''s suggestion. Once he got survey, stealth, and negotiation, his build was pretty much complete¡­ he didn''t need more skills at that point, he just needed his current skills to be better. Even Energy Manipulation was more of a bonus, rather than a requirement. "Wow¡­ I never thought I''d actually run out of skills to get."


    "Most builds are relatively complete by level twenty-five." The Shaman nodded. "From there, you focus on refining your skills. Maybe pick up a crafting skill, which will benefit you at the higher levels."


    Andrew frowned. "Why would a crafting skill help?"


    "Because once you out level the area, you need to depend on skills to level up, for which crafting skills are the best. Crafting skills reward experience based on the quality of your work, so as long as you continue to refine your craft, you''ll continue to level up." The Shaman explained.


    "So¡­ the Tailor, Blacksmith, and Alchemist?" Andrew asked.


    "The Tailor was a scout, the Blacksmith a warrior, and the Alchemist a mage." The Shaman nodded.


    "Huh¡­ What do you mean by ''out level the area''?" Andrew asked.


    "Once you''re so many levels above the average level of the creature''s in an area, your leveling will slow to a crawl. Usually you top out somewhere around ten levels over, fifteen if you dedicate yourself to killing as much as you can for a few years, though if the rank is lower, that''ll decrease by about three or four for each rank lower, and the reverse if it''s higher, though that practically never happens. After that, you either need to find a higher level area, venture into a danger zone, or find a high-level dungeon-"


    "Wait, what are those?" Andrew asked, interrupting his explanation.


    "Danger zones and dungeons?" The Shaman asked and Andrew nodded. "Danger zones are areas of- well, danger, like volcanoes or glaciers. Areas like this are full of Aspected Energy, which infuses the plants, which are then eaten by the animals, which are eaten by other animals, making them stronger. Since these areas are generally hidden or isolated in addition to this, they can become frighteningly dangerous, full of creatures with levels in the hundreds or even higher. Dungeons, on the other hand, are chaotic sub-spaces full of hidden dangers and populated with mindless constructs that attack any foreign entity on sight. Additionally, as creatures fight and die in the dungeon, it becomes stronger, the space larger and more dangerous and the constructs higher level. They are valuable resources for increasing the level of a population, but if you aren''t careful and fail to destroy it before it grows beyond a manageable level, it could lead to a dungeon break, where the dungeon bursts and the constructs are expelled as real creatures which lay waste to their surroundings."


    "They become real?" Andrew asked incredulously. "How?!?"


    The Shaman shrugged. "Who knows? It''s just what happens. Thankfully it also destroys the dungeon in the process. Otherwise, certain high-level dungeons would continually flood the surroundings with powerful creatures over and over and we''d be lucky if all other life wasn''t eradicated in the process."


    Andrew grimaced slightly, finding the idea of a dungeon even breaking once too much. It sounded like a Beast Tide, only worse because the people here weren''t in a position to handle it. ¡°So how do you destroy a dungeon without causing a break? You know, in case I run into one while I''m out exploring.¡±


    The Shaman chuckled slightly. ¡°Optimistic, are we? Well, if you ever do need to destroy a dungeon, then all you need to do is destroy the dungeon core.¡±


    ¡°And how do I find the dungeon core?¡± Andrew asked.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± The Shaman grinned. ¡°Dungeons aren''t exactly something goblins deal with on a regular basis, and if we did find one¡­ Well, we wouldn''t be goblins for very much longer. Dungeons are excellent places to gain achievements and achievements lead to evolution. But if all else fails, you can simply evacuate the area and let the dungeon break naturally, then clean up the mess afterwards. After the initial rush, the new creatures calm down and become more like normal animals, spreading out and finding their niche in the world, so they''re more easily managed."


    Andrew frowned slightly, before shaking his head. He probably wouldn''t be dealing with dungeons any time soon, and even if he did find one, he could just ask more questions then. "Okay, one last question, why do ranks matter?"


    "Because killing something of a lower rank grants less experience." The Shaman replied simply. ¡°Experience is based on challenging yourself and a lower rank is innately a lesser challenge.¡±


    Andrew sat back in his chair, taking a sip of water as he considered everything the Shaman had said. The rank thing was annoying, but it wasn''t that big a deal, particularly when he could add in his animal core. With the extra stats he gained, he could fight well above his level. Andrew paused for a moment as he realized how well set up he was to be powerful in this world. Just having two cores was huge here, unlike in the Beast world. Not that multiple cores weren''t a benefit in Beast world, but Advancement wasn''t limited there. As long as you had access to ability crystals, you could keep growing pretty much infinitely. Here, on the other hand, once you reached a certain level, you were pretty much stuck, so being able to get to that level twice was a huge advantage.


    Anyway, the long and the short of it was that Andrew needed to hunt. Andrew''s lips curled up. It always came back to that, didn''t it? If you wanted power, you had to go out and grab it. The only difference was that he needed to make sure to keep his skills up in between. Andrew nodded. He knew what he needed to focus on at the moment. Go out and find something high level to kill, get a few levels for his animal core and a level for his goblin core so he could pick up Walk again while practicing his Hide skill, after which which he''d need another level, which would let him merge the two for a stealth skill, then another for the skill point for Energy Control, then another level to Advance it, then the negotiation skills¡­ or should he work on survey first? Eh, the point was, he needed levels. But before then¡­ he needed to wait for his Energy to refill. Might as well work on Hide in the meantime, right?


    *


    "Okay, now, let''s find something to kill." Andrew muttered. He''d finally found the time to head to the Outside and hunt, ready to see just how effective this animal core would be in Beast world. Not that he was expecting it to be amazing or anything, but if he could level and use ability crystals, well, extra power was extra power, right? Plus, he was kinda looking forward to finding out how many levels a Beast was worth. It didn''t take long before he found one of the ever-present Squirrels and tore its head off with a quick swipe of his talons. "Alright, let''s- eh?" Andrew frowned as he checked the animal core and¡­ nothing. Where was the experience? He scratched his head, wondering why it didn''t work, before realizing it might be because he had too many cores. The Shaman had said that large groups, particularly large groups full of people higher level than you, would severely decrease your experience gain. If all his cores counted as a person¡­ yeah, that could be a problem. Maybe¡­ Andrew tried lowering the auras in all of his cores to a minimum, except his Lizard core, which he kept just strong enough to still kill a Squirrel fairly easily before heading out to find one. Not much later¡­ ¡°Still?!?¡± Andrew groaned in exasperation. If this didn''t let the animal core level, then the whole thing was a lost cause. He scowled down at the Beast for a moment, before another idea hit him. If he couldn''t level the animal core using System world methods, then maybe¡­ He cut out the Squirrel''s ability crystal and popped it in his mouth, focusing as the energy from the crystal flowed into him, directing it towards his animal core, and¡­ "Ha!¡± Andrew grinned victoriously as the energy flowed into the core. ¡°Okay, let''s see what you''ve done."


    [Level: 4


    Strength: 16


    Agility: 24


    Will: 16


    Intellect: 0


    Energy: 20


    Sensitivity: 20]


    That¡­ wasn''t as big a difference as he''d thought. Only four levels? For a Beast? That¡­ didn''t seem right. Even a shitty Beast like a Squirrel was miles better than the creatures he''d been fighting on System World! It''d have to have at least a hundred in each stat, which would be like¡­ level twenty? Somewhere around there? Either way, it definitely should have gotten him more than four levels! Andrew paused. Maybe it was because he''d used a crystal? And now that the core was stronger, maybe it''d actually gain experience¡­ Andrew nodded, searching for another Squirrel. Which¡­ still didn''t give his animal core any experience. ¡°Shit.¡± Andrew sighed. ¡°Well, maybe we can try the ability crystal again? Or I could just feed it aura¡­ shit, why didn''t I do that in the first place?¡± He shook his head, shifting his aura into the animal core until it reached level twenty and tanking the rest of his cores¡¯ auras before finding yet another Squirrel to kill, hoping that this time he''d get some damn experience, and¡­ ¡°Fuck!¡± Andrew cursed. ¡°Alright, I give up. This thing is useless.¡± He grumbled, pulling aura out of the animal core until it was back at level one.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Honestly, he wasn''t sure what he''d expected. The fact that he could use ability crystals to level it up at all was already a miracle! It was an alien core from an entirely different reality! It shouldn''t even exist in this one! The only reason it did was because Andrew was¡­ "The fuck am I?" Andrew muttered, shaking his head. It wasn''t the first time he''d asked himself this question. He started getting suspicious after the incident during the Beast Tide, and then the time he''d died really just drove it home, but he was definitely not just a Beast. He''d have to be an idiot to not realize it by this point. However, he still had no idea what he was, or how something like him was even possible. But that just figured, didn''t it? It wasn''t enough that he was a Beast, which was weird for a Bonded, who were weird for humans, but he was weird for Beasts as well! That was three levels of weird! Not just weird, not just super weird, but super ultra weird!


    *Hey, what the hell?* Cathryn asked incredulously. *What''s got you all mopey out there? I know you aren''t hurt.*


    *It''s nothing.* Andrew sent back with a sigh. *I''m just¡­ coming to terms with the fact that I am completely, irrevocably abnormal. I mean, I''m currently a part of a tribe of literal monsters, and I''m still the worst abomination around! I mean, when I took the rabbit folk cores, the scouts freaked! What I can do is just weird!*


    Cathryn paused for a moment. *I mean¡­ yeah? But I thought you already knew that?*


    *I mean, I did.* Andrew sighed. *It''s just¡­ I mean, I know it, I''m just having a hard time accepting it. Like, why do I have to be weird? All the time? I know I can''t change it, and I''m just going to have to get used to it, but¡­ I don''t know. It''s just frustrating sometimes. Like¡­ Why did it have to be me?*


    *I guess¡­ It had to be someone, right?* Cathryn offered. *Plus, if you weren''t, we would never have happened¡­ maybe you wouldn''t even be with Jing. You wouldn''t be the same person, because you wouldn''t have had the same experiences. I guess the question is¡­ would you give up what you have just to be normal?*


    Andrew blinked. He¡­ hadn''t thought of it that way before. Well, he''d had thoughts like that before. Like, if not for his friendship with Benjamin, he''d probably never have gotten with Cathryn. It''s just a fact of life that things build on each other, and if one thing changes, so does everything that comes after that. It''d just never occurred to him that him being weird was one of those things. Or at least, it hadn''t occurred to him recently. Before all this, before Li Jing and Cathryn, back when the fact that his life sucked was all he thought about, he always thought about the fact that if he was just normal his life would be so much different. So why hadn''t he thought about it when his life was good? *I think- I still don''t like the fact that I''m weird, but¡­ I do like the way my life has turned out despite it. Ugh, I can''t believe I actually have to be grateful I''m weird now.*


    *I prefer to think you''re grateful for me.* Cathryn sent back along with a smirky feeling.


    *


    "Oof!" Andrew grunted as Li Jing fell into his lap. "How was your day?"


    "Good." Li Jing muttered, snuggling into him.


    "Anything you wanna talk about?" Andrew asked.


    Li Jing shook her head. "No."


    Andrew nodded, the two of them sitting there cuddling for a moment, before Andrew frowned as something occurred to him. "Hey Jing. Do you ever feel like- I''m not saying this is a problem, but- do you ever feel like we don''t¡­ talk enough? I mean, I love us just cuddling like this, just being with each other. It''s just us. But when I think about it, me and Cathryn talk a lot, cause we''re in each other''s heads and it''s just a thing, and¡­ well, I don''t want you to feel left out or anything."


    Li Jing blinked at him, taking a moment to take that in. "I- think it''s okay? I don''t feel like I need to talk to you any more than I do¡­ Unless, do you want me to talk more?"


    "I- don''t? I mean, I enjoy talking to you, but¡­ I don''t know, I feel like I almost get more of you when we''re just sitting here cuddling like this." Andrew replied.


    Li Jing smiled at him. "Me too."


    Andrew smiled back. "Okay, cool. I just- I wanted to make sure you were okay, you know? I don''t want you to feel like I''m neglecting you."


    Li Jing frowned. "I don''t think we need to talk¡­ I just need to know you think about me. And I know you think about me."


    Andrew raised an eyebrow. "You do?"


    "Of course." Li Jing smirked. "Cathryn and I do talk." Andrew froze. Why did that make him nervous?


    *


    Andrew stepped out of a portal dropping him right at the edge of the forest. "Alright, let''s do this." He muttered, before slinking off into the forest. It was¡­ actually oddly relaxing. Stalking through the wilderness, looking for prey¡­ this was what he did! Andrew rolled his shoulders. "Oh yeah, I''m gonna enjoy this." Andrew chuckled, his steps lightening as his legs shifted to rabbit folk legs and carapace covered him, stalking deeper into the forest, paying close attention to his aura sense, searching for the just right prey. After all, he was going to need some juicy achievements for his second Class advancement, right?


    The outer edge of the forest seemed to be a weaker area, all the animals Andrew encountered topping out around level ten, so he ended up heading deeper, following the slowly increasing average level. In the process, he focused on practicing his navigation skill, almost purposefully getting himself a bit lost as he navigated through the dense foliage. He also took some time to practice his Hide skill, since it was the perfect area for it, and the average level didn''t exactly increase quickly, so after an hour or so of travel, he needed something to break up the monotony. It also gave him some time to play with Shadow Energy, though he couldn''t do too much, since he didn''t want to waste his energy. He only used about a point an hour, which was well below his regeneration rate, but with his Sensitivity, that still gave him a lot to work with. It not only let him observe how Shadow worked, but it let him practice his Energy Control as well.


    It was getting close to evening when Andrew finally found something at a decent level, a rather surprising jump from the level fourteenish creatures he''d been seeing, right up to around level twenty. With his animal core, his true level was about fourteen, and with his new traits and the rest of his bullshit, a level twenty seemed like the perfect challenge. Plus, if all else failed, he was fairly confident he could run away, because¡­ he switched to his ant form as he flew closer. Who could catch a tiny, teleporting ant? Particularly since at this size, teleporting would cost him practically nothing, and with his Sensitivity, he could actually pay nothing.


    The creature was in a small clearing, so he had to land in some bushes near the edge before transforming back into his goblin form so he could get a good look at it, finding himself staring at a large bear as it clawed at a small mound near the center of the clearing. It''d clearly been at it for a while, having dug out a large divot in the hardened earth, which probably had something to do with the other aura Andrew now noticed, which was inside the mound. Andrew from slightly as he studied the aura in the mound. It felt¡­ strange, for some reason. It wasn''t exactly weak, but it was faded, and he couldn''t get a good grasp on it. Andrew considered it for a moment, before shrugging. Obviously whatever was in the mound was scared of the bear, so if he could kill the bear, he probably didn''t have to worry about whatever was in the mound. The question was, could he kill it?


    Andrew refocused on the bear, grimacing slightly. The thing was huge and there was a reason adding mass was a perk for ranking up. The more mass you had to put behind it, the more effective your Strength stat would be, and since the bear was clearly a Strength focused creature, getting hit by it would suck. Then again, he did have his Void Body helping him out¡­ But then again, even half a hit from a bear was still a pretty significant hit. Of course, with his Void Step, he could probably avoid getting hit period¡­ Andrew considered it for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Fuck it, I can always run." He muttered to himself. Plus, his aura healing still worked, so as long as the bear didn''t one-shot him, he''d be fine. And even if it did one shot him, that just meant¡­ Well, he wasn''t sure what the result would be, but he was pretty sure he''d just end up back at level one. Annoying, but not really a problem. He took a deep breath, before letting it out. "Let''s do this." He growled, suddenly disappearing from the bush as he teleported into the air above the bear, putting all his Strength, plus an Energy boost, into his first kick, right to the bear''s head!


    The bear''s head barely moved, but the bear still stumbled from the strike, proving that the head was still a weak spot, system or no. Andrew flipped away as the bear roared in fury, recovering and moving way faster than any animal that size rightly should to swipe one of its massive paws at him. Andrew Void Stepped out of the way, the bear charging after him with a roar. He sprinted towards the edge of the clearing, the bear hot in his heels, heading straight for a tree only to Void Step away at the last minute, reappearing behind the bears head and delivering another Energy powered kick to its head, causing it to stumble as it rammed into the solid¡­ oak? Didn''t matter. Andrew managed to get another four good Energy boosted kicks in before the tree burst into pieces as the bear pushed through it, roaring like- well, like some little piece of shit mutant was seriously pissing it off. "If I had claws, you''d be dead." Andrew grumbled, teleporting away. Why the hell had he thought that kicking would be a good combat style?!? He needed to rip and tear, not bludgeon and club!


    "Okay, time to switch things up." Andrew muttered as the bear swung around, its eyes literally red. Tends to happen when someone uses your head as a tap floor. With the same freakish display of speed, it charged towards him again, Andrew Void Stepping across the clearing then standing his ground as the air began to distort in front of him. He took a few steps back, waiting for the bear to charge through the distortion, and then¡­ The portal snapped shut, separating the front and back halves of the bear! Andrew quickly dodged to the side as the bear skidded past him with an anguished whine, whimpering pitifully as blood pooled around it.


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Andrew sighed. The portal was supposed to close on the front half of the bear, not the back! Now it''d take a few minutes for the bear to die, instead of a few seconds. But he didn''t have that much control over his portals. Any Energy he fed it couldn''t be taken back and it would keep going until all the Energy was gone. Unfortunately, there wasn''t much he could do to help things along, because repeatedly stomping on something''s head was not a good way to put it out of its misery, so he had to just watch the bear slowly fade away. Unless he took the bear''s core of course, but then he wouldn''t get any experience, which would defeat the point of even doing this. ¡°I really need claws.¡± He grumbled.


    Finally, a few minutes later, a rush of experience flowed into him, signifying the bear''s death, and Andrew let out a sigh of relief. He was fine with killing, but letting things suffer while they died just bothered him. ¡°Speaking of¡­¡± Andrew muttered, turning to the mound, taking a step towards it only to let out a yelp as he tripped. ¡°What the- huh¡­¡± Andrew paused as he took in his legs, specifically the brand new spike emerging from his heel. ¡°Where did that come from?¡± He hesitated for a moment before shifting fully into his rabbit folk form, his eyes widening as he grew, turning into a towering mass of muscle, still keeping the general shape of a rabbit folk, in the same way a house cat was the same shape as a tiger. Just add fangs, claws, and heel spikes apparently. Andrew grinned slightly as he turned back into his goblin form. ¡°Okay, now that I can work with. But first¡­¡±


    Andrew turned back to the mound, walking over and placing a hand on it, focusing  on his aura sense, trying to get a better view of what was inside. There¡­ was something in there, that was for sure. Andrew couldn''t tell what the thing was, but it wasn''t big, and it obviously wasn''t doing great according to his aura sense. "Hmmm¡­ I can either save it, or at least give it a quick death, right?" Andrew muttered to himself. Leaving the thing to die in a hole in the ground just felt wrong. He couldn''t even bear to watch the bear die slow, and it tried to kill him! After he attacked it, sure, but still. No, he had to at least do something.


    Andrew approached the divot the bear had been working at, his hands growing claws, or at least longer, more useful claws, and carapace as he began to dig. The bear had been pretty close, so with his increased strength, it only took him about half an hour to finish the job and break into the small pocket. "Finally." Andrew grunted, wiping the dirt off his face and waving the dust away. "Now, let''s-" Andrew began, before freezing. Lying on the floor, looking like she''d lost a fight uncomfortably recently, covered in burns and wounds that looked suspiciously similar to what you''d get if a certain goblin chieftain hit you with his ax, was an elf¡­ and she was wearing a rather familiar cloak, just like the people he''d seen the night he''d grabbed the rabbit folk cores. "Oh, shit." Andrew cursed. How the fuck was he supposed to deal with this?!?

 Aura: 43 - Essence

    Andrew glared down at the unconscious elf, his expression twisting as he considered what to do. His first instinct was to help her somehow, patch up her wounds, get her to her people, something. It was an elf! They were the good guys! Helping out a fragile, desperate elf girl was exactly the sort of thing the hero in one of the books Andrew read growing up would do. However¡­ At the moment, Andrew wasn''t one of those heroes. He was a goblin. A goblin from the tribe this elf just attacked, murdering his friends in the process! By all rights, he should kill her. No, what he should do was drag her back to the tribe and hand her over so she could replace the lives she stole! That''s what any true goblin would do. Andrew let out a weary sigh. Unfortunately, the fact remained that he wasn''t a true goblin. He was Andrew. And Andrew couldn''t willingly hand over another living creature to go through something like that. No matter how much he thought she deserved it.


    That left his only option as killing the poor girl. Which¡­ well, he''d probably do it, he just wasn''t happy about it. It was objectively the shittiest option. His human side was telling him to save the girl, take her to her home, join the elf society, and become a hero like a freaking isekai MC or something. His goblin side was begging him to take her back to the tribe, or better yet take her himself. The tribe needed to grow and apparently that first Class Advancement was when goblins hit puberty. Which, he supposed, would make him a different sort of isekai protagonist¡­ However, if he just killed her, he wouldn''t be doing anyone any good. Her death wouldn''t bring any of the goblins back to life. He supposed he could just leave her¡­ Those wounds didn''t look pretty, so she''d probably die on her own at some point. Killing her himself would be more of a mercy than anything. Plus it''d get him a few levels at least¡­ probably a bit more than a few. Shit, if she could fight the Shaman and the Chief, she''d probably get him close to a hundred, right?


    Andrew froze as he realized something else. If he was going to kill her anyway¡­ well, it kinda sucked she was female, but he could definitely use a core from one of the noble races, couldn''t he? Andrew rolled the idea around in his mind, slowly nodding as it appealed to him more and more. An elf form would mean he could go pretty much anywhere. Goblins were¡­ Well, they were monsters. Even the Shaman admitted that. Even if he found someplace with humans or elves, it wouldn''t do him any good, because they''d sooner see a goblin dead than trade with one. Understandably so, but still. He could probably find other monster races to trade with, like kobolds or orcs or whatever, but for Andrew, it wasn''t just about trade. He''d even say trade was more of an afterthought. His goal was to explore, and that''d be a lot more difficult if he had to worry about people hunting him down all the time.


    That just left the question of whether it was worth giving up the experience to take the core. Unless¡­ Andrew narrowed his eyes. Was it possible to do both? There was only one way to find out, now wasn''t there? First things first, Andrew prepared to direct all the experience towards his animale core. He didn''t know how many levels he''d get, but he knew he didn''t want to waste experience butting up against his second Class advancement, particularly when all he needed to do to balance things out was shift his aura around. This would be for his¡­ whatever his rabbit folk core had turned into after its Advancement. Odds were it was about to get another one, so he wasn''t too concerned with figuring it out. Next, Andrew stretched out his aura, wrapping it around the elf''s core, ready to pull it out at a moment''s notice. Then it was a simple matter of gripping the elf''s head with his fancy new claws, and squeezing. The elf didn''t even wake up before she died, Andrew waiting to feel the experience flowing into him before he yanked her core out and into himself. ¡°Ha! It wor-¡± Andrew began to cheer, before freezing as a screen appeared in front of him.


    [Achievement: Slay an Intellect bearing individual with a superior Rank and Level - +1 Intellect per level.]


    [Intellect has surpassed ten! Evolution in progress!]


    A glowing cocoon suddenly enveloped Andrew before he could even react.


    [Analyzing traits¡­]


    [Error! Multiple statuses detected!]


    [Resolving¡­]


    Andrew''s eyes- well, they would have widened if he wasn''t currently a glowing mass of nothing as he watched his cores merge, a foreign force surging through him as it melded his cores into a unified whole.


    [Unknown ability detected! Analyzing¡­]


    Andrew felt something tug and prod, not at his cores, but at his aura.


    [Essence manipulation detected. Essence consumption detected. Essence consciousness detected.]


    [Incorporating findings into Evolution¡­]


    [Race set as Essence Changeling!]


    [Essence Changeling: Consume the Essence of other beings to gain their form and traits.]


    [Base stats:


    Strength: 10


    Agility: 10


    Will: 10


    Intellect: 10


    Energy: 10


    Sensitivity: 10]


    [Categorizing race¡­ Race is self sufficient! Categorizing as Noble race! Establishing Noble status¡­]


    A new page flickered into being in Andrew''s vision.


    [Race: Essence Changeling


    Class: N/A [+]


    Strength: 10


    Agility: 10


    Will: 10


    Intellect: 10


    Energy: 10


    Sensitivity: 1-]


    The page flickered for a moment.


    [Sensitivity: 444]


    Andrew would have rolled his eyes if he had them. Even whatever this strange process was couldn''t erase the skill he''d been training since childhood.


    [Calculating race Rank¡­ Changeling race, Rank set at the Rank of Changeling''s highest form: Wood Elf - Rank four.]


    [Finalizing Evolution¡­]


    The glow surrounding Andrew began to dim as his body began to reform, until he dropped to the ground, naked, a spitting image of the dead elf in front of him. As the last of a glow faded, a final message appeared.


    [Evolution successful!]


    *Well¡­ that was something.* Beast Andrew commented through their connection.


    Andrew absently agreed as he studied his new status, frowning. All his levels, all his stats, and all his skills were just gone! The Evolution had completely reset everything! Andrew quickly checked his traits. "Fuck!" His Shadow Skin and Void Body were still there, but the traits from his skills were just gone! As if they never existed! Replaced with¡­ Andrew paused, frowning as he examined the new traits. The first was Essence Assimilation, which let him steal the form and racial traits of anything he killed, which seemed to just be the base trait of this new race of his. He wondered if it was automatic, or if he still had to steal cores for it to work. He also got a trait called False Status, which let him create a fake status page, so that people with detection skills like the Shaman wouldn''t immediately out him as a Changeling. Definitely helpful.


    The next trait was Racial Purity, which¡­ Well, apparently it made sure that any kids he had would have his race, and not his partners. Since he was the only Essence Changeling out there, that was probably a good thing? Maybe? But then the next trait threw him for a loop. Racial Progenitor - All your progeny will share your race. Why the fuck would he have two traits that made sure his kids were the same race as him? Unless¡­ Andrew smacked his head as he looked at the rest of the traits. Of course! The trait came from his goblin form!


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Andrew paused, before quickly reading through the rest of the list and letting out a relieved sigh. He got the Racial Purity trait, but nothing that suggested he''d end up killing anyone he procreated with. Not that Andrew was particularly looking to start a family or anything, at least not in this world, but the idea that having sex would result in him killing someone didn''t sit well with him. The only other trait from the goblin seemed to be Enhanced Virility, which just increased the odds of him getting someone pregnant, making it almost guaranteed. Andrew paused again. Goblins really did suck, didn''t they? Though, he supposed the ease of conception did mean less sex¡­ if you were going to die anyway, it was probably better to get raped less, rather than more, right?


    Andrew''s expression twisted. He did not like thinking about that topic. Shaking his head to try and clear away the disturbing thoughts, he focused on looking through the rest of his new traits. He got Enhanced Senses, which¡­ enhanced his senses. He briefly looked around, noting that yes, the world did seem a bit clearer. He also got a trait called One with Nature, which gave him the Plant Affinity, increased healing in natural environments, and the ability to speak with any natural being, whatever that meant. The final trait was Apex Predator, which allowed him to give off an aura to intimidate anything weaker than him. Probably from whatever the rabbit folk turned into. He also had a new [Forms] page which listed his goblin, elf (specifically wood elf), ant, rabbitoid (still a dumb name), and¡­ leaping terror? forms.


    Andrew sat back against the wall of the hollow, considering his current situation. First, and most importantly, he was back at level one, stuck in the middle of a dangerous forest, surrounded by creatures that could kill him in an instant¡­ Well, he could always turn into an ant and escape, so that wasn''t such a big deal. The problem was that he''d lost all his stats, so getting anywhere was going to take forever. Andrew groaned, letting his head fall in frustration, before pausing as he blinked at his own chest. "Well those are new." An unexpectedly feminine voice muttered, causing Andrew to jump in shock, before his expression twisted in grim amusement. "Right. I''m a female elf." He chuckled bitterly. "Let''s just hope there aren''t any other goblins running around out here."


    Andrew shook his head, refocusing on problems he could solve. First, resources. Namely, figuring out what he did have. He obviously had his goblin stuff, which essentially amounted to his clothing and a small knife¡­ not going to help him very much. Though it may have been nice to remember the knife back when the bear was dying. Other than that¡­ Andrew glanced over at the dead elf, before letting out a sigh. Desperate times, desperate measures. It was time to loot the body. Andrew scrambled over to the corpse and pulled her out of the small depression she''d made for herself, laying her out flat on the ground. Behind her, he found a small bag and¡­ Andrew blinked at the small piece of glass wrapped in a heavy duty case.


    "Is- is that a phone?!?" He muttered incredulously, scrambling to pick it up, tapping at the screen to turn it on. It immediately lit up, showing some strange symbols and a notification that was flashing red. Andrew swiped at it, pulling up another screen which gave him the option of putting in a code or using what Andrew assumed was a thumbprint to get in, which after some testing proved that yes, it was a thumbprint as the device opened. Andrew immediately went to the flashing notification, trying to open it or turn it off or something, but it was locked behind another code and this one didn''t have any other options.


    Andrew frowned at it, wondering how he should handle this. If elf phones worked like the phones back on Earth, then the red flashing notification was some kind of warning. The question was whether it was a warning the elf sent, or a warning the elf received¡­ and Andrew was leaning towards sent. Some kind of emergency beacon that would alert someone to come and save her or something. Which, seeing as Andrew was currently in need of a bit of saving, might be a good thing? But those saviors would be elves¡­ which could be trouble. The next question would be if it''s bringing people, or just alerting anyone nearby¡­ the elf had hunkered down, which suggested it was bringing someone, unless she was forced to hunker down by the bear, in which case¡­ Andrew frowned. They were pretty deep in the forest at this point. The elf probably would have hid in a safer area if the beacon could bring someone to her.


    That just left Andrew to decide what he was actually going to do about it. He could try heading back to the tribe, but he''d need to make it all the way back on his own, which without his previous stats, would take him days. Also there was the issue of what he''d do once he got there, since clearly he''d lost all his stats and traits. Would the others believe him when he said he''d lost them when he Evolved or would they think it''s more likely that some other creature had killed their little Artek to try and take his place? Particularly when he explained that his new race was a freaking changeling that stole forms by killing people¡­ oh, and it was a damn noble race! Yeah, that sounded like a good way to get an ax to the face. However, would it go down any better with the elves? Some random elf chick who probably looks just like this other elf chick who disappeared, but she''s level one and she doesn''t know shit about elves. Yeah, that''d go over real well.


    "Well, shit, I''m just screwed then, aren''t I?" Andrew muttered with a frown. This Evolution shit really fucked him over. He only had the one core now, which was back at level one, so his stats were crap. He''d lost all his skill traits, which meant no portal back home. And to top it all off, he''d lost all his skills, which meant no bonuses! Plus, the biggest issue was the question of how he''d Evolved. Would the goblins believe him if he said it was because he killed the elf? It was true, but also a little convenient, right? Definitely suspicious. But then again, anything he''d do would be suspicious, so maybe he should just risk it? He''d definitely prefer to be with the goblins¡­ as much as they were monsters, they were as close to family as he had in this world.


    Suddenly, the world thumped once, then again. "Ha!" A voice cried out. "Noble race! It''s mine, Levi!"


    "This is bullshit! That trait is as monstrous as they come!" Another voice protested, Levi presumably. Andrew turned to see two men, one a huge orc and the other probably human, standing in the clearing, the small craters under their feet suggesting they''d landed there hard, not that they showed it.


    "Not according to the system it isn''t." The human retorted smugly.


    Levi snorted. "Stupid, arbitrary-" He cut off, waving his hand dismissively. "Fine, the child is yours, as the truce demands." A portal opened behind him as he turned to leave, pausing to give Andrew one last look. "A pity. We could have made you something truly exceptional."


    Andrew blinked as the orc left and the portal closed, turning to look at the chuckling human. "Ah, don''t mind him." He waved dismissively at where the portal used to be. "Orcs are a greedy lot and he always gets a stick up his ass when one of you uplifts ends up noble. But where are my manners! My name is Justin Thyme, at your service." He bowed with a flourish. "I assure you I mean you no harm. As what we call an Uplifted, you represent a fresh source of strength for the noble races, and we will do everything we can to give your new race the best foundation to become a powerful new ally in our eternal conflict with the monsters." He smirked. "You cannot imagine how convenient it is that you''ve picked up that One with Nature trait. Usually it takes forever to convince a new uplift that we aren''t trying to harm them and would they please just learn the damn language already!" Justin chuckled, before pausing. "You actually have quite a few interesting traits there¡­ plus that Sensitivity! Or are you faking that with your trait?" He looked her over thoughtfully for a moment, before shrugging. "Ah well, it''s no matter. Hardly the strangest thing I''ve ever come across." He then pulled something that looked like a poncho out of nowhere and tossed it to Andrew. "If you would put your head through that hole there¡­" Andrew quickly did so, happy to no longer be naked. Justin smiled as he opened a portal of his own, waving for Andrew to follow him. "Now come along, let''s get you situated."


    Andrew blinked, struggling to process all the new information, sticking on one particular point. "You aren''t¡­ mad?" He asked, gesturing towards the corpse of the elf girl.


    Justin''s expression twisted. "Well, I can''t say I''m happy, but this is the way of things. The only way for a beast to Uplift is to kill a creature with Intellect, which means killing a member of either a noble or monstrous race. Of course, they must also be of a higher level and rank, and the beast has to be lucky enough to gain the ten levels they need to raise their Intellect stat enough to meet the Evolution requirement, but¡­ well, the point is, every Uplift is born from death. Typically those who kill a monstrous race become noble, while those who kill a noble race become monstrous, but it isn''t a guarantee, and we can''t exactly blame you for your behavior when you were mindless, now can we? No one wants to wipe out a potentially powerful race simply due to the tragedy of their birth." Andrew nodded slowly. That¡­ made sense. "Now please, come along." Justin waved at him more insistently. "We can discuss your situation at greater length after we''ve returned to civilization. I don''t wish to become fodder for some other beast''s uplifting, you understand."


    Andrew hesitated, before nodding and walking through the portal. He had questions, a lot of questions, but he didn''t think they''d be resolved in a simple five minute conversation. He just hoped he wasn''t walking into some kind of trap.

 Aura: 44 - Noble vs Monster

    Justin closed the portal behind them with a breath of relief. Andrew looked around at the large circular chamber they''d arrived in, particularly the ring of guards surrounding them, weapons at the ready, at least until the portal closed and they relaxed. The leader chuckled at Justin''s obvious relief. "Welcome home, Master Thyme. Another productive mission, I see. A new elf this time?" A clearly feminine voice echoed out from behind the helmet.


    Justin scowled at the woman''s amusement. "Not an elf, no. A Changeling. And you wouldn''t be laughing if you were the one who had to jump into that thrice damned forest all the time!"


    "If the forest makes you this nervous, why did you take the position?" A younger sounding guard asked curiously.


    Justin sniffed. "I took it because that damned forest didn''t make me nervous until after I took this position! Do you know how many times I''ve arrived to find a fresh Uplift standing over the corpse of someone even I would hesitate to pick a fight with? Someone who could destroy me with a twitch of their pinky finger?!? Too many times! That forest is a deathtrap! If it wasn''t the sole barrier between us and the monsters, I''d suggest we burn it to the ground and salt the earth so it never returns!"


    "It''s only happened four times in the last decade." The leader commented, the eye roll clear in her tone. "I would hardly call that common."


    "Common enough given the amount of time I spend jumping in and out of the cursed place." Justin grumbled under his breath.


    The leader snorted, turning her focus towards Andrew. "A Changeling, huh? I''m surprised she''s noble. Aren''t they usually monstrous?"


    It was Justin''s turn to chuckle. "Oh yes, and you wouldn''t believe how much it pissed Levi off. It almost makes it worth the risk of entering that damn forest." He shook his head. "However, I believe it is time to hand this young one over for orientation." He patted Andrew on the shoulder, pushing him gently towards the door.


    The leader grunted, gesturing for the guards to open the door, letting the two of them leave before closing it behind them. Justin quickly walked ahead, leading Andrew down a long hallway and up a few flights of stairs before they arrived at a large¡­ station? Whatever it was, it was full of more of those circular platforms, which people continually walked on and off of as portals opened and closed behind them. Wherever they were coming from appeared to be private, as there was another set of guards at the entrance, which Justin ignored as he quickly walked off towards a particular circle.


    "You can''t use personal portals inside the city." Justin explained as they arrived at the circle, waiting for the next portal to open. "Too chaotic, you understand. So we have to make do with the city portals."


    Andrew nodded in understanding. It was the same with the portals back on Earth. Even though any Tiger could make their own portal whenever they wanted, they had to use the official portals anyway, because random portals would make it harder to detect when something dangerous made its way to Earth.


    The portal opened not long after, and the two stepped through into a lobby of some sort. Justin led Andrew past what appeared to be the public area, up a flight of stairs, and into a small, but comfortable looking office. Justin went behind the desk and fell into a comfortable looking office chair. "It''s good to be back." He sighed in a tone of sheer relief, taking a moment to relax before sitting up and gesturing for Andrew to take a seat. "Please, sit. I''ve already put in a request for your personal orientation guide, but it will take a few hours for them to find someone and send them over, so feel free to ask any questions you like in the meantime. I''m sure you have plenty." He finished with a chuckle.


    Andrew took a seat, sorting through the chaos that was whirling through his mind, before settling on the most innocuous question he could think of at the moment. "What is this place?"


    "This is the grand city Nobilis, the capital of the entire noble realm, where every noble race exists in peace and equality!" Justin announced grandly, spreading his arms. "Specifically, this is the city hall, which is where the majority of the city''s administration takes place, including the retrieval and integration of new uplifts. Even more specifically, this is my office, where I twiddle my thumbs until it''s time to venture forth into the wilds in response to a fresh uplifting signature. Typically only happens three or four times a week, so it¡¯s a relatively relaxing job, if not for that unholy forest."


    Andrew blinked. "That many new races are born every week?"


    "Ha!" Justin let out a short laugh. "No, no. The majority of uplifts fit into one of the established races, with maybe a minor variation or two. An elf is an elf, even if there''s never been a swamp elf before. Even you fit nicely into the changeling race, though I''ve never heard of an Essence Changeling before. No, truly unique races are rare. I''ve only encountered a single one in my entire time in this position and I was lucky." He paused. "Now, that isn''t to say these individual variations aren''t useful. A normal changeling, or at least a normal noble changeling, can only alter their appearance. Your ability to steal traits¡­ Well, Levi had a point when he said it was monstrous. Even then, the theft is usually temporary, or locked into a certain form. For you to simply have the traits¡­ Well, let me assure you, there will be many people who will be very interested in helping your race grow."


    Andrew frowned. "What does that mean, exactly?"


    "Well, not to be excessively crass, but¡­" Justin coughed awkwardly. "We will ensure that you have ample opportunity for¡­ procreation."


    Andrew''s frown deepened. "How does that work?!?"


    Justin sighed. "Well, you see, we noble races have¡­ standards, so we obviously can''t just give you mates. That would be a sapient rights violation. Freedom of choice and whatnot. So instead, we put you in a position to find¡­ volunteers. Parties, blind dates, hobby groups, adventure teams, any way to help you develop¡­ connections with other people. From there it''s simply a matter of letting nature take its course. Of course, the details will be handled by your orientation guide. Just don''t try to force yourself on anyone and you''ll be fine."


    Not exactly what Andrew was concerned about, but it answered his question nonetheless. He didn''t have to worry about the noble races just giving him women to fuck. That would have been awkward. This was more like the Bonded, where they were interested in his children and willing to set him up to be successful, but they weren''t going to force anything. Of course, that begged the question of how he was supposed to handle his relationship with Cathryn and Li Jing in this situation¡­ could he develop other relationships in this world? He was still technically the same person, even with the different body¡­ would being with someone else be cheating? Andrew considered the question for a moment, before shaking his head. That wasn''t something he could decide on his own. He''d need to talk it over with them.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Now, you''re probably wondering what the deal is with your new system, aren''t you?" Justin continued, more to change the subject than anything else. "Each time you level up, you will receive attribute points equal to ten plus your race''s rank times two. So a rank one would receive twelve AP per level, a rank two would receive fourteen, and so on¡­" He paused, narrowing his eyes at Andrew. "On second thought, don''t worry about the math for now. I''ll make sure your orientation guide knows to sign you up for a basic education course." Andrew''s expression twisted at that. He knew how to do simple math! "Anyway, the point is, each time you level up, you get points you can spend to make yourself stronger and you level up by using your skills or by defeating beasts, or monsters, or even other noble races, though that''s illegal in most cases. Don''t go hunting other nobles, or it will end badly for you." Justin warned seriously. "Oh, but before you can level up, you have to gain a Class by acquiring a General Skill. Then, once you gain your Class, you will receive two Skill Points and then another two for each level, which you can spend to acquire and develop Class Skills, which will increase your capabilities significantly.¡±


    Justin went on to explain the attributes and how they worked, and after briefly checking to make sure they were the same as his stats, Andrew tuned him out to consider the differences between the monstrous status and the noble status. He got less stat points per level, but he also got two Skill Points¡­ Did that make up for it? It- probably depended on the quality of his skills, huh? A large boost would more than make up for lower stats. Then again, he probably wouldn''t get any evolution options, but he would have twice as many skills to gain traits from¡­ Andrew frowned as he mulled it over, not sure how to determine which one was better. He glanced at Justin. Maybe he could just ask? "Uh, what about the monstrous status? Is it better or worse than the noble one?¡± Andrew interjected.


    Justin blinked, before leaning back and letting out a long breath. "That is a matter of debate. Many, many debates. Long debates." He explained. "The monstrous status combines race and Class, letting them develop physically, but hampering their skill growth. They also gain fifteen attributes per level, plus three times their rank, though only a third of their points can be assigned freely. The drawback is that their skills tend to be underdeveloped, but their attributes¡­ The weakest monstrous race can match the attribute gain of a rank four noble race, and while it is harder for them to advance their rank due to their limited skill points, it is by no means impossible. That, plus the physical superiority granted by their evolutions, means that every monster is dangerous, no matter what skills they have. As for the noble races, without any combat skills, we can be practically harmless. However, with combat skills, particularly well developed ones that synergize with each other, we can become truly ridiculous.¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°But then, so can they with properly synergized and developed skills and evolutions, so honestly, it''s a bit of a wash. Particularly if you focus on aspects beyond combat.¡±


    Andrew leaned back in his chair. So that''s why the tribe was so focused on him. Anyone who had the potential to actually develop their skills was necessary to stand up against the combat focused members of the noble races. To face the raiders that sought to wipe them off the face of the planet. Andrew''s expression twisted. And he''d just gone and disappeared on them. On Corek! He was not going to handle this well. He wondered if they''d find the clearing. His clothes were still there, as was the elf''s corpse. And the bear. It wasn''t that far from their territory. There was a good chance a hunting party would go through there at some point. What would they think happened? The bear obviously died to him, while the elf clearly died to some large beast¡­ would they think the bear killed the elf then he killed the bear? But then what would they think happened to him? Hmmm¡­ maybe they''d think he killed the bear, which drew the attention of another, stronger beast that killed him before digging out the elf and killing her before evolving. Or just leaving. Did they know about Evolution? The Shaman hadn''t mentioned it, but the Shaman didn''t mention a lot of things. Honestly, he kinda sucked as a teacher. Great at making a young goblin feel at home, but not teaching.


    The real question was, what was he going to do about it? If he was lucky he could hit level ten soon and get the Voidwalker Class again, hopefully get a portal trait, and head back to the tribe. Using his False Status trait, he could appear just as he was before he left, make up some crazy story about what happened¡­ they''d probably buy it? Maybe? However¡­ Now that he wasn''t a goblin, Andrew didn''t really want to support what they did. He definitely didn''t want to hurt them, but he didn''t want to be a part of a tribe that by necessity kidnapped women and did¡­ that to them. He wanted to make sure Corek and the Shaman were okay, but otherwise¡­ he didn''t really want to be involved.


    Andrew shook his head. That could wait until later. For now, he should focus on figuring out what''s up with this place and leveling up his Class so he could actually do whatever it was he decided to do. And a good place to start would be actually getting a Class, right? Andrew pulled up his status, hitting the plus next to his Class. Immediately, his Class slot was filled with [Trainee] at level one and he gained two skill points. He also gained a long list of General Skills. He was about to put a point into Rest, figuring he might as well start the same way he had before, when he paused. Sitting at the top of the list were three skills.


    General Skill - Restful Self Examination: 24 [4]


    General Skill - Counter Kick: 38 [2]


    General Skill - Precise Navigation: 13 [3]


    Andrew blinked. Was this¡­ could he just buy those skills? That was¡­ just a point cheaper, actually. Andrew considered it for a moment. The biggest point was that just buying the skills wouldn''t let him increase their quality¡­ not that he needed to, but he''d need to work on his skills to level up anyway, so wouldn''t it be better to work on them in a way that might actually benefit him in the long run? Though¡­ he didn''t need to start from the bottom. He could start with Concentrated Examination, which would benefit both his inner sight skill and his navigation skill.


    The real question was what he was going to do with the rest of his skill points. He could double down on his pathfinder skills, but¡­ he''d just learned that without some decent skill synergies, he''d be practically useless in combat, so it might be smart to get some more combat skills¡­ or maybe magic? In fact, was being a pathfinder even necessary anymore? These people had phones and teleportation. Would he even need those skills to explore anymore? Andrew frowned thoughtfully for a moment, before shaking his head. No matter what, he was getting his inner sight skill back. After that¡­ Well, he''d need to see what his life was going to look like first.

 Aura: 45 - Quinn

    The rest of the time waiting in Justin''s office was spent in awkward silence. Andrew didn''t know what to ask without revealing he knew way more than a recently Uplifted individual should, and Justin had no idea what to talk about with someone who was essentially a newborn. He usually didn''t have to handle this part, because most Uplifts couldn''t even speak at this point. Generally they''d be waiting in a holding cell until someone with a translation skill or trait could arrive to calm them down. Arguably, someone with such an ability would be better suited for Justin''s job than he was, but the ones with traits were generally high ranks who considered the job beneath them, while the ones with skills didn''t have the combat ability necessary to fill the role. Truce or no, if they sent someone weak to pick up the new uplift, the monstrous races would just kill them both.


    An hour or so passed that way, until there was a hesitant knock at the door, and an unnecessarily attractive woman peeked in. "Hello? I was told to report here as an orientation guide for a new Uplift?"


    "Yes! Please, come in, come in!" Justin waved her in, more than ready to hand Andrew over for someone else to deal with. "You''re a changeling as well, yes?" The woman nodded hesitantly. "Good! Here is the general orientation packet, along with a few specific suggestions I''ve noted might be helpful. Of course, you''re free to disregard all of this if you wish, but be warned that if you are found negligent in your duties, there are harsh penalties. Uplifts may appear to be fully mature but they are essentially children and in need of a similar level of guidance. If you do not believe you can handle such a responsibility, best to speak up now, rather than face the consequences later." Justin finished in a serious tone.


    The woman nodded. "I understand. They warned me already when I accepted the task."


    "Good. I assume you have suitable accommodations prepared?" Justin asked.


    "I- recently lost my roommate and with the compensation for this task, I can cover both rents." The woman assured him.


    Justin pursed his lips. "I''ll make sure to put in for an extra housing allowance. That compensation is meant to reward your service, not to support your charge. If there are any other expenses, within reason, let me know and I''ll see about getting you reimbursed."


    The woman''s eyes widened slightly. "That- uh, thank you. That helps a lot."


    "Of course, one of your first tasks should be getting them set up with their own account, through which they''ll receive their own allowance¡­ eh, it''s all in the packet." Justin waved dismissively. "Though I''d suggest seeing about getting them a name sometime soon." He paused thoughtfully for a moment. "I believe that is all¡­ do you have any other concerns before you go?"


    The woman was leafing through the packet, giving it a cursory look over, before glancing at Andrew. "Can- can they understand me?"


    "I can." Andrew nodded, causing the woman to jump slightly.


    Justin chuckled. "They managed to get the One with Nature perk. Very convenient, let me assure you."


    The woman nodded. "Then¡­ I think that''s all? I can always call if I have any questions, right?"


    "Unless I''m handling another retrieval, yes." Justin nodded. "But as long as you leave a message, I''ll get back to you as soon as possible."


    The woman gave the packet another once over, before turning to Andrew. "Shall we go then?"


    Andrew nodded, standing up to follow her out, pausing at the door to turn back to Justin and giving him a small bow. "Thank you for¡­ everything, I guess."


    Justin smiled back. "It''s no problem. Just doing my job."


    Andrew gave him one last nod before turning to follow the woman out. "So¡­ what''s your name?" Andrew asked as they headed down towards the lobby.


    "Oh, I completely forgot! I''m Quinn, sorry." She flushed. "It''s- it''s my first time doing something like this¡­ changelings are pretty rare, especially in the noble races. I''m one of the few in the city so I was pretty much obligated to put my name on the list of people to call in case of a new uplift. Not that I''m complaining or anything! I just- well, I never expected it to actually happen, particularly not so soon."


    "Soon?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow at her.


    Quinn nodded. "I just moved to the city a few months ago. I''m a Dungeon Streamer and this is where all the best dungeons are."


    Andrew blinked. "A dungeon what?"


    "Stream- oh, right, you wouldn''t know!" Quinn smacked her forehead in a ''duh'' motion. "Basically, I delve the local dungeons, recording everything I do and then post it onli- er¡­ on the inter- ugh, there''s this place where I can post it where other people can view it and the more people who do, the more money I make, okay? It helps people get familiar with the dungeons before they delve them themselves, though some people simply watch for the entertainment value."


    Andrew blinked at her, his eyes widening slightly. His orientation guide was a freaking influencer! Which, he supposed, explained her unnaturally good looks¡­ who needed a filter when you had shapeshifting? Though if she was going into dungeons for it¡­ "So you must be pretty strong then, huh?"


    Quinn flushed. "I- I mean, I''m just starting out¡­ my videos are more exploration based, focusing on the dungeon environment, rather than combat."


    Andrew nodded. So the short answer was no, she wasn''t strong. Not that it particularly mattered, he supposed. "So what are we going to do now?"


    "Well, first, we need to get you some clothes and a few other basic necessities." Quinn explained, glad for the change of topic. She wasn''t exactly proud of what her videos had turned into recently, but money was money and living in the city was expensive.


    They took the portal back to the station, then another to what looked like a shopping district full of shops and advertisements, all competing to grab the most attention possible. Quinn ignored all of it, dragging Andrew away from the main strip and down a few side streets until they arrived at a small, out of the way shop. "Quinn! It''s good to see you!" The person behind the counter exclaimed as they walked in, coming out to pull her into a hug. "How have you been? Have you had any issues with those new outfits? They aren''t too constricting, are they?"


    Quinn flushed, pulling away. "They''ve been working perfectly, Alana. Just like you said. I''m here about something else. A new uplift, a changeling." She gestured towards Andrew. "They need some clothes."


    Andrew blinked at Alana as she turned to face him, raising a finger to point at her. "Why are you made of jello?" He asked numbly. The woman was literally see through!


    Alana giggled. "It''s slime, dear." She explained, letting her hand turn to goop before reforming it. "Even slimes can be Uplifted, and my race is the result! Though I do sometimes wish the system had named us something more creative than ''Slime Folk''." She added with a grumble.


    Quinn rolled her eyes. "So does every beast folk out there." She retorted. "I think the only ones happy about it are the Dragon Folk."


    "I think they''re more happy about being one of the few rank seven races than they are about the name." Alana countered, before clapping her hands and sending a small ripple through her body. "But enough small talk! We must resolve the tragedy that is your current outfit!" She exclaimed, waving at Andrew. "You are literally wearing a sack!" Alana immediately dragged Andrew deeper into the store, picking pieces of clothing off the racks as she did, before shoving him into a small changing room with the pile of clothes. "Put those on while we find you a few more outfits. Shout if you have any questions." She insisted, before rushing off to plan Andrew''s new wardrobe with Quinn.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Andrew blinked down at the pile of clothing, picking up the first article: a plain, white bra. He looked up at the mirror to see his pretty elven face staring back at him. "This¡­ is going to be awkward."


    *


    Since his only other forms were an insect, a goblin, a rabbitoid, and a leaping terror, none of which would be acceptable for walking around a city, Andrew sucked it up and put the clothes on, all the while questioning the decision to give him a half-shirt that exposed a good portion of his midriff and a freaking skirt! Admittedly, the clothing did make him look attractive, but he felt practically naked wearing it! He would literally kill for a male form right now¡­ which was convenient, since that''s what he''d have to do if he wanted one. The only upside was that the clothes fit perfectly, so while they showed more skin than he thought they should, he didn''t have to worry about anyone seeing anything they shouldn''t.


    "Everything okay in there?" A sudden knock came at the dressing room door as Quinn checked in on him, causing him to jump.


    "Y- yes, I''m- I''m done." Andrew sighed, opening the door and stepping out, shifting awkwardly as Quinn stepped back, looking him up and down.


    Quinn clicked her tongue as she finished. "I need an elf form."


    Alana nodded along as she looked Andrew over as well. "It would certainly help. Maybe you could pick it up from this one?"


    Quinn''s expression twisted. "Unlikely. I might get her original form, but acquired forms are hard to share."


    "What a shame." Alana yawned as her own form began to shift, changing to look a lot like Andrew.


    Quinn scowled at her, before flicking a loose button at her, which sunk under her ''skin'' as Alana giggled. She rolled her eyes, turning back to Andrew and raising a few bags worth of clothes. "I picked out a few different styles for you to try out. You should spend a few days seeing what you like before buying anything more."


    Andrew nodded. "Should I try them on to make sure they fit?" He asked as he took the bags.


    Alana snorted. "Don''t worry, all my clothing is made with those who can alter their shape in mind. No matter what form you take in the future, my clothes will make sure you look your best!" She announced proudly, before pausing. "Within reason, of course."


    "That''s why we came here." Quinn nodded. "The usual shops don''t carry auto-fitting enchantments, since self-cleaning and enhanced durability are more popular. Most people don''t need to worry about suddenly changing shape, you know?"


    "What?!? You didn''t come just to visit your precious friend Alana?!?" Alana exclaimed in mock offense.


    "As if I''d ever willingly visit a bitter old puddle of muck like you." Quinn snorted, sticking her tongue out at her. Both women then giggled before pulling each other into a hug. "It was good to see you."


    "You should come over for dinner sometime." Alana insisted.


    "I''ll see what I can do." Quinn sighed. "You know how it is. Everyone always wants more."


    "Hey, you don''t owe them anything, remember that." Alana replied in a serious tone. "You give them what you can, and that''s either enough, or it isn''t. No one has the right to push you to do anything you don''t want to do."


    "I know." Quinn muttered, nodding along with a slightly bitter expression, before turning to Andrew. "Come on, I should get you home and set up before it gets too late."


    Andrew blinked, looking out the window and noticing the sun was only just starting to set¡­ again. How far from the forest was Nobilis?!? That was at least a two or three hour time difference. Andrew shook his head. "Okay."


    Quinn led the way back to the portal station, heading to yet another pad which led to a residential district. Andrew was starting to think the Bonded were severely under utilizing their portals. Though, in order to set things up this way, you needed quite a bit of city planning, making sure everything went in the right area¡­ The City was more of a natural sprawl. Quinn''s building wasn''t exactly close to the portal, so they had to walk a good fifteen minutes to get there, which was not fun with Andrew''s reduced stats. It did give him some good experience for his Walk skill though. They then took the elevator up to the fourth floor, then room four zero four, which turned out to be a small, but comfortable looking two bedroom apartment.


    "Welcome home!" Quinn turned, spreading her arms to show off the small apartment. "That''s going to be your room over there, the bathroom is down there, and the laundry room is in the basement. Uh¡­ let me show you how to put away your clothes real quick, then I''ll start making dinner, okay?"


    Andrew resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he followed her into the bedroom, watching her fold and put away the various articles of clothing. There were only a few sets, so she finished fairly quickly before leaving to start making them a meal. Once she left, Andrew sat down on the bed, taking a moment to process his current situation and figure out a plan. The short-term goal was to focus on leveling up as quickly as possible and getting to his first Class advancement so he could pick up some Affinities and maybe a portal trait. It''d be nice to at least have an option to go back to the tribe. If he could, he''d also find a way to get a male form, but given the level of this society, he figured they''d look down on random murder, so he wasn''t exactly sure how he''d managed to do that¡­ maybe walking around and getting some poor bastard to attack him? He was a pretty young elf¡­ or would that be entrapment? Either way, he didn''t have the power to pull something like that off. Not yet at least. So he was going to have to spend a bit of time being female¡­ Andrew let out a weary sigh. *I''m starting to regret killing that elf.* He grumbled internally. *Should have just dragged her back to the tribe.* A thought for which he immediately chastised himself, because while being a girl was weird, it wasn''t on the level of what would have happened to the elf if he''d given her to the goblins. Not even close.


    Andrew shook his head, refocusing. His short-term plans were just to level up and get stronger. The question was, what to do after that? He wasn''t returning to the goblin tribe, at least not for more than a visit. Plus, the noble races seemed¡­ interesting. For starters, they actually had bathrooms. A severely underrated invention in Andrew''s opinion. Plus all the other technology, but seriously, bathrooms! No more shitting in a fucking pot!


    Additionally, there were clearly dungeons in the area, which were apparently common enough that Quinn could make a living as a Dungeon Streamer. Andrew wasn''t sure how to feel about that, considering how dangerous the Shaman had made them sound, but he wouldn''t mind checking them out. Maybe he could talk Quinn into letting him tag along at some point? Something to consider later. Andrew grinned slightly as he realized the major point of all this. He was now completely unattached with a whole world to explore! A world full of magic and mystery! As long as he had the strength, he could do whatever he wanted!


    Andrew chuckled to himself as he got up and headed out of the room. Maybe he was worrying too much? He was so used to having responsibilities. To his family, to the Bonded, to the tribe¡­ but now, he didn''t have any! Sure, Justin had helped him out, and the government here was clearly supporting him while he got situated, but he was one uplift among hundreds that were born every year. He wasn''t anything particularly special. The noble races didn''t need him to help them grow. Even if he''d be useful, he wasn''t necessary. He could leave and they''d just shrug it off with an ''ah well'' and no harm done. It was an oddly freeing sensation.


    "Hey!" Quinn caught his attention as he walked out of the room, waving him over. "I forgot about the whole name thing. As in, you need one, cause we can''t keep calling you ''they'' or ''them'' or ''you'' or whatever." She explained, pushing a piece of paper towards him. "I wrote down a few ideas for you. As you can see, they''re all fairly androgynous, because as changelings, gender is kind of¡­ not a thing? I generally stick with female forms, but it''s all a matter of preference. Maybe in a few years, I''ll prefer being a man, and if that happens, I don''t want to have to change my name. So it''s a good idea to stick with names like Sam or Jaime. You could also do a Nick/Nicky type thing where they''re close enough that the switch is easy. But, you know, in the end, it''s your name, so it''s up to you. Just look it over and see if anything speaks to you." She finished tapping the piece of paper.


    Andrew took the paper, looking it over for a moment, nodding slowly. "Okay, I just have one problem."


    Quinn blinked at him. "What?"


    Andrew pointed at the paper. "I can''t read."


    She frowned, coming over to look over his shoulder, then back at him. "My handwriting isn''t that bad!"


    Andrew rolled his eyes. "No, I mean, my trait lets me understand what you say, but I still can''t understand what you write."


    Quinn''s eyebrows shot up. "Oh¡­" She looked down at the packet, then back at him. "We''re going to need to fix that."

 Aura: 46 - Merging cores

    While gob- changeling Andrew was dealing with the mess caused by his Evolution, Beast Andrew couldn''t get the image of his cores being merged together out of his head. It was just so¡­ beautiful! It spoke to him on such a fundamental level that he couldn''t even express it! Watching the disparate cores come together to create something more, fitting together like pieces of a puzzle¡­ There was a sense of wholeness that Andrew couldn''t get out of his head! If he could find a way to merge his Beast cores together¡­


    "Okay, you need to chill." Cathryn insisted, giving him a worried look. "What is up with you?!?"


    Andrew blinked at her, before flushing in embarrassment. "Sorry, it''s just¡­ fuck, I don''t even know how to explain." Andrew groaned, wiping his face with his hand. "Okay, so, in the other world, I¡­ so apparently when a beast kills- uh, I met the requirements for something called ''Evolution'', and in the process, the cores I''d collected were¡­ merged. It was¡­ fascinating¡­" Andrew trailed off with a distant look in his eye, before shaking his head. "I just can''t stop thinking about it." He finished with a sigh.


    Li Jing leaned over to poke him in the side. "You''re going to try merging your cores, aren''t you." She stated more than asked.


    "Not my cores." Andrew snorted. "At least, not ones I value. Not until I''ve practiced a lot¡­"


    Cathryn glared at him. "Andrew, this seems a lot like the kind of thing that ended with you being reborn as a goblin, don''t you think? Maybe it would be best to avoid that kind of thing for now?"


    Andrew frowned. "I don''t think anything like that could happen¡­ worst case scenario, I make some kind of fucked up core that doesn''t work, but that shouldn''t affect anything, since I''m not dependent on any one core."


    "Andrew-" Cathryn began in a worried tone.


    "Cathryn, just trust me, alright?" Andrew cut her off with a sigh. "I don''t know what but¡­ this is something I need to explore. If it ends up leading to more me''s somehow, I''ll stop, but I honestly don''t think that''s going to be an issue. The cores should never leave my body. I''m just¡­ figuring out how they work."


    Cathryn still didn''t look happy, but she eventually let out a sigh and nodded along. "Fine, whatever. But seriously, if you start popping up in different places¡­" She waved a fork at him in warning.


    Andrew grinned. "Don''t worry. I think I have a solution for that too. I didn''t know to look for it last time, but I think I can just drag the core back before it gets settled somewhere."


    "Why can''t you drag the core back at any time?" Li Jing asked.


    "The aura." Andrew replied. "It can stretch out between the two worlds a little bit, but¡­ well, it''s like a rubber band. Stretch too far and it wants to snap back. So once I have aura somewhere, I''m pretty much stuck."


    Li Jing frowned. "But isn''t the core the important part? If you took the core back, what would happen to the aura?"


    "Well, I can only move aura between¡­ huh." Andrew paused. Aura was anchored by the core, he knew that much. Whenever he stole a core, the aura would just dissipate, so theoretically, if he disconnected his aura from his cores, it should dissipate too¡­ "I¡­ may need to test that."


    The two girls looked at him expectantly. "Well?" Cathryn prodded. "What are you waiting for?"


    Andrew looked around the busy cafeteria. "Well, this isn''t the best place for it, is it? Besides, aren''t you the one who''s always pushing me not to experiment?" He asked skeptically.


    "If it gets you out of that goblin dream, you can experiment as much as you want." Cathryn retorted in a slightly bitter tone.


    "Plus, no one can see your aura, so it isn''t like you''ll be causing a scene." Li Jing added.


    "True¡­" Andrew muttered absently, more focused on the bitterness from Cathryn. Did his other life really bother her that much? He''d known she wasn''t happy about it, but he figured that was because she was worried he was delusional or something¡­ or maybe it was because she hoped he was delusional. Particularly after she learned what goblins did to procreate¡­ He sighed. "Okay, give me a moment."


    Andrew slipped into his inner sight state, focusing on his aura. He stuck out a tiny thread and carefully pinched off a small piece, observing it to see what happened. Quickly the piece of aura lost all color, and then¡­ it just sat there. Andrew opened his eyes, blinking at where the small bit of aura sat. Why¡­ could he still feel it? He moved it to the side, then back the other way, then sent it in a loop around the cafeteria. "Huh." He grunted, scratching his head in confusion, before shrugging and sending the little piece of aura shooting towards the edge of his aura sight, thinking that maybe somehow that was what was keeping him connected to it, but all that happened was that he lost sight of it. He could still feel it, flying around out there. He''d even catch a glimpse of aura when the little piece flew through something.


    Andrew sighed, pulling the piece of aura back. "Well, that didn''t work."


    "Why? What happened?" Li Jing asked.


    "Well, it disconnected well enough, but it didn''t dissipate. It just¡­ Well, I don''t know what it did. I was still connected to it and everything." Andrew shrugged as the aura returned and seamlessly reconnected with the rest.


    Li Jing frowned. "Weird."


    "Isn''t it?" Andrew smirked.


    Cathryn groaned. "So you''re still stuck being a goblin then."


    "Actually, thanks to that Evolution, I''m a changeling now. Noble race even." Andrew replied. "Which essentially just means I don''t need to feed off of anyone else to live or reproduce."


    Cathryn blinked. "You- aren''t a goblin anymore?" She asked in a hopeful tone, before frowning. "But you''re still involved with that tribe¡­"


    "Actually, I got picked up by¡­" Andrew paused. He''d actually never figured out what Justin''s position actually was. "Uh, apparently people notice when something Evolves, and they send people to pick them up. This guy named Justin from the noble races picked me up, and now I''m in this city called Nobilis."


    "Justin and Nobilis?" Li Jing asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Aren''t those names a little too¡­ normal?"


    "Well, I don''t know if those are the actual names. I got this trait which lets me understand people, so everything they say sort of gets adjusted for me." Andrew explained. "Like, I hear the words they''re saying, which is gibberish, but I understand the meaning, which tells me the names are essentially Justin and Nobilis."


    "Interesting." Li Jing muttered.


    "Wait, let me get this straight." Cathryn interjected. "You''re completely done with the goblins now? Like, forever?"


    "Well¡­ pretty much? When I have the ability, I''d like to make sure Corek and the Shaman are alright, but I don''t plan on rejoining the tribe. It''s just¡­ I know they have to do it, but now that I''m something else¡­ I don''t want to be a part of it anymore."


    Cathryn blinked at him, before letting out a choked, "Oh thank god!" Andrew raised an eyebrow at her as she flushed. "I-I''m sorry, I just- I know it was what you had to do, but I couldn''t stand the idea of you being involved with something like- like that!"


    Andrew sighed. "Yeah, I get that. I wasn''t happy about it either."


    "It''s just so- evil." Cathryn grimaced.


    Andrew paused. "Well, I wouldn''t call it evil. Evil is knowingly causing unnecessary suffering. What the goblins do is necessary for their survival, so it can''t be called evil¡­ horrible maybe, disgusting definitely, but not evil."


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I''m just glad you aren''t a part of that anymore."


    "Yeah, me too." Andrew agreed. "It sucks when good people are forced to do horrible things."


    "Or whatever." Cathryn muttered. She wasn''t sure if she could ever consider someone who did something like that a ''good person''.


    *


    Once they got back from school, Andrew immediately secluded himself in the beanbag room to focus on his cores. Specifically, the rabbit folk core. With the prospect of Evolution, the core had lost all its allure. Compared to just absorbing an ability crystal normally, the stat gain just didn''t cut it, and he did like the idea of losing his Beast cores to a potential evolution, particularly if he risked becoming a monstrous race in the process. So instead, Andrew was going to use the rabbit folk core for practice. At least, eventually. First he was going to practice with some insect cores, which were relatively simpler, but once he started getting comfortable, he was going to try to build something interesting out of that core.


    ¡°Alright, let''s see¡­¡± Andrew muttered, pulling up an ant core and a bee core, tentatively pushing them together, which¡­ didn''t do anything. ¡°Yeah, I didn''t expect it to be that easy.¡± Andrew sighed. ¡°Maybe I should just start with one core¡­¡± He pushed the ant core aside, focusing on the bee core, trying to see if he could piece it apart. Maybe if he could see how it was put together in the first place, he''d have a better handle on how to put it together with another core. He concentrated on the core, examining intently. It- Looked like a bee core. ¡°Maybe if I-¡± He pressed on the core with his aura, trying to see if he could break off a chunk of it or something, and the core shattered, dissolving into his aura. ¡°Shit!¡± Andrew cursed, before pausing as he felt a tickle in the back of his mind. Like- like he knew how to make a bee core now. Or at least, he knew what a core needed to be a bee core. ¡°Huh¡­ but what can I do with it?¡±


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Andrew considered his options for a moment before deciding to crush a few more cores, slowly building up a little database on insect cores for himself. Then he grabbed another ant core and another bee core. ¡°Okay, now¡­ I still have no idea what I''m doing.¡± He sighed. Knowing what the cores were didn''t make putting them together any easier. Particularly since he was aiming for something like his Changeling core, which would allow him to still switch between his different forms. He tried to think back to what he''d seen during the Evolution process, but it didn''t help. The cores had simply seemed to slip together. Andrew paused. What if¡­ what if the Evolution process had done something to the cores? Made them more¡­ receptive to manipulation? He''d been in the process of becoming something other than he used to be, hadn''t he? The cores had to have been primed for change, since any change in form would necessitate a change in the core, right? The question was, could he get them into that state¡­


    Andrew refocused on the two cores, trying to make them more¡­ malleable. Then, carefully, he tried to push them together again, and¡­ it worked! Kinda. The cores merged, but it wasn''t anything like his Changeling core. Instead the core contained the unholy amalgam of a bee and an ant, something he wasn''t even sure was functional. It definitely wasn''t pretty. ¡°Shit.¡± Andrew sighed, before pausing as a slow grin began to spread across his face. ¡°Let''s see how ugly I can make this thing.¡± Andrew began to merge more insect cores into it, until he was left with not one, not two, but four sets of legs, giving him twenty-four mismatched appendages, all clustered around the tiny body of a fuzzy black and yellow flea, with a (relatively) gigantic set of wings, a head that was just a large set of eyes and mandibles, and a stinger that was bigger than the body. ¡°Oh, I have got to show this to the girls.¡± Andrew cackled evilly, his clothes disappearing into his storage ring as he transformed and took flight. He buzzed down the hallway, heading towards the kitchen where the girls were chatting and preparing for dinner. Once he got closer, he landed on the ceiling, creeping along until he was hanging just above the table, before letting go and dropping. *BOO!* Andrew shouted through his connection with Cathryn as he landed right in front of her, causing her to shriek and jump out of her chair, tripping and falling in the process. Andrew was laughing his ass off when a hand slammed down on top of him as Li Jing tried to squish him.


    "Wait! It''s Andrew!" Cathryn cried in a panic, scrambling to her feet only to find Li Jing frowning down at a perfectly healthy insect. "Uh¡­"


    Andrew snickered. *Even if I''m small, I''m still a Beast. It''s going to take more than a light slap to even hurt me.*


    "This is Andrew?" Li Jing asked skeptically, examining the bug a bit closer. "No wonder it''s so ugly."


    *Hey! No need to be rude.* Andrew pouted.


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. "You know she can''t hear you."


    *That''s why you''re supposed to translate. Chop, chop!* Andrew retorted. Cathryn responded by flicking him, sending him flying across the room with a yelp. Durable he may be, but he wasn''t heavy. Andrew shifted back to normal with a grumble, walking back over to take a seat at the table.


    "Put on underwear." Li Jing demanded before he sat, raising a warning finger.


    "But I left my ring in the other room¡­" Andrew complained, but when she didn''t relent, he sighed and headed back to the room, before returning fully clothed. "Happy?"


    "Very." Li Jing smiled.


    "So, do you mind telling us why you decided to grace us with that¡­ thing?" Cathryn asked with a disgusted expression.


    "What, don''t you think it looked neat?" Andrew asked with a grin as he sat down.


    "It looked disgusting." Li Jing commented.


    "As I said." Andrew chuckled.


    "But again I ask, why?" Cathryn insisted.


    "Well, remember how I was planning on messing around with cores, seeing if I could take them apart and put them back together?" Both girls nodded. "Well, that''s what happens when you mix an ant, bee, flea, and fly. Not pretty, with a slight thirst for blood."


    "Did you add in a mosquito?" Li Jing asked.


    "No, I think it came from the flea." Andrew shrugged.


    "Ah, that makes sense." She nodded.


    "Hold on, were you trying to make that abomination?!?" Cathryn asked incredulously.


    "Oh, no. What I wanted to do was make something like my new Changeling core in the other reality, but¡­ it didn''t work. But I''m making progress!¡± Andrew explained.


    "Can''t you do everything your Changeling core can do without merging your cores?" Cathryn asked, raising an eyebrow at him.


    Andrew paused. "I can, but¡­ I don''t know, I feel like if I can figure this out, I can do something more. I mean, if I can combine forms, then maybe I could combine abilities at some point! They''re obviously associated with the core. Maybe I could even develop new abilities at some point! But obviously I have a ways to go before I can do anything like that."


    Li Jing perked up at that. "If you get good enough at modifying cores¡­ Do you think you could give us abilities?"


    Andrew''s eyes widened. "That¡­ ooh, I think-! Uh¡­ maybe?" He frowned for a moment. "If I could somehow transfer a Beast core to you now¡­ how have I never thought of this before?"


    "Wait, wait, hold on!" Cathryn protested, looking between the two of them. "You want to mess with our cores?!? The things that, if you fuck up, means we die!?!"


    Andrew and Li Jing shared a look, before turning back to Cathryn. "Okay fair." Andrew nodded. "No fucking with your cores until I''m a lot more skilled."


    Cathryn shook her head. "I just¡­ why do you have to mess with our cores?" She asked, exasperated. "It just seems like an unnecessary risk. I don''t understand why you would even want to."


    "Security." Li Jing interjected. "Bonded- the human side at least, we''re¡­ vulnerable compared to the dangers we have to face. It keeps our growth slow, because we have to make sure our human side is safe before we do anything. However, if Andrew could make the human side strong¡­ then we could do so much more. We wouldn''t need to be tied to the base camps anymore! At least, not to the same degree."


    Andrew nodded. "Think about it. When we start going out into the wild to hunt, wouldn''t you feel more confident if you had some physical power to back you up? How much do you really think you could defend yourself if you solely rely on our abilities? A wind blast or two might scare some things away, but it''s hardly going to kill anything."


    "It''s even worse because Andrew can''t rely on mutating his abilities to give you more capabilities." Li Jing added. "You''re stuck with standard abilities without the versatility needed to truly be a threat."


    "Why can''t we just¡­ not?" Cathryn asked hesitantly. "Do we really need to put ourselves in danger? Sure we''re tied to the base camps, but¡­ we have the base camps! Why push ourselves to do more?"


    Andrew and Li Jing shared a look. "That''s¡­ a philosophy." Andrew replied. "There are those who never leave the walls of the base camps, focusing on slow and steady growth, because we are immortal, so eventually you''ll be powerful if you just keep going, right? No matter how small your gains are, they are gains and eventually they''ll build up. The only issue is that you can''t really mutate your ability if you do that, because the stronger you are, the more energy you need, and at a certain point you simply can''t consume weaker ability crystals fast enough to actually be effective. Not an issue for us, but it''d still be a problem for Jing. It''s just¡­ the Outside is dangerous. We could live that way, but the only way to do so would be by depending on others to defend us. We wouldn''t be contributing, we''d just be¡­ subsisting. It just- it''s lazy. And cowardly. And¡­ it just doesn''t feel right. Not when we could be doing more."


    "But how much can we actually do?" Cathryn retorted. "Can we really catch up with people who have lived for thousands of years?!? What difference can we really make?"


    "Enough." Li Jing answered. "We can do enough. It isn''t about doing the most. It''s about doing what we can. Even if it''s just supporting those stronger than us."


    Andrew nodded. "Yeah, it isn''t about doing everything, it''s about doing our best. And hiding away in the base camps¡­ that isn''t our best. We can do more."


    Cathryn frowned, before sighing and shaking her head. "I guess I''m just not used to the idea that we''re¡­ threatened. It just doesn''t feel like we''re in danger."


    "I mean¡­ we aren''t, but we are." Andrew explained. "In our area, we''re¡­ secure. The biggest threat is the Orcgod and his horde, which is definitely a problem but not a major one. However, the Outside is huge, and we''re a small part of a tiny alliance in an insignificant territory. There are Beasts out there who could wipe us out in an instant, and the only reason they don''t is because we''re too insignificant for them to care. Too much of our survival is based on luck, and if we all aren''t doing everything we can to grow, it''s going to stay that way¡­ I don''t know about you, but I''m not lucky enough to trust that."


    Cathryn''s expression twisted. "I guess I''m not either¡­" She muttered, before letting out a sigh. "Fine, you''re right. We need to get stronger, in any way we can. Just¡­ be careful, alright?"


    Andrew nodded. "Don''t worry, I will. I don''t think we can afford to be lazy, but¡­ I can''t afford to lose you two either." He reached out to grab both of their hands. "Keeping you both safe will always be my highest priority. No matter what."

 Aura: 47 - History

    Andrew listened as Quinn read a few names off her list, before interjecting. "How about Drew?" He offered. That was androgynous enough, right? It definitely erred on the more masculine side, but he didn''t particularly care since he wanted to err more masculine anyway. Not that he had anything against being a girl, it was just¡­ not what he was used to. Though unless he found a dude to kill sometime soon, he''d probably need to get used to it¡­ this was going to fuck with his head in some weird ways, he just knew it.


    "Drew?" Quinn muttered, frowning slightly. "That''s¡­ I mean, if that''s the name you''d prefer¡­ but why Drew?"


    "Uh¡­" Andrew blinked. "I was just¡­ drawn to it?"


    Quinn''s frown deepened, before she shrugged. "Well, I can''t argue with that. If you like it, you like it." She wrote the name down on one of the forms that came with the orientation packet. "Now for your last name, you can either choose the name of the city which recovered you, or the location where you were found. So would you prefer to be Drew Nobilis, or Drew Great Forest?"


    Andrew blinked. "Could I have been recovered by a different city?" He was under the impression Justin was the one who collected all uplifts¡­


    "Well, since you came from the Great Forest, then no. Since it involves the truce with the monstrous races, Nobilis has to handle any uplifts born in the area. However, it isn''t as if the Great Forest is the only place where uplifts can be born. There are beasts everywhere, and that means uplifts are everywhere too. Nobilis can''t handle all of them, so every major city has a territory they monitor." Quinn explained. "Of course, since most of the uplifts in this area are monstrous, because¡­ well, you know, most of the time it''s an elimination mission rather than a retrieval."


    Andrew frowned. "You just kill uplifts just because they''re monstrous?"


    Quinn gave him a weird look. "What else would we do? Take them in? Hand them over to their own kind? They''re monstrous for a reason, Drew. If we don''t eliminate them, they''ll eliminate us."


    Andrew paused, before letting out a sigh. He wished he could argue, but it was clearly how this world worked. The monstrous races all preyed on the noble races in some way in order to survive. Any one the noble races let get away would inevitably end up hurting one of them just to survive. He sighed. What a broken world. "Okay. I guess I''ll just go with Nobilis then. Great Forest seems a little¡­ goofy."


    Quinn snickered. "Don''t let the wood elves hear you say that. They love naming themselves after forests."


    With Andrew''s name decided, the two of them sat down for dinner. Andrew asked Quinn a few more questions about the city, mostly about the dungeons and how they worked, which was pretty easy since that was her job. Apparently the city was surrounded by several dungeons, starting at level five, which was the lowest any dungeon could be for some reason, then up to level hundred, after which they were considered too dangerous to just leave around, so they were destroyed.


    Andrew frowned. "Are they making these dungeons somehow?"


    Quinn nodded. "Duh. How else would we get so many?"


    Andrew blinked. "Wait, they are?!? But¡­ how?"


    "Well, you see, when a creature is killed, it gives the person who killed it experience. However, if two people contribute to the kill, then it splits the experience between them, but not perfectly. A small percentage of the experience gets lost in the process." Andrew was going to have to ask more about that topic, but he let Quinn continue. "The more people involved in the kill, the more experience gets lost, until it all is. But the experience doesn''t just disappear, right? That wouldn''t make any sense. It exists, therefore it has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is dungeons. Once enough experience gathers together in one place, a dungeon is formed, so in order to make dungeons, you just have to kill a bunch of beasts in a way that ensures no one gets the experience, and voila!"


    Andrew was certain the Shaman would kill for that kind of information. It was such a simple secret, yet it would mean everything to them. Maybe he should find a way to let him know? Though that brought up the question of whether it was a good idea to help the goblins grow more powerful¡­ then again, it wasn''t like they were the only monstrous race, and Andrew was sure there were others who knew how to make dungeons. Plus, if they had access to dungeons, maybe they could find a way to evolve into something less¡­ horrible.


    "Why doesn''t the experience split perfectly?" Andrew asked.


    Quinn shrugged. "Beats me. It''s just how it works. And even when it does split, it doesn''t work well for carrying, because if the people involved aren''t giving it their all, it won''t go to either of them."


    "Giving it their all?" Andrew asked skeptically.


    Quinn nodded. "Basically, it has to be a fight where everyone was necessary, or at least significantly contributed, to win. The exact rules are a bit fuzzy, but basically, the system knows when you''re trying to cheat it, and it won''t allow it. The only way to get experience is through an honest fight."


    Andrew frowned. "But what about when someone kills something that''s already injured or weakened? They still get the experience."


    Quinn shrugged. "As I said, the rules are fuzzy, but as long as no one intentionally weakened or injured the beast so someone else could kill it, then the system allows it. If you just got lucky, well¡­ then you got lucky. The system doesn''t penalize people for taking advantage of an opportunity."


    Andrew frowned. "But how does this system know if something is intentional or not?"


    Quinn raised an eyebrow at him. "How could it not? The system can read your intentions just as well as it can read your thoughts when you interact with it. It''s a part of you. You can''t lie to it any more than you can lie to yourself. Less than you can lie to yourself¡­ even being delusional won''t get around it."


    "That''s¡­ vaguely disturbing." Andrew frowned. He didn''t like the idea of something having so much¡­ access to him. At least, not without his consent. Or not without being Cathryn¡­ okay, maybe he just didn''t like the idea of some mysterious force having that much access. Or maybe it had more to do with the fact that it was one sided? The system could see everything about him, but he knew nothing about the system. He and Cathryn were equals, but he had no idea what the system even was.


    Quinn gave him another weird look. "It''s¡­ the system. How is that disturbing? Are you disturbed that you need air to breathe as well? Or that you need legs to walk?"


    Andrew blinked at her, before shrugging. "I guess not." He wasn''t about to get into an argument over it. He couldn''t exactly explain that he was from a different world that didn''t even have a system, now could he? How could he question something that was just reality to them?


    After dinner, Quinn retreated to her room to work on her videos, since it was just her so she needed to do all the editing herself, while Andrew put on the TV and started watching what was apparently the local news. He caught the end of a story about an illegal dungeon hidden in some nearby mountains, along with a notice that the authorities would offer rewards for any leads on who had created it. It moved on to a story about an upcoming festival celebrating something called ''The Unification'', during which people from all over would come to Nobilis to party and compete. The main event appeared to be the Grand Tournament, in which the strongest fighters would compete for fantastic prizes. There were also smaller competitions for specific categories, like magic, melee and ranged weapons, various types of crafting, races, team sports¡­ It was like a mix between the Arena and the Olympics. Andrew was a bit interested in a few of the more fantastical events, so he told himself to remember to talk to Quinn about seeing if he could record them or something. There was no way he could get tickets to something like that, after all. Not starting at level one with only a few months till it began.


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    As the news turned to a special interest piece about some charity or whatever, Andrew turned the TV off and headed to his room. Tomorrow he was going to get signed up for some general education classes and start working on his skills. Then, once he hit his Class Advancement, he''d see if Quinn would mind taking him through a few dungeons to level up. He''d also need to find a job of his own at some point¡­ and get himself a male body. Andrew sighed, shaking his head. The next month or so was going to be busy.


    *


    While Changeling Andrew threw himself into his education and leveling his skills, Beast Andrew focused on getting better at core manipulation. It- wasn''t exactly going well. No matter how he merged the cores, he always ended up with some kind of mix instead of two separate forms, and he was starting to think he was doing something wrong. If his Changeling core''s transformation was an ability, not simply a matter of merging cores, then he''d need a core with a transformation ability to make it work, which¡­ wasn''t likely to happen any time soon. Not unless he was willing to use his Changeling core, which he wasn''t.


    So, since giving Cathryn and Li Jing abilities was unlikely to happen any time soon, he moved on to his next idea: giving them Beast cores of their own. He could handle multiple cores, right? Why couldn''t they? Well it turns out, normal people could only handle one core. They just couldn''t split their aura like he could. Even when he experimented with Beasts, which had more aura to work with, the aura was either all in one core, or all in the other. Andrew sighed in a mix of frustration and resignation at the roadblock, cursing his weirdness.


    Still, while he couldn''t just give Cathryn and Li Jing extra cores, he learned that switching cores had some¡­ interesting effects. The first, and the one he expected, was that switching out cores switched out abilities as well, just like with his cores. However, it didn''t immediately change their form. A Squirrel with a Deer core would still look like a Squirrel. However, it would start to act like a Deer, no longer skittering and climbing but trotting and leaping. It was honestly kind of hilarious. Eventually the Squirrel would start to change though, legs lengthening, tail shrinking, budding antlers poking out between its ears, until it fully transformed into a deer. At least, that''s what Andrew assumed. He didn''t have enough time to observe it until the end, so he killed it not long after it started growing antlers, which led to his next discovery: if he changed the core, he changed the ability crystal.


    Honestly, it should have been obvious. The core changed the ability, and the ability crystal was based on the ability, so of course it would change! Andrew felt like an idiot for not realizing it earlier, but once it became clear, he knew exactly how to take advantage of it. You see, one of Li Jing''s biggest problems was finding Beasts to hunt that she could actually gain something from, a problem Andrew avoided with his Human core. She spent more time searching than anything. However, if Andrew could switch out the cores of useless Beasts like Squirrels for cores that made crystals she could actually use¡­ the Beasts were weak enough that he could even reuse the same core over and over, snatching it back after the kill like he did with the elf!


    Li Jing glared at Andrew as he dropped yet another sack full of ability crystals that were perfect for her. "Andrew, I appreciate the help, but you have to stop ignoring your own needs for me." She pushed the sack back towards him. "I don''t know where you''re finding all these Beasts, but I''m comfortable with my rate of growth. You hunted these, you should absorb them." She''d happily accepted the extra crystals the first few times, but this was the fourth time Andrew had returned with a bag of crystals that were all for her. He was clearly neglecting himself to help her.


    Andrew pushed the sack back. "I can use any crystal, you know that. Didn''t we agree that it was best if we gave you all the crystals you could use while I took the rest?" He grabbed the much lighter sack of crystals she couldn''t use from her hunting. "You aren''t going to go back on our deal, are you?"


    Li Jing narrowed her eyes at him, before smiling sweetly. "No, of course not." Andrew grinned, enjoying the win, until the next time he plopped down a heavy bag of crystals, only to receive an equally heavy bag in return. "Wouldn''t you know, I didn''t manage to find a single Beast with a compatible ability." Li Jing shook her head in mock disappointment. "According to our agreement, that means these are all yours, right?" She smiled sweetly.


    Andrew blinked at the sack, before snorting and taking it. "I suppose it does."


    Despite how it came about, their new way of hunting worked out rather well. Since she didn''t have to worry about hunting down specific types of Beasts, Li Jing was bringing in more crystals than ever. Meanwhile, Andrew''s efficiency dropped slightly since switching out cores took more time than just killing something, but he had an easier time finding Beasts in the first place, so it evened out, letting both of them advance at roughly the same speed.


    Meanwhile, in the system world, Andrew was growing slowly. Most of his time was spent in the general education classes with the other uplifts, learning the basics of the system, along with how to read and write, perform basic mathematics, and some general historical info. According to his teacher, something about the Evolution process gave the uplifts a boost in learning speed for the first few months, so the classes were relatively fast paced, the teacher practically sprinting through the material as the uplifts absorbed it all. The system info was nothing new, and their mathematical system was the same as Earth''s, so Andrew focused on learning this world''s history and how to read and write.


    The reading and writing just took practice, but the history was actually rather interesting. Apparently, until just a few centuries ago, the world wasn''t divided between noble and monstrous races like it was today. Well, it was, but not physically. Both races still existed and they fought constantly. The noble races did their best to exterminate the monstrous races while the monstrous races raided and enslaved the noble races. It was a world in a constant state of war that left no one untouched. That is, until a calamity arose.


    While rare, there are beasts that manage to grow to a high level without ever encountering a sapient race. Even rarer are the ones who manage to luck into significant achievements and receive monstrous stat gains in the process. Rarest of all were the beasts who managed to accomplish all this, while still maintaining the kind of viciousness that would allow them to go on a rampage through civilized lands. The calamity that threatened that war-torn world was such a beast. No one knew where it came from, but its power was undeniable and it was at a high enough level that even the sacrifice of the Saintess didn''t cause the beast''s uplifting.


    As the beast rampaged through the land, killing thousands, army after army falling under the beast''s power, the two sides realized that the only way for them to survive was to work together. An army of the strongest warriors on both sides was formed and a deal was struck. Until the death of the beast, there would be peace. In a battle that carved a swath of destruction across the continent, the army pursued and slaughtered the beast, but not without casualties. Of the four hundred strong army that set out, barely a quarter returned, the majority crippled by the injuries they''d gained in the process.


    The beast was gone, but the damage remained. Entire nations were crippled, armies devastated, the strongest warriors of both sides dead or crippled, with another threat on the horizon. With the beast''s death, and no one capable of claiming the experience, a dungeon was formed. Thankfully the dungeon wasn''t at the same level as the beast, but it was still more powerful than the crippled nations could handle. Something needed to be done, and soon, or the world would face yet another crisis as the dungeon broke and high level beasts were spawned to wreak havoc once again.


    Again both sides came together, struggling to find a solution to this crisis. Dungeons were created and people sacrificed to push a single team to a high enough level to clear and destroy the dungeon in a frantic scramble that debatably caused more death than the dungeon break itself would have. At the end of it all, both sides came to a conclusion: the constant war between their peoples had left them weak. They constantly wore each other down, leaving them no room to grow. And so, a solution was found. The world would be divided, and after level one hundred, neither side would be allowed to cross. The monstrous races obviously wouldn''t allow for a complete embargo, but no one truly strong would be allowed to mess with the other side, keeping the danger minimal. And of course, the high levels on either side were free to squash anyone they caught making problems. This turned their conflict from an all out war that devastated both sides to minor raids that caused damage, but didn''t cripple.


    Free from the crush of war, the noble races began to flourish. Innovators rose, discovering the wonders of technology. Widespread social reforms ensued, and the various nations were brought closer together, before eventually unifying under a single government. The nations remained sovereign in their territory, but they recognized every member of the noble races as equal citizens, along with various other basic rights. It sort of reminded Andrew of the EU, or at least, what he thought the EU was¡­ he''d never been much for world politics.


    The monstrous races, on the other hand, grew powerful in their own way. Since they couldn''t raid the noble races for what they needed anymore, at least not on the scale necessary for all their people, the monstrous races turned to¡­ well, crime. Or more accurately lawlessness. They became a haven for those who wished to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, attracting the worst of society. Assassins, smugglers, slavers, thieves, whatever crime you wished to commit, the monstrous races would support you, in exchange for whatever they needed to survive and thrive. It wasn''t pretty, but¡­ it was better. Both sides were stronger than they''d ever been, and continued to grow stronger still as dungeons grew and people gained higher and higher levels. Whenever the next calamity arrived¡­ they''d be ready for it.

 Aura: 48 - Class advancement 2.0

    It took Andrew two months to reach level ten again. Quinn wouldn''t let him out to hunt and without her permission he couldn''t even use the teleporters, so he was forced to level purely using his skills. Thankfully, since a significant portion of the noble races essentially couldn''t fight, they''d gotten leveling with skill use down to a science. If you had Walk, you didn''t just walk. You walked blindfolded. You walked on balance bars. You walked backwards. You walked on your hands. Any and every way there was to make walking more difficult, they had it, and they knew how to push you to get the experience you needed. If Andrew had been able to dedicate his time to leveling, he probably could have gotten to level ten in just a few weeks, but unfortunately the basic education classes were mandatory and took up most of his time.


    He briefly looked over his status.


    [Race: Essence Changeling


    Class: Trainee - 10 [+]


    Strength: 10 > 40


    Agility: 10 > 40


    Will: 10 > 40


    Intellect: 10 > 40


    Energy: 10 > 52


    Sensitivity: 444


    Class Skill - Restful Self Examination: 28


    Class Skill - Counter Kick + Walk > Swift Step: 14


    Class Skill - Precise Navigation: 13 > 21


    Class Skill - Stealth: 27


    Class Skill - Kick + Concentrated Examination > Precise Kick: 22


    Class Skill - Stomp + Kick > Heavy Kick: 25


    Class Skill - Concentrated Examination + Energy Control > Affinity Management: 12


    Skill Points: 0


    AP: 0]


    Everything was ready. He''d picked up four new skills, added Walk to Counter Kick to create Swift Step, which gave a boost to pretty much everything he did with his legs, and slightly increased the quality of his other two skills. All he needed to do was hit that little plus, and it''d be done. Taking one last deep breath, his eyes hardened and he began his Class Advancement.


    *Welcome back, child.* The crow landed in front of him as Andrew arrived in the familiar clearing. *Things have certainly changed since you last arrived, now haven''t they?* Andrew didn''t think crows could grin, but this one seemed to be doing its best. *However, some things remain the same.* The crow waved its wing and the Voidwalker Class appeared in front of him, and Andrew let out a breath of relief. He wasn''t sure he''d be offered it again with all the kicking skills he''d picked up, and he wasn''t sure his navigation skill would give him a portal trait in a kicking Class. Not that he needed a portal trait, but even if he didn''t visit the tribe, being able to portal wherever he''d been before was still ridiculously convenient. He reached out to select the Class, but the crow stopped him. *Wait. I know you wish to take this Class, but there is another I believe is more suited to you. It will give you¡­ interesting options, though they may not be the ones you wish for at the moment.*


    Andrew blinked. "What do you mean?"


    *Let me show you.* The crow waved its wing again, and a new Class appeared.


    "Essence Master?" Andrew muttered, frowning as he examined the Class. It only had one requirement: to be able to manipulate Essence. His frown deepened as he looked over the traits. His inner sight still allowed him to pick affinities, but only the usual advanced affinity, two intermediates, or four basics. Similarly, the traits for the other skills weren''t awful, but they weren''t great either, and it didn''t increase his stats at all, since it was only a Rank two Class. "Why would I take this Class?" Andrew frowned at the crow. "It doesn''t even seem to do anything for me."


    The crow shook its head. *The importance of this Class isn''t in what it gives you now, but what it will allow you to access once you have it. Essence Master is a Class like any other. Without the related skills, the traits available are mediocre at best. None of your skills will do you any good as an Essence Master. However, the only way to gain the skills that would make this Class worthwhile is by taking the Class.*


    "So I need the Class in order to make it a good Class?" Andrew frowned. "But why? What''s so good about this Class?"


    *It allows you to master Essence!* The crow exclaimed, flapping its wings excitedly. *Essence is- it''s- it''s essential! It''s one of the foundational forces of existence! A part of how every living being is formed! The Voidwalker is powerful, but if you can unlock the secrets of Essence hidden in this Class¡­ you cannot even imagine the heights to which you could rise!*


    Andrew paused as he listened to the crow''s rant, his eyes widening as he suddenly made the connection he''d been missing. What this world referred to as Essence¡­ was aura! If he was understanding right, this Class¡­ This Class would teach him how to manipulate cores! To do whatever that strange force had done when it turned him into an Essence Changeling! Could he really pass on that opportunity?


    Andrew''s expression twisted slightly as he realized taking this Class would mean he''d probably never have access to portals, before he let out a frustrated groan. He had to go with the Essence Master Class. If it could help him figure out how to merge cores¡­ Andrew shook his head. The things this Class could offer were just as the crow had said. The skills could mean everything to him. However¡­ It meant giving up on the tribe completely. On Corek and the Shaman. He couldn''t even imagine what Corek was going through¡­ he''d been devastated before Andrew had disappeared! But there wasn''t much he could do about that. Even if he did take the Voidwalker Class, what was he going to do? Just walk back into the tribe and say hello? No, he knew that was a bad idea, and if he showed up as a stranger, how would that help? Even with the Voidwalker Class, there wasn''t much he could do. But with the Essence Master Class? Well, he still probably couldn''t do much, but the possibilities¡­ Maybe he could change the goblins somehow? The system had made him noble, hadn''t it? With the same tools¡­ couldn''t he do the same for them? Couldn''t he do it for the entire world? No more of this monstrous and noble bullshit. Just¡­ people! He could already do something similar by simply switching out cores. This- this was possible!


    Andrew went into the Essence Master Class, going over his traits. For navigation, he got Positional Awareness, which gave him an intuitive sense of his position in relation to his surroundings and for Swift Step, he got Double Speed, which did exactly what it sounded like. For Stealth, he got Silent, which muffled any sounds he made, and for Precise Kick, he got Sure Footed, which helped him stay balanced. For Heavy Kick, he got Powerful Legs, the same one he would have gotten for his Goblin Pathfinder Class, and for Affinity Management, he got Aspected Reserve, which would allow him to store Affinity Energy for later, though it could only be used for one type at a time. As for his affinities, he decided to get Lightning and Shadow again, because why not? He considered Space, but since he wasn''t a Pathfinder, it didn''t seem necessary. Then, with everything settled, Andrew let out another sigh, turning to give the Voidwalker Class one last look, before turning to the crow. "Done."


    *Then rise, Essence Master.* The crow chuckled as it sent Andrew away with a wave. *I expect interesting things from you.*


    *


    Andrew opened his eyes to find Quinn glaring down at him, her arms crossed, tapping her foot in irritation. "Drew, please tell me you did not just Advance your Class!" She growled.


    Andrew blinked. "Uh¡­ I did not just Advance my Class?"


    "Of course you didn''t!" Quinn threw up her hands. "Because no one would be stupid enough to enter into one of the most vulnerable states you could be in, alone, without telling anyone!" She grabbed him by the shoulders, starting to shake him. "Do you know what could have happened to you?!? If anyone had noticed what you were doing, they could have broken in and done anything they wanted to you while you were unconscious! You wouldn''t have been able to do anything to stop them, because you wouldn''t even know it was happening! What were you thinking!?!"


    "I- this place is safe, isn''t it?" Andrew replied hesitantly. "We''re in the middle of a city¡­" Andrew trailed off. Were cities safe on Earth? No they were not. Would a city in a place where people could see through walls and teleport be any safer? Absolutely fucking not! He was an idiot.


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    Quinn covered her face with her hands. "Urgh! You just-!" She dropped her hands to give Andrew a serious look. "Drew, this world isn''t safe! Especially for a changeling! The things people would use us for¡­ you have to be careful! Never leave yourself in a vulnerable position without protection! Don''t blindly trust strangers! Don''t let anyone use you! Don''t- don''t let an abuser worm their way into your life¡­" Her expression twisted for a moment, before she shook her head. "I know this is all new for you, but- you have to stay safe, okay?"


    Andrew nodded slowly. "I will. I just¡­ wasn''t thinking."


    Quinn just sighed, shaking her head again. "As long as you don''t do it again." She muttered, before sitting down next to him. "So, what Class did you get? And how did you manage to level up so quickly!?! You didn''t rush your skills, did you? The school should have taught you about building a good foundation, right?"


    "Uh¡­" Andrew hesitated. "My skills were fine, but¡­ I was offered a weird Class and the- my guide suggested I take it instead of the Class I was going for, so¡­ I''m an Essence Master now."


    Quinn frowned. "Essence Master? I haven''t heard of that one before¡­ is it related to your race? You''re an Essence Changeling, right? But¡­ if you were aiming for a different Class, your skills couldn''t have been a good fit."


    Andrew nodded. "My guide believes that even with the¡­ low compatibility between my current skills and the Class, the skills that the Class unlocks will be more than valuable enough to make it worth it."


    Quinn raised an eyebrow. "And these skills would be related to Essence?" She paused. "What is Essence?"


    Andrew shrugged. "I''m honestly not entirely sure. It''s definitely important, and it''s everywhere, but what it does or how it works¡­ I''m not sure."


    "Is it like Energy?" Quinn asked hesitantly.


    Andrew shook his head. "No." He paused. "Though it can affect Energy¡­ sort of. I don''t know, it''s so mixed up with everything else that it''s hard to pin down exactly what it does. It has an effect on Energy, but it isn''t Energy. It has an effect on the body, but it isn''t the body. It pushes you in certain directions, but¡­ it doesn''t make you do anything." Andrew trailed off, before shrugging helplessly. "It''s just a part of life, I guess. There''s the physical side, the energy side, and then this, sort of in-between¡­ Neither, but affecting both."


    Quinn shook her head. "I have no idea what you''re talking about, but if it makes sense to you¡­ well, you go for it." She paused. "This doesn''t exactly sound like a good combat Class, either¡­"


    Andrew smirked. "Not really, no. Though I did pick up the lightning affinity, so I''m not completely helpless."


    Quinn''s eyebrows shot up. "Wait, you got the inner sight skill?!? At what quality!?! It has to be at least over two if you got lightning.¡±


    Andrew paused. ¡°The quality affects what affinities you get?¡±


    ¡°Duh.¡± Quinn rolled her eyes. ¡°Why wouldn''t it? So what''s yours?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ two point eight?¡± Andrew replied hesitantly.


    Quinn''s eyes widened. "You- you mean two point zero eight, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean two point eight zero.¡± Andrew replied. He probably could have hid it, but¡­ well, he was planning on asking if he could run dungeons with her, and he''d probably need to use everything he had when he did, so she was going to figure it out eventually.


    Quinn blinked at him, then blinked again, then a third time. "You- how many skill points did you spend on it?¡±


    Andrew cocked his head. ¡°Five?¡± He couldn''t say four, or it''d give away the fact that he''d had it before he started leveling.


    ¡°You advanced it five times?!? Why would you waste your skill points like that!¡± Quinn snapped.


    Andrew frowned. ¡°I thought you meant how many I spent developing it. I haven''t advanced it at all.¡±


    Quinn froze. ¡°You- You got a two point eight with the minimum amount of skill points?¡±


    Andrew shrugged. ¡°I guess.¡±


    Quinn stared at him for a moment. ¡°Are you a genius?¡±


    ¡°I''m not a genius!¡± Andrew snapped, a response that was practically instinctive after a prolonged period of teasing from Vinek and Corek.


    Quinn frowned. ¡°Where did that come from?¡± She narrowed her eyes. ¡°Have they been teasing you at school?¡±


    Andrew froze slightly before coughing awkwardly. ¡°No, I just- I- I don''t think I qualify as a genius¡­ I know I''m not dumb, but I don''t think I''m that much smarter than anyone else.¡±


    Quinn eyed him cautiously for a moment, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. ¡°Well, you must have something going for you, because getting your inner sight skill that high this early is not normal.¡±


    Andrew paused. ¡°Would you say I have enough going for me that you''d be willing to take me dungeon diving?¡± He asked tentatively.


    Quinn nodded absently. "Maybe, may-" She cut off as she processed what he''d said. "You want to go dungeon diving?" She asked, surprised. ¡°Why?¡±


    "I-" Andrew began, before pausing as he realized he actually didn''t have a good reason anymore. When he was planning on picking up Voidwalker, he needed to be able to enter the dungeons to get stronger, so he could go wherever he wanted and keep himself safe, or at least as safe as possible. Now though¡­ "They''re interesting?" He offered hesitantly. "I like to explore, and what''s better to explore than a dungeon? At least at my level, it''s the safer option. Out in the wild, a random beast could be stronger than it appears, but in dungeons, all the beasts are around the same level. They''re known quantities. Plus, the best way to level skills is to use them, right? What better place to use them than in a dungeon? Navigating the tunnels, dodging monsters with my footwork, taking them out with my Lightning affinity, using all my skills constantly to advance!"


    Quinn chewed her lip as she nodded slowly. "Dungeons are great places to gain experience¡­ Nothing pushes your skills further than a life or death encounter." She paused before glaring at Andrew. "Which you will not be seeking out! If I''m taking you dungeon diving, we''re going to do it right! No unnecessary risks!"


    Andrew nodded. "Got it. So when do we start?"


    *


    Quinn insisted on making sure Andrew could actually fight, so their first stop was the training hall, finding a secluded corner to spar in. Even so, the two attractive women managed to attract more than a few admirers, who didn''t explicitly stop to observe them, but their little corner was clearly more crowded than it should be. Quinn scowled at a few of the more straightforward of the bunch, before focusing on Andrew. "Let''s start with offense. I''m just going to defend while you hit me with everything you''ve got, alright?"


    Andrew paused. "Everything?"


    Quinn smirked. "Drew, I''m a professional Dungeon Streamer. Your little level ten tricks won''t even scratch me."


    Andrew shrugged. That was a fair point. Still, he decided to start slow, focusing solely on kicks. After a few tentative exchanges which didn''t even cause Quinn to flinch, Andrew ramped things up, flashing kicks in as fast as he could, circling his opponent as he searched for any weak points. When that didn''t elicit any reaction, he spent some Energy to activate Double Speed, his legs turning into vague blurs as he continued his attempts to break through Quinn''s defenses. When the woman still proved unflappable, he resorted to one final trick. Mid kick, his leg shifted, growing longer and heavier as it flew at Quinn and her eyes widened. She blocked the attack with her arms, but it still sent her skidding back a few inches.


    "What was that?!?" Quinn asked incredulously, staring at the leg that had quickly turned back to normal.


    "I shifted my leg into another form for a moment." Andrew explained. "It''s bigger and heavier, so I figured it''d do more damage¡­"


    Quinn blinked at her. "You have another form? A combat form?"


    "Combat form?" Andrew frowned. "No, it''s just my old beast form. From before I became an uplift."


    Quinn paused. The form of a beast that grew strong enough to kill a higher level member of the sapient races? "Can I see it?" She asked hesitantly.


    Andrew cocked his head at her, before shrugging. "Sure." Suddenly, the small elf began to grow, shoulders widening, teeth sharpening, fur sprouting out all over, even Alana''s enchanted clothing beginning to tear slightly as Andrew expanded beyond their normal limits. A few of the observers let out yelps, scrambling away from the fearsome beast that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the training hall.


    Quinn''s eyes widened as she looked up at the beast towering over her, taking in the fangs and claws, before glancing down at the spiked heels. If Drew could combine those with his kicking skills¡­ Quinn gulped. "Okay, I''ll take you dungeon diving."


    "Really?" Andrew asked in a deep, rumbling voice that only let a hint of his surprise through. That was a bit too easy, wasn''t it?


    Quinn nodded. "The enemies in the level five dungeon I''m taking you to are rats, about knee high¡­ in that form, you don''t even need to be skilled! You just need to step on them."


    Andrew glanced down at his feet, before chuckling. "Fair enough."


    "You can change back now." Quinn added, glancing around. "I''m worried someone might try to hunt you soon."


    Andrew nodded, quickly shifting back into his elf form, which gained him a different sort of attention as the tears in his clothing made them a bit more revealing than was strictly appropriate. Nothing explicitly indecent, thankfully, but close enough that Quinn felt the need to rush him back to the locker rooms. She was going to need to talk to Alana about getting him something special for the dungeon. Or at least make sure she brought an extra change of clothes. Andrew was just wondering how these guys would react if he pulled out his carapace trick.

 Aura: 49 - Dungeon

    Andrew looked around curiously as he stepped through the portal into his first dungeon. It was¡­ dark. Quinn quickly pulled out a small orb which lit up and began floating behind them. "Sorry, I forgot this dungeon was all tunnels." She apologized, flushing slightly.


    Andrew stared at the floating orb, specifically the dot in the middle. "Is that how you record your delves?"


    Quinn nodded. "Yeah. It isn''t as good as a dedicated cameraman, but it''s a lot more trustworthy." She commented, her tone taking on a slightly bitter edge towards the end. "It tracks motion, so it''ll follow and pick up whatever we do, but it also picks up random nonsense, so it requires a lot more editing. Not that I''d be posting any of this, obviously. It just also acts as a decent light source in the darker dungeons."


    Andrew shrugged. "Fair. I can''t imagine many people would be interested in a level five dungeon."


    "It isn''t about the level of the dungeon." Quinn retorted, shaking her head. "Every dungeon instance is unique, so even a low level dungeon like this can provide an interesting viewing experience. There''s always new nooks and crannies to explore." She paused. "Actually, let me go over how dungeons work for you real quick."


    "While they may look similar, dungeons aren''t portals. Instead, they''re a pocket of twisted space formed around a core of energy, or the Dungeon Core. Whenever a party enters this space, it gets ''frozen'' in that instance until the party leaves, and a dungeon can''t maintain more instances than its level at a time. Since each instance is actually just a pause in the twisting of space, each instance is completely unique, though conversely, since everything within a dungeon is an ''instance'', it''s also all fake. An illusion created through a mix of the core''s energy and the twisting of space. That means that if you try to take anything out, like the body of a beast, or some material you found, it will just disappear. However, there are two major exceptions. First, if you destroy the core, your instance becomes real and every other instance is destroyed. The space also begins to collapse, but anything you can bring out with you remains intact. The other way you can make something real is by spending experience. If you bring something dungeon made to the core, you can spend experience to make it real. You can also bind it to you, for more experience, or even bind it to you without making it real, but if you do that it will only exist in dungeons, not in reality. Some people gain beast companions this way, or even¡­" Quinn hesitated. "Let''s just say high-level dungeons can be a lot more complex than a couple rats in a tunnel."


    "But back to the instances." Quinn continued. "Since everything is ''fake'', anything can appear in a dungeon, even one as low level as this, though it''s rarer because of its size. The bigger the dungeon, the more it can twist itself in new and interesting ways. Things that could never exist in nature given birth by the unbound nature of the dungeon space, like waterfalls that flow up or in loops, floating islands, or even just a type of flower or gem that''s never been seen before. If something is small enough, dungeon divers can spend the experience to bring it out and show it around, but otherwise, the only way to see these marvels is by happening upon them yourself or by watching a Dungeon Streamer who seeks them out professionally." Quinn added with a little pride. "We even have skills we can use to make unique formations more likely, increasing our chances of encountering them."


    "Wait, hold on." Andrew held up a hand. "Are you saying that Dungeon Streamer is a Class?!?" He asked incredulously.


    Quinn gave him a weird look. "Yeah? Why wouldn''t it be?"


    Andrew blinked. That¡­ he''d thought she was just talking about her job, not her Class! What kind of Class even was Dungeon Streamer?!? He paused. Well, obviously it was one that focused on influencing dungeons to be more unique¡­ probably had something to do with taking videos as well. Maybe a bit of acting? Maybe he shouldn''t have zoned out during the system explanations in class¡­ he was beginning to think he''d missed some key points. "Did you get the job first or the Class first?"


    Quinn frowned. "The job is the Class¡­ How did you not learn this in school?!? What were they even teaching you!?!" She muttered in frustration. "Classes are your job, Drew. Right now you''re an Essence Master, whatever that means. That means you do Essence Master things, or at least you will once you get your skills. Teachers do Teacher things, Programmers do Programmer things, and Firefighters do Firefighter things. That''s how it works! Why would you let someone who didn''t have the Class do the job or not do the job if you have the Class?"


    Andrew hesitated. "Maybe you suck at it?"


    Quinn rolled her eyes. "Then you reset and pursue a different Class, duh. Though if you really sucked at it, you wouldn''t have gotten the Class in the first place."


    Andrew froze. ¡°You- reset?¡±


    Quinn glared at him. ¡°I''m beginning to suspect you just didn''t pay attention in school. I know they would have told you about resetting your Class. All you need to do is visit a temple and a priest can reset your Class for you. It gets rid of all your stats, skills, and traits, but you still keep everything you learned, so it isn''t that hard to build yourself up again. At least, not below level twenty-five, but if you''ve gotten past level twenty-five you''re probably pretty happy with your Class.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Andrew grunted. That¡­ kinda made his decision to take Essence Master a whole lot better. Instead of being stuck in a shitty Class, he could grab the skills he needed, then reset so he could build into a proper Essence Class. Though he could probably get the same result by just killing himself¡­ and now he could just tell people he reset his Class! Though maybe he shouldn''t get too comfortable killing himself¡­ Andrew shook his head, refocusing on the other issue he was confused about. "So no one does anything they don''t have the Class for?"


    "Maybe as a hobby, but not professionally." Quinn shook her head. "I mean, I can cook, but I''m not a Cook. I can sew, but I''m not a Seamstress. I know enough to do some minor tasks, but I don''t have the skills or traits to even try to compete professionally."


    Andrew frowned. "Okay, so what if your Class isn''t marketable?"


    Quinn blinked. "What?"


    "What if no one needs what your Class offers?" Andrew elaborated. "Like¡­ say your Class is Fart Peddler. You sell farts. No one wants to buy farts, so you don''t make any money. What do you do?"


    "You could always reset and choose a new Class, but a scenario like that would never happen." Quinn replied. "The system only offers Classes that are in need. That''s why you would never see a Programmer before computers were invented. There was no need for them, so the system didn''t offer the Class. If no one needs a¡­" Her expression twisted. "Fart Peddler, then the Class won''t be offered. If it is offered, then it can be used. The system never offers a useless Class."


    "Okay¡­" Andrew nodded slowly. "Then what if you really want a Class the system doesn''t offer? Are you just screwed?"


    "I guess?" Quinn frowned. "But if you really want a Class that badly, then obviously there''s some sort of demand for it, so it should still be offered¡­"


    "Huh¡­ What about Classes like Thief or Murderer or something?" Andrew asked next. "They''re detrimental to society, so why would the system offer them?"


    "The system isn''t some sort of moral guide, Drew." Quinn rolled her eyes. "If people want others to die, then there will be Classes available to kill. If people want to steal others belongings, then there will be Classes available to do just that. That''s a societal problem, not a system problem."


    Andrew scratched his head. "I guess that makes sense¡­" He muttered. "Still feels weird though."


    Quinn shook her head. "It''s just the way things are. But we have gotten way off topic. For now, all you need to know is that dungeons can be weird and you need to be prepared for things that don''t normally make sense, because dungeons aren''t based on reality."


    Andrew sighed, nodding. "Got it." He paused. "But we''re still just fighting rats, right?"


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    "Right." Quinn nodded. "That isn''t an excuse to get lazy though. At level five, rats have an Agility of forty and a Strength of twenty, and they''re always in a group. Their Will is only ten, so if you kill enough you can scare the rest off, but that just means you''ll be facing an even larger group later. Plus, there''s always at least one elite variant, which will have an Agility of forty-five and a strength of twenty-five, and it will probably be in the largest group we find.¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°And¡­ this is a weak dungeon?¡±


    Quinn grinned slightly. ¡°One of the weakest. But don''t worry, I''m here to step in if you''re in danger. But only if you''re in danger." Quinn warned. "The more I do, the less experience you''ll get, so I''m only going to act as a safety net."


    Andrew nodded, taking the lead as they began to move deeper into the dungeon. He quickly shifted partially into his leaping terror form, mostly focusing on his legs, but keeping his body smaller due to the tunnels, before covering himself in carapace.


    "Wait!" Quinn called out, stepping forward to examine him. "What is this?!?" She asked, tapping on his shiny new outer layer.


    "My carapace? It''s good for defense." Andrew explained.


    "I know what it is!" Quinn snapped. "I''m wondering how you have it!"


    "Oh, I got it from an ant." Andrew shrugged.


    "When?!?" Quinn asked incredulously. "You''ve been in the city since you were uplifted! You shouldn''t have even seen a beast, let alone killed one!"


    "Beast?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "No, I got it from an ant ant. A small, tiny one. They''re everywhere." Andrew held his hand up, holding his fingers close together. He''d made sure the little things actually existed. Even if this was a different world, insects were ubiquitous.


    Quinn blinked. "You- you got a form from an insect?!? How!?! They don''t even have the system!"


    Andrew shrugged. "It''s an Essence thing. Even insects have Essence, and if something has Essence, I can gain its form."


    "And you can incorporate it into your other forms just like that?" Quinn asked, calming down as her tone shifted from shocked to impressed. "That''s rare. Most changelings need to work to mix their forms. It took me years to adjust mine into what it is today." Quinn explained, waving vaguely at herself.


    "How do your forms work anyway?" Andrew asked absently as they continued deeper into the dungeon. "Obviously you gain them differently than I do."


    "I''m a Mimic Changeling." Quinn explained. "I gain my forms by spending an extended period of time in close proximity with another being or studying them intently, though it''s fastest when I do both. I need to truly understand the creature I''m attempting to change into."


    "And you can''t do that with insects?" Andrew asked skeptically.


    Quinn shook her head. "Creatures without the system are ironically too simple to understand. I could know everything about an ant, and it wouldn''t get me any closer to identifying with it."


    "Identify?" Andrew asked curiously.


    "You know, the sense that you are what you change into." Quinn elaborated. "I know that I''m not an ant and I can''t imagine ever being an ant, so I can''t change into an ant."


    Andrew was about to ask what was so hard about seeing yourself as an ant, when he picked up a few auras around a bend and motioned for Quinn to stay quiet. Slowly he crept forward, until he saw a full count of ten creatures hiding there. He adjusted his form a bit further to make sure he was in the best state to fight, before rushing forward, leaping off a tunnel wall, straight towards the small swarm of rats! The tunnel was dark, but his aura sense gave him a clear enough picture as his legs lashed out, the spikes on his heels digging into the rats. As the first rat died, Andrew''s vision brightened, showing the rats swarming towards him in shades of gray. However, he was too focused on stomping through the rest of the rats to truly register the change. The rat''s claws couldn''t even manage to break through his carapace, his Void Body absorbing the majority of the damage, but one did manage to crack it with its teeth before Andrew managed to shake it off. Before any others could latch on he activated Double Speed, swiftly taking the rest out with a mix of Precise and Strong Kicks. He then sent some aura towards his leg, healing the cracked carapace as he turned to see Quinn giving him a weird look.


    ¡°That was¡­ good, well done.¡± Quinn congratulated him somewhat awkwardly. ¡°If I didn''t know any better, I''d think you were a professional¡­ but that''s impossible, obviously.¡± She shook her head, dismissing the idea. ¡°Though¡­ I''m starting to think this dungeon might be a bit beneath you. You have some serious talent for this.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Thanks.¡± Andrew muttered awkwardly. ¡°Should we keep going then, or¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, I already paid for the instance and you could still use the experience.¡± Quinn shrugged. ¡°Easy or not, levels are levels.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Andrew agreed.


    *


    ¡°Or not.¡± Andrew grimaced as they arrived before a large crystal which Quinn told him was the dungeon core, signifying the end of their run, and Andrew still hadn''t leveled up! ¡°I killed like sixty of those things! Why didn''t I level?¡±


    Quinn sighed. ¡°Maybe this dungeon was too easy. You didn''t even struggle with that elite! You need to at least work a little to level.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°But I still got the experience, didn''t I? I felt it! Why wouldn''t I level?¡±


    Quinn paused. ¡°Drew¡­ what rank are you?¡±


    ¡°Four?¡± Andrew replied hesitantly. ¡°Why?¡±


    Quinn rolled her eyes. ¡°Because the higher your rank, the harder it is to level! Of course you wouldn''t level from a dungeon you practically breezed through! Not at rank four!¡±


    Andrew gave her a weird look. ¡°So¡­ I would have leveled if I was a lower rank? Even if it''d been just as easy?¡±


    Quinn nodded. ¡°Yes. There are benefits to being at a higher rank, and the cost is that you must face challenges to match it. Conversely, if you''re at a lower rank, even if you find the challenges you face easy, as long as they are appropriate for your rank, you will level. But then, if you''re finding the challenges you''re facing too easy, the odds are you''ll be raising your rank at your next advancement.¡±


    ¡°Okay¡­ but how much of a difference can two extra attribute points per level make?¡± Andrew asked skeptically.


    Quinn sighed. "You really should have paid attention in school. Increasing your rank isn''t about attribute points, though they definitely help, and it isn''t even about getting better traits, which you definitely do. The biggest thing a higher rank gives you is time. At rank one, your life span is twenty-five years, but it doubles every time you increase your rank. So at rank two, you have fifty years to live, at rank three you have a hundred, and so on. Of course you can increase your rank, but that only doubles your remaining life span, so the earlier you do it the better."


    Andrew nodded along, remembering most of this from class. He just hadn''t cared because he was pretty sure he didn''t have a life span. Though he might die and reset every now and then. ¡°Okay, I guess that makes sense¡­¡± Andrew sighed, before shooting a scowl at the dungeon core. "I just wish this stupid thing could have given me at least one level." He muttered, kicking a rock at it.


    "That would have been- No!" Quinn exclaimed as the rock hit the crystalline object and it cracked. "Shit, shit, fuck, nonono!" Quinn cursed, rushing towards the core to examine it as the cracks slowly spread and Andrew''s eyes widened. "Damn it!" Quinn groaned as the core shattered.


    "What- I just- why-" Andrew stammered, staring at where the core used to be, feeling like he just broke his mom''s three hundred year old china set.


    Quinn sighed. "It''s fine, just- ugh, you can''t attack dungeon cores. Like, at all. Any violent intentions and they just¡­" She gestured futilely towards where the core once stood.


    "What- how- how do I-" Andrew gulped nervously. He''d just broken a dungeon! Would they send him to jail? Would he be in debt for the rest of his life? Fuck, he was so screwed!


    Quinn waved him away. "Don''t worry, this shit happens. Some newbie breaks a dungeon every month or so. Honestly, it keeps things fresh. We''ll have to report it, but otherwise it''s no big deal. Level five dungeons are easy to replace." She paused. "Don''t do it again though." She warned. "Repeat offenders have to pay an increasing amount of fines per offense."


    Andrew blinked. "That''s it? It''s just okay?" He asked incredulously.


    Quinn rolled her eyes. "It''s not okay. You just killed our free ride out of here! Now we have to drag our asses all the way back to the entrance! We could have been on our way home by now!" The woman continued to complain as she started making her way back towards the entrance of the dungeon. "Come on, if we don''t get out of here before the space collapses¡­ Well, it won''t kill us, but it isn''t a fun experience."

 Aura: 50 - Living Dungeon

    Once they finally got out of the dungeon, they made their way over to the Dungeon Management Office, where they reported the dungeon break. The attendant gave Andrew a disapproving look, but just like Quinn said, that was it. No one yelled or got angry, it was just recorded and they were sent on their way. Once they arrived back home, Quinn fell into the couch with a groan, before glancing at Andrew. "I hope you at least leveled up from that."


    Andrew blinked. "Huh?"


    "Breaking a dungeon core gives you about the same amount of experience as running it does." Quinn explained in a tired tone. She knew uplifts weren''t supposed to know anything, but the amount of basic knowledge she''d had to explain today was exhausting.


    Andrew opened up his status.


    [Race: Essence Changeling


    Class: Essence Master - 11


    Strength: 40


    Agility: 40


    Will: 40


    Intellect: 40


    Energy: 52


    Sensitivity: 444


    Class Skill - Restful Self Examination: 28


    Class Skill - Swift Step: 14 > 17


    Class Skill - Precise Navigation: 21


    Class Skill - Stealth: 27


    Class Skill - Precise Kick: 22 > 24


    Class Skill - Heavy Kick: 25 > 28


    Class Skill - Affinity Management: 12


    Skill Points: 2


    Attribute Points: 26]


    "I did!" He exclaimed happily, before freezing as he saw the amount of attribute points he had available. "Uh¡­ is there anything that makes leveling up from a dungeon special? Or maybe the first level after a Class advancement?" Andrew asked hesitantly.


    Quinn gave him a weird look. "No? Why?"


    "Because for some reason I have twenty-six attribute points to spend and I don''t know why." He muttered, searching through the rest of his status, looking for some kind of answer. He didn''t have any extra forms, so he moved onto his traits and¡­


    [Living Dungeon: You have consumed the Essence of a dungeon, becoming a dungeon yourself. For a variable cost you may create a dungeon instance based on your level and the Essences you have consumed. Personal rank doubled.]


    "Did you say you have twenty-six attribute points to distribute?!?" Quinn asked in disbelief, sitting up straight.


    "Yeah." Andrew frowned as he read through the Living Dungeon description one more time, trying to process what he was seeing. He could create dungeons? Or at least dungeon instances¡­ and it doubled his personal rank?!? Which put him at eight and explained the amount of attribute points, but¡­ "Damn it, I''m never going to level up." Andrew groaned.


    "No, no, no, explain!" Quinn jumped up. "Are you seriously suggesting you somehow managed to reach rank eight!?!"


    "Well, not really. I''m still technically rank four, but I have a new trait that doubles my rank¡­ shit, does that mean if I hit rank five I''ll be rank ten?!?" Andrew complained.


    "Do not act like this is a bad thing!" Quinn exclaimed. "Do you know how many people would kill to have a trait that doubles their rank?!? I''m tempted to throttle you myself!"


    "But¡­ my experience." Andrew retorted in a defeated tone.


    "Drew, your life span just increased to thirty-two hundred years! Even if it takes you a couple centuries to get to level hundred, you''ll be fine!" Quinn snapped at him, before freezing. "Fuck, the Raiders are going to want to get their hands on you. With your skills, traits, and enough attribute points to almost match a rank four monstrous race¡­ You could wipe out entire tribes all on your own!"


    "No!" Andrew exclaimed, causing Quinn to freeze, giving him a wide-eyed look at the vehement denial. Andrew flushed. "Sorry, just- no. I''m not joining the Raiders." Even if what the monstrous races did was horrible, Andrew couldn''t condone the wholesale slaughter of people who were just trying to survive. Plus, if this Essence Master Class did what he thought it would, maybe he''d be able to find a third option. One that didn''t involve killing anyone.


    "Okay, no Raiders." Quinn accepted with a shrug. "Seriously though, how the fuck did you manage to get a trait that doubles your rank?!?"


    "Uh¡­ I think I got it from destroying the dungeon." Andrew explained, sounding a little embarrassed. "I got a new trait called Living Dungeon which doubles my rank and lets me create dungeon instances, and the only other thing I did was kill a bunch of rats, which, unless rats are a lot scarier than I previously thought, wouldn''t give me a trait like that."


    Quinn just stared at him for a moment, before letting out a weird noise as she pressed her hands together like she was praying, her hands shaking as she pressed them against her lips. "Please, please tell me you''re joking." She pleaded. "Please tell me you did not just say you have the ability to create dungeons! Please tell me I just had some sort of strange auditory hallucination and you said literally anything else!"


    "It isn''t that bad, is it?" Andrew replied hesitantly. "I mean, it isn''t that hard to make dungeons, right? You just said that a few hours ago."


    "Drew, if you''re a level eleven, rank eight dungeon, that means you make level eleven, rank eight creatures! And it will only get worse as you level up!" Quinn exclaimed. "People would cross realms to get to you!"


    "Oh, I see your problem." Andrew let out a relieved breath, shaking his head. "No, that isn''t how it works. Well, it might be for the level, but creatures are based on the Essences I''ve consumed, so the strongest creature I can make is rank three." Andrew paused. "Though a dungeon full of leaping terrors would be¡­ well, terrifying.¡±


    Quinn paused, before letting out a relieved breath. "Okay, that''s- that''s better. Still, a rank three-" She paused. "Wait, you''re rank four."


    "Well, yeah, but that''s only my elf form." Andrew waved dismissively, leaving out his goblin form because it would have the same issue. "You can''t have elves in a dungeon."


    Quinn gave him a look. "You can absolutely have elves in a dungeon. You can have anything in a dungeon. Usually sapient races don''t start popping up until a dungeon is over level hundred, but it does happen. If your dungeon is based on your Essences¡­ then elves could absolutely appear."


    Andrew blinked. "Dungeons¡­ seriously?!? That''s- That''s kinda fucked up, isn''t it? Like, don''t you have to kill the creatures in a dungeon or it breaks and spills everything out? How does that work when they''re intelligent?!?"


    Quinn shrugged. "The same way it works as when they aren''t."


    Andrew grimaced. "But- they''re people! You can''t just kill them like some sort of- of- of beast!"


    "No, they''re dungeon creatures." Quinn retorted, shaking her head. "Just as aggressive and violent as any other. Their intelligence just makes them more dangerous. Unless you manage to subdue and bind them, all you can do is kill them."


    "Subdue and bind?" Andrew asked, confused.


    "Remember what I said about making things in the dungeons real?" Quinn replied. "Well, you can do that with dungeon creatures as well, including the intelligent ones. And unless you bind them, all you''ve done is release a hyper aggressive creature to wreak havoc upon the world. By binding them, they become dependent on you, making them loyal and obedient."


    Andrew gave her an incredulous look. "And people do this to people?!?"


    Quinn''s expression twisted. "It''s frowned upon, but yes. Dungeon creatures, even if they''re sapient, aren''t considered ''real'', so they don''t have any rights. Certain groups even make a business out of capturing dungeon sentients and selling them to the monstrous races."


    Andrew stared at the ground with an expression of sheer disgust. "This bothers me on a level I cannot even begin to express." He was caught between the urge to throw up and the urge to beat the living shit out of someone for allowing something so cruel to go on. What the fuck was wrong with this world?!? It was like it was angry at people and just wanted them to suffer! Andrew paused. Okay, it wasn''t that bad, but there was some seriously fucked up shit going on here. Freaking monstrous races and dungeon-bound slaves, for fucks sake! Just¡­ ew! This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Quinn shook her head. "Okay, this isn''t important right now."


    "It feels pretty damn important to me!" Andrew retorted. "If I''m going to have elves popping up in the dungeons I create, just for them to either be slaughtered or enslaved, then I don''t want any part in it! That''s just- cruel!"


    Quinn sighed. "That''s my point! If anyone finds out that you can create dungeons full of isolated, weak elves, they''re going to want to use you! Sapient races always appear in high-level dungeons, which are huge in the first place, and they usually appear as some sort of nation or army, which means capturing them is hard. At least, for most people, and anyone who''s strong enough to do it easily wouldn''t be interested. But level eleven elves? In a small dungeon? That''s like free money falling from the sky! There are people who would do anything to have access to something like that."


    "Well too bad for them, because it''s not happening." Andrew retorted, crossing his arms defiantly. There was no way he''d let himself become some sort of slave farm!


    "Then we need to keep your ability quiet!" Quinn insisted. "There are too many ways that people can take advantage of it, take advantage of you. Even if someone just captured you to churn out personal dungeons for them¡­"


    Andrew frowned for a moment, before sighing and nodding. "I''ll just forget about it then. Too much trouble, not enough benefit."


    Quinn paused. "Now hold on." She stopped him. "Yes, this ability can be¡­ troublesome, but it''s troublesome because it''s useful! Think about it. You can make dungeons that are always on your level, which means you never have to stop leveling! You will always have a dungeon on your level to delve! You could be the most powerful person in the world!" She explained, sounding excited.


    "Okay¡­" Andrew nodded slowly. "But why? What would be the point?"


    Quinn blinked. "The point? Being powerful is the point!"


    Andrew frowned. "Eh? Power for power''s sake is pretty pointless. Unless there''s something I need power to protect or to stop or to change or something, I really just don''t see the point. There are things I want to do, but they don''t hinge on power, per se¡­ more on skill? It''s ability I''m lacking, not strength."


    Quinn frowned. "Ability is strength, though?"


    "No? Like, an artist isn''t necessarily strong, but they definitely have a lot of ability." Andrew countered.


    "Artists are very strong." Quinn retorted. "They can create entire worlds to draw people in!"


    "Sure, but I wouldn''t call that strength¡­" Andrew frowned. "Creativity and talent, sure, but it''s not going to kill anyone."


    "It will absolutely kill someone!" Quinn exclaimed, giving Andrew a weird look. "Getting drawn into an Artist''s painting is the same as giving them your life!"


    Andrew just looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization. She wasn''t talking about people who could paint, she was talking about a Class! Which, he supposed, was the same thing in this world¡­ Maybe ability was strength in this world after all? Skills gave you stats which gave you strength¡­ but that was because of the system, not because of the ability itself! Though, if he started an argument with ''if not for the system'' he was pretty sure Quinn would just look at him like he was a crazy person. For her, the system was reality. To say something like ''without the system'' would be like saying ''without gravity'' for her¡­ an interesting thought experiment, but that wasn''t how the world worked, so how was it relevant?


    "Okay, maybe ability is strength." Andrew finally agreed in a bitter grumble. *But only because of your stupid world''s stupid system.* He added internally, not willing to completely agree that he''d made a mistake. "But my point still stands! I don''t necessarily need strength, I just need the ability! The strength ability grants me is secondary."


    Quinn continued to give him a weird look. "I don''t know why you insist on separating them like that, but it''s a simple fact that more ability means more strength and more strength means more ability. It''s just- they go hand in hand. So if you want more ability, you need more strength. Which means you need to use your dungeon trait. You just need to be careful."


    "I''m not using it if it means I have to kill innocent people." Andrew stated flatly. He didn''t care how powerful his dungeon trait could make him, if it meant betraying his values, it was worthless to him. He wasn''t going to become a monster just for power.


    "It''s really-" Quinn cut off as Andrew glared at her. "Fine! If it requires you to kill sapients, then fine! No using your dungeon trait! But you need to at least test it, right? Maybe you can control what creatures get created or something?"


    Andrew hesitated, before nodding in agreement. "The trait did say the cost was variable¡­ Maybe I have some control over it? Couldn''t hurt to at least try I guess¡­¡±


    "Great!" Quinn clapped her hands excitedly. "Now we just need to figure out where to test it¡­ we can''t just have you opening up a dungeon in the middle of the city. We need somewhere safe and hidden."


    Andrew raised his hands. "Don''t look at me. All I know about is a random location in the Great Forest and here. And I don''t think either of those are options."


    Quinn rolled her eyes. "Obviously not, no." She bit her lip as she considered their options. "We could find someplace in the mountains¡­"


    "Isn''t that where everyone makes their secret dungeons?" Andrew retorted, raising an eyebrow at her. "I heard about someone making a hidden dungeon out there on the news my first night here! Seems like a good way to look suspicious."


    "Well there aren''t many other options!" Quinn snapped back at him. "It''s all hills and plains around here! Not a lot of places to hide other than the mountains."


    Andrew frowned. He didn''t really know the area, but he believed her. "What if we made some kind of underground cave? It doesn''t need to be big, just big enough for us and the dungeon."


    "And how would you suggest we do that?" Quinn raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you have an Earth affinity? A digging skill? Anything that would let you make something like that? I know I don''t."


    Andrew paused. "I have the Plant affinity?" He offered tentatively.


    "Unless you have enough Energy to make some treants to dig for us, that isn''t going to help." Quinn shook her head.


    Andrew frowned. "Could we do it in a dungeon?"


    Quinn began to shake her head, before pausing and frowning thoughtfully. "I- don''t know. Maybe? Creating an expanded space within an expanded space seems¡­ dangerous, but space is infinitely differentiable, so it shouldn''t be a problem? Or everything would explode as the space destabilizes¡­ but that should just bump us out of the dungeon. And maybe cause another dungeon break¡­ which would mean a fine this time."


    "Is it worth the risk?" Andrew asked.


    "If we try it in an unpopular level five dungeon? Maybe. Probably. It''d definitely cut into my savings, and people would get a little suspicious if we killed two dungeons in a row, but that''s all manageable." Quinn nodded as she thought everything through. "We would need to clear the dungeon first, which isn''t going to help either of us, particularly since you''re technically a rank eight now. You could run a level five dungeon a dozen times and your level wouldn''t even wiggle.¡±


    Andrew scowled. "This doesn''t make me feel better."


    "If this works, you''re never going to have to worry about finding an appropriate challenge ever again, and even if it doesn''t, you have millenia to live." Quinn rolled her eyes. "Skill experience doesn''t decrease with rank, and even if it takes you a thousand years to get to level one hundred, you''ll still have over two-thirds of your life to live! Probably even more, since getting to rank five isn''t that hard. Particularly for someone who got her inner sight skill up to two point eight on her first try!" Quinn shook her head, getting exasperated as she tried to wrap her mind around all the advantages Drew had. What right did she have to complain about anything?!? "Are you seriously going to get pissy over it taking a bit more time for you!?!¡±


    Andrew grimaced. "Well when you put it that way¡­"


    Quinn let out an irritated growl as she glared at Andrew. "Look, I get that you''re new to all this, and you don''t have the experience to truly put everything in perspective, but if you keep complaining about the things you are unbelievably lucky to have, I''m going to start hurting you."


    Andrew gave her a look, before sighing and nodding. The thing was, he did get it. All these advantages were amazing. For someone else. For him? The extra stats and better traits were nice, but not really necessary. The lifespan was useless. Not that he was sure he couldn''t die, but even if he did, his aura would just reset him. If it could reset a bullet to the head, it could reset whatever aging could do to him. All he''d lose were levels. What he needed to be able to do was bounce back quickly, not avoid death, so all these things that added time, making it more and more difficult for him to bounce back after death¡­ it was just annoying.


    Quinn shook her head. Why could Drew not simply accept how lucky she was? Why was she so obsessed with the amount of time it''d take her to level up? The urge to throttle the woman surged yet again before Quinn forced it down. She''d learn eventually. She let out a sigh. "Okay, for now, we need to get you a status blocker. Hiding your trait is pointless if some rando off the street can just peek at your status and see it."


    Andrew paused. "Is that common?"


    Quinn shrugged. "Eh? Not very. And those who can generally don''t abuse it, but still, best to be careful, right?"


    "Huh¡­ Well, I already have a trait to disguise my status, so we can skip that." Andrew shrugged. He activated False Status, removing Living Dungeon from his trait list, before pausing and removing his goblin traits and race as well. Thinking about it further, he removed False Status too, because changing your status while letting people know you could change your status seemed like a good way for people to suspect you''d changed your status. Finally, he took the four off the beginning of his Sensitivity stat, because why not, before confirming everything. "There, done."


    Quinn gave him an odd look. "So you''re one of those changelings, huh?"


    Andrew paused. "What do you mean?"


    "Infiltrators." Quinn replied with a sigh. "It''s- people don''t like the idea of shapeshifters walking around, pretending to be something they aren''t. It makes them nervous. Too many scary stories about friends starting to act strange all of the sudden, only for it to be revealed that they''d been replaced by a changeling serial killer." Quinn''s expression twisted bitterly. "Low hanging fruit, as far as horror stories go, but that just makes it easier for them to worm their way into people''s subconscious." She shook her head. "You know what, you don''t need a lesson on bigotry between the noble races. Come on, let''s find a dungeon to test things out in." She got up, starting to get ready, before checking the time. "On second thought, let''s do that tomorrow¡­ What do you want for dinner?"

 Aura: 51 - Fade to black

    Finding an unpopular dungeon wasn''t that hard. The dungeon in question was known for having entire sections under water, meaning only aquatic races were interested in it, and even then, it was dark and the creatures inside liked to create ambushes, so they weren''t too hot on it either. The dungeon had been on the edge of being demolished for the last few months, so even if they broke it, no one would care. Not that they wouldn''t have to pay the fine, obviously. Even if the dungeon was unpopular, money was money, and the government would use any excuse they could to take it.


    For Andrew, the dungeon actually wasn''t all that bad, at least, not after the first kill. He already had his dark vision, so once he picked up the ability to breathe underwater from the fishmen, which were the creatures populating the dungeon, the dungeon lost all difficulty for him. Quinn was still miserable though, since she had to depend on a magic item for her water breathing, and she didn''t have a carapace to insulate her from the water.


    "Please, please, let this destroy the dungeon." Quinn muttered as she wrung out her clothes at the end of the dungeon. "I don''t care about the fine! This place is a crime against nature!"


    "You know, you knew the dungeon was full of underwater sections." Andrew pointed out. "Why didn''t you bring a swimsuit or something?"


    "Because a swimsuit would be the worst thing to wear in a place where I could be ambushed by a dungeon creature at any moment, and there''s no way I''m buying a wetsuit for one freaking dungeon." Quinn grumbled. "I can handle being a little wet, it''s just annoying."


    Andrew shrugged. "Fair enough." He waited for her to finish wringing out her clothes, before putting them and her armor back on. "Shall I get started?"


    Quinn nodded. "Hopefully this works, or it''s going to be a pain to figure something else out. Plus the pain of being forcefully ejected from an expanded space." Quinn grimaced. "Fuck it, if this doesn''t work, I''m taking the next week off. I''m going to need it after all this crap."


    Andrew grinned slightly at the grumpy woman, before focusing on the Living Dungeon trait, hesitating for a moment before activating it, sighing in relief as a menu popped up in front of him. "Alright, let''s see¡­" He muttered, glancing over the menu, which was currently showing what appeared to be a base Energy cost of five. The first option in the list was terrain type, from which he could choose underground, underwater, forest, plains, farm, town, and city. He selected underground and the cost didn''t change. Then he selected city, and the cost went up by five, though he noticed that it hadn''t gotten rid of the underground option, it''d just added city. He then unselected underground, but the cost stayed at ten. He frowned slightly, unselecting city and choosing town, which only increased the cost by two. He then removed town and added in all the other options, none of which added to the cost, except farm, which increased it by one. Andrew glanced at Quinn. ¡°Why would a city terrain be more expensive than an underground terrain?¡±


    ¡°Because cities have items?¡± Quinn offered tentatively after giving it some thought.


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Items?¡±


    "You know, silverware, furniture, toys, stuff like that." Quinn explained. "Dungeons with environments related to places where people live create items to fit the environment. It''s usually junk, but it''s complex junk, so I could see it taking more Energy to create, even if it is fake.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Andrew grunted slightly, before shrugging and turning back to the screen. He didn''t see a need to waste Energy creating junk, so he switched the selection to just underground and left it at that. The next option determined the area of the instance. It started at five square kilometers, and it cost one more point of Energy for each square kilometer he added, up to a max of eleven, which he figured was because of his level.


    ¡°Do you see any issue with the dungeon being eleven square kilometers?" Andrew turned to ask Quinn.


    ¡°Not particularly but the smaller it is, the faster we''ll be able to get through it.¡± Quinn replied.


    ¡°True.¡± Andrew nodded, taking the area down all the way before moving on to the next option, which was¡­ traps. He just made sure there weren''t any before moving on to the next option, which ended up being exactly what he''d been hoping for: creature types! He could choose which Essences were used in the dungeon! Which meant he could actually use the dungeon without worrying he''d accidentally make a sapient being he''d have to kill! Andrew''s relief was palpable as he selected rats, rabbitoids, and fishmen, none of which affected his Energy cost. As he selected them, little percentages appeared next to them, starting at one hundred percent and decreasing to thirty-three once he''d selected all three. He hesitated for a moment before selecting the rank two variant of rat, and his Energy cost jumped up to seven as the percentages dropped to twenty-five. He then decreased the percentage of rank two rats, the cost falling to six once he passed twenty percent, but not going any lower. He then unselected the rank ones and the cost shot up to ten. Then he selected the leaping terror, getting rid of the rats, and the cost went to fifteen.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Andrew nodded to himself, setting it back to rank one rats before moving on to the next option, which was population density. It was currently set on average, but he could change it to light, dense, or packed. Light reduced the Energy cost to three, dense doubled it to ten, and packed quadrupled it, causing Andrew to suspect that the only thing that actually mattered for the dungeon''s cost was the amount of creatures it had to make. Or, he supposed, the complexity and amount of its constructs¡­ He shook his head as he set the population density to light and moved on to the next option, which was the dungeon boss. The free option was a rank two version of one of his rank one creatures, but he could spend one Energy to raise it to rank three and two to raise it to rank four, though that was his limit. He could also spend Energy to give it some of his traits, though not the ones from his skills, the cost seemingly equal to one per evolution slot they took up, so giving it his Shadow Skin would cost one Energy, and his Void Body would cost two. He decided to just take the free option.


    Finally he reached the last option, which was for¡­ behavior? Andrew frowned as he focused on it and he saw the options for aggressive, neutral, and peaceful. "Quinn? Are dungeon creatures ever peaceful?" He asked hesitantly.


    "Never." Quinn replied. "Why?"


    "Cause apparently I can make my dungeon creatures peaceful¡­" Andrew replied, feeling some sort of internal dilemma welling up. He was creating these creatures in order to kill them. And as long as they were creatures and not people, he was okay with that. However, if he could make them peaceful¡­ then weren''t they more like pets? Could he really kill his pets just to make himself stronger?


    "Oh no, I know that look." Quinn frowned at him. "Drew, you can''t think of dungeon creatures as real beings! They''re constructs! They''re born from nothing and they return to nothing! They don''t actually exist!"


    "Then why can you bind them?" Andrew retorted. "Why can I gain Essence from them?!? They may not exist in the same way you and I do, but they obviously have some sort of life to them!"


    "They''re created by the dungeon to kill anyone who enters it! They''re mindless killing machines!" Quinn countered.


    "Except they obviously don''t have to be!" Andrew jabbed a finger at his menu. "They can be peaceful!"


    "As controlled by you!" Quinn snapped. "That only makes it even more clear they''re constructs! They simply follow orders! They can''t think for themselves! They''re controlled!"


    Andrew paused. "I suppose that''s a good point¡­ but how much of that is control, and how much is just influence? Like, if I set a creature to peaceful, and you go up and stab it, if it''s controlled, it''ll just sit there, but if it''s just influenced, it''ll retaliate." He frowned. If he wanted to see what the creatures were really like, he''d probably have to set their behavior to neutral. But¡­ Well, he already knew that, didn''t he? The beasts in the forest pretty much attacked on sight. Plus, he didn''t actually have many problems killing animals¡­ it was just the thought of these creatures being his that was tripping him up. Killing a random crow? Fine, if there was a point to it. Killing Gregory? Never. But as much as he was creating these creatures, in a sense, they weren''t actually his. "Okay, no, I''ve thought it through. We''re good."


    Quinn breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good, good. So, is it ready then?"


    "Pretty much." Andrew agreed, quickly checking how changing the behavior would affect the Energy cost, finding that peaceful would double the cost and neutral would add fifty percent, so he just left it on hostile, and confirmed all the options, his Energy draining out of him and forming into an instance portal. He looked around for a moment, before nodding. "Seems like it worked."


    "At least we haven''t been violently ejected as the dungeon instance collapsed." Quinn muttered. "Let''s hope the inside is stable too."


    "How do we check?" Andrew asked.


    "How do you think?" Quinn raised an eyebrow at him, before gesturing for him to enter. "Go on in."


    Andrew frowned. "This seems less than safe."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Oh, you''ll be fine." Quinn waved her hand dismissively. "A spatial collapse never hurt anyone." She paused. "Well, no, it hurts, but it won''t kill you." Andrew frowned at her and she rolled her eyes. "Just go! You''ll be fine!"


    Andrew eyed the portal skeptically, before letting out a sigh and stepping towards the portal. He could handle a little pain. He walked through and found himself¡­ in a cave. Not much different than the one he''d just left, except there was no Quinn and no dungeon core. ¡°Not sure what I was expecting.¡± Andrew sighed as Quinn walked in after him. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Quinn gave him a look. ¡°Don''t get cocky, Drew. You may have breezed through those last two dungeons, but the beasts here are level eleven now. At that level, rats have eighty-eight Agility and forty-four Strength, and they''re still going to group up. You aren''t going to be able to just shrug off their attacks like you have been, and they will try to swarm you and take you down.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Andrew muttered. ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll be careful.¡±


    Quinn smiled. ¡°Good. And remember, I''m here if you need me.¡±


    Just as Quinn said, the rats were a lot tougher at level eleven, forcing Andrew to use a bit more strategy than just run in and kill everything. He was admittedly a bit rusty since it''d been a while since he''d faced anything that could actually challenge him, but after a few close calls, he quickly got back into the swing of things. Thankfully he chose the light population density, so there were only about thirty rats, so it didn''t take that long to take them all down, even with the longer fights. Then, after he took down the boss¡­


    [Dungeon cleared! Exit portal available.]


    Andrew blinked as he felt he could open a portal out of the dungeon at any time now. "Huh¡­ apparently we cleared the dungeon, so we can leave whenever." Andrew told Quinn.


    "Oh good. Then we just have to find the dungeon core." Quinn nodded.


    "No, I mean, I can get us out of here whenever. I can open the exit portal myself." Andrew explained.


    Quinn paused. "Oh¡­ well, that''s convenient, but we should still find the dungeon core."


    Andrew frowned. "Would my dungeons even have a dungeon core? I mean, isn''t the dungeon core like the control center for the dungeon? If I''m the one controlling it¡­ wouldn''t that make me the dungeon core?"


    Quinn hesitated. "I- don''t think so? Yes, the dungeon core is what holds everything together, but¡­ well, it''s what holds everything together! Even if you''re the one who made it, the dungeon should still need a core to stabilize it¡­ I think. Probably."


    Andrew gave her a skeptical look, but he didn''t know enough to say she was wrong, so they continued their exploration. Then, once they finally reached the end, they found¡­ "That doesn''t look like a dungeon core." Andrew commented as he stared at what looked like the dungeon entrance, but in the wrong spot.


    "No it doesn''t." Quinn muttered, frowning at the portal, then at Andrew, before shaking her head. "I suppose you are the dungeon core then¡­ weird, but I guess that makes sense. Maybe cores aren''t as important for dungeon stability as we thought?" She trailed off, getting lost in thought for a moment before sighing. "Anyway, I''ll say this has definitely been a successful experiment! You can make custom dungeons, inside another dungeon, safely! The only issue is that we''ll need to clear both dungeons, but level fives don''t take that long to clear. Though I suggest we find a less annoying dungeon to use next time."


    "It wasn''t that bad." Andrew commented. "It''s kinda fun to swim around every now and then."


    Quinn gave him a flat, unamused look. "No." She stated simply, before clapping her hands. "Now, let''s get home and get some food!"


    *


    Quinn ordered some take out which they picked up on the way, both of them immediately digging in as soon as they got home. Despite how little had actually happened, it''d been a long day. Dungeons were anything but small, and it took a while to make your way through them. Quinn collapsed on the couch in a food coma as soon as they finished, while Andrew just flexed his aura and focused on his status, considering his next step.


    First, he needed to pick up some Essence Master skills, because he needed to figure out how to manipulate cores. He should also practice with his affinities, because just having them didn''t mean he knew how to use them. He''d experimented with a few lightning empowered kicks while in the dungeon, but it just wasn''t the same as shooting lightning out of your hands. He''d also need to keep experimenting with his dungeons with Quinn, particularly since it was probably his only hope for leveling at any decent speed in the foreseeable future. And maybe if he managed to make a unique enough dungeon, he could even help Quinn with her streaming, which would make him feel better about essentially mooching off her all the time. And that was that. Skill training and dungeon testing. Until he was strong enough to explore the world, which with his new rank, would probably take a while.


    *


    Beast Andrew paused as his thoughts followed a similar thread as his Changeling self. He and Li Jing were both growing steadily, but they still needed to be stronger before they could start venturing into the wilderness safely. Or at least as safe as they could. And since they couldn''t increase how fast they grew until they could move deeper into the wilderness¡­ that meant they had to wait. Of course, if he brought it up with his parents, they''d just tell him he was being impatient, that he was still young and he had all the time in the world to get stronger. Not that they''d be wrong, but Andrew wasn''t particularly in the mood for the truth. He was young, immortal, and impatient, damn it!


    "You''re ridiculous." Cathryn snorted, flicking a pea at him.


    "Why, what''s he thinking about?" Li Jing asked.


    "I''m wondering why, when we have all the food to choose from in the world, we chose to have peas for dinner." Andrew grumbled.


    "I like peas." Li Jing frowned, playing with her pile.


    "And that isn''t what he was thinking about." Cathryn rolled her eyes. "He was being all mopey about how long it takes to get stronger, while being basically immortal. In two worlds, no less!"


    "I am objectively immortal, thank you very much, and just because I have time doesn''t mean I want to waste it!" Andrew protested.


    "Is it really wasting time if you''re doing everything you can?" Cathryn retorted, raising an eyebrow at him. "I think you''re just bored."


    "What''s the difference?" Andrew replied.


    "Exercise is boring, watching tv is wasting time." Li Jing provided.


    "Is it really wasting time if it entertains me?" Andrew countered. "Is it really productive if I hate doing it?"


    "Yes." Li Jing answered with a smirk.


    Andrew scowled. "I don''t like these rules."


    Cathryn sighed. "Andrew, not everything in life has to be exciting. Some things just need to be done because they need to be done."


    "I know, I know." Andrew grumbled. "It just always seems like there''s too much to do, and not enough to make it worth it. We put all this time into getting stronger, just so we can keep doing the things that actually make us happy. It''s the same thing with money for mortals. All this time and effort just for the few moments you can find to actually enjoy your life. Just- grinding, day in and day out¡­ I don''t know. I get that it''s necessary, it just doesn''t always seem worth it."


    Cathryn frowned at him. "Andrew, my mother worked two full-time jobs just to put food on the table. She barely had time to sleep, let alone anything else. We visit a spa every other week. I don''t think you can complain."


    "But that''s my point!" Andrew exclaimed. "All that work, for what? What does she get out of it? She can''t even stop to appreciate the things she''s struggling so hard to provide for!" He paused. "Though a lot of that was your dad''s fault¡­ man, fuck that asshole."


    Cathryn shook her head. "So what are you suggesting? That people just stop?"


    Andrew shook his head. "No, obviously not. People do things because they need to be done. A lot of the time at least. I''m just saying the system itself kinda sucks. A world where everyone has to constantly expend effort just to survive¡­ ugh, I don''t even know what I''m getting at anymore. I mean, the effort is necessary, I get that, but why is it necessary? And at a certain point, is the effort even worth it? Is survival worth putting yourself through all that? Don''t get me wrong, I''m nowhere even close to that level, but if I was your mom¡­ I''m not sure I could have done it."


    "I think it''s about taking on the burden of more than yourself." Cathryn replied quietly. "My mom¡­ she did all that for the family, for me and my dad¡­ even if she didn''t get to be with us all that much, making sure we were provided for¡­ that''s what kept her going."


    Andrew leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Maybe it''s not the system that sucks, but people. If your dad actually helped, then your mom could have put in less effort. How many people out there put the burden of their survival on someone else? Shit, do the Bonded do that? I mean, we''re supposed to be these protectors and whatnot, but how many of us just sit around enjoying all the free shit provided for us? How many of us check out and stop putting in the effort, content to just coast?"


    "More than a few." Li Jing frowned.


    All three of them fell silent for a moment, before Andrew let out another long sigh. "Fuck it, we aren''t solving all the world''s problems over a dinner conversation. I''m not sure it''s something we can ever solve. We just¡­ have to make sure it''s never us forcing other people to carry a heavier burden."


    Li Jing nodded. "Agreed."


    Cathryn smiled bitterly. "Way ahead of you."


    Andrew sighed again. "Which means I should probably put more effort into training."


    "No, relaxing is fine." Li Jing interjected. "Just make sure what needs to be done is done. Pushing yourself to your limits just makes it harder to keep going."


    Andrew froze. "Well shit, now I don''t know what to do." Then everything went dark.

 1 - Waking up

    Chris jolted awake, briefly pausing as he took in the strange scene around him before dismissing it as he focused on his space, letting out a breath of relief as he found it perfectly intact, then freezing as he found it¡­ well, frozen. ¡°What the-¡± Chris frowned, turning his attention to his spatial awareness and finding the foxkin frozen as well. ¡°Is this what happens when you die?¡± He looked around at the strange room he''d found himself in, noting the throne he was currently sitting in, along with the other three¡­ people? in thrones of their own, though they all appeared to be completely unconscious. ¡°Hm¡­ can''t help but feel there might be something else going on here.¡±


    First things first, Chris tried to open a portal, and¡­ nothing, which he pretty much expected given the fact that his space was frozen. He got up and took a walk around the room, taking a closer look at the others. The four thrones were arranged in a square so they were all facing each other and each one was a different color. His own throne was white, the one to the right of him was red, the one across was black, and the left one was¡­ gross. Some kinda pale, sickly green that made Chris feel like he''d catch something just from looking at it. Which made sense, he supposed, considering the throne''s occupant. It looked like something out of a horror movie, like some weird chimera made out of a dozen different insects and a handful of mammalian type creatures, and the fact that it was wearing a t-shirt and jeans just made the whole thing even more disturbing. Though maybe it would have been better if the clothes weren''t warped to fit the dozen or so extra limbs the thing had. The person in the red throne was better, though still somewhat disturbing, though more for the implications than their actual appearance. They looked like someone had split two people down the middle and sewn two halves together, one male, one female. As for the person in the black throne, they just looked like a guy.


    Unfortunately, that was it. There was literally nothing else in the room besides the four thrones. Chris frowned slightly as he considered his options. His portals weren''t working and a quick test of the walls proved they were more than sturdy enough to stand up to anything he could do to them. He tried just willing himself out of the room, but that didn''t work either, not that he''d really expected it would. His only real option seemed to be waking one of these people up and seeing if they knew a way out. ¡°Guess I''ll start with the normal looking one.¡± Chris muttered, walking towards the black throne. ¡°I just hope this isn''t some kind of test designed to teach me not to judge people based on their appearance.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Should have just given up on escaping when that foxkin''s attack affected my space.¡±


    Chris placed a hand on the guy''s shoulder to try and shake him awake, only to pause as he felt a¡­ connection. Not to the guy, but through him. He focused on it for a moment, trying to push his way through it or something, thinking maybe this was how he was supposed to leave, but no matter what he did, nothing happened. Chris clicked his tongue in disappointment and gave the guy a shake.


    Greg''s eyes popped open, looking confused for a moment as he just stared at Chris, who simply took a step back, waiting for some kind of response. ¡°Can I help you?¡± Greg asked tentatively. ¡°Where- holy fuck, what is that!?!¡± He yelped after glancing over to see the chimera.


    Chris sighed. ¡°Apparently not and I have no idea.¡±


    Greg tore his eyes away from the chimera to frown at Chris. ¡°Eh?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I was hoping you''d know how to leave this place, but if you''ve never seen that thing, I figure the odds are low.¡± He paused. ¡°Unless¡­ maybe you''ve been here before, just with different people?¡±


    Greg gave him a weird look. ¡°You didn''t bring me here?¡±


    ¡°No. You were here when I arrived, I just woke you up.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°That''s weird¡­ I was just-¡± Greg cut off as his thoughts wandered to the Archmage and he realized he could still see her through his other self''s eyes, she was just frozen, mid sentence. ¡°Huh¡­ So time is stopped out there? Or at least it''s passing really, really slowly¡­¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°You''re aware of things outside here?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I have another body out there.¡± Greg replied vaguely. ¡°Sort of my thing. Well, no, my thing is turning stuff into smoke, but I can use smoke to make bodies, so same difference, you know?¡± He paused. ¡°That still doesn''t explain how I got a body here though¡­¡± He raised a finger, trying to turn it to smoke. ¡°And it isn''t even smoke! Shit, I don''t even have any smoke! That''s- not good.¡± Greg frowned, looking around the notably exitless room. If he had some smoke there might be something he could do, but without it¡­ he didn''t like his chances.


    ¡°My ability doesn''t work in here either.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Is this some sort of prison?¡±


    ¡°It better not be.¡± Greg growled. ¡°Being trapped in a timeless void with some weird horny elf, a shemale, and whatever the fuck that this is is not my idea of a good time.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°Horny elf?¡±


    Greg waved his hand dismissively. ¡°Whatever you are. To me you look like an elf with horns.¡±


    Chris reached up to feel his head, finding that he did indeed have sharp ears and horns. ¡°Why would I be here in this form?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Do you have more?¡±


    ¡°I have three.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Human, half-elf, and a co-¡± His voice cut off with a hiss. As he''d talked, his form had flickered, changing to human, then back to half-elf, and finally into his combat form.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Greg grunted as he looked Chris over. ¡°Not gonna lie, I preferred the horny elf.¡±


    Chris grunted, frowning down at himself, trying to figure out how he''d transformed in the first place. All he''d done was think about his combat form! He paused, then thought about human form. ¡°Huh¡­ transforming is surprisingly easy here. But why can''t I do anything else?¡±


    ¡°Well, if this is a prison¡­¡± Greg trailed off. ¡°I got nothing, actually. This place is just confusing.¡±


    Chris grunted in agreement. ¡°We should try waking up the other two. Hopefully one of them will know what''s going on here, but even if not, it''d be good to have a couple more minds working on figuring out how to get out of here.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°True. But we''re saving that for last.¡± He gestured to the chimera.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Chris grinned slightly as they moved over to the red throne. ¡°Oh, by the way, I felt some sort of connection when I touched you before, but it didn''t seem to do anything. Want to see if you can do anything with it?¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow as Chris held out his hand. ¡°Sure?¡± He took his hand, looking a bit surprised as he felt a connection as well. He messed with it a bit, but he didn''t get anything more than Chris out of it. ¡°Sorry, nothing.¡±


    ¡°I figured, but best to make sure.¡± Chris sighed. ¡°Alright, let''s wake them up.¡± He placed a hand on the male half of them, pausing as he felt another connection. ¡°Huh¡­ There''s a connection here too. Though that probably should have been obvious¡­ it would have been weird if it was something only the two of us had.¡±


    Greg narrowed his eyes. ¡°I wonder¡­¡± He put a hand on the female half. ¡°Ha! It is stronger!¡±


    ¡°Still doesn''t do anything though.¡± Chris muttered, giving the connection a few tugs.


    ¡°It doesn''t do anything yet.¡± Greg corrected. ¡°But if we used all four of us¡­¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°It''s something to try, at least. But first we need to wake them up.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Greg agreed, pausing as a thought occurred to him. ¡°What''s your name?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it''s Chris.¡± Chris replied. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°One moment.¡± Greg raised a finger as he shook the fe/male, their eyes blinking open. ¡°Hi there! I''m Greg and this is Chris.¡± Greg greeted them with a grin. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know how to escape this timeless void, would you?¡±


    Tori screamed. ¡°No! No, I am not going through this shit again!¡±


    ¡°Oh good, you do know what''s going on!¡± Greg clapped. ¡°So, how do we get out?¡±


    Tori glared at him. ¡°How the fuck should I know?!?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Because you''ve done this before?¡±


    ¡°No I- Damn it, I just escaped a time dilated trial!¡± Tori groaned, slumping down in the throne. ¡°Fucking- ugh, how did I get pulled into this one? Is it because I''m following the path of True Ascension?¡± She asked in a defeated tone.


    Greg scratched his head, turning to Chris. ¡°Did any of that make sense to you?¡±


    ¡°All I get is that they have no idea what''s going on here either.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Which means it''s time to wake up our fourth.¡±


    ¡°Damn it.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°What do you think the odds are it''ll be violent?¡±


    ¡°More or less the same as yours?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°Being ugly doesn''t mean it''s evil.¡±


    ¡°See, you say that, but it''s pretty much guaranteed that the uglier a feral is, the nastier it''ll be.¡± Greg pointed out.


    Chris paused. ¡°What''s a feral?¡±


    ¡°You know, the people driven wild by mana.¡± Greg explained.


    ¡°I have no idea what you''re talking about.¡± Chris frowned. ¡°What do you mean by mana?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°You don''t know about mana? Did you not get taken when the aliens came to Earth?¡±


    Chris stared at him for a moment. ¡°I have a feeling we aren''t from the same place, because everything you just said sounds like complete nonsense.¡± If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°That-¡± Greg began, cutting off as his eyes widened. ¡°Oh¡­ shit, I might know what''s going on here. Not sure what to do about it, but¡­ hold on, let''s wake up this thing first. Ah, but before that, what''s your name?¡± Greg turned back to Tori.


    ¡°It''s Tori.¡± Tori replied, frowning at the two of them, still trying to piece together what the hell was going on.


    Greg looked a bit surprised as Tori became fully female. ¡°Huh¡­ Alright then.¡± He turned back to the chimera, hesitating as he looked for a good place to shake it. ¡°Damn it, I''m either in an armpit or on its neck.¡± Greg grumbled, grabbing the closest approximation of a shoulder he could find and shaking it. ¡°Uh¡­ shit, I can''t tell if you''re awake or not.¡±


    ¡°Who- what- why am I-¡± Andrew stammered, cutting off with a groan. ¡°Cathryn is going to be pissed if I reincarnated as another monster.¡±


    ¡°Try thinking about your preferred form.¡± Chris offered.


    ¡°My preferred form?¡± Andrew frowned as he changed into his tigermonkey form.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Are you one of the Kin?¡±


    ¡°What? No, I- hold on.¡± Andrew muttered as he examined himself, focusing on being human. ¡°Okay, there we go.¡± He sighed in relief. ¡°Now, what the hell is going on here?!?¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°And that''s oh for four. But I think I might have an idea of what''s going on here. Let me ask, do all of you have abilities that don''t exactly¡­ fit? Like they''re something more than what a normal person should be capable of?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Chris replied easily, figuring his space had something to do with this anyway. ¡°I control a space.¡±


    Tori hesitated. ¡°I have a system?¡±


    Andrew shifted awkwardly. ¡°I- can control my aura.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°And I control smoke. Which, I recently learned, is because I''m a piece of the sovereign of physicality. Not that I have any idea what that means beyond the fact that it gives me control over smoke, which is apparently the essence of physicality, but since it is literally the only reason I can think of for why I might be involved with anything regarding other realities, I figure it might have something to do with all this.¡±


    ¡°Wait, other realities?¡± Andrew interjected.


    ¡°Yeah. At least I think so.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°I''m from a reality where Earth was driven into an apocalypse type scenario by the arrival of mana. It drove half the population crazy and transformed them into super strong mutants, which the rest of humanity could only face because a small portion of the population got superpowers. Of course, some of the mutants got superpowers too¡­ Anyway, point is things got rough for a bit, and just when things were settling down, aliens showed up and abducted everyone, supposedly to save them from what would happen as mana took a more significant hold on the planet, but they ended up killing half the population so who knows?¡±


    ¡°I''m from a world called Azza, where humanity lives in an underground city underneath a gigantic labyrinth called the Maze.¡± Chris offered next. ¡°Though I have traveled to a world that is also called Earth, but none of that happened to it, and it''s somehow connected to Azza, because it has a video game called ¡®The Maze¡¯ which is practically an exact copy of my world.¡±


    ¡°I- also come from a world called Earth¡­¡± Tori began tentatively. ¡°It was pretty unremarkable until¡­ I started to spread my system and some sort of god showed up, killing everyone. I somehow survived, getting sent to what I can only assume is another reality, where people cultivate using Runes.¡±


    ¡°Those are definitely different realities.¡± Andrew muttered. ¡°I''m in one where Earth is a pocket dimension of this place we call the Outside, which is full of Beasts that get stronger by consuming the ability crystals of other Beasts. I''m also in one where a system splits people into monstrous and noble races and people can level up by using skills or killing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shit, like a litrpg?!?¡± Greg asked excitedly. ¡°I love those!¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°A- a what?¡±


    ¡°A litrpg? It''s a type of book where the story is set in a world that has a system, so the characters level up and whatnot as the story progresses. Like a video game, I guess?¡± Greg explained.


    Tori frowned. ¡°Can we focus on the stuff that will help us actually leave this place?¡±


    Greg coughed awkwardly. ¡°Well, about that¡­ I''m not sure we can.¡±


    Tori froze. ¡°Excuse me?!?¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, hear me out!¡± Greg waved his hands placatingly. ¡°I don''t think we can leave, because I don''t think we''re actually here. At least, not physically. Maybe mentally? I mean, none of our abilities work, time out there is frozen, and we can change how we look with a thought, which to me seems to indicate that this is a non-space, something that only exists because of us. To connect us.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Why?¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Because we''re sovereigns.¡±


    ¡°Why does that mean we need to be connected?¡± Andrew asked. ¡°Also, how are we sovereigns?¡±


    ¡°Okay, maybe you guys aren''t sovereigns, though I think it''d be weird if you weren''t, but as for why we''re connected¡­ Chris, what happened before you woke up here?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°A foxkin hit me with an attack that shook my space so hard I was worried it would break.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Greg clapped. ¡°There! You were in danger, so you woke up here, so you could get us!¡±


    ¡°Get?¡± Tori frowned. ¡°I''m not going anywhere with you people! I have my own shit to deal with! And none of this is explaining how we get out of here!¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Dude, time is literally frozen out there. What is your hurry?¡±


    Tori gritted her teeth. ¡°I just spent over a year in almost absolute isolation because time passed faster in the place I was than it did outside, and all I want to do right now is be with my girlfriend!¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Okay¡­ Well, Chris and I figured out that when we touch, there''s a connection and it gets stronger as more of us touch. I figure we just do that and follow the connection to wherever we want to go. Which, admittedly, is probably all our own realities¡­ I have shit I need to handle in mine as well. Our ship literally just crashed on a wild alien planet that we are so not prepared to deal with.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°I guess I wouldn''t mind sending my system world self to one of you if you need it¡­ I''m not terribly invested in that one. But I''m pretty sure if I leave Beast world my girlfriend dies. Though I might be able to just send one of my cores¡­¡±


    The other three turned to stare at Andrew. ¡°Wait¡­ you''re in both realities? Like, simultaneously?¡± Greg asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Andrew confirmed tentatively. ¡°My ability lets me gather cores, which are essentially the things that keep people alive as far as I can tell, which lets me have multiple bodies.¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°I can have multiple bodies too, but it doesn''t let me control all of them. I need multiple minds for that- hold on, how did you get to a second reality?¡±


    ¡°I drained the aura out of a core and it disappeared, then a week or so later I was born in another reality.¡± Andrew explained, giving Greg a weird look.


    ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Greg muttered.


    Tori sighed. ¡°Does any of this have a point?¡±


    ¡°Well if he can be in multiple realities at once, what''s to say we can''t too?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°See the problem is the extra mind, but if whatever process bringing us to another reality creates the extra mind, then there''s no problem! Not that it will, but hey, I''m an optimist.¡±


    Tori glared at him. ¡°I don''t want to be in multiple realities. I just want to be in my reality!¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to be in a litrpg, so nyeh.¡± Greg stuck his tongue out at her. ¡°You know, as long as it doesn''t involve leaving Tessa.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I don''t think anything productive is going to come from continuing this.¡± Chris announced. ¡°We don''t even know what''s going to happen, so everyone just hold hands and we''ll figure it out from there.¡±


    Andrew nodded, Greg shrugged, and Tori grumbled under her breath as they all came together, grabbing each other''s hands. They all felt the connections come into sharp clarity, and then¡­ disappear. ¡°Greg.¡± Victoria growled, squeezing his hand hard, as if she was trying to crush it, which she was. ¡°Why are we still here?¡±


    ¡°Okay one, ow.¡± Greg grimaced, pulling his hand out of her grip and shaking it. ¡°And two, I have no idea! I have theories, not facts! Though, if I had to guess, there''s no way to avoid being in multiple realities now¡­ You know, as long as we can get out of here.¡±


    ¡°I will kill you!¡± Tori snarled.


    ¡°You can try.¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°Hey, maybe that''s the answer! All we have to do to leave is kill ourselves! Now all we need is a g- huh.¡± Greg blinked at the gun that had conveniently appeared in his hand. ¡°You know, I was joking, particularly since I''m pretty sure we can''t die, but now I kinda want to try.¡±


    Tori snorted. ¡°You''re a child.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Greg protested, then pausing and shrugging. ¡°Okay yeah, kinda. But I prefer the term goofy.¡±


    ¡°Hm. I wonder if we can just go back to sleep.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°I mean, I assumed I appeared here after what happened, but what if I''ve always been here? What if we all have, and we''ve just been unconscious? It''s pretty clear Greg is right and we''re all connected somehow, and this room is emblematic of it. Particularly since it''s very clear we aren''t physically here. Maybe we just have to mentally withdraw from it.¡±


    Tori glared at him. ¡°So, what you''re saying is that you woke us all up and most likely forced us into multiple different realities for no reason?!?¡±


    ¡°In hindsight, yes, but it isn''t like I knew that.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I woke up here just as confused as you.¡±


    Tori continued to glare at him for a moment before letting out a groan. ¡°Whatever. I just- ugh, I fucking hate my life. It seems like it''s designed to fuck with me.¡±


    ¡°Mine does that too!¡± Andrew exclaimed, coughing awkwardly as the other three gave him weird looks. ¡°Sorry, I mean- I get it? Whenever my life starts going well, something always comes along to mess things up again.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I wouldn''t necessarily say always, but there have been a number of unfortunate coincidences in my life¡­ though arguably equally as many fortunate ones. The only reason I''m even here is because I ran into the one person who could actually cause me any issues, and even after I escaped him, a random encounter threw me right back into his grasp.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Greg grunted. ¡°Narita did say something about realities making the lives of people like us more difficult¡­ I honestly haven''t seen much of it personally though.¡±


    Tori frowned at him. ¡°Didn''t you say your ship just crashed?¡±


    ¡°Well, yeah, but shit happens, you know?¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°That doesn''t necessarily mean reality is fucking with me.¡±


    ¡°Even if it is, it''s reality. What are you going to do about it?¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Might as well accept it and move on.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, you sound like my parents.¡± Andrew grumbled, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Which means you''re probably right too.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°So, shall we try going back to sleep? If not, we can always give this a shot.¡± His chuckle shifted to something a bit more sinister as he waved the gun around.


    ¡°Yes, let''s try it.¡± Chris agreed before Tori could snap at Greg again, heading back to his throne because, real or not, he didn''t like the idea of being passed out on the floor. The rest followed suit, all of them getting settled as they focused on falling unconscious, until everything began moving again.

 2 - Convergence

    Mage World


    ¡°Let me introduce you to Chris¡­¡± Greg grinned, turning towards the figures forming around him, only to freeze as the world pulsed, rippling out of Greg and passing over the Archmage and Techno.


    Rune World


    A ripple surged out of Tori, covering her and Beatrice, their entire room, and a significant chunk of the building around them.


    Beast World


    The ripple surged out of Andrew, pulling in Cathryn and Li Jing.


    System World


    The ripple just managed to catch Quinn as she and Andrew ate breakfast.


    Maze World


    A horde of foxkin yelped as the ripple pulsed out of Chris''s ¡®corpse¡¯, covering a good chunk of the tunnel as it spread much further than any of the other ripples.


    As the ripples finished, the four once again found themselves seated on thrones, in the center of a patchwork space. It was mostly tunnels, due to Chris''s ripple, with a small section that included a piece of spaceship, a random section of a building, a small dining room, and an apartment kitchen. ¡°Greg?¡± Tori began.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Greg replied.


    ¡°I fucking hate you.¡± Tori growled.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, I get that.¡± Greg chuckled, getting to his feet and looking around. ¡°Wow¡­ that''s a lot of pissed off fox people.¡±


    Chris sighed as he got up as well. ¡°Yeah, that''s my fault.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, Beatrice!¡± Tori cursed, jumping to her feet.


    Andrew jumped up as well, only to stop and grin as he heard a roar from that direction. ¡°Don''t worry, Mei''s got them.¡±


    ¡°What- is that a fucking dragon?!?¡± Tori asked incredulously as she watched a ferocious serpentine form tear through a group of terrified foxkin, before curling up protectively in front of two girls.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Andrew confirmed, flicking an airblast at an incoming fireball, sending it flying at a different foxkin. ¡°Did these guys really beat you?¡± He asked, glancing at Chris. ¡°They''re kinda weak.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I was holding back to try and throw off suspicion.¡± Chris muttered as he threw up a few barriers. ¡°But they are considered fairly strong in my world, compared to humanity at least. Particularly that one.¡± He pointed towards the foxkin captain, who was trying to organize the foxkin. ¡°His attacks affect you on a¡­ spiritual level, I guess? It isn''t physical at least. So you know, don''t let him hit you.¡±


    Andrew paused. ¡°Spiritual? Like my aura?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°You do realize I have no clue what you''re capable of either, right?¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Andrew agreed. ¡°But can we capture him for me? It''s literally the first time I''ve run into an ability that even might have something to do with aura.¡±


    ¡°I can capture him for you.¡± Tori offered, her Spirit threads unfurling and her Essence forming into daggers as she stalked towards the foxkin captain. ¡°Particularly since your pet dragon is protecting my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°She''s not a pet!¡± Andrew hissed, glancing Mei''s way, hoping she hadn''t heard that. Even implying that the Beast was subservient to the human side was enough of an excuse to kill for certain Bonded, and while Mei wouldn''t do anything like that, she''d definitely hold a grudge, which was the last thing they needed right now. Particularly since Tori seemed like the type to hold a grudge herself.


    The foxkin weren''t much more of a threat to Tori than they were to Andrew, particularly once she got her Essence armor up. She used her Spirit threads to bash them against the sides of the tunnel and cut down any that got too close as she moved towards the foxkin captain, catching him before he could run away and wrapping him in Spirit threads. Greg dove in as well, transforming into his scorpocroc form as he tore through the foxkin, any attacks he took healing almost instantly since he didn''t have a real body at the moment. Meanwhile Andrew made his way over to Cathryn and Li Jing, taking care of some of the foxkin as he did but mostly focused on making sure his girlfriends were safe. As for Chris, he used his barriers to harass the foxkin, but there wasn''t much else he could do as he''d once again lost all his ability energy. Still, even without Chris and Andrew doing much, Greg and Tori were more than enough to break the foxkin, the few survivors fleeing back down the tunnel and out of the strange warped space.


    ¡°Man it feels good to fight something I can actually kill.¡± Greg sighed in satisfaction as he returned to his human form.


    Tori frowned at him. ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Hey, I just spent like four hours dealing with enemies I couldn''t even touch.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Being able to actually do something about a problem is just nice, alright?¡± He paused, glancing at the foxkin captain floating behind her. ¡°Speaking of, do you want me to put some cuffs or something on him?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Tori agreed, moving the captain over to Greg as they walked over to Andrew, who used some smoke to pull his limbs together before turning it to steel. ¡°There.¡± She announced as she dropped the captain in front of Andrew. ¡°One fox person with a maybe aura ability, as requested.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Andrew grinned. ¡°I would have done it myself, but¡­ I''d probably have ended up killing him.¡± He finished with a slight sigh.


    ¡°Okay, what the hell is going on here?!?¡± Cathryn demanded.


    ¡°I would also like an explanation.¡± The Archmage commented, crossing her arms and staring at Greg, while Li Jing did the same to Andrew, pulling Li Mei back since things seemed to have calmed down.


    [Vic- Victoria?] Beatrice called out hesitantly, peeking out of their room, wide-eyed.


    Tori grimaced slightly as she moved over to her. [Sorry, Beatrice, this might get a bit confusing. There''s a lot to go through here, and I don''t think anyone else speaks Callowan. I''ll explain everything after, okay?]


    [I can translate for her.] The mantis Avatar offered as it appeared on Tori''s shoulder. [Our connection lets me understand and speak any language you know.]


    Tori blinked. [That would be great, thank you.]


    Meanwhile Quinn was still frozen, staring blankly across her kitchen table with a spoonful of cereal still halfway to her mouth, completely forgotten by everyone.


    Chris looked around, shrugged and opened a portal to where Beth and Nadia were waiting to hear the results of his escape attempt. ¡°This is probably a conversation you should be a part of.¡± He explained, waving for them to join him.


    They both frowned as they stepped out, eyes immediately widening as they took in the scene around them before simultaneously whirling on Chris and exclaiming in unison. ¡°What did you do?!?¡±


    ¡°I was this close to escaping when a random group returning to the tribe hit me with some sort of concussive attack, stunning me just long enough for that one to get a good hit in, which sent me to this timeless space with him, him, and her, though they were asleep at the time. I woke them up, things happened, we went back to sleep and now we''re here.¡± Chris replied as succinctly as possible. ¡°All of which is to say I have no idea what''s going on, but it has something to do with why I have a space.¡±


    ¡°What he said.¡± Greg agreed, pointing a thumb at Chris. ¡°Though I''d add that it probably has something to do with us being the Sovereigns of the Multiverse.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Would you stop trying to make that a thing? None of us are sovereigns of anything!¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°Hey, I have it on good authority I''m the sovereign of physicality!¡± Greg retorted. ¡°And you can''t deny you at least have something weird going on with you, right?¡±


    Tori scowled. ¡°No, but that doesn''t make me a sovereign. What would I even be the sovereign of?!?¡±


    ¡°How should I know?¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°Maybe you should ask Narita. I''m sure she can figure it out.¡±


    ¡°I might just do that.¡± Andrew muttered, not noticing as Quinn locked onto him. ¡°Getting some guidance on what''s going on with my aura doesn''t sound like the worst idea in the world.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t call it guidance.¡± Greg commented. ¡°It isn''t like she knows how anything works, she just gets a vague idea of what it is.¡±


    Andrew shrugged. ¡°Even that sounds helpful. I mean, I know I can control aura, but since I don''t know what aura actually is then it doesn''t do me much good, now does it? All I know how to do with it right now is kill things, switch cores, and make mutant monstrosities.¡±


    ¡°I guess it wouldn''t be the worst idea.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Though I feel I have a pretty good handle on what my space is capable of.¡±


    ¡°Does any of this have anything to do with what''s going on here?¡± Nadia asked, rubbing her temple.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Considering our natures are an integral facet of why this happened, I would say it''s fairly foundational to what''s going on. Then again, the fact that we probably aren''t going to get anything better than the theory that we''re all sovereigns at the moment, it isn''t a very productive avenue of conversation. But then, we don''t exactly know why any of this happened, so it isn''t like we have a lot to say either way.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I have some theories.¡± Greg commented.


    Tori sighed. ¡°Of course you do.¡±


    Greg chuckled, clapping his hands. ¡°Alright, let''s look at the facts! First, clearly something we did ended up pulling the areas around us into this weird meshed together space. Probably something to do with those connections, but the weird part is we showed up, then the area was pulled in¡­ Why didn''t it just pull the area in to start? My guess is that it has something to do with all of us being in the same reality, not to do with the connection, which suggests that there are other ways for us to get to other realities.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Didn''t we already know that? Both me and Tori have ended up in different realities.¡±


    Greg snapped his fingers. ¡°Good point, right, so yeah, that makes sense. Now then, the question is why it ended up pulling in the areas it did. Obviously it started from where we were, but why is Chris''s area gigantic, while our areas are comparatively small?¡±


    Chris looked around, eyeballing the area, noticing the shape of the other sections, then looking up. ¡°Huh¡­ if this area extends just as far up and down as it does side to side, it could be a similar size to my space? That might have something to do with it.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, I''ve had to invest fairly heavily in growing my space.¡± Chris explained with a shrug. ¡°I don''t know how your abilities grow, or even if they do, but that''s the only thing I can think of that I might have done differently.¡±


    Greg glanced at the spaceship area. ¡°That could work¡­ I didn''t really do much to make my smoke stronger.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t do much for my points either.¡± Tori agreed.


    Andrew grimaced. ¡°I don''t even know how to make my aura stronger.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ the stronger our sovereign abilities are in a reality, the more area we pull in?¡± Greg offered tentatively. ¡°Though how does that work if we move from one reality to another?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can''t.¡± Chris suggested.


    ¡°Dude, we literally just did it!¡± Greg retorted. ¡°It pretty much immediately pulled us in here, but still!¡±


    ¡°Did we?¡± Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Because what I remember is being in five different places at once for a moment. I didn''t travel anywhere, a new me was created in each other reality, along with a separate space for each one.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Really?¡± Chris nodded. ¡°Huh¡­ So our power in each reality is independent of our power in any other reality?¡±


    ¡°Hold on. I did move between realities, and my points didn''t get weaker in the process.¡± Tori interjected. ¡°Though I did have to spend pretty much all of them to do it¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, my aura isn''t as strong in system world as it is in Beast world.¡± Andrew pointed out. ¡°So maybe it''s both?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter right now?¡± Li Jing commented. ¡°I think we should focus on what the existence of this space means.¡±


    ¡°Oof, good question.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Well, clearly it''s connecting all the realities we''re in, because otherwise y''all wouldn''t be here. It isn''t isolated either, because I saw fox people entering and leaving. Not sure if that means you can travel to a different reality though¡­¡±


    ¡°That seems like something we should test.¡± The Archmage suggested. ¡°On the one hand, it could be a significant boon for us, and on the other, I believe the individuals who live in these structures would like to know if they need to worry about these¡­ fox people.¡±


    Cathryn shuddered. ¡°I do not want those things getting into our house!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no.¡± Andrew agreed, his expression twisting slightly. ¡°Who wants to give it a shot then?¡±


    ¡°Allow me.¡± The Archmage offered, moving towards the dining room. ¡°It was my idea, after all.¡± She reached the edge of the space and stopped, frowning and cocking her head slightly. ¡°Curious¡­ it seems there are options. I can either¡­ suppress myself? Or¡­ convert?¡± She announced as she attempted to explain the vague impulses she was getting, before taking a step back. ¡°The suppression feels temporary, while the conversion seems to be more permanent, like I would be giving something up if I did it.¡± She considered it for a moment before deciding to suppress herself and step through, stumbling the moment she did, her eyes widening as she immediately scrambled back, letting out a sigh of relief as she returned.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Yes, that was just- one moment.¡± The Archmage held up a finger as she formed a series of clones which rushed back into the ship. ¡°It suppressed my magic. Completely. It was¡­ disconcerting. I''m not used to being alone in my own head.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Greg cocked his head. ¡°So would the conversion let you keep it? Or get rid of it completely?¡±


    The Archmage frowned. ¡°I''m not sure, but it isn''t something I''m willing to risk.¡±


    ¡°Fair.¡± Greg sighed, looking around. ¡°Anyone want to volunteer for that one?¡± No one did. ¡°Yeah, didn''t think so.¡±


    ¡°I have one.¡± Chris announced, opening another portal and pulling a confused looking Vera out.


    [Wha-] Vera began.


    ¡°Walk through there and choose to convert.¡± Chris ordered, Vera stiffening before nodding and doing as he said.


    ¡°Wait, who''s that?¡± Tori asked, glaring at him.


    ¡°A foxkin who attempted to dominate me.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Pity for her, I''m better at it.¡±


    Andrew raised an eyebrow. ¡°Dominate?¡±


    ¡°Sounds kinky.¡± Greg snickered.


    Beth scowled at him. ¡°It''s what we call mentally controlling someone in our reality.¡±


    Greg paused, then nodded. ¡°Yeah, still sounds kinky.¡±


    ¡°I don''t care if it sounds kinky, I care that it''s slavery!¡± Tori growled.


    ¡°It-¡± Beth began angrily.


    ¡°Hold on.¡± Andrew interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Vera as she began the conversion process. ¡°Something is happening to her core.¡±


    Tori blinked, frowning towards her. ¡°And her-¡± She cut off as the energy was suddenly torn out of Vera''s body, the space shifting deeper into Maze world as it was. ¡°What-¡± She froze, her eyes widening as she felt her point limit grow.


    ¡°Did anyone else just feel that?¡± Greg asked hesitantly, feeling his smoke get stronger too.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°Weird.¡± Andrew frowned, feeling a strange tingle run through his aura. ¡°Why did that happen?¡±


    ¡°It ate her energy!¡± Tori exclaimed.


    ¡°I think we ate her energy.¡± Chris corrected.


    ¡°It also altered her core.¡± Andrew added. ¡°I think- it made it so it fits with my reality?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes sense.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°It''s like the difference between getting a visa and becoming a citizen. With one you still have all your rights in your original nation, you just can''t use them, while in the other, you give up all your previous rights to gain new ones!¡±


    ¡°What about dual citizenship?¡± Andrew commented.


    Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Not all metaphors are perfect, Andrew. The point is travel between realities is possible, but not terribly concerning since anyone who comes through will be weak as shit, due to either suppression or conversion. Also, conversion makes us stronger and expands the space deeper into the reality the individual comes from.¡±


    ¡°Is there any way to shrink the space?¡± Cathryn asked. ¡°Or maybe move it? So we don''t have an expanding portal to the Multiverse in our dining room?!?¡±


    Andrew hesitated. ¡°I think we''re going to need to move¡­¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling this is going to be a problem for all of us.¡± Tori grumbled. Then, as if to emphasize her point, Tiffany walked into the space.

 3 - Getting on the same page (1)

    Tiffany froze as she took in the space, noting Tori, the weird twisting of space, the foxkin corpses, the cave in the middle of a building¡­ [Nope.] She did a quick heel turn, only to yelp as Tori''s Spirit threads wrapped around her, pulling her deeper in. She struggled ineffectually for a moment before letting out a defeated groan. [Trials are bullshit!]


    [Tiffany, what are you doing here?] Tori sighed.


    [I''m checking up on you after you ditched me in the forest and apparently broke our door!] Tiffany snapped angrily. [Only to find you''ve somehow broken reality too! Fuck! Why does everything around you have to turn to bullshit!?!]


    ¡°Oh, so she''s a friend.¡± Andrew commented.


    [More like a-] Tori began, cutting off and blinking at him. [Wait, you can understand us?]


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Should I not?¡±


    [Well¡­ we are speaking a different language.] Tori replied.


    ¡°Oh¡­ Oh!¡± Andrew smacked himself in the head. ¡°I have my traits from system world as well! Duh.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what''s going on?¡± Greg asked. ¡°I''m only getting half this conversation.¡±


    ¡°I forgot about my stuff from system world, which includes a trait that lets me talk with anyone.¡± Andrew explained. ¡°She was surprised I could understand them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so what''s up with her then?¡± Greg asked, gesturing towards Tiffany.


    Andrew paused, then shrugged. ¡°No idea.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°This is Tiffany, basically a watchdog for a sect that plans on taking over my country, which I''ve been forced to work with to save my family. She''s here to make sure I don''t do something to ruin their plans.¡± She paused. ¡°I don''t think it''s going very well for her¡­¡±


    ¡°Ha! Yeah, no.¡± Greg agreed with a chuckle. ¡°Though that does bring up the question of what we''re going to do with her.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Tori groaned. ¡°I mean, the sect isn''t going to stop its invasion, and even if we could fight them off, turning our lands into a war zone is a bad idea, so working with the sect is still the best shot we have. However, I''m not sure how the sect is going to feel about a freaking cross dimensional portal in the middle of our territory, let alone whatever''s going on with us, and I''m not sure if it''s even possible to hide it anymore, since the damn portal is in the freaking Hunters Guild! So I don''t know if it''s better to assume the sect will turn on us and try our best to keep things under wraps for as long as we can so we have time to prepare, or to just be open and honest and hope things go our way.¡± Tori finished with a sigh.


    ¡°Well, seeing as the first option seems to guarantee a bad outcome, while the second at least has a chance of going well, I feel like the choice is fairly clear. Especially if the portal is as obvious as you say. It doesn''t make much sense to try and stall for time if it''s immediately obvious to everyone that something is wrong.¡± Chris commented, glancing at Tiffany. ¡°As such, it might be smart to let her go. And maybe make it so we can all talk? Does anyone have a way to translate for everyone?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± The Archmage replied, casting a spell that covered everyone.


    Tori carefully put Tiffany down. ¡°So¡­ you''re probably wondering what''s going on here.¡±


    Tiffany snorted. ¡°No, I think it''s perfectly natural that there''s a fucking cave in the middle of the Hunters Guild!¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Do you want to know or not?¡± Tiffany grumbled under her breath but waved for her to continue. ¡°Alright, so, for some reason, it appears I''m connected with these three across realities. When he got in trouble in his reality, it woke him up in some kind of mental space that connects us all, after which he woke the rest of us up, and we ended up getting pulled into each other''s realities, which for some reason pulled those realities into this space.¡± Tori paused. ¡°That''s it. We literally have zero idea why any of this is happening.¡±


    ¡°I''m telling you, it''s because we''re sovereigns.¡± Greg insisted.


    Tori scowled at him. ¡°That doesn''t mean anything! Even if we are sovereigns, why would we be connected?!? Unless you expect me to believe there are only four sovereigns in the entire Multiverse!¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°What if there are? Narita certainly hasn''t encountered anything like us before, and she¡­ well, she definitely knows more than we do, that''s for sure.¡±


    Tori threw up her hands. ¡°Then maybe you should bring her here so she can explain this shit to us!¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°You know, that''s actually not a bad idea. I should probably get Tessa too¡­¡± He transformed into Bianca and began to create a portal point.


    ¡°Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you doing?!?¡± Tori asked incredulously.


    ¡°I''m making an anchor point for a portal.¡± Greg explained.


    ¡°And you''re doing it like that?¡± Tori retorted. ¡°You''re wasting half your energy!¡±


    ¡°He doesn''t have much option.¡± The Archmage commented. ¡°It takes years just to be able to sense your mana outside your body, let alone control it.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°So you''re just stuck doing that with your energy?¡± She waved distastefully at the flailing mess flowing out of Greg''s hand. ¡°That''s just wrong.¡± She continued to watch it for a few moments, before shaking her head. ¡°You know what, no.¡± She reached out with her points, shifting them to match the energy coming out of Greg, before grabbing it and twisting it into form. ¡°There.¡± She sighed in satisfaction. ¡°That was painful to watch.¡±


    Greg blinked at the anchor point, then at Tori. ¡°So¡­ you know how you asked what you might be the sovereign of? Well, I''m starting to think it''s magic.¡±


    ¡°That- would actually make a certain amount of sense.¡± Tori agreed somewhat bitterly. ¡°Would you just go get the person already?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Greg chucked, opening the portal and stepping though¡­ and also not stepping through. ¡°Huh.¡± Two Gregs grunted simultaneously, turning to look at each other, before shrugging at each other, one heading to find Narita and Tessa, while the other turned back to the others as the portal closed. ¡°Well, I guess we can be in multiple realities at once, so that''s neat.¡±


    ¡°So other people get suppressed or have to convert, and we¡­ split?¡± Andrew raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Makes sense.¡± Chris nodded.


    ¡°Does it?!?¡± Cathryn asked. ¡°Does any of this make sense!?!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ given the context?¡± Chris offered tentatively.


    Beth shook her head. ¡°No Chris, even with context, this- Chris, you are literally pulling realities together! That''s- well, it makes our problems seem a lot less significant.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± Nadia grumbled. ¡°My family is still in the City.¡±


    ¡°Nadia-¡± Beth began.


    ¡°I know.¡± Nadia cut her off with a sigh. ¡°I didn''t- I''m just frustrated. We''ve been running around scrambling for some way to help the City and now we have this to deal with too. It just- it seems like all we ever find are more problems, with no solutions.¡±


    ¡°No solutions yet.¡± Greg interjected. ¡°And a lot more options! Multiple realities doesn''t just mean more potential problems, it also means more potential solutions. Particularly with us around.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Nadia eyed him for a moment before grunting noncommittally. ¡°We''ll see.¡±


    A moment later the portal opened again and Narita and Tessa were pushed through, the other Greg dissolving into smoke and merging with Greg as he came through as well. ¡°Greg, what- what the hell is this?!?¡± Tessa asked incredulously, looking around.


    ¡°This is about five realities mushed together to various degrees.¡± Greg explained. ¡°Kinda hoping Narita can help tell us why.¡±


    ¡°What- why would you think I have any idea what is happening here?!?¡± Narita exclaimed. ¡°This is- I''ve never- how did you even do this?!?¡±


    ¡°Well, apparently, if we all exist in a reality, it gets meshed together with every other reality we all exist in.¡± Greg explained.


    Narita froze. ¡°We?¡±


    ¡°Me, Chris, Tori, and Andrew.¡± Greg pointed them out. ¡°We''re all connected for some reason. Pretty sure it has something to do with that sovereign thing, you know? But I don''t know why us coming together would do this.¡±


    Narita took a step back, starting to look a bit panicked. ¡°S- sovereign? They- you- there are four of you!?! That- oh no. No no no no, you- are you- you-¡± Narita stammered, starting to hyperventilate as she began to connect the dots, the picture of what they were coming together, and she did not like it. The Multiverse had exactly four foundational forces. A physical force that provided a reality substance. A mental force that empowered thought. A spiritual force that tied the two together to create life. And finally the force that created the space in which it all existed. If Greg was the sovereign of the physical force, and he was connected to three other people across realities¡­ Narita shuddered. How could these people even exist?!? And why would they exist now? If their existence was possible, then they should be ancient! Not teenagers! ¡°What- do you three have- abilities? Like Greg?¡±


    ¡°I control a space.¡± Chris nodded, Narita flinching slightly.


    ¡°I can control my aura and mess with cores?¡± Andrew added, giving Narita a weird look as she groaned.


    ¡°I have a system and can control points.¡± Tori sighed as Narita just looked defeated. ¡°I take it you know what''s happening here?¡±


    ¡°I- have a theory.¡± Narita admitted as she began pointing, starting with Greg. ¡°Physicality.¡± She moved to Tori. ¡°Mentality.¡± To Andrew. ¡°Spirituality.¡± And finally Chris. ¡°Space. The foundational forces of existence. Forces which don''t- which can''t exist in isolation. Space without anything to fill it is nothing and without space there''s nothing for anything to fill. Physicality alone is dead, Mentality alone has no substance, and Spirituality alone has no direction. That- could be why you''re connected. Because otherwise it wouldn''t be possible for you to even be. And pulling realities together¡­ if- if you''re the basis of reality, then maybe when you come together, you- make a reality? Which connects to all your other realities because they''re the same?¡±


    They all paused for a moment to take that in. ¡°Seems like as good an explanation as any.¡± Chris shrugged.


    ¡°Hold on for a moment.¡± Tori frowned. ¡°If we''re supposed to be foundational forces of reality, then why was I only born eighteen years ago?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Narita grimaced. ¡°I don''t understand it either, and I could be completely wrong, but- people like you shouldn''t exist period! This shouldn''t exist!¡± She waved at the space around them. ¡°Is there ever a time where something that shouldn''t exist should exist?!?¡±


    ¡°Tuesday.¡± Greg nodded sagely. ¡°No one remembers Tuesday. Completely superfluous day. It''s not-¡± He cut off with a yelp as Tessa stabbed him in the side with a sharpened finger.


    ¡°Not the time.¡± Tessa warned him.


    ¡°There is something that confuses me.¡± Li Jing interjected. ¡°I won''t deny that Andrew has gifts, but I don''t see the power that I would expect if he were what you say he is.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, as much as Tori is completely fucking me over just by existing, she isn''t at the ¡®foundation of reality¡¯ level.¡± Tiffany agreed.


    ¡°Well it isn''t like we control all of whatever force we represent.¡± Greg replied. ¡°Like, I control my physicality, but in order to control anyone else''s physicality, I need to connect to it. After that I can pretty much do whatever I want with it.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I can only affect things that are in or connected to my space.¡±


    Tori frowned at the two of them. ¡°Okay, I have no idea what they mean by ¡®connect¡¯ but I pretty much just control my own points. And the system. And I guess I can influence people who have the system¡­ which is a form of connection. Hm. Might need to explore that more¡­¡±


    ¡°Right. Because you totally need more bullshit going for you.¡± Tiffany grumbled. ¡°Jocelyn is going to be pissed.¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°I figured. Is there any way to make it better or are we just stuck?¡±


    Tiffany blinked. ¡°You- want to make things better?¡±


    Tori raised an eyebrow. ¡°Obviously? I still don''t want to see my lands torn apart by war. And I still think the best case scenario for the region is to get this thing over with as quickly as possible, and supporting the Hidden Blades seems like the best way to accomplish that.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Tiffany looked a bit dazed for a moment. ¡°I still don''t think Jocelyn is going to be happy, but if you''re willing to continue working with her¡­¡± She trailed off for a moment, glancing at Tori hesitantly. ¡°You- do realize she''s only an outer elder, right?¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°As opposed to?¡±


    ¡°Inner elders? Core elders?¡± Tiffany prodded. ¡°You know, the people who actually matter to the sect? The people in charge of Cultivators, not random mortal nations in the middle of bumfuck nowhere? Jocelyn is basically just an inner disciple with responsibilities, because no one particularly cares to invest in her.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°Then why is she in charge of the sect''s attempt to go empire?¡±


    Tiffany snorted. ¡°She isn''t. She''s in charge of Tamara. Did you really think the sect¡¯s attempt to go empire would rely on a nation that weak and insignificant? No, the entire purpose of Tamara and the dozen other nations like it is to cause chaos and hide our true plans, which I don''t even know, and I doubt Jocelyn does either.¡±


    Tori grimaced, not exactly happy about the revelation, but not exactly surprised either. Tamara and Farova were insignificant. ¡°So what''s your point? Even if I wanted to work with the inner or core elders, I''d have no idea how to actually do it! The only contact I even have with the sect is through Jocelyn! And if she''s the one in charge of the people planning on starting a war in my backyard, then she''s the one I actually need to work with, isn''t she?¡±


    Tiffany nodded slowly. ¡°True¡­ but even still, your relationship will need to change. She can''t keep you as a subordinate anymore. You''re going to be snatched up by an inner elder the moment you enter the sect, possibly even a core elder! Your position will be equal to hers, possibly even superior. Which will make things¡­ complicated.¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°Of course. Because when aren''t things complicated?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Whatever, I''ll deal with it. And the Hunters Guild. And my father. And Horace.¡± Tori groaned. ¡°Fuck he''s going to be a problem, isn''t he?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, the fuck is going on in your reality?¡± Greg asked, giving her a weird look. ¡°The only thing I have to deal with is about a quarter million people stranded on a wild, mana-warped planet. And even then, I only really care about like¡­ twenty of them. Are the rest of you dealing with shit like this?¡±


    ¡°Not really?¡± Andrew replied hesitantly. ¡°The worst we''re dealing with is these weird robots trying to kidnap people for some reason. And I''ve barely even done anything in system world. Though the fact that we just opened a portal between realities in the middle of the capital of the entire noble race is probably going to cause issues at some point¡­¡±


    ¡°We''re dealing with an invasion by two powerful nations, though they''re also fighting each other in the process.¡± Chris explained. ¡°We''re trying to figure out how to evacuate all our people to Earth before their main armies show up. Which isn''t exactly going as well as we would hope. Mostly because finding people who are actually willing to become my minions is more difficult than I thought.¡±


    Tori frowned at him. ¡°Are you really surprised people aren''t willing to be your slaves?¡±


    Beth scowled at her. ¡°Stop calling them slaves! Just because he can control people doesn''t mean he actually does! The only person I''ve ever seen him order around is her, and only because she tried to enslave him!¡± She argued, gesturing to Vera as she did.


    Tori narrowed her eyes at her. ¡°Even if that is the case, the fact that he''s capable of it is worrisome enough. I''m not surprised people aren''t jumping on board.¡± Beth grimaced, but she couldn''t argue. Connecting to Chris was risky¡­ if you didn''t know Chris.


    ¡°Still, we need more people to become my minions, or I won''t be able to evacuate the City.¡± Chris sighed.


    ¡°Something else to deal with then.¡± Tori muttered.


    ¡°Right, so we have that, the quarter million people I''m dealing with, everything on Tori''s end, robots, and the portal itself.¡± Greg listed off. ¡°Am I missing anything?¡± No one spoke up. ¡°Alright then. What are we actually going to do about all this?¡±

 4 - Getting on the same page (2)

    ¡°I think we need to know what you''re all actually capable of before we start making plans.¡± Nadia commented. ¡°Chris controls a space that he can grow and use to form connections with people, which allows him to open portals to them, temporarily grant them abilities, communicate telepathically with them, and return them to the space once they die, fully healed. The space itself can absorb material to recreate anything Chris has scanned, though this material is incapable of leaving his space, and it can heal any injury, including death as long as it happens within the space.¡±


    ¡°Wait, being your minion makes people immortal?¡± Quinn asked incredulously, unable to help herself.


    ¡°Eh, kinda.¡± Chris wiggled his hand. ¡°You do get returned to the space fully healed, but you''re healed using the space''s material, so you¡¯re stuck living in my space for the rest of¡­ eternity, I guess.¡±


    ¡°A space which you''re always growing and allows you to make anything you want, whenever you want.¡± Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°Not exactly a negative.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I wouldn''t mind having a way to make sure certain people don''t end up permanently gone.¡± Greg muttered, glancing at Tessa. ¡°Anyway, my thing is all about controlling matter using my smoke. My smoke can turn into anything I''ve scanned and connect with other matter to transform it. It also has a telekinetic aspect, allowing me to grab, lift, and hit things with it. Oh, and I can dissolve anything my smoke can connect to. Aaand drain vitality, if it''s alive, which makes my smoke stronger, but I can''t imagine that''s going to help anyone. Sort of the opposite, really.¡±


    Everyone turned to Tori next, who sighed. ¡°I have a system that allows people to earn points by completing tasks, which they can use to strengthen themselves physically and mentally. It also helps them learn skills faster, grow their energy, transform themselves, create anything I''ve scanned, heal, communicate telepathically¡­ probably more, since I haven''t exactly found a limit to what the points are capable of. It''s just the more you want to do, the more expensive it gets, and I need to actually put it in the system for anyone else to be able to do it.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that sounds useful.¡± Nadia commented. ¡°If we can make our people stronger, then we may not even need to evacuate!¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°I wouldn''t count on it. The system is effective, but it''s gradual. Plus, the stronger you get, the harder it is to earn points, since you need to actually push yourself to do it. It''s better used as an aid than anything.¡±


    Nadia frowned, turning to Andrew. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I just kill people.¡± Andrew sighed. ¡°I can control my aura to yank out people''s cores, which gives me their forms and abilities. I''ve been working on manipulating cores so I can give people abilities, but so far all I''ve managed to do is create unholy abominations.¡±


    ¡°That he insists on showing us. Every. Single. Time.¡± Li Jing added.


    ¡°Hey, they may be unholy, but they''re still neat.¡± Andrew shrugged, grinning slightly.


    Nadia sighed, rubbing her temple. ¡°Well, I expected a bit more, but¡­ we''ll make it work.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we can use Tori''s system to convince people to become Chris¡¯s minions?¡± Beth asked thoughtfully. ¡°The benefits are already tempting enough, so if we add both it could tip the scales for a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°That- might actually backfire.¡± Tessa commented. ¡°Offering too many benefits tends to make people more suspicious, not less. The more you try to sell something, the more people suspect there''s a hidden catch, and since what you''re offering carries a rather significant catch, piling on more benefits will just make people resist you more.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°So what do we do?¡±


    Tessa hesitated. ¡°Is there any way to hide his control? If you don''t plan on ever using it, then your best bet is to just not mention it.¡±


    Nadia shook her head. ¡°Unfortunately once you connect to him, the authority he has becomes immediately clear. I don''t think people would take it well if they weren''t informed about it beforehand.¡±


    ¡°The connection makes it almost impossible to trick people.¡± Chris added. ¡°Intent carries across the connection just as well as words.¡±


    ¡°Besides, our main issue is getting into a position to negotiate in the first place.¡± Beth grumbled. ¡°Every group we interact with seems inherently hostile, and it''s difficult to negotiate after we kill a few¡­¡± She looked around the cave at all the corpses. ¡°...dozen of them.¡±


    ¡°What about convincing the people you''re actually trying to save to do it?¡± Tori asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°Why do you need to go after other people?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Because humanity isn''t scared enough of dying to risk being controlled. We''re too¡­ comfortable, and even with the invasion, I don''t see that changing. Particularly since the invaders will try their best to avoid killing humans, because ultimately they want to hold humanity hostage so they can control Chris. So as much as we want to not be in that situation, the risk of being¡­ enslaved by Chris is still the more concerning option. However, for the creatures in the Maze, they aren''t just risking their lives becoming uncomfortable, they''re risking death, because the surface races have no reason to keep them alive. We just need to find a way to actually convince them of that before the surface races get here.¡±


    ¡°So, in a way, we are going after the people we''re trying to save.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°It isn''t like they deserve to die just because people they aren''t even aware of are in conflict.¡±


    Tori gave him a look before grunting noncommittally. ¡°I guess there''s an argument to be made there.¡±


    ¡°How urgent is this issue?¡± The Archmage asked.


    ¡°We probably have a couple weeks before the main armies show up, and the force we''re trying to negotiate with has a stronghold right¡­ well, there.¡± Chris pointed at the gate a little ways off.


    The Archmage blinked. ¡°That seems fairly pressing then.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, a bit.¡± Chris agreed.


    The Archmage turned to Tori. ¡°How pressing is the situation in your reality?¡±


    ¡°The war isn''t going to start for a couple months yet, but we should probably deal with the whole portal mess pretty soon.¡± Tori replied. ¡°Particularly since we could have people start pouring through at any moment, since as I said, it''s literally in the middle of the Hunters Guild.¡±


    ¡°Same with that one.¡± Andrew added, waving at the system world section. ¡°That''s an apartment, so¡­ we have neighbors.¡±


    ¡°We''ll need to contact someone about our portal as well.¡± Li Jing commented.


    Cathryn grimaced. ¡°And we need to move. I am not living in the same house as that thing.¡±


    The Archmage nodded. ¡°The situation in our reality isn''t particularly urgent, or at least nothing I can''t handle myself for now, so I believe we should consider handling the discovery of this space as our primary concern at the moment, which includes handling the force situated so close to it.¡±


    ¡°I- may be able to assist with that.¡± The foxkin captain offered.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Greg jumped. ¡°Shit dude, I completely forgot you were down there! Almost gave me a heart attack. You know, if I actually had a heart at the moment. Which I don''t, just FYI.¡±The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Chris crouched down, cocking his head at the captain. ¡°You want to help? Why?¡±


    ¡°Do I need a reason to want to save my people?¡± The captain retorted with a scowl. ¡°I have been paying attention, even if you forgot about me, and I doubt you would stage something like this just to trick me. But I suppose I would know the moment I became your minion, now wouldn''t I?¡±


    ¡°Unless that was a lie too.¡± Chris grinned slightly. ¡°But it wasn''t. Still, the question is why would your people listen to you when they wouldn''t listen to Vera? The whole reason we''re even in this mess is because they decided to resort to torture once they learned she was connected to me.¡±


    The captain glanced at Vera. ¡°Because I''m the captain of the guard, while she is a random psychic?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Either way, you''re both compromised. Even if you had authority, why would anyone listen to you now? You''re defeated, captured, and under the control of an enemy.¡±


    The captain hesitated. ¡°Even if that''s the case, I still have to try. If my people are in danger, then I must do everything I can to save them!¡±


    Chris paused, then shrugged. ¡°Fair enough. As long as you''re willing to become my minion, I don''t mind letting you go talk to your people.¡±


    ¡°Hey, hold on! I still want to study his ability!¡± Andrew interjected.


    ¡°Don''t worry, as long as he''s my minion you''ll still have access to his ability.¡± Chris waved dismissively.


    Andrew eyed him suspiciously for a moment, before sighing. ¡°Alright, fine. I guess letting him try to save his people is more important anyway.¡±


    Chris swept a portal over the foxkin captain and offered the connection, which he readily accepted. He then went to absorb the metal restraining him, only to frown as nothing happened. ¡°Greg, can you get rid of the metal?¡± Chris asked as he brought the captain back out. ¡°I can''t seem to do anything about it. Probably because it''s yours.¡±


    Greg frowned as he turned the metal to smoke, letting the captain stand. ¡°What''d you try to do?¡±


    ¡°Absorb it into my space.¡± Chris replied simply. ¡°Which, now that I think about it, is essentially trying to steal matter from the god of matter. It''d be like someone trying to steal my space. Completely ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Greg grunted. ¡°I never thought about someone trying to steal my smoke before¡­ I''m not even sure how that''d work, since I am the smoke, you know? It wouldn''t really be a theft at that point. More like¡­ a kidnapping? Ish?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°As I said, ridiculous.¡±


    The Archmage sighed and clapped her hands. ¡°Before you get distracted, again, I think it would be best if those who have the need see to notifying their authorities of this cross reality portal space. Agreed?¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Tori nodded, heading for Rune world, the foxkin captain rushing off as well.


    ¡°I hope Arose is home.¡± Andrew muttered as he walked over to Beast world.


    ¡°I''ll call Elder Barry as well.¡± Li Jing added.


    ¡°We should probably get the Generals.¡± Beth muttered, Chris nodding in agreement.


    ¡°I- guess I''ll call the police?¡± Quinn offered tentatively, hoping someone would give her a better idea.


    ¡°No, call Justin.¡± Andrew replied. ¡°I doubt he has the authority but I bet he¡¯s better at dealing with weird shit than a random cop.¡±


    ¡°Like an uplift turning out to be some kind of Multiversal god?¡± Quinn retorted, somewhat hesitant as she still wasn''t completely certain Andrew was Drew. Though she was about ninety-nine percent sure he was.


    Andrew grinned. ¡°Yeah, like that.¡±


    Tori yelped as she hit the edge of the space, eyes widening as she split into two. ¡°I- forgot about that.¡± Both of them muttered, before shaking their heads, the only that made it through rushing off while the other awkwardly returned. ¡°So I guess I''m not going. Even though I am.¡±


    ¡°You know, this raises a good question.¡± Greg commented. ¡°Do we have one self for each reality, or do we have one self per reality plus one for this merged space?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, but I think that''s something you can test rather easily.¡± Chris pointed out, waving towards the edges of the space. He hadn''t gone anywhere, since all he had to do was open a portal to the tent and wait for the Generals to show up, just letting the soldier there know to bring all of them.


    Greg paused. ¡°Well now I don''t want to.¡±


    Tessa rolled her eyes. ¡°Just go.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma''am!¡± Greg snapped a salute at her before rushing off, chuckling to himself as he felt Tessa''s glare burning into his back. ¡°Uno! Dos! Tres! Quatro! Cinco!¡± Greg counted off as he hit each reality, starting with mage world and ending with Maze world. ¡°And no seis! Guess that answers that.¡± He shrugged, all five of him stepping back inside, remerging with the one who entered first. ¡°And that¡­ wasn''t even thinking about who would merge with who.¡±


    ¡°It also shows that there''s no point in not being in every reality.¡± Andrew pointed out. ¡°Since we''re just going to be stuck here if we aren''t.¡±


    Cathryn grimaced. ¡°Which means you''re going to have five different lives.¡±


    ¡°Well-¡± Andrew began, pausing as a weird feeling washed over him, realizing that the him feeling Cathryn''s emotions wasn''t the him standing next to her. ¡°Huh¡­ uh, I mean, the lives won''t be completely separate. I merge when I''m in here, right?¡±


    ¡°And how often are you actually going to do that?¡± Cathryn asked. ¡°Once a week? Once a month? A year? A decade?!?¡±


    ¡°I think it depends.¡± Chris commented. ¡°Initially I''m sure the lives will be quite separate, but as we grow this space, it will make more and more sense to live here, because everything we actually care about in those realities will be covered by it. So unless we want to eternally flee from this space as we grow, treating them as separate lives would be somewhat foolish, because eventually they will be the same. Inevitably even.¡±


    ¡°What, no second family? Lame.¡± Greg complained, only to burst out laughing as Tessa stabbed him. ¡°I''m kidding, I''m kidding!¡±


    ¡°You better be.¡± Tessa humphed.


    ¡°But seriously, I can still date, ri- ack!¡± Greg cut off as Tessa tore out his throat. ¡°No dating, gotcha.¡± He coughed as his throat reformed, snickering to himself as Tessa glared at him.


    ¡°I''m never going to complain about Jing pinching me again.¡± Andrew muttered, rubbing his throat.


    ¡°I feel like I should report you for domestic violence.¡± Nadia frowned.


    ¡°Nah, we''re just playing cause my smoke makes hurting me a joke.¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°You should have seen her face the one time she actually made me bleed. She was practically crying!¡±


    ¡°I was not!¡± Tessa retorted, flushing slightly. ¡°I was the appropriate amount of concerned I should be when my boyfriend is bleeding!¡±


    ¡°Which was practically crying.¡± Greg countered, sticking his tongue out at her.


    Chris glanced at Beth. ¡°They have a weird relationship.¡±


    Beth nodded. ¡°I like ours better. I''ll take cuddles over stabbing any day.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Chris nodded back.


    ¡°Okay, but actually seriously, how separate are the different realities?¡± Greg asked, turning to Andrew. ¡°Is it like being in two places at once or is it like having a clone you can talk to? I haven''t gotten a good feel for it yet.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°It''s- kind of both? You can remember everything the other you experiences, but it sort of feels like a dream, you know? So you definitely know you did it, but it also feels like you didn''t. It honestly took a while for me to realize my second life wasn''t a dream, and even then it was only because I woke up and didn''t stop dreaming. But now it all feels the same, so I''d still go with Chris''s point. Eventually it''s all going to merge, and we don''t want to start anything that will cause problems when it does.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no, I agree, but that''s going to be a pain while we''re separate.¡± Greg sighed, glancing at Tessa. ¡°Feeling like I only ever dream of you is going to suck.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Tessa agreed, grabbing his hand.


    ¡°It may not be the worst idea to start living here now.¡± Chris commented thoughtfully, not exactly thrilled at the idea of living apart from Beth either. ¡°Or at least working towards that goal. It seems like forcing ourselves into multiple realities will be more frustrating than beneficial, and while I doubt we''ll be able to avoid it completely, it seems like our primary focus should be making this our reality, since it''s the only place we''re¡­ complete.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°That sounds good for us, but I''m not sure I want to expose the people I care about to threats from every reality. Though I can''t say I''m excited about the alternative either¡­¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°It just means we''ll have to work to make this place safe. I''m not suggesting we immediately move in, particularly not with all the dangers we''re already faced with, I''m just saying it''s something we should pursue.¡±


    ¡°I can agree with that.¡± Greg nodded, looking around. ¡°We''ll need to do some remodeling though¡­ And deal with all these corpses. In fact, we should probably take care of that before people start to show up, huh? And set up some seating¡­ and a table?¡±


    Chris nodded as he began using portals to pick up the bodies. ¡°Good idea. Quickly though. Who knows when they''ll start arriving.¡±

 5 - Multiversal Council (1)

    ¡°So this is the portal to the Multiverse, hm?¡± Arose commented as he stepped into the merged space, Ertemis following along behind him while Andrew stopped at the edge so he wouldn''t merge with his other self.


    ¡°Yeah. We''re just waiting for a few more people to arrive, so we should be getting started soon.¡± Andrew explained. ¡°I''m going to go explain things to my parents before they yell at me for hiding things again.¡±


    Arose raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°You won''t be joining us?¡±


    ¡°I''m already here.¡± The other Andrew called out, waving at them from a large table surrounded by about a dozen and a half chairs plus the four thrones, which they''d learned could be summoned and dismissed at will, though only within the space. They could also alter their shape, but weirdly not their color for some reason, the throne''s refusing to be anything other than white, red, black, and that pale green sickly color, which Andrew weirdly didn''t seem to mind. For him, it had that weird feel of something that was so bad it looped right back around to being good again.


    Chris had Beth sitting on his right, with David on the other side of her while Belinda and Samuel sat on his left. Tori''s group was to the left of him, with Tiffany sitting on her right, and two seats reserved on her left for Albert and Maurice. She would have put Beatrice on her right, but with her father coming, Beatrice didn''t think it''d be the best idea. Their relationship was going to have to come out at some point, but this was very much not that point, so Beatrice was sitting in the apartment kitchen making friends with Nadia and Quinn, who had also decided they didn''t have much of a place at the table. Then came Greg''s group, with Tessa on his right and the Archmage then Narita on his left. Finally there was Andrew''s group, taking up a full seven spots at the table, Cathryn on his right with spots for Arose and Ertemis next to her, then a spot for Li Jing on his left along with spots for Elder Barry and Justin.


    Arose blinked as he looked between the two copies of Andrew. ¡°Well¡­ have fun then.¡± He eventually replied, shaking his head as he decided there were more important things to worry about at the moment. He and Ertemis made their way over to the table, Andrew waving them into the seats next to Cathryn. He picked up a piece of paper with ¡®A Sovereign¡¯s Guide to the Multiverse¡¯ written across the top. ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°A pamphlet to help you catch up.¡± Chris answered.


    ¡°The title was Greg''s idea.¡± Tori grumbled.


    ¡°It just explains a few of the basics we''ve already figured out, so we don''t have to repeat ourselves every time someone new arrives.¡± Andrew added before Greg and Tori started arguing again.


    ¡°Which, unfortunately, doesn''t make any of it any easier to come to terms with.¡± David commented. ¡°I mean, it was fairly obvious that something was going on with Chris, but I never in my wildest dreams imagined it would lead to him creating a portal to the Multiverse in the middle of the Maze!¡±


    ¡°At least it isn''t in the middle of your house.¡± Arose retorted with a slight grin. ¡°I paid good money for this complex and now it''s going to get turned into an interdimensional border crossing!¡±


    Ertemis rolled her eyes. ¡°Dear, we could buy countries and it wouldn''t put a dent in our funds.¡±


    ¡°It''s the principle of the thing.¡± Arose huffed, crossing his arms. ¡°Just because we have the money doesn''t mean we should waste the money.¡±


    ¡°I''m more concerned with how this will affect the war.¡± Belinda scowled.


    ¡°That''s what we''re here to figure out.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°But again, we still have people to wait for, so there''s not much point in discussing things we''re just going to have to go over again once everyone is here.¡±


    ¡°Then what can we discuss?¡± Ertemis asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You don''t expect us to sit here in silence until everyone arrives, do you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been discussing the differences in our various power systems.¡± The Archmage commented. ¡°I have to say, I''m rather jealous of yours. Being able to pursue power so¡­ actively must be nice.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure you''re one to talk considering the mess our reality leaves us in.¡± Samuel interjected. ¡°We''re locked into our power level at birth!¡±


    ¡°Okay, but at least you all have power.¡± Andrew retorted. ¡°Even with two Bonded parents, only one out of every hundred children will be Bonded as well! Our population only increases by about a hundred per year!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you''re all immortal, so it doesn''t really count.¡± Greg countered. ¡°Your population is always growing, even with the low birth rate.¡±


    ¡°It also helps that your whole Bond thing makes it difficult for anyone to even kill you.¡± Tori added. ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s like your species was designed to be overpowered, and literally the only thing limiting you is time, which is pointless because you have all the time in the world.¡±


    ¡°I''m not saying you''re wrong, I''m just saying it isn''t all upside.¡± Andrew replied. ¡°Sure, the people with power have it great, but the odds of anyone actually being one of those people are astronomical. So on average, I''d say the people in your realities are better off. Power wise, at least¡­ Beast world is pretty great standard of living wise.¡±


    ¡°I wonder if that''s because access to power is so limited.¡± Chris muttered. ¡°Everyone having abilities seems to cause more harm than good in my reality.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°Except in my reality, access to power is also fairly limited and the standard of living is still shit. In fact, it''s almost worse because the people with power use it to abuse those without, and those people have no way to actually fight back.¡±


    ¡°And everyone has access to power in system world, and things seem fairly decent there? No worse than Beast world, at least¡­ if you disregard the whole monster thing. And dungeons¡­¡± Andrew frowned. ¡°Okay, maybe system world isn''t that great.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Greg grunted thoughtfully, glancing at the Archmage. ¡°How does mage society work?¡±


    ¡°It depends on the planet?¡± The Archmage offered tentatively. ¡°Every society is brought about by a multitude of different factors, and I don''t think you can qualify any single factor as good or bad. All that matters is whether the factor is good or bad for that society.¡±


    ¡°Well said.¡± Arose agreed. ¡°Even within our society, I''ve seen the limited access to power shift from boon to bane and back again many times over the years, purely because one reaction to it creates a counter pressure that leads to an entirely different reaction to it which then leads to another and another, on and on. Which means any action you take to change a society has to not only account for the initial reaction, but every subsequent reaction as well. Just because something turns out well initially doesn''t mean it will remain that way as things progress.¡± He paused. ¡°I assume that''s the purpose of this discussion, yes? To determine which society is doing the best so you can seek to emulate it elsewhere?¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°It was more about choosing which reality would be the best to push people towards power system wise, since this space let''s people change theirs. We just got side-tracked which¡­ Seems to happen pretty frequently for some reason.¡± Greg explained. ¡°Your reality is a strong contender, Chris''s is right out, and we''re still discussing the other three. Personally I think it has to be between mage and system, because as much as the Beast thing gives you immortality and an easy path to power, the fact that it limits you to one power, even with the mutations, just doesn''t seem worth it to me. Mage and system both allow for some pretty significant variety, while also granting extended lifespans. And Rune would be right there with them if it didn''t require people to depend on getting fucking lucky to advance.¡±


    ¡°The problem with both of those is access to resources.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°For mage, you need access to pure mana, while for system, you need access to sources of experience. With Beast, even with limited resources you have all the time you need to progress, even if you are limited to a single type of power.¡±


    ¡°I think it depends on whether or not they''re capable of becoming an archmage.¡± Andrew offered. ¡°If they are, then mage is better, but if they aren''t, it''d probably be better to go for Beast.¡±


    ¡°They could always start in mage, try to become an archmage, then switch to Beast if they fail.¡± Tori commented. ¡°It isn''t like they can only switch once.¡±


    ¡°I can agree with that.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°You know, out of our current realities, and without considering Tori''s system.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°Are you planning on adding further realities to all this?¡± Arose asked tentatively.


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Not particularly, but shit happens, you know? It isn''t like Andrew and Tori planned on traveling between realities when they did it.¡±


    ¡°Considering the way things tend to play out around us, the odds of one of us encountering an angry god or something that kicks us into another reality are higher than you might think.¡± Andrew sighed.


    ¡°It wouldn''t be the first time.¡± Tori grumbled. ¡°Also, we''re going to need another chair. My father decided to bring the head of the Hunters Guild as well.¡±


    Greg nodded, making another chair next to Tiffany, along with a pamphlet, just in time for Justin Thyme to arrive, knocking on Quinn''s door. ¡°I got here as fast as I could!¡± Justin panted slightly, pushing his way inside as she answered the door. ¡°Where''s Drew?!? What''s wrong with her!?!¡±


    ¡°I- think it''s best if I just show you.¡± Quinn replied hesitantly, waving for him to follow as she moved towards the kitchen.


    Justin frowned slightly, wondering why she was heading towards the kitchen instead of one of the rooms, but he still followed, thinking that maybe one of the girls in the kitchen had something to do with it. Maybe that one of the girls was Drew, though that would be a worst case scenario¡­ Then he crossed the threshold of the space, the world warping around him as he yelped and jumped back out of the space. ¡°What- is this some sort of trap?!?¡± He demanded angrily, readying his defenses.


    ¡°No!¡± Quinn assured him before he could do something drastic. ¡°No, it''s- Drew- sort of made a portal to the Multiverse.¡± She explained, wincing slightly at how ridiculous that sounded.


    Justin blinked. ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°Drew made a portal to the Multiverse?¡± Quinn repeated. ¡°That''s why the space here is warped. Because it''s connected to four other spaces. Watch.¡± Quinn stepped deeper into the space, out of her kitchen, disappearing from Justin''s view, then back as she reappeared. ¡°See? Portal.¡±


    Justin stared at her incredulously for a moment, his spatial abilities struggling to make sense of what she''d just done. According to his senses, she''d literally stepped out of reality! But- that should be impossible! Particularly for someone at Quinn''s level! He glanced at the other women with her and froze. They had no status! That- even if a status was disguised, it''d still show something, even if it was just question marks. For there to be literally nothing- Justin gulped, glancing at Quinn. ¡°Are they-¡± Quinn nodded. ¡°Where- where is Drew?¡±


    ¡°Drew is right there.¡± Quinn replied, pointing deeper into the space as her arm disappeared from Justin''s point of view. ¡°He''s dealing with the people from the other realities. Or at least he was¡­ he''s walking this way now.¡±


    ¡°Hey Justin.¡± Andrew greeted him as he walked into the kitchen. ¡°It''s me.¡± Justin nods as he confirms it with a glance at Andrew''s status. ¡°Turns out I''m some kind of Multiversal¡­ I don''t want to say god, but-¡± He cut off, turning to glare into the space. ¡°Greg, sovereign doesn''t mean anything to him! It wouldn''t explain anything! God at least sort of gets close to the right meaning, and people will actually understand it!¡± Andrew shook his head with an exasperated look as he turned back to Justin. ¡°Basically I''m connected to these three other guys in a similar position as me, we somehow drew our realities together, and now we''re trying to figure out what to do about it, which involves informing the authorities about the new portal between realities in the middle of their city. Not that you''re really the best person to deal with this, but it was between you and the cops, and I figured you''d be less prone to freaking out and trying to shoot someone.¡±


    Justin paused. That was a good point¡­ He shook his head. ¡°This is still way above my paygrade.¡± He sighed. ¡°If you''re telling the truth, you need to talk to¡­ fuck, you should be talking to the freaking Emperor, but the best I can probably do is maybe get you the Mayor¡­ or more likely his secretary, who will then get the Mayor, who might get you to the Emperor. And none of those people are going to get here fast.¡±


    Andrew grimaced slightly. ¡°Well¡­ can you at least listen and tell us what people might be willing to do? There are some kind or urgent situations going on in some of the other realities, and we don''t really have time to wait for bureaucracy and politics.¡±


    Justin hesitated for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Yeah, I think I can do that.¡±


    Andrew grinned, waving for him to follow. ¡°Cool, we saved you a seat.¡±


    Justin followed him inside, looking around nervously as he found his seat, focusing on the pamphlet in front of him, hoping it would help him make sense of things, but¡­ ¡°I can''t read this.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­ anyone got an ability for that?¡± Greg asked, looking around. ¡°Otherwise Andrew is going to have to translate it by hand.¡± No one spoke up, so Greg made a pen and some paper for Andrew, chuckling slightly. ¡°Good luck, buddy.¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°I''m going to need some too.¡± She needed to translate it into Callowan as well. ¡°Stupid language barrier.¡± She grumbled as she got to work.


    ¡°You know, it''s honestly pretty lucky we all speak English.¡± Andrew commented. ¡°Though I''m not sure what to make of the fact that English is apparently a Multiversal language.¡±


    Narita shook her head. ¡°It isn''t that English is Multiversal, it''s that Earth is a rather¡­ prevalent fixture within the Multiverse. There are few realities I''ve encountered where it isn''t present in at least some form.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Earth is where the Multiverse began?¡± Narita offered hesitantly. ¡°That''s the current theory at least, since the oldest and strongest reality we know of is entirely focused on Earth. But even if its rise was entirely random, the concept of ¡®Earth¡¯ is so ingrained in the Multiverse at this point that it''s almost impossible to avoid.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°So Earth is everywhere because Earth is everywhere? That''s tautological.¡±


    Narita rolled her eyes. ¡°The Multiverse is tautological. Concepts are born in realities, then form into their own realities, which spread that concept to more realities, growing stronger the further their concept is spread, which lets them spread their concept even further. That''s just how the Multiverse works, and the concept of Earth has spread far.¡±


    ¡°Wait, so out of all the concepts in existence, Earth is the strongest one?¡± Greg asked skeptically. ¡°That seems wrong somehow.¡±


    ¡°That''s what you''re hung up on? Not the fact that the Multiverse is apparently made out of ideas?!?¡± Tori retorted.


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Eh? The concept thing¡­ well, it doesn''t particularly make sense but it doesn''t not make sense either, you know? I mean, there has to be some reason the Multiverse exists, and that''s as good a one as any. But given that, the whole Earth being the strongest concept is just weird. You''d think it''d be something like power, money, or sex, you know?¡±


    ¡°I agree, and so do many others.¡± Narita commented. ¡°But despite our misgivings, the fact remains that Earth is powerful, even if we don''t know why.¡±


    Greg shook his head. ¡°Still freaking weird.¡±

 6 - Multiversal Council (2)

    Albert froze as he entered the space. Tori had explained what was going on, but it still didn''t prepare him for the sudden warping of reality from one step to the next. He took a deep breath before continuing deeper into the space, followed by Maurice and Peter, the head of the Hunters Guild. Tori waved them over to their seats. ¡°You''re the last ones here, so take a look at these pamphlets and let us know when you''re ready to start.¡±


    Albert nodded, looking over the pamphlet, his expression twisting as he read. ¡°This is going to be a problem.¡± He groaned.


    ¡°At least it''s in the dormitories¡­ barely anyone uses them anyway.¡± Peter muttered. Unless someone was desperate, it was better to find a house or a room at a tavern than use the guild dorms.


    ¡°It''s in the dormitories for now.¡± Maurice pointed out. ¡°It could consume your entire headquarters in a matter of months, depending on how quickly Tori and the others grow. But I suppose that''s what we''re all here to discuss, yes?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°Though it''s also important to make sure all the entities with access to the portal are on the same page in terms of how to actually use the portal.¡±


    Maurice nodded. ¡°Of course. We wouldn''t want to find ourselves inundated with a horde of Multiversal immigrants, now would we?¡±


    Greg clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn, there goes my plan.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Let''s start with who actually has access. Our portal is situated in the Hunters Guild in the city of Tyverus, under the rule of Marquez Albert Tyverus of Farova.¡±


    ¡°Ours is in the middle of a spaceship stranded on a wild, mana-warped planet.¡± Greg offered. ¡°We don''t have much of a government at the moment, but the Archmage is pretty much in charge.¡±


    ¡°I''m involved with two portals, one of which is in a mansion in New Zealand on a version of Earth owned by my grandfather Arose, one of the original Bonded, while the other is in an apartment in Nobilis, the capital of the entire noble race, home of the Noble Emperor, who is supposedly the strongest person in the world, at least on the noble side.¡± Andrew added.


    ¡°And our portal is in the Maze, outside a foxkin clan, which is a subset of the Kin Empire, and so far has been nothing but hostile. Additionally, the Maze is currently being invaded by the elves and the doppelgangers, which are powerful surface races that wish to take humanity hostage so they can force me to fight for them. And of course, we have humanity, which controls the City, which is situated below the Maze and is where I live. I''m also a member of the Scouts, one of the City''s military branches.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°It sounds like our first priority should be securing your end of this portal.¡± Ertemis commented.


    ¡°Probably, but the good news is the people in his reality are pretty weak.¡± Andrew replied. ¡°Me and Mei could probably handle anything they threw at us on our own. The main issue is that we can only deal with them once they come inside, since our power doesn''t carry over to the other realities.¡±


    ¡°We''re working on getting stronger so we can handle it ourselves, but it isn''t exactly a quick process.¡± Chris added. ¡°Plus we''re more focused on evacuating the City at the moment, but we can discuss that later. Our first priority is securing this space. Any volunteers?¡±


    ¡°Our forces will need to be stationed around the portal in any case, in order to keep civilians from stumbling into it. It wouldn''t be much trouble to handle security inside as well.¡± Elder Barry offered.


    Peter nodded. ¡°The situation is similar on our end.¡±


    Justin hesitated. ¡°I- believe the situation for us would be the same as well.¡±


    The Archmage shook her head. ¡°I can maintain a presence here, but our forces will be focused on ensuring the survival of our people for now.¡±


    ¡°So the Bonded and the Cultivators will handle security for now, with the tentative inclusion of the forces from Nobilis.¡± Chris summed up. ¡°Is there anything anyone would like to add?¡±


    ¡°We''ll need a system to determine which force takes priority in which situation.¡± Albert commented. ¡°We don''t want our people to die because one force charged while another set up an ambush and the third retreated.¡±


    Elder Barry frowned. ¡°I don''t think it would be wise to split our forces. There will inevitably be times where we will be forced to work together, and if it is the first time our forces do so, then it will create complications.¡±


    Albert shook his head. ¡°I wasn''t suggesting we keep our forces separate. I meant we need a system to determine who has the final say in a given situation.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn''t it just go to whoever''s reality you''re dealing with?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°They''re the ones who¡¯re going to have the best idea of what''s actually going on, right? Use a Beast to deal with a Beast problem and a Cultivator to deal with a Cultivator problem.¡±


    ¡°But what about the realities that lack a contributing force?¡± Albert retorted.


    Greg paused. ¡°Well¡­ maybe they shouldn''t? I mean, the people from the City and the ship aren''t really in a position to provide guards, but they should at least be able to send someone who can tell people whether or not something is a problem, right? Like an ambassador or something, you know?¡±


    ¡°That makes sense strategically, but tactically you still need someone to make split second decisions in the moment, when discussion isn''t a possibility.¡± Beth explained. ¡°You can''t have three different people making three different decisions in that moment, and putting someone with little to no knowledge of the forces they''re commanding in charge is a recipe for disaster. I think the best case scenario would be if we could select a single commander who would serve under a council of strategists from each reality.¡±


    ¡°And how would we select this commander?¡± Elder Barry asked.


    ¡°We could have every reality send a few candidates, then pit them against each other to see who''s best.¡± Tori offered. ¡°We''d need some kind of tactical game for them to play though¡­¡±


    Chris glanced at Beth. ¡°You think Gaia could put something together?¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Beth agreed. ¡°As long as Matt didn''t put in some stupid rule where she''s not allowed to run any game but the Maze.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think he''d do that¡­¡± Chris muttered. ¡°But we can figure the specifics out later. Does everyone agree to a council of strategists with a commander determined by whatever competition we come up with?¡±


    Albert grimaced. ¡°I''m not sure I''m comfortable choosing the person in charge of protecting our realities based on a game.¡±


    ¡°What if it''s a very realistic game?¡± Chris asked, raising an eyebrow. ¡°So realistic it''s difficult to distinguish between it and real life?¡±


    Albert paused. ¡°Like some sort of illusion formation?¡±


    ¡°If an illusion formation creates a reality that is completely fake yet feels real, then yes, just like that.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°It can provide a realistic experience without needing to worry about anyone actually getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°That- sounds like an effective selection method then.¡± Albert agreed, everyone else nodding as well.


    ¡°Alright then. The next topic is how everyone wants to actually use this portal.¡± Chris continued. ¡°Are we letting people move through it? Are we trading with each other? Are we helping each other with our problems? Or are we just going to ignore it as much as possible?¡±


    ¡°Is it even possible to help each other?¡± Belinda asked skeptically. ¡°Our power doesn''t transfer between realities. Even if someone did want to come to our reality to assist us, they wouldn''t be an asset, they''d be another civilian we''d need to protect, and we have enough of those already.¡±


    ¡°In general, yes. Sending an army across realities probably isn''t going to help anyone. However, that may not be the case individually.¡± Narita interjected. ¡°Abilities that are relatively unimpressive in one reality could make a huge difference in another. Though that is dependent on whether or not they can reach a state where they are capable of actually using those abilities, which isn''t always possible.¡±


    Andrew nodded. ¡°Right, for example, Chris says you guys are trying to evacuate the City, right? Well, we have an entire clan whose ability allows them to create portals between dimensions. It takes some set up and we''d need to figure out a way to get them strong enough to actually use the ability, but it could get you all out of there without having to worry about how you''re going to get Chris enough minions to support all the portals you need.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Elder Barry frowned. ¡°This is true, but I''m not sure how many Tigers would be willing to risk themselves like that to help strangers in another reality.¡±


    ¡°That''s why we''re here, isn''t it?¡± Andrew retorted. ¡°To figure out what people need and what needs to be done to get it to them, right? I''m not suggesting we help them for free, I''m letting them know what''s possible so they can figure out what they can do to make it happen. Like, for example, the fact that connecting to Chris could let the Bond extend indefinitely using his portals, letting us travel as far away from the base camps as we want.¡±


    Elder Barry blinked. ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Well, Chris''s thing lets him create portals around the people connected to him, so if both the Beast and the human connect to him, they can open portals to each other, keeping the Bond as if they were only a few inches away as the Beast travels wherever it wants.¡± Andrew explained.


    ¡°I''d need to strengthen my space to pull it off, but apparently energy is pretty abundant in your reality, so it shouldn''t take too much to grow it to a decent level.¡± Chris confirmed. ¡°Though there is the whole issue of me potentially controlling you to worry about, so it probably isn''t for everyone.¡±


    ¡°And that was just an example.¡± Andrew added. ¡°In their reality, everyone has a different ability, so the odds of them having one that could help us out is pretty high. Particularly if you''re looking at individual Tigers.¡±


    Elder Barry nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I see¡­¡±


    ¡°Also, if it helps, I can keep the human side of any Tigers you send in my space while they send their Beast side out, so they won''t even really be at risk.¡± Chris pointed out.


    Elder Barry paused. ¡°That does help, yes. Though we would still need to discuss the specifics before we move forward.¡±


    David grinned. ¡°We''ll have our people contact your people.¡±


    ¡°How exactly would we regain our power in another reality?¡± Peter asked curiously. ¡°I know the conversion basically turns us into a native, but if we choose suppression, are we permanently suppressed or can we release our suppression somehow?¡±


    ¡°Good question!¡± Greg clapped. ¡°We have no idea! This portal has existed for literally an hour, my dude.¡±


    Narita coughed. ¡°I can''t be certain, since as Greg said this is all very new, but there is a suppression that travelers experience as well which can be released by engaging with that reality''s power system, regaining a similar amount of power as you would have gained if you''d actually been a part of that system.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°How would that work in a reality like mine? You need to acquire and meditate on Runes to grow, which you can''t do unless you''re a Cultivator.¡±


    Narita frowned. ¡°I can''t be certain, since this may only be true for travelers, but a reality must provide a way for us to release our suppression, though it doesn''t necessarily have to make it easy. In fact, the general rule is that the more power you bring into a reality, the more difficult it will make things for you, which is why I usually focus on growing within the reality, only bringing a few minor utility abilities with me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you can do both?¡± Peter asked, sounding slightly excited.


    ¡°Travelers can. But given the fact that you are offered a choice, I believe this portal only allows one or the other.¡± Narita replied.


    ¡°I can probably confirm that.¡± Andrew added. ¡°Her core looks like a core wrapped up in another core, which is probably her original plus whatever shell the reality gave her when she arrived. That doesn''t happen here. But again, this whole thing is just about an hour old, so I''m mostly just guessing.¡±


    Peter nodded, sighing slightly. ¡°Fair enough. It just would have been nice to have access to multiple power systems, instead of having to choose just one.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°Yeah, that is nice. Hey, who knows? Maybe you can aim for becoming a traveler in one of these realities! Then you can choose two!¡±


    Narita rolled her eyes. ¡°Greg, please don''t encourage people to attempt the impossible. It only ends up getting them killed.¡±


    ¡°Well that''s just blatantly false.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°Someone has to end up as the traveler, right? Therefore it doesn''t get at least one person killed.¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°No, it gets all of them killed. Realities reject those who solely pursue significance, using them as stepping stones for others. That''s why I haven''t, and won''t, tell Travis about any of this. Significance is something that must arise naturally, not something that can be forced.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Greg glanced at Peter. ¡°Sorry dude, guess you''re out of luck.¡±


    Peter grinned back. ¡°Oh, I think I''m already lucky enough. This portal¡­ just the fact that it would allow me to remove my cultivation and start over would be enough to celebrate, but the ability to change to a power system that would allow me to grow without being limited by whatever Runes I happen to be lucky enough to receive¡­ it''s more than I could have ever hoped for! The moment I find a decent replacement I''m setting off to explore the Multiverse!¡±


    Albert frowned at him, but Maurice looked thoughtful. ¡°That is an interesting idea¡­¡±


    Albert whirled on him. ¡°You want to abandon our people too?!?¡±


    ¡°No! No, of course not!¡± Maurice shook his head vehemently. ¡°No, I was referring to using this portal to reset our cultivation! Could you imagine how far we could go if we began again as fresh Cultivators, with all our current knowledge and experiences?!? We could be dual-cores! Possibly even tri-cores! We could reset over and over until we got it right!¡±


    Albert froze, eyes widening as he realized the potential hidden within this portal, first in shock, then in horror as he realized what people would do to gain access to it. People would cross oceans to reach the portal! Mono-cores would swarm to the town, with no small amount of dual-cores behind them! Sects would fight wars over it so they could use it to strengthen their disciples! Albert shuddered. If he wasn''t completely invested in working with the Hidden Blades before, he was now. The only chance they had to prevent being overrun was by becoming so powerful that no one would dare come against them, and the only way that was happening any time soon was through the Hidden Blades. At least, it was the only way that wouldn''t result in his lands being torn apart as the Hidden Blades attempted to wrest control of the portal away from them. Particularly since the only place they could reasonably resist the sect was inside the portal.


    Arose raised an eyebrow as he sensed Albert''s raging emotions. ¡°I take it you don''t see this as good news.¡±


    Albert shook his head. ¡°No. There is too much potential here, and it isn''t something my people are equipped to hold. Not without- assistance.¡±


    ¡°Inside or outside?¡± Greg asked.


    Albert blinked. ¡°Outside? It isn''t assistance you can provide, if that''s what you''re asking. We''ll need to deal with the powers in our reality.¡±


    Tori grimaced as she went through a similar thought process. ¡°I think it might help if we made it clear there would be resistance inside if outside assistance refused to work with us.¡± She glanced at Tiffany. ¡°Don''t you agree?¡±


    ¡°It might be the only way they would even consider working with you.¡± Tiffany muttered, her thoughts more focused on whether she should reset or not. ¡°The only way people with power would consider those without is if there were consequences for not.¡±


    David snorted. ¡°Good to see that doesn''t change between realities. Though you don''t really need to add the ¡®with power¡¯ part. The only way people consider anyone is if there are consequences to not.¡±


    Cathryn frowned at him. ¡°Maybe in your reality, but in ours there are plenty of people who do things for others simply because they care.¡±


    David smirked slightly. ¡°But isn''t there an innate consequence in caring? If you care about someone and you see they''re suffering, it wouldn''t feel good to not help them, right?¡±


    Cathryn blinked. ¡°No, but- that''s not the same thing!¡±


    ¡°Sure it is!¡± David chuckled. ¡°But why are you arguing? Would you prefer a reality where people do things for no reason? Where an interaction could end with a punch just as easily as a kiss? No, the fact that people have underlying motivations is a good thing. It''s what keeps things stable, predictable, and why we can be certain that if we give whatever force they''re dealing with enough reason to work with them, they''ll actually do it. And that''s why the rare individual who doesn''t is so terrifying. The worst thing a person can be is unpredictable.¡±


    Cathryn just looked lost, Andrew stepping in with a cough to save her. ¡°Well, is there anything else we need to deal with?¡±


    ¡°My people are in a tenuous situation, but we''re still taking stock so there''s no immediate requests we can make.¡± The Archmage replied.


    Andrew nodded. ¡°Right, then I think we''ve dealt with everything that needed to be dealt with immediately, so how about we call it and deal with the rest once everyone has had time to assemble some proper representatives, and not just the first people we could find?¡±


    Arose smiled. ¡°I believe that''s something we can all agree to. If only just so we can take some time to¡­ process all this. It isn''t every day you discover your grandson is a Multiversal god, after all.¡± More than a few looks were exchanged at that as everyone began to agree. Necessity had allowed them to focus, but it was starting to sink in that their realities had been fundamentally altered today. Literally. It was going to take some time to process that.

 7 - Cleaning up the Technos

    ¡°That went well, right?¡± Greg asked after everyone who needed to left to see to their duties in their own realities, leaving just the four of them, Beth, Nadia, Tessa, Narita, Beatrice, Cathryn, Li Jing, and Quinn.


    ¡°It didn''t go poorly.¡± Nadia commented. ¡°I don''t think we can say it went well until we see the results. Just because everyone is willing to work together doesn''t mean they''re actually capable of it.¡±


    ¡°It''s out of our hands now, so there''s no point in worrying about it.¡± Tori sighed. ¡°The question is what do we need to be doing right now?¡±


    ¡°I need to deal with the foxkin.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Nero is talking to them, but from the few times I''ve checked on him, it doesn''t seem to be going all that well. But at least they aren''t torturing him, so that''s something.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Nero?¡±


    ¡°The foxkin captain.¡± Chris explained. ¡°The one with the potential aura ability.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Andrew nodded. ¡°I still need to study that.¡±


    ¡°Well, I have a few things I could use Chris''s help with in my reality. Namely dealing with her.¡± Greg commented, gesturing to the Techno that was still sitting in the cage he''d made for her, something that seemed to have slipped everyone''s mind in the midst of well¡­ everything.


    ¡°Greg, who is that and why is she in a cage?¡± Tessa asked, narrowing her eyes at him.


    ¡°She''s the leader of the Technos, and¡­ well, she''s the leader of the Technos.¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°I somehow managed to get her armor off her, so now she''s kinda helpless and I don''t really know what to do with her, but killing someone who''s completely helpless just seems wrong, doesn''t it? I mean, you gotta do what you gotta do, but I''m not sure it''s what we gotta do, ya know? Particularly now that Chris is here.¡±


    ¡°You want me to make her my minion?¡± Chris frowned. ¡°I''m not against it, but I won''t force it. Not without a good reason, at least.¡±


    ¡°Is the fact that our only other option is to kill her a good reason?¡± Greg asked.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°If it was, then she''d join willingly, now wouldn''t she?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Huh. Good point.¡±


    ¡°Well, I''m not sure I want you guys anywhere near my reality at the moment.¡± Tori grumbled. ¡°Mostly because our best chance at the moment is to keep whatever weirdness is going on as hidden as possible for now, and having all of you running around being weird and growing the portal is the last thing we need.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°I feel like we need a better name than ¡®the portal¡¯ for this thing. Particularly since it isn''t exactly a portal. It''s more like¡­ well, it''s kinda like a Tiger''s territory.¡±


    ¡°So you''d rather call it our territory?¡± Chris muttered. ¡°That actually fits rather well, now that I think about it.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°It doesn''t matter! The point is that I don''t want it growing in my reality! Not yet at least.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Andrew agreed. ¡°I don''t particularly want the territory growing in either of my realities either. Particularly not before we talk to the people who are actually in charge in system world.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hey now, I''m cool not going to Tori''s reality, particularly cause Runes just sound annoying, but there''s no way I''m missing out on a freaking litrpg world!¡± Greg protested.


    Andrew paused. ¡°Well¡­ There''s no reason you can''t go there if you want. Just don''t do anything to grow the territory just yet. Shouldn''t be too hard, right?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I guess I could do things without smoke¡­ might even be more fun that way.¡±


    ¡°Whatever works for you, I guess.¡± Andrew shook his head. ¡°Is that it? Just the foxkin and the Techno?¡±


    ¡°At the moment, but long term I need to strengthen my space and I would appreciate any help I could get in that department.¡± Chris replied. ¡°No offense, but I''d rather not stake the fate of my people on maybe making a deal with the Bonded.¡±


    ¡°None taken.¡± Andrew assured him. ¡°And I have no problem helping out. I''m not going to just sit around while people are in danger.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡± Greg agreed.


    Tori nodded. ¡°We''ll help out as much as we can. Though I''m not sure how much that will be given how your reality works.¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°We''ll see.¡±


    ¡°Now, along those same lines, I''m gonna need some help making sure the people in my reality survive too.¡± Greg added. ¡°But that''s more of a long-term project.¡±


    No one else seemed to have anything to add, so Andrew just nodded. ¡°Alright, let''s get to it then.¡± He paused, glancing at the girls. ¡°Unless any of you want to switch realities?¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°I wouldn''t mind checking out the litrpg at some point, but now isn''t the right time.¡±


    Cathryn grimaced. ¡°I''m not sure you really do¡­ some of the things in that reality are nasty.¡±


    ¡°Understatement.¡± Li Jing muttered.


    ¡°We''re still needed in our reality as well.¡± Beth added, Nadia nodding along with her. Everyone else seemed to feel the same way, none of them particularly eager to start exploring the Multiverse. At least not yet.


    Andrew nodded. ¡°Right then, let''s- get back to it, I guess?¡±


    *


    ¡°Alright, so, here''s the deal.¡± Greg began as he approached the Techno. Everyone else had already split off into their respective realities, so it was just the four of them, Tessa, and Narita at the moment.


    The Techno scowled at him. ¡°I know the deal. I have heard everything you''ve been talking about.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ well good! So, what''s it gonna be? You want to be a minion or a corpse?¡± Greg asked.


    The Techno hesitated. If he''d asked before this¡­ territory was created, she wouldn''t have even blinked before telling him to kill her. However, while being used by the mages was abhorrent, these people weren''t mages. They were¡­ something else. She didn''t think they were gods, though she admittedly couldn''t think of any term that would fit them better¡­ But they weren''t necessarily powerful, they were just¡­ different. A type of different that could change everything. She turned to Chris. ¡°The spread of mana is destroying our reality and recreating it in its own image. I don''t care if mana spreads, but the fact that it destroys lives everywhere it goes is unacceptable. I- am willing to become your minion if you agree to help stop mana from ravaging our reality.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Sure, but I''m probably not your best bet in that regard. Seems more like a Tori thing.¡±


    ¡°But you''re the one who''s going to have control of me.¡± The Techno retorted. ¡°I refuse to serve someone who would ignore the way mana hurts people everywhere it goes!¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Greg eyed her cautiously. ¡°You aren''t going to try and convince him to go around massacring mages, are you?¡±


    The Techno shook her head. ¡°Eradicating mages was the only method we had available to us that would allow us to curb the spread of mana and the destruction it causes. That is no longer the case.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I guess that works?¡± He glanced at Chris. ¡°That work for you?¡±


    ¡°If there''s something out there destroying people''s lives and there''s something I can do about it, I''m not going to just sit back and watch.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I assume the rest of you agree?¡±


    ¡°Didn''t we just go over this for your reality?¡± Andrew frowned. ¡°Obviously we aren''t just going to ignore it! We aren''t sociopaths.¡±


    Greg coughed. ¡°I mean¡­ even if we are, we''re still trying to be good at least.¡± The others turned to look at him. ¡°What? I have issues! But don''t worry, I''ve got a handle on it.¡±


    Tessa sighed. ¡°He does, don''t worry.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡± Chris shrugged, turning to the techno. ¡°Are you ready to become my minion then?¡±


    The Techno let out a nervous breath. ¡°Yes, I''m ready.¡± Chris opened a portal for her and she stepped into his space, the mage world side of it, accepting the connection Chris offered with only a slight amount of hesitation, before stepping out as Greg removed the cage.


    ¡°Alright, now what?¡± Chris asked, turning to Greg.


    ¡°Well, I need to check on Travis and get the faction together so we can start preparing for the chaos that''s about to start as people find out we''re stranded and there''s not much the aliens can do to help. Oh!¡± Greg snapped his fingers, picking up the power supply from the Techno¡¯s armor. ¡°And I need to pick up my orbs!¡±


    The Techno froze. ¡°You- have more of those?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°Like¡­ sixtyish, maybe? It was the only way I could actually stop your people, ya know? Though even then I had to wait for the aliens to break your shields first.¡± Greg sighed, shaking his head as he remembered the battle. ¡°Man, I hate being weak.¡±


    The Techno was starting to look pale by this point. ¡°You- we have to go! We have to save them!¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Save who?¡±


    ¡°The people you left to suffocate to death in their armor!¡± The Techno growled.


    Greg paused. ¡°Oh. Yeah, no, we should- we should definitely take care of that. Though there''s the issue of how to find them¡­¡±


    ¡°I can help.¡± Andrew offered. ¡°That''s my thing, remember?¡±


    ¡°Right, great, come on!¡± Greg clapped, transforming into Bianca and opening a portal to the battlements. ¡°Let''s save some Technos!¡±


    *


    ¡°So¡­ is your entire race female?¡± Greg asked the Techno hesitantly. ¡°Or at least female looking? Since an entire race of female''s wouldn''t really be female¡­¡±


    The Techno glanced at him. ¡°First, there are several races represented here, all of which are sexually dimorphic, at least, and not all of them fit into what you categorize as female. Though¡­ you admittedly do seem to have selectively targeted only the ones that closely resemble the females of your species.¡± She added, frowning slightly as she looked over the small pile of armor bound Technos glaring at her with notably feminine faces. Greg had only removed their helmets so far, mostly because it let him quickly move on to the next person but also because it kept them from trying to escape in the meantime.


    Greg winced slightly as Tessa gave him a look, crossing her arms. ¡°There was no targeting! How would I even be able to tell through all that armor! They all look the fucking same!¡±


    ¡°Mhmm.¡± Tessa hummed. ¡°And yet, here we are.¡±


    ¡°It really isn''t his fault.¡± Narita sighed. ¡°Some realities are just like this.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Wait, really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Narita nodded.


    ¡°Ha! Vindication!¡± Greg whooped, raising his hands in a victory pose while Tessa rolled her eyes, a slight smirk tugging at her lips.


    ¡°That''s everyone, I think.¡± Andrew announced as he returned from one last sweep of the battlefield, an almost permanent grimace on his face from all the death around them. The Technos assault had practically been a suicide run, relying more on their sheer numbers than on superior firepower. Andrew couldn''t fathom what kind of mindset these people had to have had to willingly throw themselves into the jaws of death like that. He glanced at Tori as she struggled to drag the last Techno to the pile. ¡°Are you sure you don''t want any help with that?¡±


    ¡°I said I''ve got it!¡± Tori growled, stumbling in exhaustion as she continued to pull the heavy armor across the dirt. With a final grunt of effort she maneuvered the Techno into the pile with the others, a satisfied grin spreading across her face as a string of tasks completed, netting her a full¡­ twelve points. A slight groan escaped her as she collapsed next to the pile. ¡°I need to raise my fucking limit.¡± She sighed. Those tasks could have been a lot more rewarding.


    Greg stared at the pile of Technos with a slight grimace, once again counting them, coming up with forty-four, then to his pile of power supplies, which numbered sixty-four. He really hoped the missing ones had been taken out by the aliens, but he knew that wasn''t likely. ¡°Welp, at least we saved most of them from a horrible death.¡± Greg shrugged. It wasn''t like he could have come back much earlier, and they had been trying to kill everyone he knew and loved. ¡°Now, are we going to make them minions or make them dead?¡±


    Andrew groaned. ¡°Don''t you think there''s been enough death here? Besides, we just did all that work to save them! It seems wrong to just end it by killing them all.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I agree, but it isn''t like we can keep them around as prisoners. Not while we''re struggling to ensure our own survival.¡± Greg shook his head, then paused. ¡°Though maybe if we sent them to a different reality?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think that''s a good idea.¡± Chris replied. ¡°For one, they''re aliens and the other realities are predominantly human. And also taking care of prisoners by shoving them into different realities seems like a bad precedent to set. Besides, I think we can just put them in my space for now and let Hiyada talk things over with them. Though I may need to grow it a bit¡­ I think they''ll fit for now, but it definitely won''t be comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Hiyada?¡± Tessa asked, pointing at the Techno, who nodded. ¡°That could work. What do you need to grow your space?¡±


    ¡°Ability energy. Or mana, in this reality. Probably.¡± Chris explained.


    ¡°How much do you need?¡± Greg asked, frowning slightly. ¡°We aren''t exactly in a good position mana wise according to the Archmage.¡±


    ¡°I honestly couldn''t say.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I can''t exactly measure energy, I just know that when I absorb it, my space grows.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Tessa pulled out a mana pill. ¡°See how much this gives you.¡±


    Chris took the mana pill and tossed it into his space, absorbing it. The good news is it worked and his space grew. The bad news is it was barely noticeable, and even worse¡­ ¡°Did- did you guys just steal my energy?¡± Chris asked, narrowing his eyes at Tori and Andrew.


    ¡°We didn''t steal it¡­¡± Andrew coughed. ¡°It just kinda came to us?¡±


    ¡°And it isn''t like we got a lot.¡± Tori muttered. ¡°Barely a third of a point.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you both got energy?¡± Greg asked, looking between them. ¡°Why didn''t I get any energy then?¡±


    Narita cocked her head. ¡°Because you''re already ahead?¡±


    Chris glanced at her. ¡°You know what''s happening here?¡±


    ¡°No, but- okay, do you remember what I said about your forces not being able to exist without one another? And how that''s likely what led to your connection?¡± Narita asked. ¡°Well¡­ it would make sense if that same principle worked to make sure your forces are¡­ balanced, so to speak.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°But we''ve been existing independently just fine up to this point, haven''t we? Why would we suddenly need to be- oh. It''s the territory, isn''t it? If our abilities are coming together to form it, then it needs all of us, and growing too far in a single aspect could be an issue¡­¡±


    Narita nodded. ¡°That makes sense! A reality with too much of any one force wouldn''t be able to function!¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°Still annoying though. Particularly when I need to strengthen my space.¡±


    ¡°True, but once we catch up, we can help you strengthen your space with our abilities as well.¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°For example, the whole reason I collected these orbs is because they''re practically bursting with vitality, and I''m gonna absorb them to strengthen my smoke, which should make you guys stronger as well, no mana necessary! Though first I gotta actually get my smoke into them, which may take a bit, cause they are dense.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow, then shrugged in acceptance. As much as he didn''t particularly enjoy anyone taking things from him, there wasn''t anything he could do about it and at least he''d get things back as well. It was¡­ acceptable. ¡°Alright then, well, in the meantime, I can also get energy from any creatures you might need dealt with. Particularly since dying isn''t particularly an issue at the moment.¡±


    Tessa frowned. ¡°Wait, how do you get energy from creatures?¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°By trapping them in my space and draining it out of them? At least, that''s how it works in my reality.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Chris¡­ Can you use any energy to grow?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Chris replied.


    Greg grinned. ¡°I think I have an idea.¡±

 8 - Significance

    After awkwardly fitting all the Technos into Chris''s space, Greg led them back to the anchor point, opening it to where he''d sent Travis and the others during Hiyada''s blitz through the battlements. ¡°Greg!¡± Casey exclaimed as he walked through, sounding almost hysterical. ¡°Where have you been!?! What happened to the ship!?! Are we still under attack!?! And why the fuck is Jake dead!?!¡±


    ¡°I was helping save the ship, it crashed, no, and he was being an asshole.¡± Greg answered the questions in order, looking around and ignoring the stunned Casey. ¡°Where''s T-dog?¡±


    ¡°Do not call me that!¡± Travis snapped as he walked over, followed by the rest of his team. ¡°I''d rather you get my name wrong than start coming up with dumb nicknames for me.¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Oh come on. You don''t like T-money? T-slice? T-dizzle? T-pain? T-moo? T-diggity? T-max? T-ma-¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Travis groaned. ¡°Fuck, I shouldn''t have even said anything.¡±


    Greg chuckled as he stepped aside, making way for the others to come through the portal, closing it behind them as he transformed back into himself. ¡°No you shouldn''t have. Anyway T-ray, I may have figured out a solution to your little mana problem. Chris?¡±


    Chris stepped past him, opening a portal to reveal a small metal closet. ¡°If you step inside, I can most likely drain the excess mana out of you, though you may have to cooperate.¡±


    Travis blinked at him before turning to Greg. ¡°Who is this guy?¡±


    ¡°A new friend.¡± Greg answered simply.


    Travis glared at him. ¡°Are you seriously asking me to step into this dude''s strange portal closet and only giving me that weak ass explanation?!? For all I know that could be a literal coffin! This could be some scheme to kidnap me!¡±


    ¡°Okay, first off-¡± Greg flicked a finger and Travis shot up with a yelp, doing a little loop as Greg swirled his finger around before dropping back down with a panicked look on his face. ¡°-you''re already filled with my smoke. I don''t need to trick you to kidnap you. Second¡­ yeah, no, Chris you made that creepy as fuck, what the hell?¡±


    Chris sighed. ¡°I don''t exactly have much material to work with. For some reason my database didn''t carry over from the other reality. Plus I can''t let the Technos escape, so it was either this or a dungeon full of women. This seemed better.¡±


    ¡°I mean¡­ tough call, honestly.¡± Greg muttered, glancing at Travis and letting out a sigh of his own. ¡°Okay, look, Chris here owns a space that he can apparently use to drain the excess mana out of you, but it''s currently filled with Technos, so unless you want to deal with a bunch of pissed off Technos or not get rid of the mana that is literally killing you, get in the damn closet.¡±


    Travis grimaced, still looking a little sick from Greg''s demonstration. ¡°I- fuck it, fine.¡± He groaned. The fact was Greg didn''t have to do anything to get rid of him. He was already filled with corrupted mana and without Greg''s help he was a dead man anyway. Plus the fact that Greg could use his smoke to throw him around like a ragdoll, apparently. How much worse could his position even get? He hesitated slightly at the portal before firming his resolve and stepping through. ¡°Okay, now-¡± He froze as he felt something grab the mana inside him and pull, draining it out of him in a matter of seconds.


    ¡°Is that all?¡± Chris asked, frowning slightly. Greg had made it sound like Travis was practically overflowing with mana, but he''d barely gotten the equivalent of a mid-tier ability core out of him. Which still basically tripled the volume of his space, even with the drain from the others, but¡­ well, he''d expected more. Especially since that only got him to about the same size he''d started with in his reality.


    ¡°That- yes!¡± Travis cheered. ¡°It''s gone! Tha-¡± He yelped as Chris reached in and ripped him out of the space.


    ¡°Fuck that was close.¡± Chris let out a relieved sigh, before turning to glare at Travis. ¡°Gratitude is prohibited while inside the creepy closet.¡±


    Travis blinked at him, stunned. ¡°I''m- sorry?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Just don''t do it again.¡±


    ¡°Did you get all you needed?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Eh?¡± Chris wiggled his hand. ¡°They at least have enough room to all lie down now. It isn''t going to be comfortable, but they probably shouldn''t be getting comfortable in there anyway, since the goal is to get them connected and out of my space.¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Well, good enough then.¡± He turned back to the others. ¡°We should probably regroup at our headquarters. Things are going to get chaotic soon and we need to make sure we''ve got our own shit together before we have to start dealing with everyone else''s.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are we dealing with?¡± Georgia asked, frowning slightly.


    ¡°Basically we''re stuck on a wild, mana-warped planet for the foreseeable future with limited resources and a crapton of people who are wildly unprepared for the challenges they''re about to face.¡± Greg explained. ¡°Apparently we were supposed to be training for a couple years to deal with this crap, and thanks to the Technos we have to do it now.¡±


    Everyone froze for a moment, then Jen cursed. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°But, now we have these guys to help us!¡± He gestured to Chris, Andrew, and Tori. ¡°And they''re just about as awesome as I am!¡±


    Travis frowned. ¡°Where did you even find these people?¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°That- is an explanation that should probably wait until we''re all together. Answer all the weird questions at once, you know?¡± He transformed back into Bianca, opening a portal to their headquarters. ¡°Come on, let''s go.¡± He waved, heading through the portal, only to stop as he found it a lot busier than he''d expected. ¡°Oh yeah, this.¡± He muttered, frowning slightly. He''d noticed it when he''d gone to pick up Tessa and Narita, but he''d been in too much of a hurry to ask too many questions.


    ¡°Finally!¡± Brittany let out a relieved sigh, jumping to her feet. ¡°What the hell Greg?!? Why''d you just run in, grab Tessa, and bolt!?!¡±


    ¡°It''s complicated and I''m not answering anything until we have everyone together.¡± Greg replied as transformed back, closing the portal as the last person stepped through.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Brittany frowned. ¡°Can you at least tell me if we won?¡±


    ¡°We- survived.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°Winning wasn''t exactly an option, but we''re probably in the best position we could expect to be in. The Technos have been dealt with, but we''re now stranded on a wild, mana-warped planet we are very much not prepared to handle.¡±


    Brittany grimaced. ¡°So we escaped one emergency to land right in another one. Perfect.¡±


    ¡°Hey, it isn''t all bad news.¡± Greg assured her. ¡°I found help! Well, more like help found me, but same difference in the long run.¡±


    Brittany gave him a skeptical look. ¡°You found help? On a wild, mana-warped planet? What were you even doing outside the ship!?!¡±


    ¡°Oh, it wasn''t from outside the ship.¡± Greg shook his head. ¡°Well¡­ technically it was, but- look, I have some things I have to explain and it''d be best to do it with everyone here.¡±


    Brittany gave him a look before letting out a sigh. ¡°Fine. They''re all upstairs, avoiding the crowd.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, what''s up with that?¡± Greg asked as they began to move.


    ¡°We weren''t going to just sit on our asses while you tried to save us all.¡± Tessa commented. ¡°We''ve been gathering all our allies, just in case you failed and we had to make a ¡®valiant last stand¡¯, in Victor''s words. Or whatever else we might have to deal with, since clearly things weren''t going well.¡±


    ¡°Huh. Good call.¡± Greg nodded appreciatively.


    Brittany frowned slightly as she glanced back at the group, realizing someone was missing. ¡°Greg? Where''s Jake?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he''s dead.¡± Greg waved dismissively.


    Brittany froze. ¡°He''s what?!?¡±


    ¡°What happened!?!¡± Tessa asked, equally alarmed, having missed it when Casey yelled it out earlier since she was on the other side of the portal.


    ¡°He and this group of assholes were threatening Travis¡¯s team for some reason, in the middle of the invasion no less! I gave them a good five seconds to shape up, they refused, so I took care of it.¡± Greg explained, his expression twisting bitterly. Seeing Jake turn asshole like that was incredibly disappointing, particularly since it echoed a path he knew he himself could have so easily taken. It was so easy to let resentment fester when people didn''t conform to your expectations.


    Brittany took a horrified step back. ¡°You- you killed him?!?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°Stabbed him right in the eye.¡±


    ¡°How could you!?!¡± Brittany snarled.


    ¡°He had a knife to Sophie''s throat!¡± Greg protested. ¡°It was either take him out or let her die!¡±


    ¡°It''s true.¡± Sophia confirmed as Brittany turned to her. ¡°He led us into an ambush and took me hostage. We were in a standoff until Greg showed up.¡±


    ¡°He- but- but why?!?¡± Brittany asked, her expression twisting with grief and frustration.


    Travis sighed. ¡°I honestly wish I knew. I know he wasn''t happy with us getting involved with you guys, but I didn''t think- I can''t believe he''d just turn on us like that!¡±


    Narita hesitated. ¡°It- he was probably dealing with more pressure than you realize. Particularly with both you and Greg involved. And I''m afraid worse things are to come.¡±


    Travis frowned at her. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°You and Greg are what I call significant existences. People who by their very nature leave heavy marks on the world around them. Being closely involved with even one such existence is bad enough, let alone two. I didn''t think Jake would be that far gone but I''m not surprised he found himself in a position to do something so¡­ drastic.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you think this is our fault?¡± Greg asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Not exactly.¡± Narita replied, shaking her head. ¡°No one forced Jake to make the decisions he did. However, your significance would have made those decisions easier. Something that may have simply died as a fantasy could have been given birth by a chance opportunity that never would have occurred if not for your significance. It isn''t that your significance forced him to do it, it simply ensured he had the means to go through with it. Maybe providing a bit of motivation as well, though Jake didn''t appear to be coerced.¡±


    ¡°Would this ¡®significance¡¯ cause a kid who suspects someone he knows is supernatural to be put in contact with a group that hunts the supernatural?¡± Andrew asked, grimacing slightly.


    Narita gave him a look. ¡°That is exactly the kind of thing significance would cause.¡±


    ¡°Does it get some kind of godly being to wipe out an entire planet?¡± Tori asked, narrowing her eyes.


    Narita froze. ¡°That- actually sounds like a different issue.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I''m still not getting this significance thing.¡± Travis interjected. ¡°You made it sound like he was pushed into this, but then you said it only gave him the opportunity? And why is it worse if there''s two of us?¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°Because just as he was offered an opportunity to exercise his resentment, he was also given opportunities to be resentful, opportunities which would have been compounded by having two people to resent. Again, nothing forced him to resent you, but the resentment he felt was given an opportunity to flourish due to your significance.¡±


    ¡°This all sounds like an overly complicated way of saying Jake fucked up because he was jealous of us.¡± Greg commented. ¡°I feel like you''re trying to turn this into some big thing when it''s probably just the fact that the more people stand out, the more people try to take them down. That''s just human nature, not some kind of ¡®significance¡¯ fucking with people.¡±


    Narita shook her head. ¡°I''d agree if it weren''t for the fact that these coincidences seem to abound around significant existences. It isn''t abnormal for people to resent those who stand out, but it is abnormal for those people to always have an opportunity to act on that resentment.¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°I don''t know about that¡­ People can be pretty motivated sometimes and we''re clever bastards. If there''s something we really want to accomplish, we tend to find a way to at least attempt it.¡±


    Narita glared at him. ¡°Greg, I have personally observed this effect hundreds of times, and corroborated it with dozens of other travelers. I can understand your skepticism, but this effect is real, and you''d be wise to be aware of it.¡±


    Greg grimaced slightly. ¡°That''s- fair, I guess. I guess I just don''t appreciate the idea that Jake could have been better if not for the fact that he got involved with me.¡±


    Narita hesitated. ¡°I- understand that, but you have to remember that ultimately everything he did was his decision. No one forced him to do anything.¡±


    ¡°Well yeah, I got that, but just because you''re willing to make bad decisions now doesn''t mean you''re always going to want to make bad decisions.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°It''s like- I don''t know, I feel like this whole significance thing robbed him of the opportunity to be better.¡±


    Narita sighed. ¡°It may have, or it may have simply expedited the inevitable. We''ll never know. All we know is what did happen.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Greg agreed noncommittally, glancing over at Tessa as she comforted a distraught Brittany, holding her as silent tears ran down her face. ¡°Still freaking sucks.¡±


    Narita glanced that way as well, her expression twisting bitterly. ¡°Yes. Yes it does.¡±

 9 - A wild, mana-warped planet

    Tessa decided to take Brittany somewhere quiet so she could take some time to grieve properly before dealing with the crap Greg was about to drop on everyone else, while the rest of them headed upstairs. ¡°So, are we fucked or did you somehow manage to pull a win out of your ass?¡± Victor asked as Greg walked in.


    Greg paused. ¡°Little column A, little column B? We escaped the Technos, but now we''re stranded on-¡±


    ¡°A wild, mana-warped planet.¡± Tori completed the sentence for him, rolling her eyes. ¡°Do you have to say it the exact same way every damn time?!?¡±


    Greg glanced at her before turning back to Victor. ¡°And this is Tori. She''s cranky, but she should be helpful. Same with Chris and Andrew. On the helpful part, not the cranky one. That''s just Tori.¡±


    Tori scowled, opening her mouth to retort only for Andrew to put a hand on her shoulder with a sigh. ¡°Whatever you''re about to say is just going to make his point for him. Just drop it.¡± Tori''s expression twisted slightly, but she grunted in agreement. Particularly since it helped her realize she was being a bit cranky¡­ though not unjustifiably so. The past few days had been rough, particularly the ones that had lasted for over a year.


    ¡°Anyway, as I was saying, we''re stranded on a wild, mana-warped planet, all alone, probably for the next few years while we wait for the rest of humanity to show up.¡± Greg continued. ¡°Mana pills are going to be hard to come by, I have no idea what the environment is going to look like outside the ship, and we have two hundred and fifty thousand people to deal with, half of which are changed, so¡­ you know, that whole thing is going to start back up again. We''re probably like a few days away from everyone trying to kill each other again and I''m not sure if the aliens are in a good position to prevent it.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, hold on, what?!?¡± Tori interjected incredulously. ¡°You didn''t tell us about that part!¡±


    ¡°I forgot!¡± Greg retorted. ¡°Between the Technos, being stranded, you guys, and connecting to whole new realities, the whole racism thing kinda slipped my mind!¡±


    Everyone froze. ¡°Connecting to what now?¡± Victor asked tentatively.


    ¡°Different realities, but that''s not important right now.¡± Greg waved dismissively.


    ¡°It seems pretty fucking important to me!¡± Casey exclaimed. ¡°Is that where these people came from?!?¡± She asked, gesturing to Andrew, Chris, and Tori.


    ¡°Actually the connection to different realities came from us, not the other way around.¡± Chris commented. ¡°We''re just connected to Greg. Because we''re sovereigns, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Guys, again, calling ourselves sovereigns doesn''t actually explain anything.¡± Andrew shook his head. ¡°Just go with gods. Or maybe avatars? Though then we''d have to explain what we''re avatars of¡­ which wouldn''t be any better than the sovereign thing.¡±


    ¡°But calling ourselves gods implies a form of power that we lack. Not that we aren''t strong, obviously, but if you''re incapable of smiting someone on a whim, I don''t think you qualify as a god.¡± Chris countered.


    Andrew frowned. ¡°That''s fair, I guess, but it still doesn''t change the fact that sovereign is a meaningless title unless we explain it.¡±


    ¡°How about we just call it Multiversal bullshit?¡± Tori offered. ¡°That''s basically all it is.¡±


    Andrew cocked his head. ¡°I''m not sure if that''s going to leave people any less confused, but it does pretty accurately sum things up¡­¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Sure, why not.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ you''re Multiversal bullshit?¡± Victor asked, pointing at Greg, who nodded. ¡°Makes sense. It was pretty obvious there was something off about you.¡± A chorus of agreement ensued, everyone nodding along as Victor turned to the other three. ¡°So what can you guys do to help?¡±


    ¡°I can give people a system that will most likely replace your need for mana pills, if I''m understanding how this reality works.¡± Tori offered.


    ¡°I have a space I can use to turn creatures into my minions and make portals and barriers.¡± Chris added.


    ¡°I''m- still figuring it out.¡± Andrew sighed. Based on what the other three were capable of, he was sure his aura could do more. ¡°But right now all I know how to do is kill things.¡±


    ¡°Hey man, that''s a valuable skill!¡± Victor assured him. ¡°Wish I could kill things¡­ Some things just need to get dead, you know?¡±


    ¡°None of this is going to stop the changed and the unchanged from fighting again.¡± Bianca frowned. ¡°And if they do fight, making them stronger will only make things worse.¡±


    ¡°So we won''t make the people who are fighting stronger.¡± Tori shrugged. ¡°I don''t have to give my system to everyone. In fact, I''d recommend only spreading it to people you actually trust. At least for now.¡±


    ¡°The fact of the matter is we don''t have the leeway to worry about everyone at the moment.¡± Greg explained, grimacing slightly. ¡°As much as I''d love to be able to wave my hand and stop people from killing each other, our focus is going to have to be on protecting ourselves right now. Obviously we should try to include as many people as we can in that, but again, there''s a quarter million people out there. We just don''t have the influence to affect that many people in any significant way. At least not beneficially.¡±


    ¡°So we use your Multiversal bullshit to strengthen our faction until we''re strong enough to keep everyone else under control.¡± Victor commented. ¡°Seems simple enough.¡±


    Travis groaned. ¡°A lot of people are going to die, aren''t they?¡±


    ¡°Oh, big time.¡± Greg nodded. ¡°But, ya know, the aliens are still here and as Victor said, the stronger our faction grows, the more people we can help. Plus the very fact that we''re showing people the two sides can work together has to count for something, right?¡±


    ¡°And let''s be honest, people were going to be fighting anyway.¡± Victor pointed out. ¡°Some douchebags are going to try to take control and some other douchebags are going to fight them over it, while the rest of us get caught in the middle. The whole changed/unchanged aspect just adds flavor to the thing.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°I think I''m beginning to hate politics.¡±


    Tori shook her head. ¡°It isn''t politics that''s the issue, it''s the people who abuse politics. Political positions need to have power in order for the people in them to actually be able to do their job and it''s the political system¡¯s job to put someone in that position who won''t abuse that power. Unfortunately, we''re absolute shit at designing systems that actually do that, so politics is fucked, but again, it isn''t because politics is innately bad, it''s because abuse is bad.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Right, because the only people who actually want power are the people who are shitty enough to abuse it.¡± Victor nodded.


    Casey frowned at him. ¡°What about the people who want power to protect people?¡±


    ¡°Ah but see, they don''t want power, they need it.¡± Victor corrected. ¡°What they want is to protect people and they need power in order to do it. Completely different than wanting power just to have power. It''s like the difference between wanting money so you can take a trip to Paris and needing money so you can feed your family.¡±


    Casey narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°You just made that up, didn''t you?¡±


    Victor grinned. ¡°Totally, but I think it works, right?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good at least.¡± Greg agreed. ¡°Anyway, does anyone have any ideas for what we should actually do? Cause ¡®build our faction¡¯ is great, but we need an actual how to go with it, ya know?¡±


    ¡°First, I think we should give the system to everyone in this room.¡± Tori commented. ¡°I assume you trust everyone here, right?¡±


    A few glances were shot Meredith''s way. ¡°Mmmostly?¡± Greg agreed. ¡°I''m sure it''ll be fine.¡±


    Tori eyed him cautiously. ¡°I can give some people one that doesn''t let them transfer it to other people, if you think that''s better.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Greg shrugged. Meredith may be self-centered and manipulative, but she wasn''t dumb. She''d know that pissing off people made from Multiversal bullshit would be a bad idea. ¡°It''ll be fine.¡±


    Tori shook her head. ¡°Whatever. It''s your reality.¡± She muttered. ¡°Alright, so, it''s going to start pretty basic since I don''t know exactly how it''s going to interact with your reality yet, but you''ll at least be able to gain points and use them to heal and develop your skills. If any of you do decide to give someone else the system, there are going to be two options, one which will allow them to give the system out as well, and one that won''t. I suggest you only give the spreader out to those you trust.¡± She paused. ¡°Or I guess I could just make a rule that the only people who can actually use the system are the people who belong to your faction? Trust isn''t as much of an issue at that point.¡±


    Victor chuckled. ¡°Aw, you think we can''t be absolute bastards too? How adorable.¡±


    Tori fixed him with a look. ¡°No, I think that if you are bastards, I''ll be close enough to use your intestines as a fucking jump rope. If you''re lucky, I might even kill you first.¡±


    Victor grinned. ¡°Oh I like you. Got a boyfriend?¡±


    Tori snorted. ¡°Girlfriend, actually.¡±


    Victor clicked his tongue. ¡°If I had a nickel-¡± He cut off, frowning. ¡°Shit, do I have a thing for lesbians? That might become an issue¡­¡±


    Casey rolled her eyes. ¡°I think you just like girls who aren''t afraid to tell you to go fuck yourself and that''s every lesbian''s first response when it comes to you.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, maybe.¡± Victor nodded thoughtfully. ¡°So¡­ what else are we doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to explore outside the ship to see if I can find something to help me expand my space.¡± Chris announced. ¡°The bigger my space, the more help I can be. If anyone else thinks they stand a reasonable chance of not dying out there, they''re welcome to join.¡±


    ¡°I''ll come.¡± Andrew shrugged. ¡°I need to play with my aura a bit, plus I can help you search.¡±


    ¡°I- should probably get back to building us a base.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°This place isn''t going to work for much longer.¡±


    ¡°I should continue to gather our allies.¡± Bianca added.


    ¡°I''ll take a little scouting trip to see what everyone is up to.¡± Victor offered. ¡°Tina, you in?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Tina agreed excitedly.


    ¡°The rest of us should probably work on fortifying here until Greg is done with the new base.¡± Henrietta commented.


    Greg clapped. ¡°Alright, sounds like a plan! Let''s get to it!¡±


    *


    Chris left Hiyada at the headquarters before stepping into his space and sending his portal straight up to get out of the ship, which ended up taking almost half an hour due to the thickness and density of the metal. Once he was out he opened the portal horizontally and moved it down over him, turning it into a floating platform. He found himself hovering over a giant metal dome sitting in the middle of a violet jungle. There was a river cutting through it that the ship was sort of sitting on, damming it up, which¡­ might end up being an issue at some point as it was rapidly forming into a lake, flooding the surroundings until the water found an outlet around the massive barrier. Chris shook his head, ignoring the accumulating natural disaster as he moved towards the jungle itself, finding a convenient place to land before opening a portal for Andrew to join him.


    ¡°Wow¡­ pretty.¡± Andrew muttered appreciatively as he looked around.


    ¡°If you say so.¡± Chris shrugged, walking deeper into the jungle.


    Andrew frowned as he followed. ¡°You don''t think the violet is interesting?¡±


    ¡°Not particularly, but I''ve never been much of an esthetics guy.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Green or purple, trees are trees, doesn''t make much difference to me. The only thing I particularly care about is whether or not they''ll help me grow my space. Will they?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so.¡± Andrew sighed. ¡°Color aside, they just seem to be regular trees based on their aura. Though Tori might be able to see more.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°We''ll keep looking then. We can do another pass with Tori once we make sure everything is safe.¡±


    The two of them continued to move deeper into the jungle, Andrew occasionally adjusting their course to check out a particularly vibrant aura, but even the most noteworthy only expanded Chris''s space a little. That wasn''t to say the jungle was lifeless, in fact it was quite the opposite. There were creatures everywhere, they were just¡­ weak. ¡°You know, from the way Greg talked about this place, I was thinking we''d have to fight more.¡± Andrew commented.


    ¡°In his defense, he''s never actually been here.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°He probably doesn''t know what ¡®wild and mana-warped¡¯ even means.¡±


    ¡°Well, so far it seems like any other forest you''d find on Earth, except purple.¡± Andrew muttered. ¡°At least the animals are neat, I guess.¡± He''d even collected a few interesting cores to experiment on later, though he still hadn''t figured out anything he could use to increase his aura strength. No matter how he interacted with a core, it just ended up killing the creature he was working on! But at least he could give himself a carapace and claws now, so that was nice.


    ¡°At least we can tell people there doesn''t seem to be anything to worry about out here.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Which, overall, is better.¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Andrew agreed. ¡°Should we head back then?¡±


    ¡°Might as well.¡± Chris nodded, going to open a portal, only to pause as Andrew held up a hand.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Andrew called out as something passed through the edge of his aura vision, moving towards it. ¡°I think- gah!¡± He yelped as a spear pierced through his chest! Chris immediately threw up a barrier, blocking another spear before it could hit him as Andrew yanked the spear out of his chest, scowling as the wound slowly closed over the next few seconds. ¡°That fucking hurt!¡± He growled, growing a carapace and claws as he rushed towards the source of the spears, which continued to rain down on them. A seemingly confused whooping sound echoed from the tree, followed by another more urgent one as the trees began to rustle, shadowy figures darting through them, the final figure letting off some kind of flash before disappearing into the jungle faster than Andrew could follow. ¡°Fuck!¡± Andrew cursed, coming to a stop as he scowled after the figures.


    Chris kneeled down, picking up one of the spears, which wasn''t much more than a sharpened stick. ¡°Interesting¡­ was this place supposed to have intelligent life?¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°Huh?¡±


    Chris waved the spear at him. ¡°This is a tool. Animals don''t make tools.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°I''m pretty sure monkey''s do¡­ well, apes. Chimpanzees? One of them. Plus cephalopods and corvids can at least use tools, though I''m not sure if they make them¡­ animals can be pretty smart, actually.¡±


    Chris looked at the spear, then back at Andrew. ¡°Can they make something like this?¡±


    Andrew shrugged, yawning slightly. ¡°Maybe? I don''t know, but I wouldn''t take it as a definite sign that they''re intelligent.¡±


    Chris frowned slightly, rubbing at his eyes. ¡°If you say so¡­ but it bears investigation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡± Andrew agreed, wiping at his face. ¡°Man, I''m exhausted all of the sudden¡­¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Me, t-¡± He cut off, opening a portal and stepping back into it, healing himself and suddenly feeling a lot more alert. ¡°Andrew, heal yourself or get in here and let me do it.¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°What? Why-¡±


    ¡°I think we were poisoned.¡± Chris explained, gesturing to the trees around them that had suddenly bloomed, also noticing that the forest had gone eerily silent.


    Andrew''s eyes widened, flexing his aura and suddenly feeling a lot more alert. ¡°Shit! Why-¡±


    ¡°I don''t know, but I''m getting the feeling that this forest isn''t as simple as we thought.¡± Chris replied, eyeing the purple trees cautiously. ¡°Come on, let''s get back. I don''t think we''re getting anything else out of this place today.¡±

 10 - Just do it

    Maze World


    Nero jumped as a portal appeared next to him and Chris walked out, interrupting the council meeting. [Evening.] Chris nodded to assembled heads of the foxkin clan as he took a seat. [Feel free to kill me if you like, but it won''t do much. Mostly just annoy me, honestly. But there are things which need to be discussed, and you all don''t seem to be doing a very good job of it. Yes, Nero is my minion now. That''s a thing. But you''re all going to have to realize that you don''t have a survival scenario outside becoming my minions. No one is going to stop the elves and the doppelgangers from invading, and they aren''t going to just ignore you. Of course, this is the Maze, so the odds are they won''t get all of you, but this whole Empire thing is going to be over for sure. Unless you think you''re capable of fighting off the surface races, which I doubt. Feel free to try though. It''ll just give me more time to evacuate my people.]


    [And why should we trust you when all you''ve done is kill and enslave our people!] One of the foxkin snapped, glaring at him. [Maybe if you''d actually tried talking to us we''d have listened, but you have proven yourself utterly untrustworthy!]


    Chris cocked his head. [Talking is literally the first thing I tried, and it resulted in your people dominating me. Not that it worked out for them, but still, I''m not under any illusion that I''m untouchable. So instead of risking getting dominated again, I sent my newly acquired minions to you to spread the news, and do you know what your people did? They tortured them. And then I saved them. Which then forced me to stage an escape so you all wouldn''t catch wind of my existence and send omega-tiers after me, which would have been annoying. I almost made it too, but then¡­ Well, things got weird after that, but the point is that the only reason I''ve killed or dominated anyone is to protect my own.]


    The foxkin all shared a few uncomfortable looks, not because Chris''s reply was shocking, but because it wasn''t. That was exactly how they''d expect their people to act, and in any other situation they''d be supporting them. However, in this case it''d all led to chaos and death, and now¡­ now they didn''t know what to do. They certainly didn''t want to submit to this creature, but if what he was saying was true¡­ [Be that as it may, you''ll have to forgive us if we don''t take the word of a creature who we can only prove has caused us harm at face value.] The foxkin who''d previously spoken replied with a hint of disdain.


    Chris raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. [Fair enough. I don''t particularly need you to believe me right now in either case. The truth will be apparent soon enough. Unfortunately, there''s still one more issue I have to comment on. I seem to have opened a portal to the Multiverse outside your front door, and it''s going to be expanding pretty quickly since it grows as I grow, and I can''t stop growing with the elves and the doppelgangers coming. So, you know, say hi to your new neighbors and try not to start any fights you can''t win. Which, in that territory, is all of them.] Chris sighed, shaking his head. [Alright, that''s all I''ve got, take it or leave it. I''d rather you all not die, but if you''re going to be stubborn, I''m not going to force you. I''ve got better things to waste my time on.] He got up, opening a portal and leaving them to talk things over. ¡°Well¡­ I''m not sure if that made a single bit of difference, but at least it got said.¡± Chris announced, falling onto a couch next to Beth, with Nadia and Tori sitting on another couch and Greg and Andrew on a third.


    Beth groaned. ¡°I don''t think this could have gone any worse. The foxkin are completely aware of us now and we can''t even avoid them because you created a freaking portal to the Multiverse outside their tribe!¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ someone could have died?¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°But yeah, other than that, this went pretty poorly for us.¡±


    Nadia grimaced. ¡°So what do we do now?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°What else can we do? We keep hunting and growing our power, doing our best to spread awareness of the elves and the doppelgangers as we go. If they hunt us, they hunt us. There''s really not much we can do about it at this point except make ourselves as hard to find as possible. At least the Kin won''t kill everything just to deprive us of potential growth.¡±


    ¡°Which just means they''re that much more likely to find us, since we won''t be alerted by the massive amount of death in the area.¡± Nadia grumbled.


    ¡°So we''ll be careful.¡± Beth replied. ¡°More scouting, fast engagements¡­ maybe less fighting and more traps? Do whatever we need to do to get in and out as quickly as possible, so we spend as little time as possible at risk.¡±


    ¡°I''m good with traps.¡± Greg offered. ¡°Holes, spikes, cages, trip wires, whatever you need, I can make it.¡±


    ¡°And I''m good at scouting.¡± Andrew added. ¡°Even at my weakest my aura sense has a sixteen meter radius.¡±


    ¡°We can work with that.¡± Nadia agreed. ¡°But first we should probably explain everything to the rest of them.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Sure, sure, but counterpoint.¡± He sent everything about the territory and the Multiversal bullshit to everyone through the connection. ¡°Now they know.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Derek''s muffled curse came from the next room. ¡°Damn it, Chris!¡±


    Chris grinned. ¡°See?¡±


    ¡°Fucker, I was sleeping!¡± Derek growled, stomping into the room, pausing for a moment as he noticed Andrew, Greg, and Tori, before shaking it off and refocusing his glare on Chris. ¡°You couldn''t have waited the two hours it''d take for me to wake up naturally before dumping reality altering info directly into my brain?!?¡±


    Chris took a moment to consider his question. ¡°I suppose I could have¡­ but I honestly forgot people were sleeping. It''s been a day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I got that when you drilled it into my mind.¡± Derek deflated, hanging his head. ¡°What the hell are we doing about it?¡±


    ¡°Not much. At least not on our end.¡± Chris replied. ¡°We''re kind of the weak link in the reality chain.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t say you''re weak¡­ It''s more like your reality is on hard mode?¡± Greg interjected. ¡°Mine, Tori''s, and the system one are more like medium difficulty, while Andrew''s is easy. At least when it comes to getting stronger.¡±


    ¡°That''s- is that good or bad?¡± Derek frowned.


    ¡°Both?¡± Andrew offered tentatively. ¡°I mean, it makes it harder to get stronger, sure, but my reality has to worry about things that have been getting stronger since essentially the dawn of time, so¡­ trade offs, you know?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Derek muttered.


    ¡°Anyway, we still need to focus on hunting, so I''m going to get us away from the foxkin then we can get started, alright?¡± Chris commented. ¡°In the meantime we should probably get everyone ready and set up with the system.¡±


    Derek paused. ¡°Right¡­ ugh, this shit is going to take a bit to get used to. Also, I think some people owe me twenty bucks.¡±


    *


    ¡°So¡­ Can we get the system?¡± Greg asked after everyone else left to spread the system, just leaving the four of them.


    ¡°That- is a good question.¡± Tori muttered, frowning slightly. ¡°I don''t see why you wouldn''t be able to have it?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Maybe because you don''t have cores.¡± Andrew muttered.


    The others turned to him. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Tori asked.


    ¡°You guys don''t have cores?¡± Andrew repeated. ¡°Like, at all. Super weird, since my previous understanding of how life worked was that cores were where abilities came from, but¡­ well, we''re weird, so who knows what''s up? My aura abilities aren''t associated with a core either, now that I think about it¡­¡±


    ¡°What does that mean though?¡± Chris asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°It''s probably just more Multiversal bullshit.¡± Tori sighed.


    ¡°I''m sure, but I meant more practically.¡± Chris replied. ¡°Though, I may already have an answer to that¡­ I don''t have an ability unless I borrow one from someone in my space. Probably because I lack a core to give me an ability otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on.¡± Greg interjected. ¡°I have an ability. I mean, all it lets me do is make smoke, but still! Plus, if I transform into anyone I can use their ability!¡±


    They turned to Tori, who shrugged. ¡°My reality doesn''t deal with abilities, so I wouldn''t know, but I haven''t had any issues with cultivating.¡±


    ¡°And I always have cores, so that doesn''t help either¡­¡± Andrew muttered.


    ¡°Wait, do you have a core now?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Huh? Of course- uh¡­ huh.¡± Andrew blinked, focusing inside himself. ¡°I- don''t have a core¡­ I don''t know what to do with that.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°Welcome to the club. But I feel like my original question could be answered by Tori just giving me the system, ya know?¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Obviously, but it leads to a bigger question if it does work, namely if the rest of our abilities work on each other. For example, if you guys can use my system, can Chris turn us into his minions too?¡±


    ¡°Sure, but just freaking give me the system so we know if it even matters!¡± Greg retorted.


    ¡°Fine!¡± Tori growled, giving him a poke to transfer the system, only to pause as something felt¡­ off. ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°Ye- uh¡­¡± Greg cut off as the red screen that''d popped up in front of him turned black. ¡°Huh¡­ Well, I have it, but it''s black now, so¡­ not sure what''s up with that.¡±


    Tori frowned, trying to figure out what felt so off about it. It seemed like any other system she''d given out, letting her add and delete pages, turn it on and off, all of it, except- Her eyes widened as she realized what it was. ¡°Huh. I can''t read your thoughts.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Wait, that''s a thing?¡±


    Tori coughed awkwardly. ¡°Well¡­ yeah, kinda. It''s not something I''m exactly in the habit of actually doing, but the system does let me take a peek into someone''s mind if I want to.¡±


    ¡°But not mine?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Apparently not?¡± Tori confirmed. ¡°It''s strange, it''s like you''re connected to the system, but you''re not connected to me, if that makes any sense?¡±


    ¡°Interesting.¡± Greg muttered, glancing at Chris. ¡°Do you think it''d work the same with you?¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°Would you like to try? I''m not against it.¡±


    Greg considered it for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°Fuck it, go for it. I only got the system in this reality, so even if it ends up going poorly, I''m probably only fucked here, right?¡±


    ¡°And in the territory.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Which is only going to grow.¡±


    Greg paused at that. ¡°Eh? I''m still not particularly worried, and there''s no way these two would test it out, you know?¡±


    Tori frowned at him. ¡°You say that like it''s a bad thing, and not a perfectly reasonable response to potentially being enslaved.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t necessarily put it like that, but¡­ yeah, I wouldn''t be comfortable being the test subject on this one.¡± Andrew agreed, glancing at Chris. ¡°No offense.¡±


    ¡°None taken.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°For you connecting to my space is lots of risk with little to no reward. Doesn''t really make sense.¡±


    ¡°It''ll be fine.¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Come on man, hit me!¡±


    Chris shook his head as he extended the connection to Greg, which he immediately accepted, both of them pausing as it clicked. ¡°Weird.¡± Chris muttered.


    ¡°Neat.¡± Greg grinned as he opened a portal with smoky black edges. ¡°Anything on the authority front?¡±


    ¡°Seeing as you aren''t currently juggling your own head, it seems you were right.¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°It does feel weird though. Like Tori said, it''s like you''re connected to my space, but not me¡­ not entirely sure how I feel about that, honestly.¡±


    ¡°It''s kind of off putting.¡± Tori muttered. ¡°Like watching someone else try to flirt with your girlfriend while knowing she''d never go for it.¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°That is an eerily accurate analogy.¡±


    Tori smiled. ¡°Thanks. Pity the two of you don''t have anything like that or we could see if it works between all of us.¡±


    ¡°I do, actually.¡± Greg corrected. ¡°I can connect my smoke to people and use it to transform them and make them fly and shit. But I''d need to get some smoke before I could actually do it.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°I''ve tried connecting to cores but it''s never worked. Maybe I''m doing something wrong?¡±


    ¡°It''d be kind of weird if you couldn''t, since we can all do it.¡± Chris agreed. ¡°But then again, our power sets don''t necessarily have to match up¡­¡±


    ¡°True.¡± Andrew muttered, still feeling bothered by it. His aura had to be capable of more, right? He wasn''t just here to kill things, was he?


    ¡°Don''t worry, we''ll help you figure it out, buddy.¡± Greg assured him, grinning slightly. ¡°But in the meantime, we should all get connected to Chris''s space and the system, right? In all the realities. Doesn''t seem to be any downside to it.¡±


    Tori narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°How do we know that Chris isn''t just making you say that in some play to get control of all of us?¡±


    Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°Ask a me in another reality, duh. The connection doesn''t transcend realities any more than access to your system does. Plus you saw my smoke portal! If I was under Chris, it would have just been a regular portal! Probably. I don''t know since it didn''t actually happen.¡±


    ¡°Plus, if the connection did transcend realities, I could just force it on the both of you now.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Particularly since I''m currently the strongest out of all of us, as evidenced by the size of my portion of the territory.¡±


    Tori eyed him suspiciously for a moment, before grunting in acceptance. ¡°Fine, you have a point. But I swear, if you fuck me on this, I will find a way to make your life a living hell.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Noted. Shall we then? Or would you prefer to hand out the system first?¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°Either way is fine.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Then¡­¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell people, Tori you go!¡± Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°Are you guys averse to just doing shit or something?!?¡±


    ¡°For something like this? Yes.¡± Chris replied as Tori got up and poked him and Andrew. ¡°My connection isn''t something to take lightly and forcing someone to make a decision before they''re good and ready will only lead to problems down the line.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Well¡­ I suppose that''s fair. But seriously, y''all need to learn to just do shit sometimes. Not that taking some time to think is wrong per se, but there''s a freaking limit, man.¡±


    Chris paused then shrugged noncommittally. ¡°Fair enough. Shall we then?¡±


    ¡°You''re literally- fuck, just go man! If anyone had anything to say they would have done it already! Anything more is just nerves!¡± Greg complained.


    Tori rolled her eyes, turning to Chris. ¡°I appreciate the consideration. But yeah, let''s just get this over with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I mean, I''m nervous, but like he said, nerves.¡± Andrew agreed.


    Chris shook his head as Greg gave him a ¡®get on with it¡¯ gesture, offering Tori and Andrew the connection. ¡°There, we did it. Happy?¡± Chris asked as the connections clicked into place.


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Usually, yeah. So! Now that we''re connected we can go explore on our own, right? Since we can always portal back?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Great!¡± Greg grinned. ¡°I¡¯mma go get me some smoke and pick up some new forms! Peace!¡± He flashed them peace signs as he opened a portal and zoomed out in a cloud of smoke.


    Andrew paused. ¡°Should one of us go with him?¡±


    ¡°One of us should definitely go with him.¡± Tori agreed. ¡°But I''m not sure I can keep up without any points. Particularly not if he''s picking fights. And Chris is driving, so¡­ pretty much on you.¡±


    Andrew sighed. ¡°Yeah. Eh, I can at least experiment with my aura a bit, I guess. Pick up a few cores, too¡­¡± He muttered to himself as he opened his own sickly green portal to follow after Greg.


    ¡°See if you can bring back some ability cores.¡± Chris added. ¡°It''ll help grow the space.¡±


    Andrew nodded as he stepped through the portal. ¡°Will do.¡± He closed it behind him before pausing as he realized he didn''t know what an ability core looked like. ¡°Eh, probably just what they call an ability crystal here.¡± Andrew shrugged as he jogged after Greg. ¡°Yo, wait up!¡±

 11 - Auric revelations

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Andrew asked as he and Greg walked through the tunnels of the Maze, Greg sending his smoke into some of the plants.


    ¡°Two things. First, I''m collecting samples so I can make this stuff with my smoke if I want. Not sure why I''d need to make a cave mushroom, but who knows? Life is weird sometimes. And second, I''m draining their vitality, because that''s how I get stronger and it feels good.¡± Greg explained, grinning as he felt the vitality flow into him.


    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Andrew muttered, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Damn it, this crap is starting to piss me off.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°What part? The dim lighting, the fact that it''s impossible to tell where the hell we''re going, or is it getting killed over and over until we either kill the thing or it gets bored and leaves?¡±


    ¡°What- no, none of that.¡± Andrew shook his head. ¡°I mean, I''m not exactly happy about any of that, particularly the fact that I can barely even hurt these things without a good form or ability, but I was talking about the fact that I can''t figure out how to make my aura stronger. I mean yeah, I get the boost from you guys, but¡­ well, I want to contribute too, you know?¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Sure, sure, I get you. What do you think the problem is?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know!¡± Andrew groaned. ¡°I''ve used literally every method I could think of to try to connect with other cores, and nothing works!¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°So¡­ maybe you aren''t supposed to connect with the cores?¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I mean, you aren''t just the core guy, right?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°You''re the aura guy. Maybe you''re being too focused on cores, you know?¡±


    Andrew had to stop walking as he bent over, burying his face in his hands and letting out a muffled, ¡°Fuuuck!¡±


    ¡°Happy to help.¡± Greg chuckled.


    ¡°Do you have any idea how long I''ve been trying to figure this shit out?!?¡± Andrew exclaimed as he straightened back up. ¡°How many cores I''ve torn apart!?! How many abominations I''ve created forcing them together?!? I just- fuck!¡±


    Greg frowned. ¡°Does it matter? I mean yeah, it sucks to spend a lot of time doing shit that ultimately doesn''t get you anywhere, but that''s not- you can''t predict how fruitful any course of action will be, you know? You can make guesses sometimes, sure, but as long as you''re doing something reasonable, then the results are kinda out of your hands. But at least you figured out focusing on cores isn''t a good direction for you, right?¡±


    Andrew paused. ¡°Well, no, cause cores do still do some important things¡­ like abilities and forms and all that.¡±


    Greg threw up his hands. ¡°Then what the hell are you complaining about?!?¡±


    Andrew shifted awkwardly. ¡°I''m- frustrated I didn''t think to try experimenting with anything other than cores? It just- it seems so simple, but I was so focused on cores that it never even occurred to me! And that- makes me feel dumb?¡±


    ¡°So? It''s good to feel dumb sometimes!¡± Greg retorted. ¡°That''s what makes you want to not feel dumb in the future! The only people who never feel dumb are people who are actually dumb, because they don''t have the self awareness to actually examine their actions and feel bad about them.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Huh¡­ that''s a- perspective, I guess.¡±


    Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°Just go experiment with your aura already.¡±


    Andrew nodded, searching for a good subject and landing on a small, mouse-like creature. He reached out with his aura, tapping the creature''s core to suppress its aura and walking over to pick it up once it was too weak to move. He then tried to connect his aura to its aura and¡­ ¡°Damn it.¡± Andrew sighed.


    ¡°What? Didn''t work?¡± Greg asked, cocking his head.


    ¡°No, it did.¡± Andrew grimaced. ¡°And it was so easy! Fuck, I feel dumb.¡±


    Greg gave him a look before reaching out and smacking him upside the head. ¡°You''re an idiot. Now come on! See what you can do with it!¡±


    Andrew scowled at him, rubbing the back of his head before turning back to the mouse, trying to figure out what having his aura connected to it actually did. First, he now had a¡­ sense for the mouse, sort of like his bond with Cathryn, actually, though it was hard to tell since the mouse didn''t exactly have thoughts. He also seemed to be able to play with the mouse¡¯s aura just as easily as he could his own, pulling it in and out of the core like it was nothing, not that the mouse had exactly put up a ton of resistance in the first place. Other than that¡­ ¡°Is- there anything you think I should try?¡± Andrew asked hesitantly. ¡°Because the only thing I can think to do is pull it out, and that just sounds like it''ll kill it again.¡±


    Greg raised an eyebrow. ¡°So? You aren''t trying to avoid killing it, you''re trying to kill it in a way that makes you stronger! But my thing works by draining, so maybe try that?¡±


    Andrew grunted, frowning at the mouse and trying to drain it, but that didn''t seem to do anything. He didn''t really see any other option, so he pulled on the aura and¡­ ¡°Damn it.¡± Andrew groaned.


    ¡°If you''re complaining about something working again, I will smack you.¡± Greg warned him.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Andrew shook his head, dropping the mouse''s corpse. ¡°No, it didn''t work. I just pulled out the core, like-¡± He cut off, staring as the mouse core he''d just absorbed crawled out and skittered away. ¡°Uh¡­ hold on.¡± He yanked on the core, dragging it back until it was floating in front of him, revealing a spectral mouse that looked absolutely terrified. ¡°Can you see this?¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Greg frowned.


    ¡°Huh¡­ Well, I didn''t figure out how to get stronger, but this is neat too, I guess?¡± Andrew muttered. ¡°Apparently I can make ghosts.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like it''s made of aura and nothing else.¡± Andrew explained. ¡°I''m not really sure what to do with it though¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you control it? Like Chris and his minions?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Define control.¡± Andrew snorted. ¡°It''s made of my aura, so I can move it around and whatnot, but it doesn''t seem to obey me or anything.¡± He couldn''t even get the thing to stop squirming!


    ¡°Huh¡­ maybe try putting it back?¡± Greg offered.


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Put it back where?¡±


    Greg pointed at the mouse corpse. ¡°There. You took it out, right? Why not try putting it back?¡±


    Andrew glanced down at the corpse. ¡°Huh¡­ sure, why not?¡± He shrugged, sending the mouse core back into its body and¡­ ¡°Nope, nothing.¡± Andrew shook his head as the mouse ghost wiggled back out.


    ¡°Really?¡± Greg frowned. ¡°Damn, I was sure that would work. Cause that''s what you''re supposed to do, right? Connecting minds and bodies?¡±


    Andrew raised a finger, then paused. ¡°Uh¡­ hold on.¡± He sent the mouse back into its body, but this time tried to connect his aura to the body, and¡­ ¡°It worked!¡± He exclaimed as the mouse jumped to its feet and scampered off. ¡°Still not sure what to do with it though¡­¡±


    ¡°Dude, you could have ghost scouts!¡± Greg exclaimed.


    ¡°Sure, but¡­ who would want to be a ghost scout?¡± Andrew sighed. ¡°It isn''t like I can control them like Chris can, so I''d need things that would actually listen to me, which would mean something with at least a modicum of intelligence, and again, why would they be willing to actually do it? There are at least benefits to being connected to Chris!¡±


    Greg frowned at him. ¡°Dude¡­ you literally just brought a mouse back to life! You really think people won''t be interested in that? Plus, you literally just discovered this shit! You probably haven''t even scratched the surface of what you can do with it.¡±


    ¡°That''s- fair.¡± Andrew agreed. It did remind him of his bond with Cathryn¡­ maybe there was some way to share abilities through it? ¡°I still have no idea how to make my aura stronger though.¡±


    Greg patted him on the back. ¡°We''ll figure it out. Or we won''t, and you''re stuck leeching off the rest of us. But hey, at least you''ll have tried, right?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Andrew agreed noncommittally, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Let''s just get back to hunting.¡±


    Greg grinned. ¡°Sure thing, buddy. You want to bring your ghost mouse along?¡±


    Andrew shook his head. ¡°No. I think I''ve tortured the poor thing enough for one day.¡±


    *


    Chris stepped out of a portal, carefully examining the area for signs. He''d traveled a good few hours away from the foxkin clan by this point, giving everyone more than enough time to wake up and putting enough distance between them and the clan that they shouldn''t need to worry about running into any random patrols. At least, not from the foxkin¡­ They could be right next to a different clan for all he knew. Sometimes the Maze was a real pain.


    ¡°Should we call Greg and Andrew?¡± Tori asked as she joined him.


    ¡°Probably.¡± Chris agreed, opening a portal to them. ¡°We''re getting started if you two want to join us.¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not.¡± Greg agreed, stepping through. ¡°It was getting pretty boring just watching Andrew torture small animals.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Andrew protested. ¡°I messed with one mouse! And it was your idea!¡±


    Greg snickered. ¡°Dude, torturing small animals because someone else told you to is not an upgrade.¡±


    Andrew rolled his eyes. ¡°Fuck you. I was just experimenting with my aura.¡±


    ¡°Figure anything out?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°Yeah, actually.¡± Andrew nodded. ¡°I can connect my aura to things auras, which lets me pull them out of their body and turn them into ghosts.¡±


    Tori blinked. ¡°You make ghosts?¡±


    ¡°Yup.¡± Andrew nodded.


    Tori paused. ¡°Can you be a ghost?¡±


    Andrew froze, disappeared for a moment, then let out a groan. ¡°Okay, people need to stop figuring out things I can do before I do. I''m starting to feel bad about myself.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Greg laughed. ¡°Get good, scrub. Also, clothes.¡±


    Andrew rolled his eyes as he quickly put his fallen clothes back on. ¡°You suck, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Greg agreed, grinning slightly. ¡°But what¡¯re you going to do about it?¡±


    Andrew paused. ¡°Tell Tessa?¡±


    ¡°Shit, that''d work¡­ okay, fine, I''ll behave.¡± Greg sighed heavily.


    ¡°Who do I complain to about being the only one of us locked in a corporeal form?¡± Tori grumbled.


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°I''m corporeal.¡±


    Tori waved dismissively. ¡°Yeah, but you can move around as just a portal, so it doesn''t count. I mean, I can move around as just points, but I don''t get to simply reform my body afterwards!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Just because you can''t do it now doesn''t mean it''s completely impossible, you know. Also, it isn''t like my smoke form is completely without downsides. I literally can''t use energy in that form and I lose any I built up in the meantime. So, you know, watch out for that.¡±


    ¡°That''s good to know.¡± Andrew muttered, frowning slightly. ¡°Not something I want to risk in Beast world. Might try it in system world though.¡±


    ¡°So really, we should all be jealous of Chris for his ability to move through walls without giving up all his power.¡± Greg continued.


    ¡°To be fair, my thing is apparently space.¡± Chris commented. ¡°Getting places easily seems to come with the territory.¡±


    ¡°I''m still confused about how that ends up with you being able to enslave people.¡± Tori frowned, holding up a hand before Chris could protest. ¡°I''m not saying you do, but you can''t deny that you''re capable of it.¡±


    Chris paused, then shrugged. ¡°Fair. And I''m not entirely sure, but whenever I connect to someone there''s a sense of¡­ ownership? As if they belong to me now, you know? Or maybe that they belong to my space? Spaces are supposed to contain things, right? Not much point to them if they don''t.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ sort of makes sense, I guess?¡± Tori muttered.


    ¡°Welp, we should probably get to work, right?¡± Greg announced after a moment of silence.


    Chris nodded. ¡°We should. We have a long way to go before we''re strong enough to make a difference here.¡±

 12 - The importance of education

    Sovereign Territory


    ¡°So, uh, my parents want to meet you guys.¡± Andrew announced awkwardly.


    Greg paused in the middle of decorating their new home/fort with depictions of their various accomplishments. He glanced between Andrew and the depiction of him with his arm buried in the sharkman''s chest. ¡°Really?¡±


    Andrew sighed. ¡°Believe me, I tried to talk them out of it, but they said you''re too big a part of my life for them not to meet you.¡±


    Tori nodded. ¡°That makes sense. If I had kids and I found out they were hanging out with strange people they met in what basically amounts to a dream, I''d want to check these strangers out too.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°Should I invite my parents too, then?¡±


    Tori paused. ¡°That- isn''t a terrible idea, actually¡­ In fact, it may be a good idea to get all the important people in our lives together. It isn''t like we''re going to be getting any less involved in each other''s lives at this point. I mean, we''re connected across realities! It isn''t like we can just ignore each other. Plus, if we''re going to keep getting involved in each others¡¯ crap, it''s probably best to get everyone acquainted with us before we pop in out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°Aw, but blindsiding people with Multiversal bullshit is so much fun!¡± Greg complained, grinning slightly. ¡°But seriously, that''s not a bad idea. Though it does kinda suck that the only place where everyone can meet is basically all cave.¡±


    ¡°We could focus on getting stronger in one of the other realities and fix that.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°But some people seem to have an issue with that.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Look, even if we did expand the territory in my reality, it''s in the middle of a building! We wouldn''t be able to use it anyway!¡±


    ¡°I was actually referring to Andrew''s reality. The Beast one.¡± Chris replied. ¡°That way we''d get an actual house instead of whatever Greg is doing.¡±


    ¡°What, you don''t like murals?¡± Greg asked.


    Chris shrugged. ¡°I don''t mind the murals, I just don''t think anything you''ve done is exactly presentable. Which is fine for us, but other people tend to care about that sort of thing. Particularly since you seem to be going out of your way to represent everything in the most disturbing way possible.¡±


    ¡°Well then why didn''t you stop me!¡± Greg protested. ¡°I''ve been waiting for someone to at least say something for the past hour now, but all y''all did was ignore me!¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°You made it, so you can decorate it however you want in my opinion.¡±


    ¡°I actually thought they were kinda neat.¡± Andrew commented. ¡°But Chris is right, they''re definitely not for everyone.¡±


    Greg just stared at them for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Man, we need to get some normal people over here. I need reactions when I pull my bullshit! Otherwise what''s the point?¡±


    ¡°You could go hang out with the guards up top.¡± Andrew offered. ¡°I''m sure they''d give you some reactions.¡±


    ¡°They''re busy though.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°I''m just trying to entertain myself, not get someone hurt because they weren''t focusing on their job.¡±


    ¡°Right, didn''t think about that.¡± Andrew nodded. It was hard to take the danger seriously when anything that came through could be crushed like a particularly juicy bug. ¡°Well, I guess you can focus on figuring out how to put this¡­ family gathering together?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°I suppose¡­ Well, first, can we grow the territory in your reality? It would pretty much solve the issue.¡±


    Andrew grimaced slightly. ¡°I- guess, but just enough to cover the house, alright?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Greg nodded, grinning. ¡°So¡­ how are we doing this then?¡±


    Andrew sighed. ¡°We have to go to the Outside.¡±


    *


    The Andrew from Beast world returned briefly to get connected to Chris''s space before heading to the Outside with Cathryn and Li Jing, since he couldn''t go without Cathryn and they had to fill their quota for Supply and Demand anyway. ¡°Are you sure this is a good idea?¡± Cathryn asked nervously.


    ¡°No, but we really do need a good place to actually meet with people, and none of the other realities will work.¡± Andrew sighed.


    ¡°And having the territory covering our house isn''t much different than just having it in our dining room.¡± Li Jing pointed out. ¡°Either way we can''t exactly use it ourselves anymore.¡±


    ¡°True¡­¡± Cathryn agreed tentatively. ¡°Where are we going to sleep, actually? Your parents'' house?¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°We could sleep in Chris''s space? We''re going to expand it right now, and the only person we''d have to share it with is Vera.¡±


    ¡°Vera?¡± Cathryn asked hesitantly.


    ¡°The foxkin Chris converted to our reality?¡± Andrew elaborated. ¡°Though I suppose she doesn''t even need to be there, does she? She could literally convert to any of the realities, no consequences. Though¡­ she''d probably appreciate some company. She''s been through a lot recently.¡± The four of them had had a lot of time to talk in the territory and they''d mostly focused on recent events. ¡°She pretty much just lost everyone she knew and loved because of Chris. Not that Chris was wrong to do what he did, but still.¡±


    ¡°I think it depends on how big the space ends up being, but as long as we still have our privacy, I don''t mind sharing.¡± Li Jing commented.


    ¡°I guess I don''t mind either.¡± Cathryn agreed grumpily, though it was less about Vera and more about the fact that their life had become so complicated. Or more accurately, the fact that she couldn''t figure out what to do about anything. All she could do was wait and hope things got better and she hated it.


    Andrew snorted. ¡°Yeah, I get that.¡±


    Cathryn flushed slightly as she realized she''d been ranting internally. ¡°Sorry, I just- I''m frustrated.¡±


    Andrew wrapped an arm around her. ¡°I know. I really do. You remember how I used to be, right?¡±


    ¡°Used?¡± Li Jing interjected, giving him a poke.


    ¡°Hey, I''ve gotten better!¡± Andrew protested. ¡°I think¡­¡±


    Li Jing smiled. ¡°You have. I''m just teasing.¡±


    Cathryn groaned. ¡°But that was different! You just needed to realize you could change things! But what the hell am I supposed to do about colliding realities?!?¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Andrew replied. ¡°But you don''t have to do anything about it, do you? Or at least, you don''t have to fix it¡­ you just have to make the best of it? Like, if you had to deal with¡­ I don''t know, a hurricane, there''s nothing you can do to fix the hurricane, right? It''s going to happen and your house is going to get fucked, so you just have to deal with it. Sure, it sucks, but life is never going to be perfect, you know? You just have to make the best of what you have and keep moving forward.¡±


    Cathryn glared at him. ¡°You know, sometimes it pisses me off that you can only be this insightful when it comes to other people.¡±


    Andrew shrugged. ¡°Introspection is not my strong suit. I blame my cores.¡±


    Li Jing frowned. ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°Well, see, because I have all these cores, I always have like a dozen different factors playing with my motivations, from the Monkey desire to just chill and play to the Tiger instinct to claim and defend to the Lizard urge to breed and feed and so on, all of which get all twisted up together until I have no idea what I want.¡± Andrew explained. ¡°I mean, I can still logic it all out, but it makes it hard to figure out what''s going on in there sometimes, particularly since it isn''t really conscious, so there''s no real thought process to it. I just sort of find myself going down a path until someone stops me and points out I''m being an idiot. Usually the two of you, though Greg has been freaking beating me recently.¡±


    Cathryn blinked at him. ¡°When did you figure that out?¡±


    ¡°Just now?¡± Andrew shrugged. ¡°Or¡­ well, okay, so it turns out I actually don''t have any cores when I enter a new reality, so I''ve been going from zero influence to a crap ton as I picked them up and it sort of just clicked. Like the information was there I just hadn''t put it together until just now.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°So¡­ you''d be better if you got rid of all your cores?¡± Li Jing asked tentatively.


    Andrew paused. ¡°Maybe? But- well, first, I''m honestly not sure how to get rid of my cores¡­ not without ending up in a different reality at least. And second, my cores are me¡­ at least in a way. Different expressions of me, sure, but ultimately still me, and if I got rid of all of them¡­ I''m not sure I''d still be me? I mean, I would, because the real me is just aura, but I''d be¡­ lesser. Not as motivated, maybe?¡±


    ¡°But you just said your other selves didn''t have any cores and I know you would have mentioned it if they were having issues like that.¡± Cathryn pointed out.


    ¡°Well yeah, but they were still connected to me.¡± Andrew replied slowly as he thought through it. ¡°It isn''t like I stop being me just because I''m in a different reality, and I think the cores are a part of that. They just aren''t as present emotionally because of the separation. Or I''m just wrong about all of this, because Multiversal bullshit is fucked and who knows what''s happening here.¡±


    ¡°And this is why I get frustrated.¡± Cathryn grumbled.


    *


    Once they got to the base camp Andrew headed out, getting a few miles away before opening a portal for the other three. Or at least he tried to open a portal for the other three. ¡°Uh, Chris?¡± The Andrew still in the territory turned to him. ¡°Why isn''t your portal working?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°Uh¡­ hm. Maybe because you''re in a different- hold on, what do we call the places that are still part of the same reality but separate? Like Earth and Azza and¡­ Earth and the Outside. We also need a way to distinguish between Earths.¡±


    ¡°How about dimensions for different sections?¡± Andrew offered. ¡°We call Earth a pocket dimension in our reality. As for Earths, I''ve just been putting the defining characteristic of the reality in front of things, so yours would be Maze Earth, mine would be Beast Earth, and so on.¡±


    Chris paused, then shrugged. ¡°Sure, why not. As I was saying, it might be because you''re in a different dimension. For example, I can''t open portals directly between Azza and Maze Earth. Instead I have to open a portal to my space on Azza, then to my space on Maze Earth, and finally to Maze Earth. I don''t have a space on- in? Connected to the Outside, so no portals. At least, that''s my guess.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Shit, then how the hell are we supposed to grow the territory? I can''t get you guys here and I still haven''t figured out how to grow my aura!¡±


    ¡°Just bring back some of those ability crystals so I can grow my space a little, then I''ll split off a section for the Outside.¡± Chris replied. ¡°I''m pretty sure I can push it at you, so we probably don''t need to worry about it connecting to some random dimension. I just can''t seem to split it when it''s this small.¡±


    Andrew sighed. ¡°Damn it. Alright, fine, I''ll bring the crystals after we''re done. You guys won''t really be in a position to hunt with me anyway. Not as basically baseline humans.¡±


    ¡°Hey guys?¡± Greg asked a moment later as something occurred to him. ¡°What if our territory crosses dimensions?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tori asked tentatively, eyeing him cautiously.


    ¡°Well¡­ okay, so we know we merge realities, right?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°And that should definitely be harder than merging dimensions. So¡­ what if we all end up in one of these dimensions and it merges too? I''m not saying it will, but it seems like something we should watch out for before we end up connecting to the Outside and letting in a flood of Beasts, you know?¡±


    ¡°That- would be bad.¡± Andrew agreed. ¡°Can we test it first? Maybe with Maze Earth and Azza?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°That would defeat the entire purpose of evacuating the City. The point is that the surface races can''t reach Maze Earth. I''m not going to risk our only potential sanctuary for a test.¡±


    Andrew grimaced. That was a fair point. Still, they needed to test it somehow, and the only other place they had was the Outside. ¡°Maybe we could find another dimension in a different reality?¡±


    ¡°Possibly, but there''s no guarantee it''d be any better than our current situation.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Still worth the test though. For now, I just suggest we avoid ending up in the Outside or on Maze Earth all at once. Shouldn''t be too hard, right?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Andrew agreed noncommittally before shaking his head. ¡°Anyway, gin.¡±


    ¡°Mother fucker!¡± Tori cursed, throwing down her cards. ¡°Fuck luck based games!¡±


    Chris chuckled. ¡°You should never, ever play against Beth.¡±


    *


    ¡°This is going to take more time than I thought¡­¡± Andrew muttered after they dumped a few ability crystals into Chris''s space and the territory grew¡­ slightly.


    ¡°Well maybe if you brought back more than four crystals.¡± Tori grumbled.


    ¡°That''s all I could get!¡± Andrew exclaimed, throwing up his hands. ¡°On average I can only find a Beast to kill every hour or so, and that''s mostly due to my aura sense giving me a decent advantage in that department. So four hours of hunting is just four ability crystals. And it doesn''t look like you guys are going to be in a position to join me any time soon either.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure that by the time we''re ready to help you, we''ll already be done.¡± Chris commented. ¡°I''ve been doing the math and the length of one side of my space, assuming it''s a cube, is approximately equal to the radius of the territory if all of us are equal, which we will be in Andrew''s reality, and we need the radius to be about ten meters to cover enough space for us to have our gathering, which is precisely the point where my space will be strong enough to face even the weakest Beast. Assuming your abilities grow at the same rate, we¡¯re just going to have to rely on Andrew for this.¡±


    Greg blinked at him. ¡°You- did the math?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°You aren''t the only one who gets bored.¡±


    Greg just looked even more lost at that. ¡°You got bored¡­ so you did math?!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah? I wanted to figure out how much it would take to grow our territory.¡± Chris replied.


    ¡°And how much is that?¡± Tori asked.


    ¡°Well, if you look at the territory in my reality, it seems like a pretty decent assumption that the volume of my space directly correlates to the volume of the territory it creates, and since the territory comes from all of us, then once we equalize the volume of the territory should be the volume of my space times four. So, since the volume of a sphere is four thirds pi r cubed, then you just divide the territory volume by four, which equals the volume of my space, multiply it by three divided by pi and take the cubed root of it all and that''s the radius. So really the radius of the territory is one side of my space times the cubed root of three divided by pi, but that''s basically one, so it isn''t particularly useful to do.¡± Chris explained. ¡°So now all we have to do is figure out how much whatever resource we''re using grows my space and we can approximate how much it will take to reach our goal.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°And how are we supposed to do that?¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Does anyone have a tape measure? Then we can just measure how much the volume of my space changes with one ability crystal. Though we''d also need another ability crystal¡­¡±


    ¡°Guys, I can feel my brain melting.¡± Greg groaned. ¡°Why the hell do we care about calculating how long shit will take when we can just do it and it''ll actually fucking happen!?!¡±


    ¡°Because we can''t plan a get together if we have no idea when the get together is actually going to happen.¡± Tori retorted. ¡°Timing is important sometimes! You can''t just do everything on a whim!¡±


    Greg hesitated. ¡°That''s- fair, I guess. But I feel like we could just give ourselves a week and be good, you know?¡±


    ¡°Except that the amount we need to grow our territory literally grows exponentially.¡± Andrew pointed out. ¡°A week might not even be enough.¡±


    Greg scowled. ¡°Damn it¡­ fine, let''s get a freaking tape measure!¡±


    ¡°I''ll pick one up the next time I go hunting.¡± Andrew agreed.


    *


    ¡°So¡­ we went from six hundred and four centimeters to six hundred and thirty-eight centimeters, which means the volume went from about two hundred and twenty cubic meters to two hundred and sixty. Our goal is a thousand cubic meters, so we have seven hundred and forty cubic meters to go, which would be¡­ we''ll go with nineteen more ability crystals, rounding up. Accounting for some variation, plus the reduction that will come from us catching up with Andrew, let''s assume a safe twenty-five to go, which with the other eight Andrew brought, means we only need seventeen more, so two more full days of hunting or four since Andrew has school.¡± Chris summed up the results from their test.


    ¡°We should probably save it for the weekend anyway.¡± Andrew added. ¡°So shoot for Saturday?¡±


    ¡°You realize you''re the only one here who gives two shits about weekends, right?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°Why are you even going to school? Don''t you have bigger concerns?¡±


    ¡°Because an education is the basic foundation of a well rounded individual?¡± Andrew offered, repeating the answer his dad had given him every time he''d asked. ¡°Just because I''m Multiversal bullshit now, doesn''t mean I shouldn''t know things. If anything it just makes it even more important for me to be educated, because my decisions will be that much more impactful!¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ should we be going to school? I mean, I didn''t even get through my first semester of college.¡±


    ¡°Me either¡­¡± Tori muttered, frowning slightly.


    ¡°I went to boot camp, but I wouldn''t exactly call that higher education.¡± Chris added.


    A slow grin began to spread across Greg''s face. ¡°You know what would be a great place to get an education? The reality that specifically revolves around developing your skills!¡±


    Andrew rolled his eyes. ¡°Dude, no one is stopping you from going to system world. Just go.¡±


    ¡°See, you say that, but I don''t have any kind of identity there, you know?¡± Greg pointed out. ¡°I''m waiting for the system officials to show up so we can actually do something about that, and conditioning some things on a higher education sounds like a good idea, right?¡±


    ¡°We can just ask and see what they say.¡± Chris commented. ¡°I don''t think we should compromise Multiversal relations just because we want an education.¡±


    Greg clicked his tongue. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, I feel like we should be getting some benefits from this thing, you know?¡±


    Tori frowned at him. ¡°You realize the territory causes way more problems than it solves, right? You''re lucky no one is trying to prosecute us for it!¡±


    ¡°I mean, it''s causing problems right now, but ultimately this is going to benefit everyone, right?¡± Greg retorted. ¡°I mean, there''s no way having access to more is going to be a bad thing in the long run, is there?¡±


    They all paused for a moment, until Andrew eventually sighed. ¡°This is why we need an education.¡±

 13 - aMAZEing developments

    Maze World


    Everyone froze as the tunnel they were walking through shook, loose stones raining down around them until Greg sent out his smoke to create a dome of rock to cover them. ¡°Well that''s not good.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°Earthquakes and cave systems aren''t exactly a good mix.¡±


    ¡°Earthquake?¡± Chris frowned, glancing over at him. ¡°You know what this is?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Do you not?¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I''ve never encountered anything that shook the Maze like this before.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense¡­¡± Tori commented. ¡°If earthquakes were a regular thing, I can''t imagine the Maze would last very long.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what are they?¡± Chris asked insistently.


    ¡°They''re exactly what they sound like. The earth quaking. Like this.¡± Andrew explained.


    ¡°Okay¡­ but why?¡± Chris prodded, still confused, wondering whether he should be worried or not. The shaking wasn''t exactly violent, but it wasn''t stopping either and more and more debris was falling.


    ¡°Tectonics?¡± Andrew offered tentatively. ¡°It has something to do with plates rubbing against each other.¡±


    Chris stared at him. ¡°That explains basically nothing.¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°It''s a planetary thing, so there''s not much we can do about it besides wait it out.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t they supposed to be pretty short though?¡± Greg pointed out tentatively as the earthquake continued and¡­ was it getting worse? ¡°I think-¡± He cut off with a yelp as the ground split on one side of the dome, erasing it  as a wall of scales slithered past them, violently shoving them to the other side of the dome as something massive passed by them, loose earth filling in behind it, leaving them sitting there wide eyed in a small pocket, the rest of the tunnel around them just gone. ¡°What-¡±


    ¡°-the fuck!?!¡± Tori finished, scrambling to her feet. ¡°What was that thing!?!¡±


    ¡°I have no idea!¡± Chris exclaimed, mentally checking on his minions. All the intelligent ones were fine, thankfully, but large swaths of the small minions he''d left around the Maze were now dead and the ones that had survived were trapped in isolated pockets like the one they were currently in. The foxkin seemed to have at least felt what happened, Chris getting a general sense of panic from them as he briefly checked on them, but no one in the City or the inspection points seemed to have even felt anything. ¡°Alright, it seems like it didn''t hit the City, which is good, but it¡¯s hit every other area I''ve left minions¡­¡±


    ¡°You mean it hasn''t hit the City yet.¡± Greg corrected. ¡°That thing was alive, who knows where it''s going to hit next?¡±


    Chris grimaced. ¡°That''s true¡­ but we''re already doing our best to evacuate the City. Not much else we can do.¡±


    ¡°Does anyone have any idea what that thing was?¡± Tori asked again.


    ¡°Well, it had scales¡­ and it moved fast enough that I only saw its aura like a second before it got here.¡± Andrew offered. ¡°Otherwise¡­ no, I got nothing. If I wasn''t immortal, I''d be shitting myself right now.¡±


    ¡°That does take the edge off of things, doesn''t it?¡± Greg chuckled. ¡°But seriously, we should probably work on figuring out how widespread this shit is, huh?¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°We should.¡±


    *


    ¡°Okay, this is starting to get suspicious.¡± Andrew muttered, frowning as he found yet another pocket around a tribe, with only a few thin pathways remaining, one of which he''d followed to find this pocket from a different tribe, just like he''d done four other times today. Even stranger, all the pathways seemed to be new, completely barren with no creatures or plants. Andrew wandered around the tribe for a bit, invisible in his aura form, before finding an isolated corner and opening a portal back to Chris''s space, finding a spot to rematerialize and put some clothes on before joining everyone else.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Tori asked as he arrived.


    ¡°All I found was a handful of tribes, no hunting spots.¡± Andrew replied, shaking his head.


    Beth groaned, burying her face in her hands as Chris put a hand on her back. ¡°What the hell are we supposed to do now?!? I just- I don''t- why is this happening!?! Why can''t anything go right for us!?! It''s like every time we turn around, there''s another thing there to screw us over! We can''t even hunt anymore!¡±


    Greg coughed. ¡°Well¡­ that''s not entirely true.¡±


    Beth frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Greg hesitated. ¡°I- well, there aren''t any animals for us to hunt, sure, but there are still creatures around. You know, in the tribes. I''m not saying we should do it, obviously, but it is an option. Kind of the only one we have left, it seems¡­¡±


    Andrew grimaced. ¡°I don''t like the idea of killing people unless they''re actively trying to kill me. I- wouldn''t stop you guys if you felt it necessary, but I wouldn''t want to be a part of it myself.¡±


    ¡°If it''s between our survival and theirs, then I''m choosing ours, but I don''t think we''re at that point yet.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°I don''t need to kill people to make my space stronger, I just need to drain their energy. If we can convince the tribes to agree to be drained, then we don''t need to kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°And how the hell are we going to do that?!?¡± Nadia asked. ¡°We can''t even convince them to become your minions! Now you want to leave them powerless while the Maze has been turned upside-down and there are surface races invading?!?¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°It''s better than being dead?¡±


    Greg clapped his hands. ¡°I''ve got it! Let''s use the territory!¡±


    Nadia frowned at him. ¡°How?¡±


    Greg leaned forward. ¡°Okay, so, you know how the territory grows when people convert to a new reality, right? And it''s pretty damn clear that the Maze just got a lot more inhospitable, yeah? So all we have to do is convince the tribes to migrate to a new reality, and we''re good! We''d need a place to actually put them, obviously, but once we have that figured out, it''s a win win situation! We get stronger and they get a new home! We can even bargain for a few people from each tribe to stick around as Chris''s minions!¡±


    ¡°That could actually work.¡± Andrew agreed, nodding slowly. The Maze was desolate at the moment, with the only exceptions being the tribes. Without something radical they were all facing a slow death by starvation. ¡°The only issue is where to put them, like you said.¡±


    Greg sighed. ¡°Yeah, I got nothing on that. In my reality we''re going to have a hard enough time supporting ourselves, no one wants a bunch of random tribes running around on any Earth, the Outside is too dangerous, the Cultivators aren''t going to accept them, and I can''t imagine the system people are going to want them around either.¡±Stolen story; please report.


    Andrew hesitated. ¡°That isn''t necessarily true¡­ system world has a bunch of different races, so if anyone would be interested in an influx of immigrants it''d be them. They even have a whole system in place for taking in uplifts, which is essentially the same thing, it''s just¡­ well, things will get tricky if the tribes aren''t classified as ¡®noble¡¯ when they convert.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°Our other selves can work on figuring out where the tribes can go. What we need to focus on is our next step. Should we start approaching tribes? Or should we start looking for some other way to get stronger?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think it''s a good idea to approach the tribes until we have something to actually offer them.¡± Beth sighed. ¡°Empty promises will only turn them against us if we can''t deliver.¡±


    ¡°But what other options do we have for growth?¡± Nadia asked. ¡°Literally the only option we had was taking advantage of Chris''s space and Alex''s ability, both of which require us to hunt!¡±


    ¡°Well, we have the system now.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°And I can mutate, though that takes time¡­ hopefully whatever happened to the Maze will at least slow the surface races down.¡±


    ¡°The problem with the system is that the only reliable option for gaining points we have at the moment is exercise tasks, and they aren''t exactly rewarding.¡± Tori commented. ¡°Points are really better used as a supplement¡­¡± She paused, glancing at Chris. ¡°Tell me more about this mutation process.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow. ¡°It''s a process slimes go through to strengthen both their physique and ability. It basically involves the body getting broken down into soup and completely reformed, absorbing ambient energy in the process.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°Ambient energy?¡±


    ¡°The¡­ I suppose you could call it waste energy? It''s created whenever an ability is used.¡± Chris explained. ¡°Energy carries an ability''s effect, but it doesn''t just go away once the effect is over. It''s still there, just¡­ depleted.¡±


    ¡°And this mutation process lets you absorb it to strengthen your ability?¡± Tori muttered. ¡°Sounds kind of like cultivation. I wonder¡­¡± She pulled up the system, creating a new page for Maze world and adding entries for physique and ability energy. Her physique was sitting at a little over one hundred points while her ability was at zero. She paused to think as she considered her next move. There was energy around and at least one method existed to absorb it, so why couldn''t there be another? It was the same in her reality, wasn''t it? Cultivators could absorb energy by meditating on Runes, but Rune Beasts could absorb it automatically, and the trial could just force it into people. So multiple ways to absorb energy could exist, clearly. The question was whether or not she could create a method to absorb energy herself¡­ and how. She considered the system page for a moment, before shrugging and adding a simple entry called ¡®method of energy absorption¡¯ which automatically set itself to none. Then she created an automatic option, a physical exertion option, and a meditation option, which the system seemed to accept just fine, before sending the page to the rest of them. ¡°Okay, here''s my idea. I know multiple methods of energy absorption can exist, so what I want to do is see if I can¡­ create methods. You''ve all gotten an update, which should let you use the system to change your energy absorption methods to either automatic, physical exertion, or meditation. It only takes a point to do, so we just need to complete a task and try it out.¡±


    ¡°You- what?¡± Zack asked incredulously. ¡°You can just- create methods to absorb energy?!?¡±


    Tori shrugged. ¡°I don''t know. That''s what we''re going to test.¡±


    Carmen shook her head. ¡°And I thought Chris was ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Greg protested with a slight grin. ¡°We''re all ridiculous!¡±


    Derek snorted. ¡°You keep telling yourself that, smoke boy.¡±


    Greg chuckled. ¡°Oh I will. My girlfriend insists on it.¡±


    ¡°If we''re going to be working on absorbing energy, we should find someplace with plenty of energy to absorb.¡± Chris commented, getting the conversion back on track. ¡°Jello, can you help with that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Jello confirmed eagerly, before pausing. ¡°Should we get our progenitor to help too?¡±


    ¡°If he wants to, sure.¡± Chris agreed.


    ¡°I can help as well.¡± Joseph offered. ¡°Whatever my body is made of is incredibly sensitive to energy.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Alright. I''ll borrow Jam''s ability to sense energy as well, so that should give us four or five people to search for a decent concentration of energy while the rest of you focus on getting points.¡±


    ¡°Who''s the fifth?¡± Nadia asked.


    ¡°Tori.¡± Chris replied as if it was obvious, glancing over at her. ¡°You''re down to help too, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡± Tori agreed, hesitating as a thought occurred to her. ¡°Though¡­ would you mind if I left my body in your space?¡±


    Chris blinked. ¡°I- no?¡±


    Tori smiled slightly. ¡°Good. That should make things much easier.¡±


    *


    Salvador did agree to help search for a pocket of energy, though it got complicated once they realized he needed someone to go with him so he could still have access to Chris''s space. Both Andrew and Greg offered to go with him, only for Chris to realize there was a better option. Instead of giving himself Jam''s energy sense he gave it to Andrew and he gave Jello''s to Greg, letting the two of them and Tori search through the collapsed sections of the Maze while he accompanied Salvador and Joseph went off on his own. Jello was a bit disappointed she didn''t get to go out and explore, but Chris kept a portal open so she could hang out with him and Salvador, which more than made up for it. Particularly since the tunnels they were exploring weren''t exactly the most interesting after the restructuring, just bare stone and dirt. It was somewhat tricky getting around the tribes as they searched, since Chris needed to personally control the portals to move around them, but they figured out a system where Joseph would switch with them and continue exploring their tunnel while they moved around the tribe and began exploring the next. Despite this, they didn''t exactly have much luck finding a significant pocket of energy in the tunnels, but thankfully Andrew, Greg, and Tori did, whoever found it switching with Greg so he could dig out the pocket and drop off a minion in it before moving on. It took about two hours to find four decent sized pockets while the others built up a good amount of points.


    ¡°Well, if nothing else we''ve found a few good mutation locations.¡± Chris commented after they all returned to his space. ¡°Is everyone ready to give this a shot?¡±


    ¡°You guys made sure we''ll actually be able to breathe in these pockets, right?¡± Zack asked nervously. Getting trapped in tunnel collapse and slowly suffocating to death was one of his worst nightmares, and the nervous shifting from a few of the others proved he wasn''t the only one.


    ¡°Yeah, I made sure we''d have air.¡± Greg confirmed. ¡°Though make sure you warn me if you start feeling light headed or anything.¡±


    ¡°I''ll keep some portals open as well, to hopefully help with airflow.¡± Chris added. ¡°Not sure if it actually will though, so still stay vigilant.¡±


    Zack groaned. ¡°This is going to make me so freaking paranoid.¡±


    Nadia rolled her eyes. ¡°Would you please stop complaining? You''re going to make me paranoid!¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°Let''s just get started.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on.¡± Derek interjected. ¡°I get the automatic and physical exertion options, but how is the meditation one supposed to work?¡±


    ¡°That- is a good question.¡± Tori frowned. She''d added it because that''s what she did in Rune world, but in Rune world she had Runes to focus on, which she didn''t here. ¡°Maybe try to visualize pulling in energy?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should try a few different methods.¡± Chris suggested. ¡°Tori, you try pulling in energy, I''ll try clearing my mind, then someone else can try meditating on their ability, and the other can try meditating on something irrelevant, like a rock.¡±


    ¡°I''ll take the ability one.¡± Zack offered.


    ¡°I''ll try the rock.¡± Nadia sighed after a moment of no one else speaking up.


    Beth nodded. ¡°That''ll work. Let''s get started then.¡±


    They all nodded back, splitting between the four pockets and getting set up. They had twelve people, so they split into groups of three. The first was Chris, Beth, and Jello, the second was Andrew, Greg, and Tori, the third was Alex, Derek, and Zack, and the last was Carmen, Joseph, and Nadia. In each group, one person took the automatic option, another took the physical exertion option, and the last took the meditation option. Then, after an hour of testing, they all returned to the space to share their results.


    ¡°It worked!¡± Tori cheered excitedly. She could create methods for gathering energy! ¡°I got about a hundred points worth with my meditation.¡±


    ¡°I only got about ten with automatic.¡± Andrew replied.


    ¡°And I got about fifty with physical exertion.¡± Greg added.


    The rest began to share their results as well, the automatic results consistently ending up at about a fifth of the physical exertion results. However, the meditation results had a bit more¡­ variety to them. Chris and Nadia did the worst, ending up getting about the same amount of energy out of it as physical exertion, but Zack got four times more energy than Derek had with physical exertion! The other factor seemed to be the energy density of the area, with Chris''s area getting about twice the energy as Nadia''s and the rest somewhere in between the two. And the final bit of weirdness was with Joseph, who instead of gaining ability energy improved his physique by a comparable amount.


    ¡°So, it looks like what we need to do is find dense pockets of energy and meditate on our abilities in them.¡± Chris summed up the results. ¡°The question now is whether we should focus on growing our personal power or gather the energy so we can dump it into the space.¡±


    Beth considered the question for a moment. ¡°I think- for now, we should focus on ourselves. If your plan to relocate the tribes works, then that will handle all your space concerns, at which point our personal power is what''s going to make a difference. But if it doesn''t, then you can still drain our energy when you need it, right? We don''t need to strengthen your space now, we just need it to be as strong as possible for the evacuation.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°True. Well then, I guess we have some meditation to do.¡±

 14 - Energy, Aura, and Qualifications

    ¡°Greg, what the hell are you doing?¡± Tori asked in exasperation, stopping her meditation to glared at him.


    Greg dropped his stone barbell with a thump. ¡°I''m working out.¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Obviously, but why? We literally just went over how the most effective method of gathering energy is meditation!¡±


    ¡°Ah, but just because it''s the most effective, doesn''t mean it''s the best.¡± Greg retorted. ¡°See, I''m perfectly capable of exercising for hours on end, no problem. There''s a rhythm to it I can just fall into and coast. But meditating for more than fifteen minutes literally makes me want to kill myself, which is just oh so frustrating as an immortal. So even if the exercise is less effective, I get more out of it in the long run.¡±


    Tori frowned at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Whatever. I''m not exactly doing all that well myself. I can''t figure out what my ability actually is and it''s hurting my efficiency.¡±


    Andrew snorted. ¡°Welcome to the club. I barely even know what aura is.¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°I know, but you at least have the abilities from your cores to work with. All I have is a growing pool of energy and no clue what to actually do with it!¡±


    ¡°You could ask Chris.¡± Greg offered. ¡°It is his reality.¡±


    Tori nodded, getting to her feet. ¡°I think I''m going to have to, because I''m not getting anywhere on my own.¡±


    Andrew got up as well. ¡°I''ll come with. I still need to study that fox guy''s ability.¡±


    Tori nodded as she opened a portal to where Chris was meditating with Beth and Jello. Chris raised an eyebrow at her as she walked through. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°I can''t figure out what my ability is, and unlike the rest of you I haven''t figured out how to borrow someone else''s, so I''m wondering if you can help me out.¡± Tori explained. ¡°Also, Andrew wants to study Nero''s ability.¡±


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°I think Salvador can help with your ability? He''s the head of the Ability Management Department. Or at least he was¡­¡± He shrugged, turning to Andrew. ¡°As for Nero, he''s still busy dealing with his people, but I''ll let you know when he''s free.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Andrew gave him a thumbs up, heading back to meditate some more.


    Chris then searched his space for Salvador, finding him with Jo. He was about to open a portal to them, when he paused, an odd look crossing his face. ¡°I- think Salvador is a bit busy at the moment too.¡± Chris coughed, quickly moving his attention to a different region of his space, thankful that his awareness didn''t give him too clear a picture of what was happening.


    ¡°He is?¡± Beth asked, unable to focus on her own meditation with the two of them talking. ¡°Doing what?¡±


    ¡°Uhhhh¡­ Jo.¡± Chris answered awkwardly.


    ¡°Jo- oh.¡± Beth began before suddenly realizing what Chris meant, flushing deeply.


    Jello frowned. ¡°What? I don''t get it.¡±


    ¡°It''s- Let''s just say we might be getting another sibling soon.¡± Chris explained with a sigh, which only made Jello even more confused, but he turned to Tori before she could ask any more. ¡°In any case, he''s not going to be able to help you for a bit. I suppose we can see if the military has another Reader available, but¡­ wait.¡± Chris paused. ¡°Can''t you see your own energy?¡±


    ¡°I can, but that doesn''t tell me what it does.¡± Tori retorted. ¡°It just looks like energy to me.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Chris grunted thoughtfully. ¡°Jello, do you get anything from her?¡±


    Jello shook her head. ¡°No. It''s like she said, her ability energy just feels like ability energy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that''s all it is?¡± Beth offered. ¡°You don''t have an ability unless you borrow one from your minions, right? And Andrew doesn''t have one unless he has a core. I guess technically Greg has one, but since all it does is make smoke, I''m not sure it really counts, and he can get other abilities from people. So what if you just don''t have an ability?¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°That''s possible, probable even, but since I have no idea how to actually get another ability, I''m really hoping you''re wrong.¡±


    ¡°Even if you do have an ability, there''s no guarantee it will be useful.¡± Chris pointed out. ¡°Maybe you should focus on figuring out how to get someone else''s instead of hoping you have your own.¡±


    Tori scowled, unable to disagree, particularly as a task popped up. ¡°Okay, but how?¡±


    ¡°Well, let''s go through the examples we have.¡± Chris suggested. ¡°I need a minion in my space, Andrew needs a core, and Greg needs a body. So by that metric, you''d need something related to energy?¡±


    Tori considered that for a moment. ¡°I know I can shift my points to match other energy types, which will probably let me mimic other abilities, but-¡± She cut off as it clicked. ¡°I- hold on.¡± Tori frowned, focusing on the energy she''d gathered. Could she control it like she controlled her points? In Rune world it was clear she definitely had some sort of influence over her energy, infusing it with intent way more easily than she should be able to. The question was whether that influence extended to shifting it from one type of energy to another¡­ Tori briefly glanced at Beth''s energy to confirm its pattern, then refocused on her own, willing it to shift and- Tori grinned as she threw a punch at the wall, her arm stretching a few feet to hit it before snapping back. ¡°Well, I guess we''re done here.¡±


    *


    Nero stood as a portal opened and Andrew stepped through into what was basically his living room. [Welcome. The¡­ Commander informed me you wish to study my ability?]


    Andrew nodded. ¡°Yeah. Your ability seems to be aura related and I''d like to see how it works.¡±


    [I see¡­ very well. If you''ll follow me, I''ve prepared some suitable targets to demonstrate out back.] Nero explained, gesturing for Andrew to follow him.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Targets?¡± Andrew asked curiously.


    Nero nodded. [My ability only works on living creatures, so I had my men procure a few small creatures for us. Small pests that require extermination anyway, particularly with the recent surge.] Nero hesitated slightly. [You- wouldn''t happen to know what caused that, would you?]


    Andrew shook his head. ¡°I know it was some sort of large creature, but other than that¡­ I can''t even say if it was just the one or if there were multiple. Just be glad your tribe was spared, because the rest of the Maze isn''t doing so well.¡±


    [Are there any other surviving clans?] Nero asked nervously.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, sorry, I didn''t- what I meant was that it looks like only the tribes survived. Everything else¡­ there aren''t even plants out there, let alone animals.¡± Andrew elaborated. ¡°Which is going to be a problem, because I assume you relied on the plants and animals in the Maze for food and whatnot.¡±


    [We do- or did, I suppose.] Nero frowned. [How far does the destruction extend?]


    ¡°Everywhere we''ve looked so far, which is a pretty decent sized area.¡± Andrew sighed.


    [And it only spared clans?] Nero asked tentatively.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Andrew confirmed. ¡°Don''t ask me why, I couldn''t tell you, but it is suspiciously consistent. The only things we can find in the Maze at the moment are barren tunnels and tribes.¡±


    [That is¡­ strange.] Nero muttered. [But then, many strange things have happened since the Commander''s arrival.] He added with a sigh.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ you''re probably going to have to get used to that.¡± Andrew sighed along with him. ¡°I don''t think normal is a possibility while we''re around.¡±


    Nero grimaced slightly, before shaking his head. [As long as my people are safe, I can handle it.]


    Andrew paused, considering the foxkin briefly before nodding. ¡°That''s a good attitude. Though I will add that keeping them safe is going to be hard if they refuse to work with us.¡±


    [I''m aware.] Nero grumbled. [But I''m already doing everything I can to convince them. It simply isn''t in our nature to depend on the generosity of outsiders. Particularly not ones with abilities like the Commander''s¡­]


    ¡°I get that. I really do.¡± Andrew agreed. ¡°But still. It''s a tough situation.¡±


    [Yes. Yes it is.] Nero sighed, before shaking his head as they reached the back door. [In any case, we should get started.] He opened the door, leading Andrew into a small yard with about half a dozen cages sitting against a wall. Nero approached the first cage and opened it, pulling out a small rat. [Is there anything you need to prepare, or should I simply start?]


    ¡°Start.¡± Andrew replied. ¡°I just need to be in range to actually see what happens.¡±


    Nero nodded, holding the rat in one hand and then flicking it with the other, the rat stiffening briefly before going limp. Nero glanced at Andrew, who was frowning at the rat. [Shall we move on to the next or do you need some time?]


    ¡°I- can I see the rat?¡± Andrew asked tentatively. Nero gave him a weird look but still handed it over, Andrew taking it as he studied the rat intently, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. He''d watched as Nero had sent a pulse of aura into the rat, directly at the rat''s core, crushing it. However, unlike when he took a core from a creature, the aura hadn''t dissipated. Instead the aura just¡­ stayed where it was. Carefully, Andrew reached out with his own aura, pushing it into the rat and connecting to the aura. He shuddered as a tingle flickered through him, his eyes widening as he felt his aura grow ever so slightly stronger, the rat''s aura merging with his own until the two were indistinguishable!


    Andrew turned to Nero with a sharp look in his eye. ¡°Let me do the next one.¡± Nero raised an eyebrow then nodded, waving him to the next cage. Andrew approached it, kneeling down to stare at some kind of mole, extending his aura to it as he recalled what he''d seen from Nero. The pulse had simply touched the core, and it''d crumbled! He couldn''t tell what it''d actually done any differently than his usual methods of interacting with cores, which just pushed them around. But then, that wasn''t how his aura worked, was it? The actual manipulation of aura was rather simple. What mattered was his intent. When he wanted to push a core, it was pushed. When he wanted to retract an aura, it retracted. When he wanted to break a core, it broke. So Andrew reached out to touch the mole''s core with his aura, willing it to break, and¡­ it crumbled. And the aura remained. Andrew grinned as he connected to the aura, sucking it up, the feeling of getting stronger flowing through him once again. ¡°Fucking finally.¡±


    *


    ¡°Congrats!¡± Greg cheered, patting Andrew on the back after he returned to share the good news.


    ¡°I''m glad you got something useful out of it.¡± Chris added. ¡°The foxkin have been nothing but a pain for me so far, so I''m glad they''re at least good for something.¡±


    Beth rolled her eyes. ¡°I''m sure they''re good for plenty, we just haven''t exactly been in a position to take advantage of any of it, considering our primarily¡­ antagonistic relationship.¡±


    ¡°I know, but still. There are only so many issues a single group can cause me before I start to hold a grudge.¡± Chris replied. ¡°I''m getting close to cutting my losses and doing everything in my power to never interact with them again.¡±


    ¡°That would be pretty difficult since our territory is still essentially right at their front door.¡± Andrew pointed out.


    ¡°Just because it''s difficult doesn''t mean it isn''t worth doing.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°Besides, the territory isn''t really ours to administer in any case. Yes we''re the cause of it and our actions will affect it, but the people really in charge are the ones who rule the lands it''s growing on. That''s why we had that little council at the start, isn''t it?¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°I do rule the lands it''s growing on. At least my family does¡­ and AJ isn''t the heir anymore¡­ So it should go to Calvin? Or at least Vicky¡­ I- should talk to my father about this.¡±


    ¡°I suppose technically it could eventually be my land.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°If my faction grows and ends up taking over at least. But I''m really more of a figurehead there, so I''m still not sure you could really consider it mine.¡±


    ¡°It is literally in my house.¡± Andrew sighed. ¡°And apartment¡­ but I wouldn''t say I really own either of those, I just live there.¡±


    ¡°Guys, I think you''re getting off track.¡± Chris interjected. ¡°My point is that we have no real obligation to deal with the territory, beyond the fact that it is almost inevitable that it will be our home one day. We can care about it, sure, but politically it really isn''t our problem unless we want to make it one.¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°There has to at least be some obligation on our part for creating the situation in the first place, doesn''t there? I mean, without us none of this would be happening. That has to mean something.¡±


    ¡°If it was intentional I''d agree with you, but you don''t hold people accountable for accidents. Unless you can say we were negligent, I suppose, but I don''t think you can.¡± Chris retorted. ¡°Now, if we start to add more realities to the territory, then you could say we have some responsibility, but as it stands, we''re all just innocent bystanders who happened to get caught up in something beyond our capabilities. Unless you''re all hiding some secret political training from me.¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°Hey, I''ll take any excuse I can get to not have to deal with another one of those councils. That shit was boring as fuck.¡±


    Andrew rolled his eyes. ¡°I don''t think we should try to get out of it just because it''s boring, but I agree that we aren''t really the most qualified people to be dealing with all this.¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°You''re not wrong, I just don''t think we should ignore a problem just because we haven''t been trained for it. Sometimes shit needs to be done and you''re the only one there to do it.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Of course. I''m not saying we shouldn''t do anything, I''m just saying that we shouldn''t push ourselves into positions that we''re blatantly unqualified for. Maybe in a few years, decades, or centuries that will change, but for now¡­ let''s let the experts deal with it.¡±

 15 - Great minds think alike

    Territory


    The Archmage, Elder Barry, Maurice, and Jo gathered in the Territory as the official representatives of their realities, at least for now. The Archmage''s inclusion was obvious, and both Maurice and Elder Barry had a history of dealing with the strangeness that surrounded the Sovereigns, but the City''s decision to appoint Jo was surprising to many, including Jo herself. She wasn''t even part of the City government! But apparently that was a good thing. Transferring someone from an established position would just force them to find someone to fill that position instead. Adding on to that the fact that she was one of the few people they could be certain wasn''t a spy for the surface races, along with a long history of competence in the private sector, made her an almost perfect candidate. Salvador was also a good option, but he did have an official position and this war wouldn''t last forever, so they''d gone with Jo.


    ¡°These are some¡­ interesting decorations.¡± Elder Barry commented, studying Greg''s murals. The surface was for the guards, so they were meeting in one of the underground rooms Greg had made.


    ¡°Greg''s work, I''m sure.¡± The Archmage sighed. ¡°He has a rather¡­ peculiar outlook on life.¡±


    ¡°I imagine they all do, given their nature.¡± Maurice commented. ¡°Tori certainly has her own¡­ eccentricities.¡±


    ¡°Chris is certainly unique.¡± Jo added with a small smile. ¡°But as interesting as those four are, they aren''t the purpose of our meeting today.¡±


    ¡°No, no they are not.¡± Elder Barry agreed, taking a seat. ¡°First things first, shall we introduce ourselves? My name is Barry Craig and I am an Elder of the Monkey Clan of the Bonded.¡±


    ¡°I am Archmage Palomata Ginatovak of the United Magocracy.¡± The Archmage introduced herself next.


    ¡°I am Maurice, Steward of House Tyverus.¡± Maurice offered next.


    ¡°And I am Jo Vuntula, of Vuntulla Industries.¡± Jo finished, hesitating for a moment before adding. ¡°I am also known as Jo''vuntula, the exiled princess of the Elves.¡±


    Palomata raised an eyebrow. ¡°You must have a unique perspective on one of our primary concerns then.¡±


    Jo sighed. ¡°Unique maybe, but not necessarily useful. I¡¯ve been in exile for over fifty years now, and my understanding of my former people''s capabilities is limited. At most I can give you a general understanding of what their military will look like and how it usually operates, but our true concern is going to be the cultivators, and I can''t tell you who they are or what they''re capable of.¡±


    Maurice perked up. ¡°Your reality has Cultivators?¡±


    Jo nodded. ¡°Yes, though they are different from yours. In our reality, in order to cultivate you must have a peak physique and ability which¡­ merge, in a sense, allowing their ability to strengthen their physique just as their physique strengthens their ability. Furthermore, while I''m not aware of the specifics, this unification allows them to expand their ability in both power and scope. The only way to defeat a cultivator is with another cultivator or a behemoth.¡±


    ¡°Behemoth?¡± Elder Barry asked tentatively.


    ¡°A creature large enough that they can match a cultivator through physique alone, such as a dragon.¡± Jo explained.


    ¡°And how powerful would you say cultivators are in general in comparison to say a base level human?¡± Elder Barry continued.


    Jo cocked an eyebrow at the vaguely familiar metric. ¡°They start close to two thousand times stronger, and only grow more powerful from there. The most powerful cultivator I''ve ever seen surpassed ten thousand, and I can''t imagine he''s stopped growing.¡±


    Elder Barry grinned. ¡°Ah, then we should be just fine. Any Bonded with more than a decade of experience should be able to handle these cultivators without much issue.¡±


    Jo blinked. ¡°They- really?¡±


    Elder Barry nodded. ¡°Really. As long as a Bonded is willing to put in the work, gaining that level of power is a rather simple matter.¡±


    Maurice shook his head. ¡°I hope we never find ourselves faced with a threat from your reality. I can only see it ending¡­ poorly.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Palomata nodded. ¡°Though I fear that may be a vain hope¡­ Conflict seems to be one of the few constants in the Multiverse.¡±


    Elder Barry sighed. ¡°Yes, well, let''s focus on the conflicts we actually have before we start imagining up new ones. We''ve established that the Bonded are capable of securing the merged area, so that just leaves the question of what help we can provide the City, which is a much more complicated issue. As has been previously suggested, the Tiger Clan can potentially assist with the evacuation, but they would require an assurance of security, as well as appropriate compensation. With the help of Lord Arose I''ve managed to secure a budget of credits to assist with this compensation, but anything your people can offer to help secure further support would be helpful.¡±


    Jo nodded slowly. ¡°I suppose it depends on your needs. What do the Bonded value?¡±


    Elder Barry hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Entertainment, primarily. We have grown¡­ decadent as our position in the Outside has become more secure.¡±


    Jo frowned slightly, thrown by that for a moment, before pausing as she realized there could be a solution in that. ¡°There- This isn''t technically a City resource, but our reality contains an¡­ AI which is currently being used to run a virtual reality video game which is apparently quite popular on our version of Earth. I''m not sure how transferable this technology is, or if the creator would even be interested in allowing it, but at a minimum we should be able to arrange transport to Earth and provide access to this game for your people.¡±


    Elder Barry considered that for a moment, before nodding. ¡°That sounds like exactly the sort of thing our people would be interested in.¡±


    Jo smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can arrange then.¡±


    ¡°I wish we had the ability to assist as well, but I''m afraid spatial mana is rare and I doubt the mages with access to it are powerful enough to cross dimensions.¡± Palomata sighed. ¡°Particularly not after they''re suppressed.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure what assistance we can offer either.¡± Maurice agreed, turning to Elder Barry. ¡°Your Tiger Clan''s ability seems to be rather unique.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Elder Barry grinned slightly. ¡°Don''t let them hear you say that. The striped bastards are arrogant enough as it is.¡±


    There was a brief pause before Palomata spoke up again. ¡°In that case, shall we move on to more general issues, such as trade and immigration?¡±


    Jo nodded. ¡°Yes, of course. Immigration to the City is currently closed, for obvious reasons, but we are open to trades of resources and technology.¡± She reached into her bag and brought out a few packets, handing them to the others. ¡°I''ve prepared a list of everything we have to offer, if you''d like to peruse it at your own convenience.¡±


    Palomata and Elder Barry accepted the packets easily, but Maurice frowned at his. He was going to have to ask Tori to help him learn this ¡®English¡¯, wasn''t he? Thankfully the Archmage''s translation spell at least allowed him to talk. He shook his head, ignoring the packet for now. ¡°Immigration isn''t exactly an option for us either, at least not in the short-term. As for trade, our resources are primarily Cultivation based, which I doubt will transfer well between realities if Cultivation itself fails to.¡±


    The Archmage nodded. ¡°My people are in a similar position. Mana doesn''t mix well with technology in our reality, forcing us to rely solely on it. We can provide raw resources, of course, but beyond that our options are limited.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Elder Barry hummed slightly, tapping his finger on the table as he perused the packet. ¡°Immigration isn''t particularly an option for us either, and our technology is either energy based or slightly worse than the City''s from what I can see¡­ I''m not sure there''s much we can offer either. At least, not until this area expands.¡±


    Everyone paused at that. ¡°That''s another issue we should address, isn''t it?¡± Palomata muttered. ¡°When and how this area should expand. In our reality, the only concern we have is if the area extends outside the ship¡¯s hull, which would take quite a bit to do, and only until we can secure the area around it.¡±


    ¡°We could allow the area to cover Lord Arose''s compound, but any further would put it at risk of discovery.¡± Elder Barry offered. ¡°Unfortunately, I can''t imagine that ever not being the case, so the expansion in our reality would have to be limited.¡±


    ¡°For now any expansion in our reality could be problematic.¡± Maurice sighed. ¡°And future expansion would be dependent on the sect and how many resources they''re willing to dedicate to protect it.¡±


    Jo shrugged. ¡°The area can expand as much as it wants in our reality. The more area it covers, the more space there is for those who are actually capable to face the surface races in my opinion.¡±


    Palomata cocked her head. ¡°If that is the case, then it seems reasonable to consider turning the area in your reality into a hub of sorts. An outpost, or possibly even a settlement, for the various different realities to intermix. A multidimensional city, in a sense.¡±


    ¡°We would have to handle the threat of these surface races first, but once they''re taken care of that doesn''t seem like a horrible idea.¡± Elder Barry agreed with a slow nod.


    ¡°A city created through the intermixing of realities¡­¡± Maurice muttered, getting a far off look in his eye. ¡°Could you imagine the wonders that could be created in such a place?¡±


    Jo smirked slightly. ¡°Is the intermixing of realities not enough for you?¡±


    Maurice coughed. ¡°Yes, yes, of course, all this is fascinating, but¡­ well, as much as I appreciate it, without an actual function there isn''t much point, now is there? And at its current size, there isn''t much function to be had beyond some minor individual benefit, barring the facilitation of your evacuation, of course. But an entire city for people of different realities to intermingle and cooperate¡­ that is something truly exciting.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of different realities, does anyone know when our ¡®system¡¯ counterpart will join us?¡± Palomata asked.


    ¡°Soon, hopefully.¡± Elder Barry replied. ¡°The guards reported a brief visit just this morning. A few seconds brief. Not that I exactly blame them, of course. I was tempted to simply turn around and forget what I saw myself when I first entered this area.¡±


    Maurice chuckled. ¡°The first time you see reality twist around you is a bit jarring. And the second¡­ the problem is you can''t tell where it is from the outside. Even when you expect it, the fact that you don''t know when to expect it still gets you.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t know.¡± Jo shrugged. ¡°Chris brought me here through a portal, so I never experienced the transition.¡±


    ¡°Just be thankful you weren''t part of the initial expansion.¡± Palomata commented with a sigh. ¡°Stepping into a twisted space is one thing, but watching space twist is another thing entirely. It didn''t help that I was immediately thrust into combat either, particularly since I''d just resolved a previous assault.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine.¡± Elder Barry chuckled. ¡°Say what you will about them, those four do keep life interesting.¡±


    ¡°Too interesting, one might say.¡± Maurice added. ¡°The amount of trouble that seems to follow them is starting to become almost suspicious. The only one not involved in some kind of conflict is Andrew!¡±


    Elder Barry coughed. ¡°Well, there''s no active conflict, but¡­ He has been involved in some encounters with these strange machines that appear to be kidnapping people on Earth. And his First Hunt got caught up in the middle of a Beast Tide¡­¡±


    Maurice froze. ¡°You have Beast Tides?¡±


    Elder Barry raised an eyebrow. ¡°We do. Do you?¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ but I imagine yours are much more terrifying.¡± Maurice shuddered. A horde of Rune Beasts was bad, but given what he knew about the power of Beasts, he couldn''t even imagine the destruction such a thing could create!


    Elder Barry shrugged. ¡°To the unprepared, most definitely, but with the proper defenses a Beast Tide is more beneficial than not. Unless you happen to be the one individual around who can''t simply will themselves back to their other half¡­ then things become troublesome again, though he weathered the trial just fine.¡±


    Maurice frowned slightly. ¡°A Beast Tide would be rather beneficial if we could properly defend against it¡­¡± He sighed, shaking his head. ¡°Unfortunately we don''t have those types of resources, and even if we did, Beast Tides aren''t a particular concern in our region. There hasn''t been a Beast Lord powerful or motivated enough to form one in decades.¡±


    Palomata let out a slight cough. ¡°Before we get even further off track, are there any other matters anyone wishes to address?¡±


    ¡°I think we covered everything.¡± Jo replied. ¡°Evacuation, trade, immigration, expansion, inter-reality city¡­ yeah, that should be it.¡±


    Elder Barry paused. ¡°There is one other issue we may wish to address. We''ve been talking around it, but even so, it''s clear that the four Sovereigns are inextricably tied to this area, and we would be remiss if we failed to address their¡­ position in relation to it. Clearly they have neither the experience nor the interest required to administer it, but they still have a certain amount of authority, if only due to the fact that they control its expansion, and that must be accounted for.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know if authority is the right word.¡± Palomata muttered. ¡°Yes, they created this area, but they don''t own or control it. The land still belongs to those who have previously claimed it, if any. Their position is more akin to¡­ wayfarers, establishing a new trade route. We should give them gratitude, and possibly compensation, but once the route is formed, it isn''t really theirs anymore.¡±


    Elder Barry paused. ¡°You think we should pay them?¡±


    ¡°If we want them to continue to expand the area, then yes.¡± Palomata confirmed. ¡°Compensating individuals for their labor is a rather basic tenet of society, is it not?¡±


    Elder Barry blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ that is an interesting way to look at all this. I can''t say I disagree though.¡±


    Maurice frowned. ¡°How do you pay someone who can make anything they wish from practically thin air?¡±


    ¡°If you can''t provide goods, then all you have left is services.¡± Jo replied. ¡°So the question becomes what can we do for them that they can''t or won''t do for themselves?¡±


    Elder Barry sat back in his chair, considering that question for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°A good question, but not one I think we''ll answer without talking to the individuals themselves. But it isn''t exactly an urgent matter, so I believe we can adjourn for now. Agreed?¡± The others nodded, everyone getting to their feet, Elder Barry shooting them one last smile. ¡°I look forward to working with you all to ensure a long and productive relationship between all our realities.¡±

 16 - Sixteen

    System World


    Andrew let out a satisfied sigh as he settled onto the couch in his brand new outfit, happy to be him again. Quinn rolled her eyes at his exaggerated reaction. ¡°You know, if you were that uncomfortable wearing skirts, you could have just told me.¡±


    Andrew waved dismissively. ¡°It wasn''t really the skirts, it was the whole female thing in general. I wasn''t going to be comfortable no matter what I was wearing. Besides, how the hell was I going to explain a preference for certain types of clothes when I wasn''t even supposed to know what clothes were at that point? And by the time it would have been reasonable to say anything¡­ well, I''d kinda gotten used to them.¡±


    Quinn eyed him uncomfortably for a moment. ¡°You know¡­ you could have told me about that too. It would have made all this a little less¡­ jarring.¡±


    Andrew hesitated. ¡°That''s- fair, but I didn''t exactly know any of this was going to happen, and otherwise¡­ I didn''t really see the point? It didn''t look like the other reality would ever be relevant to this one, so I was just focused on becoming a part of this one. Telling you about my other life just seemed like it''d cause problems.¡±


    Quinn frowned. ¡°I guess I can understand that¡­ It just kinda bums me out that you didn''t feel comfortable confiding in me. I thought we were getting pretty close! Practically sisters!¡±


    ¡°We were! Are!¡± Andrew retorted. ¡°I just- there were better things to confide in you about? Like, you know, the dungeon thing. Maybe if there was something in the other reality that was bothering me I would have brought it up, but things have been pretty calm over there, so¡­ it wasn''t an issue.¡±


    Quinn gave him another look, before shaking her head. ¡°I suppose that''s understandable. As long as there aren''t any other major revelations you''re waiting to spring on me.¡±


    Andrew paused, quickly running over everything. ¡°I- used to be a goblin?¡±


    Quinn blinked. ¡°You- what?¡±


    ¡°When I was first born in this reality, it was as a goblin.¡± Andrew elaborated. ¡°Then I got an animal core and started leveling it, which resulted in my uplifting and getting brought here.¡±


    Quinn worked her mouth wordlessly for a moment. ¡°You- did you ever- breed?¡± She finally asked, wincing at the last word.


    Andrew immediately shook his head. ¡°No, thankfully that never came up. I''m- fairly certain I wouldn''t have ever gone through with it, for many reasons, but¡­ well, that whole situation is more complicated than I''m comfortable with.¡±


    Quinn scowled. ¡°What''s so complicated about it?!? They rape and torture women to breed!¡±


    ¡°They do, but it''s either that or they go extinct, and¡­ I''m not saying the noble races shouldn''t do everything in their power to exterminate them, because they are an inherent threat to you, but that doesn''t mean you should hate them for simply doing what they need to do to survive.¡± Andrew retorted with a sigh. ¡°It isn''t like they want to hurt you, they''re just- kinda forced to.¡±


    Quinn grimaced, eyeing Andrew cautiously. ¡°So you think it''s okay to hurt people for your own benefit?¡±


    Andrew hesitated. ¡°Well¡­ maybe not for your own benefit, but- I don''t know. Trying to ensure the survival of you and your people is one of the most fundamental instincts of any form of life! To ask anyone to just ignore that seems¡­ unreasonable? And it isn''t like I''m asking anyone to stop defending themselves, I''m just saying maybe don''t hate people for how they were born? You don''t blame rodents for spreading disease, or a parasite for infecting you, you just- deal with it, you know?¡±


    Quinn shook her head. ¡°Rodents and parasites aren''t capable of examining their actions. Goblins are. It isn''t the same.¡±


    Andrew sighed. ¡°Yeah, that''s fair. Still, I don''t think it''s exactly cut and dry. At some point you have to value yourself more than others, don''t you?¡± Quinn grunted noncommittally, frowning as she mulled the idea around in her head, when a knock at the door interrupted her. ¡°I''ll get it.¡± Andrew offered, hoping to his feet, thankful for the interruption. He wasn''t exactly comfortable with this subject, or his position on it, and the whole thing just made him feel sick. He pulled the door open, pausing as he took in the group of individuals in suits standing there with serious expressions. ¡°Uh¡­ are you here for the territory?¡± Andrew asked tentatively, gesturing towards the kitchen.


    The lead individual, who looked like some kind of lizard person, inclined their head. ¡°Are you Drew Nobilis?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Andrew confirmed hesitantly.


    ¡°I''m going to have to insist that you come with us.¡± They replied, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him out of the apartment, a few others heading inside.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Quinn protested, jumping off the couch. ¡°What are you doing!?! You can''t just- Hey!¡± She cut off as one of them grabbed her, dragging her out as well. ¡°Stop! You can''t just abduct people like this! Help! Some- mmmph!¡± She cut off again as the individual dragging her used some sort of ability to seal her mouth shut.


    Quinn continued to struggle, to little effect, as the two of them were pulled down the hall towards the stairs. Andrew saw a few of the other apartments being cleared as well, though the other residents seemed to at least be allowed to pack some bags before they left. They were dragged down the stairs and out a back door, where they were shoved into a windowless van and driven off. Thankfully, while their abductors were definitely insistent, they weren''t being unnecessarily rough about it, Andrew''s handler only keeping a firm hand on his arm as he followed them without much complaint. Of course, if he really wanted to escape, there wasn''t anything they could actually do to hold him, but he was more worried about Quinn. If things turned, he wasn''t sure he''d be able to get her out as well, and that made him nervous. The ride was mostly silent, barring Quinn''s continued muffled complaints, their handlers not responding to any of Andrew''s questions, but it only lasted a few minutes before they were dragged out and led into a nondescript building, down into the basement, and finally into a small room where the lizard person opened a portal, leading them into a different nondescript room, out and down a hall, before depositing them in what Andrew immediately recognized as an interrogation room.


    ¡°Wait here.¡± The lizard person ordered before leaving them alone, locking them inside.


    ¡°Fucking assholes!¡± Quinn roared after them, kicking the door. ¡°You can''t just do this to people! We have rights and they don''t go away just because the situation is fucking weird!¡± She whirled on Andrew. ¡°And you! Why the fuck did you just go with it?!? I know you could have gotten away!¡±This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Andrew rolled his eyes. ¡°Because if I escaped, where would that leave you? Speaking of-¡± He opened a portal, Quinn yelping as he pushed her through, snapping it closed behind her. ¡°There, much better.¡± He sighed in relief, settling into a chair to wait.


    The lizard person stormed back into the room. ¡°Where did you send her!?!¡±


    ¡°Somewhere she''s safe.¡± Andrew growled, glaring back at them. ¡°She was right, you had no authority to take us like that. Not without a warrant, at least, and even then we haven''t committed any crimes to justify one. Of course, that''s assuming you''re even with the government, which you''ve done nothing to prove. As far as I know, you''re some kind of terrorist slave traders I just saved my friend from. Seriously, did you flunk the policy and procedure section of your training or something? Because even my little two month uplift school went over this shit.¡±


    The lizard person continued to glare at him, their fists clenching tighter as their frustration built, before spitting out a single word. ¡°How?¡±


    Andrew raised an eyebrow. ¡°You mean the portal? You''d have to ask Chris. It''s more his thing than mine.¡±


    The lizard person narrowed their eyes. ¡°And why are you still here?¡±


    Andrew sighed. ¡°Because despite your flagrant disregard for my personal rights, I''d rather not start some sort of Multiversal conflict. So I''m here to see if there''s still some way for us to work together.¡± The lizard person frowned, before letting out a dissatisfied grunt and exiting the room, not bothering to lock it this time. Andrew just shrugged and leaned back in his chair to wait for these people to get their shit together.


    About ten minutes later, a harried looking woman with the lower half of a spider rushed into the room, looking almost panicked. ¡°I am so, so, so sorry!¡± She quickly apologized. ¡°Our division isn''t generally supposed to interact with the general public, but they still should have known how unreasonable this was! They were just supposed to ask you to come with them, not drag you from your home!¡±


    Andrew tore his eyes from the spider half to blink up at her. ¡°Uh-huh¡­ and what about all the people they were in the process of evicting?¡±


    The woman froze, going a bit pale. ¡°One- one moment.¡± She replied, pulling out her phone as she rushed out of the room. She returned a few minutes later, looking exasperated. ¡°Thank you, and again, I apologize for all this. We aren''t used to these sorts of operations, you see, and our operatives have grown accustomed to being¡­ unquestionable.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°No one has actually explained who you are yet.¡±


    Her eyes widened. ¡°Oh! I''m sorry, yes, we''re the Palace Guards!¡± She quickly explained, digging through her pockets and pulling out a badge. ¡°Sorry, our uniforms usually make it clear, but¡­ as I said, this isn''t a normal operation. I wasn''t even supposed to be the one interviewing you, but given our usual operatives conduct so far¡­¡± She trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid, before shaking her head. ¡°In any case, we''ve asked you here today to help clarify exactly what this ¡®portal to the Multiverse¡¯ entails.¡±


    Andrew eyed her cautiously for a moment, feeling more put off by the apparent unprofessionalism than the previous overstepping. ¡°Alright then¡­ it really isn''t that complicated. Currently there are five different realities connected through the territory, and interactions between these realities are largely limited to the territory. People and materials are capable of passing through the territory into a different reality, but energy is not, so there''s no particular threat from the territory, beyond its expansion. Other than that, you''re going to have to work it out with the other governments connected to the territory.¡±


    The spider woman paused. ¡°We- were led to believe that you and the other three¡­ ¡®Sovereigns¡¯ were in charge of the territory?¡±


    Andrew shook his head. ¡°No. We created it, accidentally, but we don''t have any inherent authority over it. That belongs to the people who own the land the territory covers.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± She muttered. ¡°But you do control its expansion, yes?¡±


    Andrew nodded. ¡°We do, but don''t worry, we have no plans to expand it any more than it already is.¡±


    ¡°But doesn''t this territory grow with your power?¡± She prodded. ¡°Would you really be satisfied remaining weak to keep the territory from growing?¡±


    Andrew shook his head. ¡°That''s not entirely true. The territory grows with our unique abilities, but we can still participate in the power systems of the various realities without affecting it. I could reach level one thousand and the territory wouldn''t grow an inch.¡±


    She smiled slightly. ¡°At that point, I believe we''d have different concerns.¡±


    Andrew shrugged. ¡°You''d know better than me. I haven''t exactly been here long, and my education never went beyond level one hundred.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see¡­ Well, the highest level individual I''m aware of hasn''t yet breached seven hundred, so reaching one thousand would be quite a feat.¡± She explained. ¡°But that isn''t why we''re here. The Emperor has admitted¡­ concerns over the nature of this territory, and further the nature of the individuals who have brought it into existence. His Majesty would like¡­ assurances that your presence won''t destabilize our reality. Of course, he understands that we can''t force you to work with us, therefore, our question to you is what would it take for you to be willing to work with us to ensure your presence doesn''t adversely affect our reality and the balance we have created?¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°I''ll need to talk to the others, but¡­ we could use an education?¡±


    ¡°An- Education?¡± She asked hesitantly, as if trying to make sure she''d heard right.


    Andrew nodded. ¡°Yeah. See, except for me, all of the others have had their educations cut short by the events going on in their realities, and even in mine there are other activities I''d rather pursue. Additionally, your reality has certain benefits when it comes to education due to how your system works, so if we had to pick where to get an education, this is a pretty good option.¡±


    She stared at him for a second. ¡°How- old are you all?¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Well, I''m sixteen and the others are all eighteen or so¡­ Greg is technically twenty, but he spent two years unconscious and I''m not sure if you can really count those or not. Why, how old did you think we were?¡±


    She opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, not sure if she should actually say. Some things weren''t meant to be known by what basically amounted to teenagers, no matter what they were capable of. ¡°We''d- assumed you would be¡­ significantly older.¡± She briefly replied. ¡°But I believe the Emperor would be more than happy to facilitate your education. And that''s all it would take for you to be willing to work with us?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much?¡± Andrew agreed. ¡°Though¡­ if we''re being honest, we already want to work with you. We don''t want to cause problems for anyone, we just want to live our lives, you know? As long as you don''t get in the way of that, I don''t see any reason why we can''t work with each other. So I guess the absolute minimum we''d need are official identities and a means of contact. Everything after that is a bonus.¡±


    The spider woman nodded slowly, not having expected things to go this way. Instead of dealing with some ancient existence looking down on her as some sort of bumbling child, she''d found an at least seemingly earnest teenager who''d passed all their tests near perfectly. He hadn''t abandoned his companion, getting her to safety as soon as possible. He''d remained behind after proving he could escape, showing at least an interest in cooperation. He''d called them out for their own offenses, proving he wasn''t just going along with whatever they did to earn their trust. And he hadn''t attempted to take advantage of her own apparent incompetence during their negotiations. Of course, there was always the chance he somehow knew they were testing him and tailored his response to their actions with that understanding, but she believed his responses would have been more¡­ exaggerated in that case. Her lips quirked slightly as she studied Andrew. ¡°Well then, I hope for a long and productive partnership between us all.¡±

 17 - Company

    A wide grin was plastered across Greg''s face as he stepped through a portal and into a small conference room where Andrew was waiting along with the spider woman, whose name he''d learned was Mariel. The moment Greg was all the way through he fully materialized, his grin widening as a status screen flickered into existence before him.


    [Race: Human


    Class: N/A [+]


    Strength: 10


    Agility: 10


    Will: 10


    Intellect: 10


    Energy: 10


    Sensitivity: 10]


    A sinister chuckle escaped his lips as he reviewed the screen. ¡°A bit basic, but damn am I gonna love watching it grow!¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes as she walked in after him, briefly glancing at her own status as it popped up. ¡°I don''t get why you''re so excited by this, but you barely even commented on my system. You can do so much more with mine than this!¡±


    Greg shook his head. ¡°It isn''t the same. Your system is like one of those motivation apps that gives you rewards for doing the shit you probably should have been doing in the first place. Not that the points aren''t nice, but most of what they do is speed things up. There isn''t much they offer that''s actually new. But this system gives you entirely new abilities to play with!¡±


    Tori glared at him. ¡°You can do that on your own! Why do you need a system to do it for you?!?¡±


    Greg waved dismissively. ¡°There''s a difference between copying what someone else has and building something for yourself. Where''s the fun in doing what someone else has already done? It''s all about exploring and developing something new! And your system doesn''t let me do that. This one does.¡±


    Tori paused for a moment, before grunting noncommittally. He did have a point. Her system didn''t allow others much room for creativity. Yet. ¡°Maybe this place will give me some ideas.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Okay, now that is exciting.¡±


    ¡°Would the two of you stop arguing and sit down already?¡± Andrew sighed, gesturing to the seats next to him where Chris was already situated, having walked past the other two while they talked.


    ¡°No, no, please continue.¡± Mariel retorted with a slight grin. ¡°Your perspectives are quite fascinating, though I''m not sure many others would have the luxury of sharing them. When your future depends on how well you develop your skills, there isn''t much room for exploration.¡±


    ¡°I think she just told us to check our privilege.¡± Greg chuckled as he sat down. ¡°But Andrew''s right, we should probably get to the point of all this. I''d prefer to actually do than to just talk about it.¡±


    Mariel sighed. ¡°Of course. Then in that case, Andrew has informed us that your main request of us would be the facilitation of your education. Is that true for all of you?¡±


    ¡°I can''t see anything else we''d do here.¡± Chris nodded. ¡°At least not that you could help with, or that would be reasonable to request in regards to a cooperative relationship regarding the expansion of the territory. We have some questions regarding potential immigrants, but that has no bearing on whether or not we''re going to cooperate with you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know¡­ I feel like we should at least get ourselves a mansion with a few dozen servants.¡± Greg snickered. ¡°You guys wouldn''t happen to have cat girls around here, would you? And some little maid outfits to go with them?


    Andrew rolled his eyes. ¡°Greg, please. I get you''re excited but we''re trying to be serious here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Look, all I want is to be free to explore and mess around. Tori might want to spread her system a little, and Chris might want a few minions, but other than that we really aren''t that picky. Even the education would just be useful, not necessarily a requirement. But I''m pretty sure Andrew already told you all this, so I''m not sure why we''re still talking about it.¡±


    ¡°Because we need to figure out what kind of education we''ll be getting.¡± Andrew replied, giving him a look. ¡°Personally I think we should shoot for something civil, maybe to do with the law or politics, or possibly psychology or sociology? There isn''t much point in learning about things that are only applicable in this reality.¡±


    ¡°True, but I''d prefer to learn something practical, like programming or engineering.¡± Tori agreed.


    ¡°I could use some help designing structures.¡± Greg muttered. ¡°It''d be nice to be able to make something more complicated than a box with a few supporting pillars.¡±


    ¡°Why not do both?¡± Chris offered. ¡°Though I would prefer to start with the practical, it isn''t like we''re limited in what we can pursue. Considering our position, education should probably be something of a never ending pursuit. When you have the luxury of doing anything, then it isn''t unreasonable to do everything.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°I''m not sure that exactly follows¡­ Having options doesn''t mean all those options are beneficial. We should still try to do things that will actually be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I said we should focus on the practical first, but once you''ve eliminated the practical, there''s no reason not to enjoy the impractical.¡± Chris countered. ¡°There''s only so much we can learn that will actually be relevant to us. Once we''ve covered that, why not pursue other interests?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± Andrew agreed tentatively. ¡°In any case, what should we focus on first?¡±


    ¡°Programming for me.¡± Tori immediately replied. ¡°It should help me figure out ways to expand my system¡¯s capabilities.¡±


    ¡°I think I''m leaning towards civil engineering, but I''m also considering mechanical.¡± Greg added. ¡°Debating whether I should start big or small, you know?¡±


    ¡°Are you planning on making a lot of structures?¡± Andrew asked, giving him a weird look.


    ¡°Kinda?¡± Greg shrugged. ¡°I mean, if we ever get in a fight and I want to set up some walls to keep us from getting surrounded, you''d want them to be as stable as possible, right?¡±


    Andrew paused. ¡°Well¡­ can''t argue against that. Personally, I think I want to learn something that will help me deal with people. Or biology, which might help me figure out what''s going on with cores¡­ I''m not sure which is more important.¡±


    ¡°Cores, obviously.¡± Greg replied. ¡°We handle people just fine.¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Andrew glanced at him, frowning slightly. ¡°I- don''t think I trust your judgment on that. You practically manhandled Travis into doing what you wanted.¡±


    Greg paused. ¡°Well it worked, didn''t it?¡±


    Andrew sighed. ¡°Just because it''s effective doesn''t mean it''s good. I just think things might go more smoothly if we learned some¡­¡± He trailed off, searching for the right words.


    ¡°Manipulation tactics?¡± Chris offered. ¡°I''d prefer we didn''t if that''s the case. I''d rather just be upfront, even if that means manhandling someone to make the situation clear every now and then.¡±


    Andrew frowned. ¡°Not manipulation, no, but- there are ways to make people more receptive to your arguments, to make sure they''re actually listening instead of focusing on how it makes them feel or holding on to a previous bias. And since there are aspects to our existence that would naturally create emotional and biased reactions, it just seems like a good idea to learn how to defuse those reactions, you know?¡±


    Chris nodded slowly. ¡°That makes sense¡­ hm, I guess that''s what I''ll do then. You can focus on biology.¡±


    Andrew blinked. ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    ¡°You study biology, I''ll study¡­ debate? Psychology? Whatever we''re talking about.¡± Chris waved dismissively. ¡°The point is my abilities are much more focused on dealing with people, so it makes sense that I learn how to do that, while your abilities have a focus on life, so it makes sense that you study life.¡±


    ¡°You''re not wrong, particularly when you include your minions.¡± Tori added. ¡°In fact, given the¡­ influence you have, learning how to better manage them will help prevent potential abuses you might not have been aware of.¡±


    ¡°Good point.¡± Chris agreed.


    Andrew grimaced. ¡°I can see how it''d be good for Chris to study it, but I don''t see why I shouldn''t study it too. Learning how to be better with people would be¡­ good for me.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Did you forget how the connection works? Anything I know you can know too.¡±


    Andrew paused. ¡°Oh. Right¡­ So I''ll study biology then.¡±


    Mariel smiled. ¡°Excellent. It should be a simple matter to acquire instructors in those areas for you all. The question at this point is how you wish to access these instructors. We are more than happy to arrange private lessons if that''s what you wish, but maybe you would be better served by a more¡­ communal environment?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Like a college?¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°I dunno¡­ slowing down my education for people who just can''t seem to get it is excruciating. If I''m going to be in a class with someone, they better be able to keep up.¡±


    Tori nodded. ¡°Yeah, in my experience classes end up being used as a place to take a less than comfortable nap more often than not.¡±


    Chris grunted. ¡°My issue is the excessive amount of repetition. It''s as if teachers think they need to cover a subject at least three times to be effective.¡±


    ¡°That''s the problem. They do.¡± Andrew replied. ¡°In a classroom environment, a teacher has to tailor their lesson so that the majority of the class can understand it, which means repetition, often in different ways so that if one way doesn''t catch someone another one will. Because if only the students who could get things the first time could pass their class, they wouldn''t be a very good teacher.¡±


    Mariel coughed. ¡°Very well, no colleges then.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Andrew interjected. ¡°As much as classes can be¡­ annoying for certain people, I do think we would benefit from being a part of a community. At least I would¡­ I have a tendency to isolate if I''m not basically forced to interact with people.¡±


    ¡°Dude, that''s what bars are for.¡± Greg commented with a slight grin. ¡°But yeah, I do have to say that if there''s one thing college is good for, it''s making friends. And I like having friends.¡±


    Tori sighed. ¡°Yeah, so do I¡­ can''t ever seem to find them though.¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow at her, before turning back to Mariel. ¡°Friends are nice. I''m not sure if they''re worth dealing with classes though.¡±


    Mariel studied them thoughtfully. ¡°What if we arranged for all of you to join a Company?¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Like an adventuring company? Dungeons, monster hunting, quests, stuff like that?¡±


    Andrew grimaced. ¡°Animal hunting. Monster hunting has a different meaning in this reality, and we do not want to be a part of it.¡± He leveled a look at Mariel. ¡°We will not be getting involved in your conflicts with the monstrous races.¡±


    Mariel paused for a moment, before nodding firmly. ¡°Understandable. We can''t expect you to fight our wars for us.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ this company thing?¡± Greg prodded after a moment''s pause.


    ¡°Yes, a Company is just as you said, a group of individuals who work together to raid dungeons, hunt high-level beasts, explore danger zones, and so on. Basically any task that endangers one''s life for profit.¡± Mariel explained.


    ¡°Aw, man, I don''t want to be a coal miner.¡± Greg groaned, breaking out in a snicker a moment later, before pausing. ¡°Actually, scratch that. I''d be an amazing coal miner, like holy shit.¡±


    Tori let out an exasperated sigh, covering her eyes with one hand. ¡°Greg, you can just make coal.¡±


    ¡°That''s what I''m saying!¡± Greg exclaimed. ¡°Imagine the profits!¡±


    Mariel blinked. ¡°I- would greatly appreciate it if you would not flood the market with an excessive amount of¡­ alternatively produced coal.¡±


    ¡°So gold then?¡± Greg grinned, yelping as Tori flicked his ear.


    ¡°Stop being obtuse!¡± Tori growled.


    Greg chuckled, rubbing his ear. ¡°Fine, fine, no fucking with the market. This Company thing sounds fun though, right?¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes as she nodded in agreement. ¡°It would definitely cover a few bases. Money, community, experience, exploration, resources¡­ it could definitely work.¡±


    ¡°Would we need to hide who we are?¡± Chris asked. ¡°That''s the only thing I could see becoming an issue, particularly if we''re going places where we might die. There''s only so many times we can revert to level one before people start to get suspicious.¡±


    Mariel raised an eyebrow. ¡°I suppose that would be up to you. We will not force you to hide your nature, but I don''t believe it''s our place to announce it for you either. Who you tell is your business.¡±


    ¡°And the territory?¡± Chris asked.


    ¡°That we would prefer you keep secret.¡± Mariel confirmed. ¡°But I don''t see how that would come up in regards to your activities with the Company.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°Fair. How would it work with the tutors? We can portal back and forth if I can place a few minions around, but I hear you have rules about that sort of thing.¡±


    Mariel hesitated. ¡°We do¡­ however your portals seem to get around that in some way. Our sensors don''t detect them at all, which is a different concern, but it does mean that moving back and forth wouldn''t be a disturbance for you. In fact, it would be preferable if you would be willing to maintain regular contact.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Chris grunted slightly, turning to the others. ¡°This all works for me. You guys?¡±


    Andrew shrugged. ¡°I can''t see any issues.¡±


    ¡°Me either.¡± Tori agreed.


    ¡°Let''s join a Company!¡± Greg cheered.


    Mariel coughed slightly. ¡°There is one issue before we can get to that¡­ you''re going to have to learn the language. I have a communication trait, but the majority of the populace doesn''t have this luxury.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, we can just get it from Andrew.¡± Chris commented.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I- don''t actually know the language.¡± Andrew replied hesitantly. ¡°I mean, I can write it, but- I can only speak it using my trait.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Oh¡­¡± He turned to Mariel. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to anyone relatively low level who''d be willing to become my minion, would you?¡±


    Mariel hesitated. ¡°I- may be able to secure such an individual¡­ but we also have instructors capable of enhancing your learning abilities, shortening the amount of time it takes to learn the language to a matter of weeks.¡±


    ¡°The system can help too.¡± Tori pointed out. ¡°I learned Callowan in like a month using it, so that, plus the instructors should take it down to basically a week, right?¡±


    ¡°If that''s actually how it works.¡± Andrew muttered. ¡°If they both operate the same way, it may not affect it at all.¡±


    ¡°Welp.¡± Greg announced, standing to his feet. ¡°I guess we''ll just have to find out, huh?¡±

 18 - Family

    Rune World


    ¡°So your¡­ ¡®friends¡¯ aren''t joining us?¡± Melissa asked tentatively. Given the drastic changes that had occurred recently, Albert had finally decided they could share what was going on openly, at least with everyone who attended the family dinners, and after taking a few days to reconnect with Beatrice, Tori was feeling a bit homesick, so she''d slipped into the castle to join them.


    ¡°No.¡± Tori confirmed. ¡°Though¡­ we are planning on having a gathering in a few days for all the people close to us. Which obviously includes all of you, so I''d appreciate it if you joined.¡±


    Albert blinked. ¡°You''re having a gathering? Why?¡±


    Tori shrugged. ¡°Andrew''s parents want to meet the rest of us and we figured it isn''t a terrible idea for everyone to meet, since the odds are we''re only going to become more and more connected with each other.¡±


    Melissa nodded. ¡°That is an excellent idea. I''m a little disappointed I didn''t think of it myself. But my question had more to do with whether your new friends will be joining our reality.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so¡­¡± Tori replied a bit more hesitantly. ¡°Greg at least has no interest in coming here, I know that much. He''s not a big fan of meditation and that''s pretty much all you do to cultivate here. Andrew and Chris probably wouldn''t mind coming here, but there''s no particular draw for them to do so either, since they can''t grow their innate abilities without growing the territory, we don''t really need two extra Cultivators running around, and¡­ well, our reality isn''t that interesting? I mean, it is, but no more than any other reality, so there''s no reason why they would come here over anywhere else.¡±


    Maurice frowned. ¡°It was my understanding that the four of you were capable of being in every reality if you wanted to.¡±


    ¡°We can, but that doesn''t mean we want to.¡± Tori sighed. ¡°Every reality we''re in is sort of like a whole other life, and building a whole other life is¡­ troublesome. Even more so when you consider the fact that those lives aren''t even truly separate, since they merge back together when we''re in the territory, so despite the disconnect we still have to consider how anything we do will affect our other lives. It just isn''t worth it unless we have a legitimate reason to be in that reality, and even then it''s better to view it more like a visit.¡±


    ¡°You- wouldn''t leave us would you?¡± Calvin piped up hesitantly.


    Tori blinked at him, before giving him a small smile. ¡°No, I wouldn''t.¡± She paused. ¡°Though¡­ at a point, it wouldn''t be unreasonable to consider us leaving here.¡±


    Albert frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean this reality is¡­ problematic, in a lot of ways.¡± Tori explained. ¡°Particularly since it''s looking like it''s about to be torn apart by war, a war which I don''t think any of us really want to be a part of. Now, I''m not saying we should abandon our responsibilities here, but once we''ve made sure our people will be taken care of¡­ I don''t see any reason why we should subject ourselves to this mess when we have any other option.¡±


    ¡°Because we have a responsibility to make sure our people stay safe.¡± Albert countered. ¡°Our duty to our people doesn''t dissolve simply because we leave them in a good position.¡±


    Tori raised an eyebrow. ¡°Then when does it dissolve?¡±


    ¡°Never. That''s the point.¡± Albert sighed. ¡°As long as our house exists, its purpose will never fade. Disagree with the noble system all you want, but I refuse to leave my people unprotected.¡±


    ¡°What if the people don''t want your protection?¡± Tori retorted.


    Albert snorted. ¡°Then they wouldn''t be here! Society exists for the protection and prosperity of those who exist within it. If the people didn''t want that then they wouldn''t be a part of it!¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°Let me rephrase that. What if they no longer think you''re the best person to provide that protection?¡±


    Albert hesitated, considering the question for a moment. ¡°Then it would be my responsibility to become better. And if that fails, and they find a better leader¡­ then they would no longer be my people. But as long as they are, my duty remains.¡±


    Tori frowned then shrugged. ¡°I can agree with that. You can''t abdicate without a suitable replacement. But once we have that replacement¡­¡±


    Albert scowled. ¡°If it happens it happens, but I will not seek to unload my responsibility to my people on another. No matter how troublesome, uncomfortable, or strange that responsibility becomes.¡±


    Tori sighed, disappointed but not terribly surprised. As much as she disagreed with the noble system in general, particularly in the way it created people like AJ and Duke Duhallis, she couldn''t deny that her father was a good lord, certain views on maids aside, and as such he wouldn''t abandon his people, no matter how much easier it''d make their lives. She wasn''t even sure she wanted him to¡­ she just wanted to make it clear that it was an option, to make it clear that it was a choice to continue dealing with all this crap. Maybe it''d help him stop moping about all the crazy shit she did¡­ ¡°Fine, if that''s how you feel, I won''t mention it again. But that does bring up the option of leading our people out of this reality. Something to consider.¡±


    Melissa frowned at her. ¡°I''m not sure I understand why you''re so insistent on leaving this reality. Do you really hate it here that much?¡±


    ¡°I don''t hate it, really, I just-¡± Tori paused, picking her next words carefully. ¡°There are¡­ pressures here that- I at least feel make it difficult for me to fully express myself. The mere fact that I''m a tri-core puts my life in danger here, let alone all the other crap! I just- it''d be nice to live somewhere where my accomplishments and nature are appreciated, instead of being forced to hide all of it.¡±


    Melissa gave her a sympathetic look. ¡°Tori¡­ I know it must be hard for you, but- with everything you can do, is it really responsible for you to flee? Why not work to make this reality better, instead of running to another?¡±


    Tori scowled. ¡°Because no one here seems to agree with me on what better actually is. Everyone I talk to here takes the idea that power gives you the right to abuse the people below you for granted, seemingly unable to see that every other issue in this reality follows from that idea! If power wasn''t so abusable, then people wouldn''t have to do everything they can to keep others from gaining it!¡± This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Except power is innately abusable. It wouldn''t be power if you were unable to wield it as you wished, including to your own benefit and others detriment.¡± Maurice retorted.


    Tori sighed. ¡°Yes, but that doesn''t mean you have to just go along with it. It''s one thing to accept that power can be abused, that''s just a fact, but it''s a whole other thing to do nothing to resist that abuse! To facilitate it even! And the only recourse people seem to think is available is to gain your own power, so you can abuse the abusers! And yet you know to fear Empires, because large groups of people working together can make a difference! Why not apply that theory to resist abuse, instead of encouraging it?!?¡±


    Maurice shook his head. ¡°There have been plenty of attempts to organize ¡®resistances¡¯ but without someone with actual power to support them, they''ve all failed, eradicated by those who do have power.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°I don''t think the answer is some sort of resistance. It''s the same trap of replacing one form of power with another. What I''m talking about is accountability. Leave the people who have power their power, but organize so that abusing that power has consequences. So that instead of abandoning the unlucky ones who get targeted, you protect them¡­ or at least avenge them. And I know the powerful will still do what they will, but at least make them work for it. Make them understand that they actually are abusing people, instead of getting the idea that there''s some sort of ¡®understanding¡¯ going on.¡±


    ¡°That- would get people killed, wouldn''t it?¡± Vicky pointed out tentatively. ¡°I''m not disagreeing that things aren''t good, but¡­ shouldn''t we prioritize survival?¡±


    Tori hesitated. ¡°I- that''s a point I''m not sure on. I lean towards the side that says things will never get better if people aren''t willing to sacrifice, but I''m not the one who''d ever actually make that sacrifice, so¡­ my view isn''t exactly unbiased. But honestly, I''d just be satisfied if the idea that these abuses could be resisted got out there. From there people can make their own decisions on whether the sacrifice is worth it or not.¡±


    Vicky nodded slowly. ¡°I- think I can agree with that? I- like the idea of people being able to make decisions for themselves.¡±


    Tori grinned at her. ¡°So do I.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Albert grumbled. ¡°This whole argument has been against people doing things you don''t agree with.¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°No? What I''m saying is that certain decisions should have consequences, not that people shouldn''t make them. Or more accurately, that we''re behaving in a way that protects certain people from experiencing the consequences of their actions, and that we should stop. Unless you think that abuse doesn''t have consequences?¡±


    Albert shook his head. ¡°No, of course not, but¡­ You''re considering all this on a personal level, and I fully understand and even agree with your opinion in that regard, but we don''t have the luxury of just considering the personal. We have to consider how these consequences will affect our society. We have to consider the perpetuation of the whole before we can consider the well-being of the individual.¡±


    Tori narrowed her eyes. ¡°How does allowing people to experience the consequences of their actions hurt society? If anything it helps! Consequences help make people responsible. Without them you get people like AJ.¡± She spat distastefully.


    Albert grimaced. ¡°In certain cases, yes, but consider the guards. How is a commander supposed to enforce discipline if his subordinates quit on him whenever he even so much as raises his voice?!?¡±


    ¡°If your commander can only motivate his troops through fear and violence, then maybe he shouldn''t be a commander.¡± Tori retorted. ¡°Anyone in a command position should be able to garner enough respect that when they yell, their subordinates see it as a mark against themselves, not their commander.¡±


    ¡°In an ideal world, maybe, but practically commanders don''t always have the time to gain respect before they need to discipline their subordinates!¡± Albert countered.


    ¡°Then the respect should be garnered from the system itself!¡± Tori snapped back. ¡°If you don''t appoint shitty commanders, or at least deal with them when you do, then your people will be naturally inclined to listen to them, because there''s an innate reputation for your commanders being good.¡±


    Albert paused, searching for an answer to that. ¡°I- hm.¡± He frowned. Reputation was a powerful force. A simple look at the sects could tell you that. Using that to establish order within the ranks¡­ it could work? ¡°I''m still not convinced this would apply to all levels of society.¡± Albert finally grumbled.


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°As Greg would say, the only way to tell is to actually try it out.¡±


    *


    Dinner settled down after that, turning to more benign topics, such as Vicky''s burgeoning cultivation or Calvin''s lessons, simple day to day updates which Tori had actually been missing. It was nice to just hear how her family was doing. They spoke for a bit longer than usual, but eventually it came to an end as all things do, and Tori made her leave, heading towards a balcony she could slip off, only to pause as she noticed someone trailing her. ¡°Calvin? What''s up?¡± She asked, turning to face him.


    Calvin hesitated for a moment. ¡°Are you- I was just wondering if- Do you-¡± He cut off, sighing in frustration before leveling a serious look at her. ¡°Are you actually my sister?¡±


    Tori froze, hesitating for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh of her own. ¡°That''s a good question, and¡­ I don''t know if I have a good answer for you. Genetically I am, but given the system I''m more than capable of changing my genetics, so should that even count? And I don''t have memories of being raised with you, growing up together, developing a sibling bond¡­ any of that, so I can''t say we''re siblings in that regard either. However¡­¡± She glanced at Calvin, noting a vague sense of frustration and despondence coming over him. ¡°This situation has led me to believe that family has an element of¡­ choice to it.¡±


    Calvin blinked, looking up at her. ¡°Choice?¡±


    Tori smiled slightly. ¡°Yeah. Even if I have nothing to tie me to you, I choose to consider you my brother and to treat you as such. Whether you choose to treat me as your sister¡­ well that''s up to you. But it won''t change the fact that in my mind, you''re all family.¡±


    Calvin raised an eyebrow. ¡°Even AJ?¡±


    Tori grimaced. ¡°I- yeah, I guess I have to, don''t I?¡± She sighed. ¡°He''s still a part of the family, even if we''re not exactly proud of him at the moment.¡±


    Calvin grinned. ¡°Good. I''m not sure me and Vicky could deal with him by ourselves.¡±


    Tori snorted. ¡°Is that what this is about? Wanting a little muscle in the family?¡± She teased, flexing an arm for him.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Calvin stuck his tongue out at her, hesitating for a moment before continuing. ¡°I''m- worried. Everything that''s going on right now¡­ I''m not sure we can survive it. And I know we won''t without you¡­¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I''m not going anywhere.¡± Tori assured him.


    Calvin nodded. ¡°I know.¡± He paused. ¡°At least I know you won''t do it on purpose¡­¡± He gave her a look. ¡°I''m pretty sure you''d forget we exist if you get caught up in the right thing.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tori protested. ¡°That is an insultingly accurate judgment of my character!¡± She attempted to joke, Calvin clearly not buying it, before letting out a sigh. ¡°I''ll- try. I really will. But if I do end up getting a bit lost¡­¡± She tapped him on the nose, transferring the system to him, bringing up the message and map functions for him. ¡°Can I count on you to drag me back?¡±


    Calvin blinked, before nodding seriously. ¡°Kicking and screaming if I have to.¡±


    Tori chuckled. ¡°You''re going to have to develop some muscles of your own for that.¡±

 19 - Gathering (1)

    Territory


    ¡°So, how are things going in your reality?¡± Beth asked Tessa. The two of them were standing around with Cathryn and Li Jing while the four talked with the parental figures. Beatrice hadn''t joined them since she and Tori still weren''t fully comfortable announcing their relationship yet, so she''d decided not to take part in the gathering at all.


    ¡°Not- great, but not bad either.¡± Tessa sighed. ¡°We''re surrounded by a giant forest full of these trees that release some kind of poison and we can''t figure out why, so everyone is still stuck on the ship, which¡­ is sort of good and sort of bad? On the one hand, it''s keeping everyone in their own sections, so no one has started a crusade to eradicate the Changed yet, which is good, but on the other¡­ We need a way to get food, and the ship isn''t large enough to support agriculture. But even then, we won''t starve, we''ll just start mutating, which¡­ Well, our faction will be fine, particularly with Tori''s system. I just wish her points would let us overcome the strengthening limit¡­¡± She shook her head. ¡°How about your reality? Any breakthroughs?¡±


    Beth''s expression twisted slightly. ¡°It''s- pretty much the same as yours. Tori figured out a way for us to gather energy by meditating, which would have been helpful if something hadn''t rearranged the entire Maze! As it is, we''re pretty much in the same position we were before, only instead of hunting creatures, we''re hunting for dense pockets of energy, which are much harder to find. Particularly since Greg and Andrew can''t help without losing all their energy. I''m just hoping we can find some place for the tribes to go soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Are the Tigers helping out at all?¡± Li Jing asked.


    ¡°No, but we''re still working on helping them unlock their suppression.¡± Beth replied. ¡°They need to meditate too, but it doesn''t seem to be related to drawing in energy. According to them it''s more like taking time to slowly chip away at the suppression, and it seems like the stronger they are, the harder it is, so Elder Barry is working on finding us some weaker Tigers.¡±


    Cathryn frowned. ¡°Is it all or nothing or do they slowly gain their ability back as they reduce the suppression?¡±


    ¡°They slowly get it back, but we don''t need them to be strong, we just need them to be effective as soon as possible.¡± Beth explained. ¡°And honestly your starting level of power is more than enough to be effective in our reality.¡± She added with a sigh. ¡°Anyway, how are things going in your reality?¡±


    Cathryn shared a look with Li Jing. ¡°Fine? I''m not sure we''d even know if they weren''t¡­¡±


    Li Jing nodded. ¡°I''ve heard some rumblings about the Orcgod, but people are always rumbling about the Orcgod, so I''m not sure how much credence we should lend to it, and even if something did happen, we wouldn''t be any part of it unless something had gone very wrong.¡± She paused. ¡°At the moment our largest concern is getting Andrew to make some friends. He keeps making excuses and this territory business hasn''t exactly helped.¡±


    Tessa frowned, glancing over at where Andrew was talking with Chris, Greg, and Tori, introducing them to his parents. ¡°He seems to get along with the other three just fine?¡±


    Cathryn shook her head. ¡°It isn''t so much about him actually having friends, it''s about him being open to making them. He''s pretty much been forced into almost every relationship he has and I don''t- it just doesn''t seem healthy¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get that.¡± Beth nodded. ¡°Chris has a similar issue, though I wouldn''t really say he avoids making friends, he just- kind of ignores anything outside his immediate sphere of influence? Or something similar. The point is, he was perfectly sociable with the squad, but he barely acknowledged the existence of anyone else until we started organizing these platoon game nights. I still wouldn''t say he''s friends with them, but he''s at least friendly. Maybe you could do something similar for Andrew? Maybe start a game night?¡±


    ¡°We tried something like that.¡± Li Jing commented. ¡°We got him to join a chess club, but then his head exploded and we had to move.¡±


    Tessa blinked. ¡°His head exploded?¡±


    Cathryn rolled her eyes. ¡°Someone shot him. An- ex-friend sold him out to the Monster Hunters and got him shot in front of the whole damn school!¡± She growled.


    ¡°It''s part of the reason he''s resistant to making new friends.¡± Li Jing added.


    Beth cocked her head, getting a weird look on her face. ¡°Huh¡­ Chris got shot in the head too, and then he made friends with the assassin.¡± She glanced at Tessa. ¡°Has Greg ever been shot in the head?¡±


    Tessa shook her head. ¡°No, but that probably has more to do with a general lack of guns than anything. I know he''s been decapitated more than a few times, though.¡±


    Beth smiled slightly. ¡°There''s a joke about them having a tendency to lose their heads somewhere in all that¡­¡±


    ¡°I wish they didn''t.¡± Cathryn grumbled. ¡°Their ability to attract trouble is starting to make me paranoid.¡±


    Tessa hesitated. ¡°Has- Andrew told you about Narita''s significance theory yet?¡±


    Li Jing nodded. ¡°He has, and it explains a lot.¡±


    ¡°But that just makes the paranoia worse!¡± Cathryn groaned. ¡°I just- I miss the days when my biggest concern was getting into a good college.¡±


    Tessa nodded. ¡°Those were simpler times. Though¡­ I can''t say I''d give up anything I''ve gained through the more complicated times.¡±


    Cathryn sighed. ¡°Neither would I¡­ I just wish I could have both, you know?¡±


    Li Jing poked her. ¡°Greedy.¡±


    ¡°Who isn''t?¡± Beth shrugged. ¡°Everyone wants more. That''s just natural. All that matters is what you''re willing to do to get it. How many people you''re willing to step on along the way.¡±


    Cathryn blinked. ¡°I- Don''t want to step on anyone?¡±


    Beth smiled. ¡°Then don''t. But no one gets everything they want without stepping on someone else, so you have to ask yourself, which is more important? Your greed or your morals?¡±


    ¡°Oh-ho ho, I see someone is stealing my words again.¡± David chuckled, walking over to them, Abigail, Arose, and Ertemis wandering over with him.


    Beth flushed. ¡°I''m not stealing, I''m quoting!¡±


    ¡°It''s only quoting if you cite your sources, dear.¡± Abigail chided, smirking slightly. ¡°How are all of you getting along?¡±


    Beth sighed. ¡°We''re getting along fine, mom. How are the four of you getting along?¡±


    ¡°Swimmingly!¡± Abigail beamed. ¡°Did you know they used to be gods? How interesting is that!¡±


    ¡°Some would argue we still are gods.¡± Ertemis commented with a slight smile. ¡°But only the bores insist on it.¡±


    ¡°Wait, hold on, you''re serious?¡± Tessa asked incredulously.


    ¡°Completely.¡± Arose grinned. ¡°Which is actually why we wandered over here. Have you ever heard of Eros or Artemis?¡±


    Tessa''s eyes widened. ¡°You''re Greek gods?!?¡±


    Arose clapped, turning to David. ¡°I told you she''d recognize us!¡±


    Tessa stared at Ertemis. ¡°Did- Did you actually turn a man into a deer?¡±


    ¡°Oh, no, not at all.¡± Ertemis waved dismissively. ¡°I simply made the dogs think he was a deer. And it wasn''t because he caught me bathing, it was because he''d been stalking one of my daughters, following her to our home after catching sight of her in the woods. An odious little man, truly.¡±


    Arose cocked his head. ¡°Which daughter was that?¡±


    ¡°One of the mortal ones I had with Apollo.¡± Ertemis explained, glancing at Tessa. ¡°Who is not my brother, you should know, no matter what the myths say. Unless you would consider all the Twelve Hundred my siblings, but that line of reasoning becomes¡­ messy.¡±


    ¡°I never understood the mortals'' obsession with creating family trees for us.¡± Arose agreed. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    Tessa stared at them for a moment, taking that all in, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. ¡°I was not prepared to meet Greek gods today.¡±


    *


    As the girls were talking, Andrew, Chris, Greg, and Tori were talking with Steven, Helen, Mrs. Richardson, Mrs. Veach, Salvador, Jo, Albert, and Melissa, getting to know each other, mostly discussing childhoods and whatnot. ¡°So is having a fucked up childhood a prerequisite for all this?¡± Greg commented after Andrew finished talking about his issues.


    Chris cocked his head. ¡°How was my childhood fucked up?¡±


    Greg rolled his eyes. ¡°Dude, even forgetting the orphan crap and the fact that you''re technically royalty, you grew up with a literal death sentence hanging over your head!¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Oh, right¡­ I forgot about that part.¡±


    Greg shook his head, turning to Tori. ¡°What happened to you? Were you raised by wolves or something?¡±


    Tori frowned. ¡°No, I-¡± She cut off, glancing at Albert and Melissa, before letting out a sigh. ¡°The childhood I remember was normal. Boring, really. And from what I''ve been told, the other one wasn''t anything special either. At least until the Potion of Awakening¡­ things have been pretty weird since then.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± Albert grumbled, grunting slightly as Melissa elbowed him and shot him a look. ¡°What!?! We are literally in a different reality right now! If you can''t call that weird what can you?!?¡±


    Stephen chuckled. ¡°He has a point.¡±


    Melissa huffed. ¡°Be that as it may, we are proud of how our daughter has handled the difficulties her experiences have presented her.¡±


    Albert only hesitated for a fraction of a second before nodding in agreement. ¡°Of course we are. None of this is her fault.¡± He added, placing a hand on Tori''s shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze.


    Helen eyed the three of them warily for a moment before calming as Stephen brushed her with a sense of reassurance. Tori wasn''t giving off the sense of a scammer who''d slipped into some poor family''s good graces to take advantage of them, though given what he did sense, he got the feeling they needed to take some time to have a long, frank discussion with each other. ¡°It''s somewhat comforting to see that our realities aren''t that different.¡± Stephen commented. ¡°Beasts, Cultivators, systems, and mages aside, it''s good to see that people are still people.¡±


    ¡°Not that that''s always a good thing.¡± Mrs. Richardson sighed. ¡°It''s somewhat disappointing to see the same problems cropping up in different realities as well. Particularly in regards to, as Greg puts it, ¡®fucked up childhoods¡¯.¡±


    Chris froze, staring at Mrs. Richardson incredulously for a moment, before turning to Greg. ¡°I can''t believe you got her to swear. She never swears.¡±


    Mrs. Veach smirked as Mrs. Richardson flushed. ¡°Oh Chris, Mary swears plenty. She just doesn''t do it around children. You should hear some of the rants she has on the Trial sometime. They could make a Vanguard blush!¡±


    Helen grunted. ¡°If there''s one good thing about what''s happening in your reality it''s that that disgusting practice is being done away with. I can''t believe your people instituted it in the first place! Who could condone sentencing children to death?!?¡±


    Salvador shook his head. ¡°The situation is- was much more complex than that. Humanity had already been pushed back to the tenth level of the Maze and was continuing to lose ground as the high-tier population continued to decline. If the trend continued, humanity risked losing control of the Maze entirely, at which point the City would be doomed, and humanity along with it. The Trial was a last ditch effort to do something to secure humanity''s survival and it worked. And despite what many people think, the government never stopped looking for an alternative. But no one could change the fact that without the Trial, humanity was doomed. I''ll never argue that the Trial wasn''t a tragedy, but it can''t be denied that it was a necessary one.¡±


    Mrs. Richardson glared at him. ¡°But there are other options! The whole idea behind the Trial is that the weak die and the strong survive to pass along their genetics, correct? Then why not simply allow those who know they won''t survive to be sterilized!?! At least that way they''d still get to have a fucking life!¡±


    Salvador sighed wearily, obviously used to this argument. ¡°Because the goal isn''t just to ensure they don''t have children, it''s to ensure that the survivors do. The sterilization method would cause some of those who would have survived to choose sterilization instead, which along with partnerships between those who survive and the sterilized, would take too many viable traits out of the gene pool. Maybe if we knew exactly what traits determined the strength of an ability, that would work, but at that point the Trial itself would be superfluous.¡±


    Mrs. Richardson frowned. ¡°That- fine, but what if we developed a system that could pull them out of the Maze the moment before death?¡±


    ¡°Because we can''t determine what that moment actually is.¡± Salvador retorted. ¡°And it still leaves the problem of what to do with them afterwards, which leads to sterilization, and again, that doesn''t work. Any method that saves those who would die would require us to essentially remove them from society in some other way, and it was believed that that would only create more discontent, not less.¡±


    ¡°But-¡± Mrs. Richardson began, cutting off as she searched for some kind of retort.


    ¡°You know, we probably wouldn''t be here if not for the Trial.¡± Chris commented thoughtfully. ¡°I definitely wouldn''t have met Beth without it, and I would have had to end up in some accident or die of old age before I would have discovered my ability. Which means I never would have encountered Nero and the surface races probably wouldn''t be invading. Of course, something would eventually have happened to the other three to draw us into that¡­ Throne room? At which point I would have been very confused, and then we''d be here again¡­ hm.¡±


    Tori frowned at him. ¡°What''s your point? That things would be different if things were different?¡±


    Chris shrugged. ¡°Basically, I guess. But mostly I''m just trying to get away from this argument. Also, I like being with Beth, so the Trial can''t be all bad.¡±


    Andrew snorted. ¡°Dude, that is not how it works. Just because something bad led to something good does not make the bad thing good. Events inevitably lead to other events, whether they''re good or bad. That''s just how life works.¡±


    Chris frowned. ¡°How can you judge an event if not by its results? You can say the Trial is bad because people died, but you can also say it''s good because humanity survived, and I can say it''s good because it let me meet Beth and discover my ability. That doesn''t mean it''s all good, it''s still bad because people died, but that doesn''t negate the good either. As Salvador said at the start, it''s complicated.¡±


    Greg cocked his head. ¡°Like how if Hit-¡±


    ¡°Nope, no, nuh-uh!¡± Tori immediately cut him off. ¡°We are not going anywhere near that one!¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Greg waved dismissively, turning to Chris. ¡°But now that I''m thinking about it, you''re kinda missing the factor of intent. Sure, events can have good and bad effects, but it still matters whether or not the people who caused the event meant to do something bad or good.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but that''s just another factor, not a complete condemnation.¡± Chris countered. ¡°You can say it''s bad because people died and people did it to kill people, but that doesn''t mean you can''t acknowledge any good effects that came from it as well. And I''m not saying that having good effects means that I approve of an event, it just means that I appreciate those good effects, nothing else.¡±


    Tori raised an eyebrow. ¡°So, if a group of people set out to do an awful thing that ends up having a net positive effect, you''d say it was good?¡±


    Chris cocked his head to consider it for a moment, before shrugging. ¡°Probably? Or¡­ no, I think it''s the same trap. I don''t want to categorize it as good or bad at all. I think you simply need to say the event happened, and then note which effects were good and which were bad.¡±


    ¡°But then how do you determine if you should do something again?¡± Andrew retorted. ¡°Because ultimately that''s why we study past events, right? To determine what we should do going forward. So you need to say whether something was good or bad, so you can determine whether you should do it again! Or in the case of the Trial, whether you should keep doing it.¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°I don''t think so. I think you can still boil it down to effects. Like with the Trial, you can boil it down to the fact that it makes humanity stronger. Does that make all the death that happens because of it good? Absolutely not. But because we still need to make humanity stronger, and we have no other way to do it, then we continue the Trial, in all it''s good and bad. You know, not considering the fact that we have Tori and the system now. And other realities.¡±


    ¡°But I can still judge people for doing bad things, right?¡± Greg asked, frowning slightly.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Chris replied tentatively. ¡°Though I think the judgment should be whether or not taking action is necessary or not, not whether the person is good or not. As in what do I need to do to stop this person from hurting that person, not I need to hurt this person because they''re bad, if that makes any sense.¡±


    ¡°What if I have reason to believe that someone would persistently attempt to hurt others and I see no other way to stop that other than to permanently remove their ability to do anything?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Go for it?¡± Chris shrugged. ¡°I''m just saying good and bad aren''t great ways to judge events or people, because we try to lump them into all one category or all the other, and it just isn''t true. I''m not saying we shouldn''t stop people from doing bad things.¡± He paused. ¡°Harmful things?¡±


    Tori rolled her eyes. ¡°We should still be able to categorize actions as good or bad. As in stabbing Andrew for no reason would be objectively bad, but the event of Andrew being stabbed could have both good and bad effects.¡±


    ¡°Why am I the one getting stabbed?¡± Andrew protested.


    ¡°You''re the most stabbable?¡± Greg offered.


    ¡°How?!?¡± Andrew retorted.


    Greg shugged. ¡°I dunno. You just are.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°It''s true.¡±


    ¡°Something about your face.¡± Tori agreed.


    Andrew looked to his parents, who were rather suspiciously looking away, and let out a groan. ¡°You guys better be messing with me.¡±

 20 - Gathering (2)

    ¡°I would definitely stab Andrew first.¡± Victor confirmed.


    ¡°But why?!?¡± Andrew asked.


    Victor shrugged. ¡°Because it''d get the best reaction. Greg would just laugh it off, Tori would take it way too personally, and Chris would just stare at you like you''d told a joke he didn''t get. You''re the only one who''d have that ¡®ah, what the fuck, why did you stab me¡¯ reaction, which is really the only thing I''m looking for if I''m stabbing someone for no reason.¡±


    Chris scratched his head. ¡°I think I''d at least ask why you''d just stabbed me¡­¡±


    ¡°Kinda proving his point, man.¡± Derek rolled his eyes. ¡°But he missed the fact that you''d probably start thinking that''s how you''re supposed to say hello and just start stabbing everyone.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone.¡± Thad corrected. ¡°Just the person who stabbed him. Chris is a big believer in reciprocation, like how he and George always punch each other in the arm when they see each other.¡±


    Chris paused. ¡°Should I not?¡±


    ¡°No, it''s just what the two of you do now, so it''s fine.¡± Thad assured him. ¡°Just don''t randomly start punching anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Noted.¡± Chris agreed, giving him a thumbs up.


    ¡°So what I''m hearing-¡± Andrew interjected. ¡°-is that I''m the most stabbable because I''m the most normal?¡± He paused for a moment. ¡°I can live with that.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure Tori''s reaction is the most normal one.¡± Casey retorted. ¡°At least I know I would take being stabbed very personally.¡±


    Victor raised an eyebrow at her. ¡°And what makes you think you''re normal?¡±


    Casey narrowed her eyes at him. ¡°I will burn your eyebrows off again.¡±


    ¡°And I''ll hide all your favorite clothes again.¡± Victor retorted with a grin.


    ¡°Nooo.¡± Casey groaned. ¡°It took me a month to find them all last time! I still can''t figure out how you managed to get my favorite fluffy socks inside my pillow! There wasn''t even a zipper! I had to cut it open and sew it all back up!¡±


    Victor cocked his head at her. ¡°Do you think you''re the only one who knows how to sew?¡±


    Chris glanced at Greg. ¡°Are all the relationships in your reality this¡­ antagonistic?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ hate is an integral part of any decent friendship.¡± Greg chuckled.


    ¡°It is not!¡± Casey immediately snapped. ¡°It''s only necessary when it comes to you two idiots!¡±


    Penny eyed Chris cautiously as a thoughtful look crossed his face. ¡°Chris, no. Hate is not a part of being someone''s friend!¡±


    Chris shook his head. ¡°No, of course not, but there may be something to be said about behavior that seems like hate from the outside. For example, hiding all of someone''s favorite clothes. That takes true knowledge of a person, not just to pull off but to know how far you can go without breaking the relationship. You need to be incredibly comfortable in a relationship in order to pull something like that off. So no, I wouldn''t say hate is an integral part of a friendship, but a certain amount of apparently hateful behavior is certainly the sign of a healthy one.¡±


    Victor grinned, wrapping an arm around Casey''s shoulders. ¡°Ya hear that? We have a healthy friendship!¡±


    Casey rolled her eyes. ¡°Joy.¡±


    ¡°Watch out!¡± A shout came from down the hall, everyone turning to see a ball bounce into the room, Kate chasing after it. ¡°There''s a lamp- painting- TV!¡± She exclaimed, her voice tinged with panic as the ball barely missed the various fragile objects around the room.


    Chris sighed, opening a portal below the ball and letting it plop into his arms, where it quickly formed into a giggling little girl. ¡°Jello, are you being a nuisance?¡±


    ¡°We''re playing tag!¡± Jello replied excitedly. ¡°I''m winning!¡±


    Chris raised an eyebrow as Amy, Sarah, Calvin, and Vicky made their way into the room as well, at various speeds and levels of exhaustion. ¡°Not exactly a fair competition, is it? Seeing as the rest of them are all baseline human.¡±


    ¡°Hey! We were this close to catching her!¡± Kate protested. ¡°If someone hadn''t tripped¡­¡± She shot Calvin a look as he flushed in embarrassment.


    ¡°How about you guys play something like hide and go seek instead?¡± Tori offered. ¡°With the understanding that Jello will remain in her human form. That way physical advantages won''t matter.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Kate huffed. ¡°Come on guys, I know a great place to play! I''ll be it first!¡±


    ¡°Keep it in the territory!¡± Andrew yelled after her as they all rushed off again. He paused for a moment, before shaking his head. ¡°Damn it, now I feel old. Why do I feel old? My older sisters were playing!¡±


    ¡°Hey, no one said you couldn''t go play too.¡± Greg pointed out.


    Andrew sighed. ¡°I know. It just- it feels wrong for some reason. Like I should be past that stage of life. And that makes me feel old.¡±


    Everyone shared a few looks then Greg snorted. ¡°Fuck it, I''m not too old to play hide and seek.¡±


    ¡°Hide and seek is basically what I do.¡± Victor agreed with a chuckle.


    ¡°No cheating with your ability!¡± Casey warned him.


    Derek glanced at Chris. ¡°I''m down if you are.¡±


    Chris nodded. ¡°I''ll get Beth and the other three.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are we really doing this?¡± Andrew asked hesitantly.


    ¡°Damn right we are.¡± Tori confirmed, cracking her knuckles. ¡°Your little sister called out my brother. Now she has to go down.¡±


    *


    ¡°Are the children under the house?¡± Stephen asked tentatively, not sure if he trusted what his emotion sense was telling him, particularly not within the territory with its strange geometry.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°They are.¡± Ertemis confirmed. ¡°It appears Greg has created some sort of labyrinth down there for them to play in.¡±


    Albert frowned. ¡°They''re playing?¡±


    ¡°As they should be.¡± Helen replied sternly, giving him a serious look. ¡°Despite what they''ve been through, they are still teenagers, and they should be allowed to play as such.¡±


    Melissa smiled. ¡°I agree. Tori in particular could use a bit of¡­ unwinding.¡±


    ¡°I think they all could.¡± Mrs. Richardson sighed. ¡°They''ve all been forced to grow up so fast¡­¡±


    ¡°True¡­ unfortunately there isn''t much we can do to prevent it.¡± David commented. ¡°The things they''re dealing with¡­ there''s no one else who can take their place. They''re simply too¡­ unique. I wish I could send a platoon into the Maze to hunt for Chris and deal with these ¡®Kin¡¯ but they''ve gone so far beyond what any other force is capable of, the only thing it would accomplish is getting my people killed, or worse.¡±


    Albert sighed. ¡°We''re in a similar position. The only reason the sect has even considered us is because of Tori. Without her, we''d simply be another obstacle for them to roll over, and there''s nothing I can do to change that.¡±


    ¡°Well, thankfully Andrew hasn''t found himself dealing with anything like that yet.¡± Stephen muttered. ¡°Still, simply the pressure of being different has made it difficult for him to engage normally with others. And this territory business hasn''t made it any easier.¡±


    ¡°Which is why it''s so important that we give them opportunities like this.¡± Helen replied. ¡°Time to play and relax, to be themselves, instead of what the problems they face require them to be.¡±


    ¡°I take it you think we should do this again then?¡± Salvador commented.


    Helen nodded. ¡°I do. For many reasons, including the one I just mentioned. But the most important one is that those four need a support system, people they can trust and depend on, and if not us, then who?¡±


    ¡°I couldn''t have said it better myself.¡± Arose agreed. ¡°Though we may want to bring in a few others if that''s our goal, including Palomata and that traveler woman.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t Palomata here somewhere?¡± Jo asked. ¡°She''s at least in the territory, I know that much. Otherwise Albert and Melissa wouldn''t be able to understand us.¡±


    ¡°She is, but apparently Greg didn''t think to invite her.¡± Stephen explained. ¡°He said he thought it was only for family and close friends, and he didn''t think Palomata counted¡­ Admittedly, I''m not sure he even knew her name was Palomata, so it''s hard to argue that point.¡±


    Jo blinked. ¡°Wait, he''s her apprentice and he didn''t even know her name?!?¡±


    ¡°I''m not certain, but he didn''t respond to her name until I mentioned she was the Archmage as well.¡± Stephen replied.


    Jo looked outraged for a moment, until Salvador patted her knee. ¡°Maybe apprenticeship is different in their reality? It isn''t necessarily a close relationship like it is in ours.¡±


    Jo frowned. ¡°That''s possible¡­ but for some reason I don''t think Palomata would see it the same way.¡±


    *


    Palomata did not, in fact, see it the same way, and was quite frankly feeling a bit hurt that Greg hadn''t invited her to the gathering. She attempted to mollify her emotions by accepting that her relationship with Greg was still relatively new and admittedly they hadn''t done much to develop a true bond before the Technos assault, but even with that, she couldn''t help but feel that all the support she had offered him should have merited something. At least an acknowledgment that she could be considered for the gathering, right? But he told her about it as if it was obvious that she wouldn''t be coming! There was no attempt to hide the gathering or do anything that might spare her feelings, he simply¡­ hadn''t considered her attendance as an option. So, when Jo found her after the gathering to suggest she join the next one, she knew she needed to have a discussion with Greg.


    She caught Greg as he was returning to his room in the territory, after sending Tessa, Victor, and Casey back to their reality. ¡°Greg, can we speak for a moment?¡±


    Greg paused, cocking his head. ¡°Sure? What''s up?¡±


    ¡°Would you mind if we adjourned to a more private location?¡± Palomata asked.


    ¡°No?¡± Greg agreed tentatively, following her to one of the small meeting rooms he''d made. ¡°So¡­ is this about us not having lessons for the past week?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Palomata shook her head, before pausing as a thought occurred to her. ¡°Or maybe yes. Greg¡­ do you want to be my apprentice?¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°I- yes? I mean, why wouldn''t I? Particularly since we don''t have access to the network anymore¡­ you''re really the only option I have to grow as a mage.¡±


    Palomata frowned. ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Greg scratched his head. ¡°What else is there? I mean, that''s the point of the whole apprentice thing, isn''t it? To learn how to do magic? I mean, sure, there''s the factor of personal spells and inheritance, the responsibility of not abusing the magic you teach me, but¡­ I''m not sure what else there is to it.¡±


    Palomata blinked. ¡°Ah¡­ I believe this may be a cultural misunderstanding. In mage culture, taking someone as an apprentice is similar to taking an almost parental role in their life. In the same way your parents raise you physically, it is my responsibility to raise you magically, and it isn''t one I take lightly¡­ as you seem to.¡±


    Greg stared at her blankly for a moment, a bit lost. Palomata considered herself as some sort of parental figure for him? That- actually made sense, now that he was thinking about it¡­ she was really invested in his education. In the same way that he felt he''d be able to bring any life issues to Uncle Jonathan, he felt he could bring any magic issues to the Archmage. There was just one problem¡­ he still couldn''t trust her completely. ¡°Alright, I think I get what you''re saying.¡± Greg sighed. ¡°But- I need you to answer one question for me.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Palomata asked as Greg hesitated.


    Greg grimaced, not sure if this was exactly the right time to ask this question, but it was at least better than earlier, when the ship was still fully powered. ¡°I just need to know¡­ why- ugh, why did you kill all the non-mages?¡± He finally spat the question out, fixing her with a serious look.


    Palomata froze. ¡°You- how do you know about that?!?¡±


    ¡°Pfff.¡± Greg waved dismissively. ¡°Smoke man, remember? I didn''t register as a mage when you picked everyone up, so I got sent to the other place, whatever execution room you put them all in. Thankfully I had some smoke with Tessa and a few others, so I wasn''t stuck in there, but I still got to watch everyone die. So why?¡±


    Palomata sighed. ¡°Because they were monsters. Or at least they would be.¡±


    Greg blinked. ¡°Eh?¡±


    Palomata¡¯s expression twisted. ¡°When mages absorb mana naturally, they filter it, only using what matches their own nature and ignoring the rest. However, non-mages lack this filter. They take all the mana around them in, the good and the bad, and it warps them, driving them insane. Let me emphasize. It drives them insane. It doesn''t make them any less intelligent. If anything, they become smarter, insidiously so. Worse, this lack of a filter is the only difference between a mage and a non-mage, so they still have access to mana. They can use magic and grow stronger, just like anyone else. They are the primary reason every species fails to survive awakening without intervention, with very few exceptions. And that is why we killed them.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Greg grunted. ¡°Okay, cool, thanks. I figured it''d be something like that.¡±


    Palomata blinked. ¡°You- what?¡±


    Greg shrugged. ¡°None of you really strike me as mass murdering psychopaths, so I figured you had to have some reason to do it. I was kinda worried it had something to do with racism, some kind of mage superiority complex or something, but you''d think something like that would filter up to archmages as the ¡®superior¡¯ mages, and I really didn''t see any evidence of that. Sure, people respect you, but they don''t seem like they''re oppressed by you. So yeah, this makes sense. Plus, I met one of the ferals out during the day back on Earth¡­ that dude was definitely insane.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Palomata muttered. ¡°I''m glad you''re satisfied then.¡±


    Greg nodded. ¡°Me too. Though, I''m going to have to warn you, it may take me a bit to get used to treating this whole ¡®magical parent¡¯ thing seriously¡­ I appreciate the idea, I''m just not sure I really have the feel for it.¡± He paused. ¡°I guess I''m just not sure what something like this is supposed to look like? Beyond, you know, learning magic.¡±


    Palomata considered it for a moment, looking back on her own apprenticeship. ¡°I think I would be satisfied if you simply acknowledged the significance of it. I don''t appreciate my efforts being taken lightly.¡±


    Greg hesitated for a moment, before letting out a sigh. ¡°I''ll see what I can do.¡±

 Update

    I hate to be doing this (again), but after a recent review, I''ve been forced to admit that the story isn''t progressing the way I want it to. I think the territory was a step in the right direction, but the way I did it forced the focus away from the Four and onto how the territory was affecting all the different realities, and that isn''t what I want the story to be about. I want it to be about the Four and their path to power, not about Multiversal politics, but I can''t find a way to rationally avoid the politics with the way I did the territory. It also kept the inherent issue of splitting the focus of the story between multiple realities, which I was hoping to fix as the territory grew, but politics kept getting in the way.


    Unfortunately, I think this has also revealed another issue, a more personal one. I hate to say it, but I don''t think I''m cut out for this serial upload style of writing, or at least I''m not capable of keeping it up when dealing with a story this complicated. I knew I was struggling to make the territory idea work, but because I was so focused on getting the next chapter out, I ignored it and just kept pushing myself deeper and deeper into the hole, trying to make the best of a poor decision. Additionally, I''ve gotten kind of burnt out on this story, which only adds to the struggle. But before you panic, let me make it clear, I AM NOT DONE WRITING THIS STORY.


    Path to the Apocalypse will continue, but there will be two main changes going forward. First, I''m going to break away from regular uploads and only upload chapters when I''ve completed a book, more like a traditional author. So, there will be longer gaps between uploads, but when they do come, it will be in a similar rapid release style as when I uploaded the first four books. This will keep my focus more on getting the story right, instead of on making sure I always have a chapter ready to go. The second change is that I''m not going to make Path to the Apocalypse my only focus anymore. I''m going to spend some time working on some other less¡­ ambitious projects, for a couple reasons. One, it gives my brain time to refresh so I can come back to Path full of energy and new ideas, and two¡­ well, the fact is Path has somewhat of a niche draw, and as much as I love it, it hasn''t exactly drawn the amount of attention I need it to if I want to keep doing this like I have. I''ve been blessed with a family that is willing to support me while I try to make my dreams of becoming a (profitable) author a reality, but that will only last so long and eventually I need something to show for it. Sinking all my time into a project that isn''t making the impact I''d like it to just isn''t realistic at this point. Not only will these new projects have a better chance to be profitable since they''ll have a more mainstream draw, but they might even draw more attention to Path, helping me keep it going. Of course, these new projects won''t be a complete departure from Path. We are dealing with a Multiverse here and there are solid odds that the systems and possibly even characters from these projects will end up interacting with the Four at some point. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Still, as much as I have my reasons, I know this is going to be disappointing for a lot of you, especially those of you who followed me from SLH, which is most of you, since despite Path''s growth my unique follower count has barely wiggled, so honestly, thank you for your dedication and support. I hope you''ll stick with me through all this, but I understand if you''re losing faith in me. Just know that I truly am trying to deliver you the best story I possibly can. I don''t think I''m capable of doing anything less.


    For those of you who are subscribed to my Patreon (or want to subscribe to my Patreon) I will still be doing semi-regular uploads there, uploading four chapter chunks whenever I finish them, though they may come down sometimes since rewriting is apparently something I need to do every now and then. I''m also going to be taking a poll for which side project I should work on once I''ve finished writing the first chapter of each so you can get a feel for the story. It should go up sometime in the next week or so, and I''ll make both the poll and chapters public so that those who don''t want to subscribe can chime in as well.


    Again, thank you for all your support and I hope you''ll join me as I continue my journey as an author.

 Poll is Live

    True Pact


    A young girl dressed in primitive leathers, looking no older than twelve, panted as she scrambled through a dark forest, small cuts covering her arms and legs from pushing through the dense foliage. A soft whimper escaped her lips as she slipped and stumbled against the rough bark of one of the gnarled trees, too exhausted to even cry out in pain. The girl lay there for a moment, a tear dripping down her cheek as the weight of everything that had happened today pressed down on her. The terror of the raiders¡¯ attack, the frantic escape with her parents, the horror of the ambush, and the guilt as she fled into the depths of the forest alone, her parents doing everything they could to delay their attackers. A part of her simply wanted to stay there and wait for some beast to come along and end it all for her, but the memory of her parents'' sacrifice forced her to her feet, as it had many times over her long flight, urging her to continue on, to not let their sacrifice be in vain.


    The girl didn''t notice the faint shimmer that appeared in her path, but she did notice when the forest around her seemed to change in an instant, the old giants of the deep forest replaced by trees barely wider than an adult man. She stumbled as her path was suddenly clear of the dense foliage that had made every step a trial, whirling around in a panic only to trip and fall over her own feet, collapsing in a heap. The last thing she saw was a faint glint of light through a fading shimmer as exhaustion finally took her.


    *


    Ben checked his phone for the time. ¡°Shit, I gotta stop staying up so late.¡± He groaned, rubbing his eyes as he saved the game and turned off his computer. ¡°I''m going to turn nocturnal at this rate.¡± At least it was summer, so it wasn''t like he had anything waking him up early tomorrow, but with college on the horizon, he was going to have to get better at self-regulating, or get used to sleeping through classes. He began to make his way towards his room, only to pause and scowl as he heard the familiar whine and scratch of a dog with an empty food bowl. ¡°Damn it, Alex!¡± He groaned. He was supposed to have filled the dogs¡¯ food hours ago! Now Ben had to go grab a new bag from the shed in the middle of the fucking night! Ben eyed the four mutts, wondering if he could get away with putting it off until morning, until his inherent resistance to do anything that could even vaguely be defined as ¡®work¡¯ finally broke under their plaintive whines. ¡°You''re lucky the other three are here, Roscoe.¡± Ben sighed as he gave the fat Mastiff mix a head rub. ¡°You could afford to skip a meal or two.¡±


    Ben flicked on the backyard lights and made his way to the shed, followed by the small pack of dogs. He carefully watched the ground, doing his best to avoid stepping in any piles as he walked, the dim illumination of the string lights not doing as much as he would have liked to make the path clear. His family had a large backyard, with plenty of room for the dogs to run around, yet they still insisted on crapping right by the damn house! Thankfully, through skill or luck, Ben''s shoes remained mercifully clean as he made it to the shed, quickly slipping inside and throwing the fifty pound bag of dog food over his shoulder before heading back to the house. He dumped the whole bag in the giant bucket his family used to feed the dogs, Roscoe immediately digging in, only to frown as he noticed the other three were missing and a chorus of barking was echoing outside. He debated just ignoring it, but after living the vast majority of his life next to the woods with dogs, he''d learned not to ignore it when they went wild like this, particularly not when they were ignoring food for it. It usually meant he had to save some small animal or something, but every now and then it meant someone had to run and grab a gun to scare off a bear or a moose before it tore through the fence to get at the yapping canines.


    ¡°It better not be a skunk again.¡± He grumbled as he stomped back outside, making his way to where the dogs were barking¡­ and whining, he noticed now that he was closer. ¡°Shit.¡± Ben cursed as he picked up the pace. Whining was a bad sign. However, when he finally got there, it looked like the dogs were barking at nothing as they jumped against the fence, seeming almost desperate to get through it. Ben frowned as he examined the forest, looking for whatever was driving the dogs crazy, when out of the corner of his eye he caught a faint movement, just a small shift as something seemed to slightly reposition itself. He narrowed his eyes at the source of the movement, pulling the flashlight he''d learned to always keep on hand for situations just like this, only for his eyes to snap wide as he saw the crumpled form of a little girl lying in the middle of the woods.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Ben cursed again, rushing for the back gate, not even bothering to shut it behind him as the dogs ran out after him, shooting ahead to get to the girl. Ben arrived to find all three dogs crowding the girl, licking her face and arms as she made uncomfortable groaning sounds. ¡°Back!¡± Ben quickly snapped, the dogs quickly retreating as he slid to the girl''s side, examining her for wounds or broken bones, breathing a sigh of relief as he only found what looked like light scrapes from running through a pricker bush. He was just about to pick her up, jostling her a little as he got his arms under her, when the girl''s eyes blinked open and she screamed, scrambling away from him. ¡°Wait, no, you''re safe!¡± He quickly assured her, grabbing her wrist before she could bolt. ¡°It''s safe! I promise!¡±


    The girl froze, staring at him wide-eyed for a moment. [Wh-what?]


    Ben blinked. ¡°What?¡± That- hadn''t sounded like English. Or Spanish. Or French. It might be some kind of Native American language? She was wearing what looked like ancient leather clothes¡­ And her skin was a bit darker? Maybe? It was hard to tell without a good light and his flashlight tended to wash everything out. Was she from some nearby tribe? ¡°Uh, do you know English? Habla Ingl¨¦s?¡± He asked tentatively, not entirely comfortable ruling out Spanish either. Or French, but he didn''t know how to ask about English in French. Why his school had insisted on teaching them Spanish over French when Quebec was practically right over the border, he had no idea, but he wasn''t exactly a part of those decisions. Besides, it wasn''t like he''d actually learned Spanish¡­ he''d just gotten enough to pass the tests, and then immediately forgotten most of it. Ah, the wonders of the American educational system.


    The girl stared at him blankly for a moment. [Why- why are you speaking gibberish?] She asked, as if she couldn''t even fathom the idea of someone speaking a language she couldn''t understand.


    Ben sighed. ¡°I''m going to take that as a no then. Shit¡­¡± How the hell was he supposed to help someone who was clearly terrified and couldn''t even understand him?!? Well, she seemed more confused than terrified at the moment, but he had a feeling that wouldn''t last very long. ¡°Okay, uh¡­ food? Water? Inside.¡± Ben mimed eating and drinking for her, before pointing back at the house. ¡°Good?¡± He asked, giving her a tentative thumbs up.


    The entire process just left the girl feeling even more confused. She got that he was trying to tell her that there was food and water in the structure he pointed at, but why were the words coming out of his mouth still unintelligible?!? It didn''t make any sense! Unless¡­ the girl''s eyes widened as she remembered a story she''d heard from one of her tribe''s mercenaries. It seemed ridiculous, but¡­ she remembered how the forest had changed. It was- possible? She eyed Ben cautiously. If he wasn''t¡­ her eyes drifted to the hand still holding her wrist, considering something abhorrent. She tensed, her lips parting slightly¡­ and then she slumped, tears filling her eyes. She couldn''t! Even if it cost her her life, she couldn''t disgrace her parents memory by resorting to that! Maybe if Ben was willing, but they couldn''t even communicate!


    Ben frowned as he watched the various emotions play across the girl''s face before she slumped and started crying. ¡°Uh¡­ not good then?¡± He asked tentatively, turning his thumb upside-down, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Look, I can''t just leave you out here. You need- something, alright? So can you just-¡± He gave her hand a little tug, and she flinched slightly, before blinking up at him. Then, seeming to come to a decision, she carefully climbed to her feet and took a step towards the house, before stumbling again. Ben quickly caught her, picking her up. ¡°I got you, don''t worry.¡± He assured her with a smile, carrying her back to the house, the dogs following excitedly, not noticing as she eyed his neck almost regretfully.


    Once Ben got her inside, he got her set up with a microwave meal and some water at the kitchen table, sitting down next to her and watching her eat as he wondered just what the hell he was going to do about her. Honestly, he should probably just call the cops, because a little girl lost in the woods definitely meant something had gone wrong, but¡­ it was late, and if the cops showed up he definitely wasn''t getting to bed any time soon. And it wasn''t like it needed to happen right away, right? The girl was safe and fed now. He could just let her sleep in the guest room and call the cops in the morning, right? That was reasonable, wasn''t it?


    Ben was still debating with himself when the girl tapped on his arm and pointed at the fridge. ¡°Hm? You want more food? Water?¡± He asked, doing the appropriate pantomimes. The girl shook her head and pointed more insistently. Ben looked between the fridge and the girl, not getting what she was trying to say. ¡°I don''t-¡± He began, shaking his head, only to cut off as the girl got up and tried to walk over to the fridge, swaying unsteadily. ¡°Whoa!¡± Ben protested, jumping up to stabilize her. ¡°What are you-¡± She pushed forward another few steps to jab her finger at the white board his family kept on the fridge, which currently sported a cute drawing of a family of frogs, probably done by his sister Erica, with a few crudely drawn arrows and swords sticking out of them, almost definitely courtesy of his brother Dominic. ¡°You want the white board?¡± Ben asked, giving her a weird look as he pulled it off the fridge and waved it at her. She nodded excitedly, grabbing it out of his hands and starting to swipe at it with her finger, only to frown and look up at him in frustration, demanding¡­ something. Ben sighed, shaking his head. ¡°I''m sorry, I don''t know what you want here. You want the picture? You want to- draw! You want to draw!¡± He exclaimed, smacking his forehead. She was trying to break the communication barrier! Why hadn''t he thought of that? He quickly grabbed the markers off the top of the fridge, taking the white board and helping her back to the table before setting it down in front of her. He wiped the board clean then handed her a marker. ¡°Okay, go.¡± He insisted eagerly, looking at her expectantly.


    The girl looked between him and marker skeptically, before letting out a weary sigh and getting to work. First she drew a small picture of a girl, pointing at it then herself before enunciating clearly. ¡°Vivian.¡±


    ¡°Vivian, got it.¡± Ben nodded in understanding. The girl, Vivian, smiled, then drew a picture of a man and pointed at him. ¡°Ben.¡± He provided.


    ¡°Ben.¡± Vivian nodded, before getting back to her drawing as Ben watched curiously, wondering what she was so desperate to say. Her next drawing was of a¡­ mouth? Ben cocked his head in confusion as she pointed at the mouth and chomped at the air, before staring at him expectantly.


    ¡°Uh¡­ eat?¡± Ben asked tentatively, doing his own bite and pointing at the food. Vivian shook her head and chomped at the air again, then at her arm, and then at the marker. ¡°Bite?¡± Ben asked, even more confused as he gave his finger a slight nibble to confirm.


    Vivian nodded excitedly. ¡°Bite!¡± She then pointed back at the whiteboard. ¡°Vivian. Bite. Ben!¡± She explained, pointing at each picture as she did.


    Ben stared at her incredulously for a moment. ¡°You want to bite me? That can''t be right¡­¡± He muttered, convinced he''d misunderstood, but Vivian was already back to drawing, this time creating what looked like a line of people walking in a row, before pointing insistently at the first one, looking up at him expectantly once again. ¡°Uh¡­ first?¡± Ben asked, holding up a finger.


    Vivian frowned. ¡°Vivian first Ben?¡± She asked tentatively, as if wondering if that made sense.


    ¡°No?¡± Ben shook his head, staring down at the picture, wondering what she could be saying. It was a line of people, and she was pointing at¡­ ¡°The leader? Lead?¡± Ben offered, not having a good pantomime for that one.


    ¡°Vivian lead Ben?¡± Vivian asked again to clarify.


    Ben nodded hesitantly. ¡°I guess that could work?¡± Vivian eyed him cautiously, before tapping at the people behind the first one. ¡°If that one is lead¡­ then follow?¡± Ben muttered. ¡°Follow.¡± He repeated when she still looked confused.


    ¡°Ben follow Vivian?¡± Vivian asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Ben sighed, giving her a nod as he sat back in his chair, still not sure what she was trying to say. Did she want him to go somewhere with her? After biting him?


    ¡°Vivian bite Ben. Vivian lead Ben. Ben follow Vivian.¡± Vivian repeated the three sentences she''d worked out as she stared at the whiteboard, considering her next drawing before settling at a drawing of an arm flexing, tapping at it as she flexed her own arm and looked at Ben.


    ¡°Strong?¡± Ben offered, flexing his own arm and then lifting a salt shaker, first acting like he was struggling, then lifting it easily and flexing again. ¡°Strong?¡±


    Vivian giggled. ¡°Strong! Vivian bite Ben. Ben-¡± She hesitated for a moment before making an arcing gesture. ¡°-strong.¡± She frowned for a moment then pointed at Ben and shook her head. ¡°Strong. Vivian bite Ben.¡± She nodded her head as she pointed at him again. ¡°Strong.¡±


    Ben raised an eyebrow as he grabbed the salt shaker again. ¡°I''m not strong.¡± He began, acting like he was struggling. ¡°But Vivian bite Ben, I''ll become strong?¡± He asked hesitantly, lifting the salt shaker easily and flexing.


    Vivian nodded excitedly, then paused. ¡°Ben follow Vivian.¡± She stated seriously.


    Ben rubbed his temple, trying to put it all together. ¡°Okay, you bite me, you lead, I follow, and¡­ I get strong?¡± He looked up at her as she watched him nervously, and maybe a little expectantly. ¡°I''m not getting why the bite is there.¡± He sighed. ¡°Do you want to take me somewhere where I need to be strong? To¡­ the people who hurt you?¡± He asked, more talking to himself than her since she obviously wouldn''t understand any of it. ¡°That''s not going to happen.¡± He shook his head. ¡°That''s a job for the police, not some eighteen year old kid.¡±


    Vivian bit her lip. ¡°Vivian bite Ben.¡± She nodded, pointing down. ¡°Vivian bite Ben.¡± She repeated, this time shaking her head and pointing toward the door.


    Ben blinked. ¡°If you don''t get to bite me you''re going to leave? That doesn''t make any sense!¡± He exclaimed, frustrated.


    ¡°Vivian bite Ben!¡± Vivian insisted.


    ¡°Ben bite Vivian!¡± Ben snapped back with an instinct bred from growing up with bratty younger siblings, only to freeze as a horrified look came over Vivian and she scrambled out of her chair, hitting the ground and trying to crawl away, babbling in an incoherent panic. ¡°Whoa, hey, okay, no bite, no bite!¡± Ben quickly assured her. ¡°Damn, what the hell is up with you and biting?¡± He grumbled as she calmed down, helping her back into the chair as she eyed him cautiously, then guiltily.


    Vivian hesitated for a moment, before tapping the whiteboard again. ¡°Ben- Ben bite Vivian. Vivian follow Ben.¡± She explained, giving him a nervous look.


    Ben paused as something clicked. She didn''t mean follow physically, she meant it more like¡­ serve? She thought that if someone bit another person, they''d have to follow them? But in exchange, it''d make them strong? Ben chuckled. Of course! The girl was just scared and she''d made up some way she could actually trust him! If he had to follow her after she bit him, then of course she''d be safe! And it''d also make him stronger so he could protect her! He almost agreed on the spot, but¡­ well, he didn''t really know what she''d been through, and he wasn''t sure he wanted to know if this was the kind of stuff she was making up, but it didn''t exactly seem smart to feed into this kind of thing. It wasn''t exactly healthy to only feel comfortable around people you controlled, after all. Of course, it didn''t really matter and agreeing would let him just get to bed, but¡­ he had an idea to try first.


    Ben leaned over the table, tapping the whiteboard. ¡°Vivian bite Ben.¡± Vivian perked up. ¡°Ben bite Vivian.¡± He continued and Vivian frowned. ¡°Vivian lead. Ben lead. Vivian follow. Ben follow. Vivian strong. Ben strong.¡± Ben went on, hoping he was getting his message across. He held up his hands. ¡°Ben.¡± He waved his right hand. ¡°Vivian.¡± He waved his left hand. ¡°Vivian bite.¡± He put his left hand over his right. ¡°Ben bite.¡± He put his right hand over his left. ¡°Ben Vivian bite.¡± He intertwined his fingers, giving Vivian a smile. ¡°Equal. Good?¡±


    Vivian stared at him in shock. Was that possible? How would he even know? Did he know? Or was he just guessing? Vivian hesitated. Should she risk it? Could she afford not to? She''d said she''d leave if she couldn''t bite him, but she knew that doing so would mean her death more likely than not. And this¡­ this at least gave her a chance. She firmed her resolve and nodded at Ben. ¡°Ben Vivian bite.¡± She stated firmly, holding out her arm for him.


    Ben resisted the urge to roll his eyes, then frowned. Did this mean he was actually going to have to bite a little girl? And be bitten by a little girl? Maybe this wasn''t that good an idea¡­ especially if he had to explain it to the cops in the morning. He hesitated for a moment, then sighed, deciding that the most important thing was that Vivian felt comfortable for now. Besides, it wasn''t like he was going to bite her hard. The two grabbed each other''s arms and got their teeth around each other''s wrists, Vivian waiting nervously while Ben was starting to regret not asking her to wash her hands first, mostly to distract himself from how awkward this all felt. Damn, he really should have just called the cops, shouldn''t he? He suppressed another sigh as he raised three fingers and began tapping them down on Vivian¡¯s arm. Three. Two. One. Ben tightened his jaw slightly for a light bite, then clenched it in pain as Vivian''s teeth dug into his arm, piercing the skin and definitely drawing blood, causing his own to do the same!


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Ben cursed, as he released Vivian''s arm, pulling his own away from her to clutch at the bloody wound, only to freeze as it began to heal before his eyes and words flowed across his vision.


    Pact initiated.


    Subversion initiated.


    Contesting¡­ no contest found.


    Dissolving Pact.


    Initiating True Pact.


    And that''s the last thing Ben saw before he passed out, his body burning.


    The Reaper''s Cards


    Aaron watched in satisfaction as the authorities dragged Leo Hobbs out of his house and shoved him into the back of a heavily reinforced vehicle, turning to Trixie as she ran up to him with a panicked look in her eyes. ¡°Aaron, they''re taking my dad!¡± She exclaimed.


    ¡°I know, you''re welcome.¡± Aaron replied with a satisfied, almost smug grin. ¡°Don''t worry, I made sure they had enough evidence to put him away for a long time. They might even execute him, if we''re lucky.¡±


    Trixie froze, a horrified look coming over her. ¡°You- you did this?!?¡±


    Aaron nodded. ¡°Of course. He was hurting you, Trixie. I couldn''t just ignore that. He was a monster.¡±


    Pain erupted from Aaron¡¯s face as Trixie punched him! ¡°He was my dad!¡± She roared, hitting him again. ¡°My dad!¡± She repeated, kicking him as he curled up on the ground. ¡°My DAD!¡±


    Aaron jolted awake, phantom pains still ravaging his body as he let out a groan, rolling over to bury his face in his pillow, eight years clearly not enough to ease the complicated ball of emotions he still felt whenever he remembered what had happened that day. It took him a few moments to pull himself back together, taking a quick look at Trixie''s card to make sure that yes, she was happy, healthy, and most importantly, safe, even if she did hate him for it. She was too far away for him to get much more than that out of it, but it was enough.


    ¡°I''m a fucking mess.¡± Aaron grumbled to himself as he rolled out of bed to get ready for the day. It was still a bit early, but he knew from experience that any attempt at sleep would just see him replaying the scene of Trixie punching him in the face over and over again, and he was sick of perseverating on that moment. There was no way to convince Trixie that losing her dad was actually good for her. He should have just said nothing, let her think the authorities had figured it out on their own. But no, he just had to want credit. ¡°Complete and utter dumpster fire.¡±


    Aaron performed his morning ablutions in a mechanical daze, absently flipping through his cards. No obvious signs of emotional distress, no one lying in a ditch, no signs of abuse¡­ Aaron let out a relieved sigh and brought up his phone''s card, playing some music while he finished his morning routine. He could have just used his actual phone, but the card''s music only played in his mind and it was early enough that his siblings would still be sleeping, so why risk it? He was just listening to downloaded music anyway, so it wasn''t like there was a difference.


    He exited the bathroom to find his sister Isabella waiting for her turn. ¡°Another nightmare?¡± She asked, a hint of concern in her tone.


    Aaron shook his head. This was the problem with living in a house full of analysts. They always found a way to dig into the things you''d rather not talk about. Not that he was one to talk. ¡°I''m fine, just the usual.¡±


    Isabella sighed. ¡°You really need to talk to her, Aaron. Send her a message on Commune or something. Try to actually resolve the issue instead of just ignoring it.¡±


    Aaron rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, sure, let me go and dredge up what had to be the absolute worst experience of her life just because I have a nightmare every now and then.¡±


    ¡°Hey, maybe she''s dealing with her own issues around it.¡± Isabella retorted. ¡°It could help both of you!¡±


    ¡°She''s fine, and I''m not going to risk ruining that over a bad night''s sleep!¡± Aaron snapped.


    Isabella glared at him for a moment. ¡°If it affects your combat exam-¡± She growled.


    Aaron rolled his eyes. ¡°Then I''ll just retake it later. It isn''t like it''s an exam you can actually fail. Besides, I may not have a combat ability, but-¡± He flexed a well muscled arm for her. ¡°-I do have my own advantages.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know¡­ you did get your ass kicked by a little girl.¡± Isabella retorted with a smirk.


    Aaron scowled. ¡°Are you trying to help me or hurt me? Pick a side!¡±


    ¡°?Por qu¨¦ no los dos?¡± Isabella snickered, ducking into the bathroom before Aaron could retort.


    Aaron huffed, a grin tugging at his lips as he headed back to his room. It was nice having a little sister who cared about him, even if she was a brat about it. He finished getting dressed then headed downstairs. ¡°Hey Mom, hey Dad.¡± He greeted his parents as he grabbed himself some cereal.


    They both shot him concerned looks, knowing what it meant for him to be up this early just as well as Isabella. Thankfully they didn''t see the need to repeat old arguments. ¡°Are you excited for your advancement?¡± His mother asked as he sat down with his bowl.


    Aaron sighed. ¡°Yeah, mostly.¡±


    His dad raised an eyebrow. ¡°Mostly?¡±


    Aaron hesitated. ¡°It''s just- you guys know what my ability is like. Will the advancement really make things better?¡±


    ¡°Aaron, your ability is what you make of it.¡± His dad replied. ¡°It''s a tool, not a compulsion. And advancing to soldier tier will only refine that tool, I promise.¡±


    Aaron grunted noncommittally. It wasn''t like he hadn''t heard it before, but no matter what his dad said, he still felt like he was controlled by his ability. Who could know about all the problems the people around them were going through and not do something about it? Aaron didn''t think he was a saint, but the idea of leaving someone in a bad situation just rubbed him wrong. His issue with Trixie wasn''t that he''d helped her, it was that he''d made sure she knew about it. But at least it taught him that the best way to help someone is to do it in a way that they never suspected you knew they were in trouble in the first place. After all, you can''t punch a coincidence in the face. Aaron¡¯s hope was that his ability advancement would help him be even more circumspect when helping people, but what if it went in the other direction? What if it just made him aware of even more people who needed help? He wasn''t sure he''d be able to handle it, and if he had a choice, he''d probably avoid it all together. Unfortunately, the combat exam was mandatory for graduation, so he either advanced or he''d spend the rest of his life unable to get a job, at least not a legal one.


    Isabella and Aaron¡¯s other two younger siblings, Hector and Maria, trickled down over the next half hour to get their own breakfast, and once they were finished the four of them left for school, Isabella and Aaron dropping the other two off at the bus stop before walking the quarter mile or so to their high school. ¡°So, do you have any last minute missions for me?¡± Isabella asked as they walked, giving him an expectant look.


    Aaron shook his head. ¡°No, it looks like everything is fine. Probably because everyone is too focused on the combat exam to get in trouble.¡±


    Isabella clicked her tongue in disappointment. ¡°Boring.¡±


    Aaron glanced at her. ¡°You know we do this to help people, not because it''s fun or exciting.¡±


    Isabella waved her hand dismissively. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know, but that doesn''t change the fact that it is fun and exciting. We''re like secret agents! Sneaking around leaving hidden messages, resolving conflicts, starting conflicts, making sure people end up in the right place at the right time¡­¡± She let out a wistful sigh as Aaron just shook his head, knowing it wasn''t something she''d ever be able to do without Aaron. Her ability picked up information actively, when she could physically lay eyes on someone, but Aaron¡­ he picked up information passively, just by being around people! And the more time he spent around a person, the longer his range would get, to the point where he could still pick up minor bits of information on a girl who lived halfway across the city! Of course, her idiot of a brother saw his ability as a burden that forced him to run around helping people, despite the fact that he could absolutely just ignore it if he didn''t want to deal with it, but then he wouldn''t be her stupidly responsible older brother if he did, now would he? The least she could do was try to help him see the fun in it all, not that he ever did¡­ He really needed to talk to Trixie and get over his stupid trauma.


    The two of them split up once they hit the campus, Isabella waving goodbye as she headed towards her first class while Aaron headed towards a line of buses where the seniors were gathering, getting ready to make the trip to the local arena for the combat exam, the last hurdle they had to pass before graduation. Aaron curved his path slightly, moving a bit erratically until he ended up behind a certain classmate. ¡°Reggie.¡±


    ¡°F-!¡± Reggie bit back a curse as he jumped, turning to scowl at Aaron. ¡°Why do you have to do that every time!?!¡±


    ¡°Because you have this reaction, every time.¡± Aaron replied with a smirk. ¡°How can the school''s top combatant be scared of little old me?¡± If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Reggie rolled his eyes. ¡°Dude, you''re six four. It''s like being snuck up on by a bear!¡±


    ¡°You could fight a bear!¡± Aaron retorted.


    ¡°I would prefer to fight the bear!¡± Reggie countered. ¡°Instead I have to deal with my dumbass friend taking advantage of my finely tuned combat reflexes!¡±


    Aaron snorted. ¡°They can''t be that finely tuned if I can sneak up on you.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you, and your stupid ability.¡± Reggie grumbled.


    Aaron chuckled at the sentiment, and the reminder that his ability wasn''t all bad. Sure, his overactive sense of responsibility forced him to use it to run around helping people, but it also let him pull some amazing pranks over the years. As a location he attended regularly, the school was basically an open book to him, allowing him to sneak in and pull any amount of shenanigans he liked. His favorite was the time he''d snuck into Coach Roark''s office hidden forty-four small origami cranes, labeled one through fifty. It wasn''t exactly his most original prank, but the man had gotten so angry, practically starting an inquisition to look for the culprit and bothering the entire school enough that other people started finding ways to sneak into his office and hide little origami cranes with random numbers on them. There were even other teachers that participated! Then people started ¡°craning¡± other people, until it was practically a school tradition to fill a room or locker with oddly numbered origami cranes at some point.


    Aaron shook his head, refocusing on the present. ¡°So, any plans for the summer?¡±


    ¡°Just the usual.¡± Reggie shrugged. ¡°Studying, training, and hanging out with friends whenever I can find the time. Speaking of, me and a few of the guys are putting together a party tonight. You down?¡±


    ¡°Depends. Is this a games and hang party, or a drinking and dancing party?¡± Aaron asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Eh, little column B, little column A?¡± Reggie wiggled his hand. ¡°Look, you know I wouldn''t invite you if I didn''t think you''d have a good time.¡±


    ¡°I know, but you''re notoriously bad at judging whether or not I''ll enjoy something.¡± Aaron rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I''m getting better!¡± Reggie retorted.


    Aaron sighed. ¡°I''ll think about it.¡±


    Reggie chuckled. ¡°It''s at Oliver''s house. Starts at five, but you should be a little late.¡±


    Aaron grunted noncommittally before changing the subject. ¡°So you''re still aiming for the Army?¡±


    Reggie snorted. ¡°Duh. What else would I do?¡±


    ¡°You could join the Guild.¡± Aaron suggested. ¡°You''d make more money that way.¡±


    Reggie rolled his eyes. ¡°Yeah, and end up spending half of it on shit the Army will give me for free. Guildies are just glory hogs that strut around like they''re hot shit while the Army does all the real work.¡±


    ¡°The Guild performs an important function by taking care of the lower threat monsters and dungeons that the Army doesn''t have the manpower to handle.¡± Aaron retorted.


    ¡°Well maybe they''d have the manpower to handle it if the Guild wasn''t stealing all their members.¡± Reggie countered.


    Aaron shook his head. ¡°Not everyone is cut out for military life. The Guild provides a good middle ground for the people who can fight, but don''t want to deal with strict military discipline.¡±


    Reggie snorted. ¡°In other words, cowards and criminals.¡±


    Aaron shrugged. ¡°Sure, but at least the Guild directs them towards something useful. Would you rather they used their abilities to cause problems in the city?¡±


    ¡°No. But that doesn''t mean I have to like them.¡± Reggie grumbled. ¡°But enough about me, what are your plans? Still undecided?¡±


    ¡°There''s not much point in deciding until I''ve gotten my advancement.¡± Aaron replied. ¡°I''d like to get into making ability gear, but to do that my ability would need an advancement that lets me scan things faster, or it''d take me months to get anything done. But if all else fails, I can probably get a good job as a business manager or something.¡±


    Reggie shuddered. ¡°I fear for your future employees. I still have nightmares from our last group project.¡±


    Aaron rolled his eyes. ¡°Well maybe if you''d actually been doing your part of the assignment, I wouldn''t have had to take such drastic measures.¡±


    ¡°I was getting to it!¡± Reggie protested.


    ¡°No, you were procrastinating. I wasn''t about to let your last minute half-assery drag down my GPA with valedictorian on the line!¡± Aaron retorted.


    Reggie threw up his hands in frustration. ¡°Why do you even care?!? Valedictorian doesn''t mean shit and I know you know that!¡±


    ¡°How dare you besmirch our school''s highest academic honor!¡± Aaron gasped in mock offense, before breaking out into a grin. ¡°Besides, can you imagine the looks on everyone''s faces when I claim credit for every prank I''ve done over the past four years in my speech? It''s going to be glorious.¡±


    Reggie¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Even the crane one?¡±


    Aaron¡¯s grin widened. ¡°Especially the crane one.¡±


    *


    The trip to the arena was quick and uneventful. Once they arrived they were cycled through the changing rooms to get their armor and equipment ready before being seated in the stands to wait for the exam to start. ¡°So, what monster are you facing today?¡± Reggie asked once they got settled. They were given an information packet before the exam so they could prepare appropriately.


    ¡°A gremlin.¡± Aaron replied. ¡°Its ability is some sort of psychic tech control, so it should be an easy fight.¡±


    Reggie raised an eyebrow. ¡°A gremlin. And you''re fighting it with a hammer?¡± He scoffed, nudging the large warhammer sitting by Aaron''s feet.


    Aaron rolled his eyes. ¡°We can''t all be combat geniuses who''ve mastered a thousand different weapons. I actually know how to use a hammer, so even if it isn''t ideal against something as small and agile as a gremlin, it''s better than going in with a weapon I can barely wield. Besides, the thing is going to be half loopy with drugs, so I doubt it''s going to even matter.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right, you non-combatants get your hands held for this shit.¡± Reggie snorted. ¡°Meanwhile I have to face a freaking orc at practically full power.¡±


    ¡°Which won¡¯t even be able to scratch you through your defenses.¡± Aaron pointed out. ¡°Besides, it''s good practice. I''m not getting past the soldier tier, but you''re going to need this experience to hit elite.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Reggie waved dismissively. Everyone knew the government did more to help non-combatants than combatants in the combat exam, since without a combat ability it wasn''t likely they''d be able to do it on their own. Unfortunately the soldier tier was the last one where that kind of hand holding actually worked, since the requirements to advance became more and more stringent the further you rose. Getting your civilian tier ability only required a finishing blow, advancing to soldier tier required you to actually fight the monster, though it could be weakened beforehand, and getting to the elite tier forced you to beat the monster almost entirely on your own. Aaron wasn''t sure what the requirements were for master or grand master tier, but they were definitely worse than elite tier, which meant it wasn''t something he''d be getting anywhere near.


    Aaron¡¯s name was announced about half an hour in. ¡°Good luck!¡± Reggie yelled after him as he made his way down to the arena floor.


    ¡°You too!¡± Aaron yelled back, giving him a thumbs up.


    Once he made it down, one of the coordinators waved him down and led him to the combat area where a groggy looking gremlin was waiting in a cage. ¡°Is this the correct monster?¡± The coordinator asked to confirm.


    Aaron nodded as he hefted his warhammer. ¡°Yeah, gremlin, psychic tech control, right?¡±


    ¡°Excellent. Let me know when you''re ready.¡± The coordinator replied.


    Aaron gave his hammer a few test swings before giving the coordinator another nod. ¡°I''m ready.¡±


    ¡°Please step into the circle.¡± They ordered, a barrier snapping into place as he did, the cage popping open a moment later. The gremlin immediately leapt out of the cage, hissing angrily as it scrambled clumsily towards him. Aaron waited cautiously for the gremlin to lunge at him, dodging to the side as he sent a quick swipe at the gremlin¡¯s shoulder, sending it stumbling before bringing his hammer back around for a heavier blow, the gremlin scrambling out of the way but Aaron still clipping its heel with a sickening crunch that had the gremlin screeching in pain. Aaron pushed forward with a few more light swings to keep the gremlin off balance as he got into position for another heavy blow, bringing it down on the gremlin¡¯s head and finishing the fight.


    Aaron let out a relieved sigh as the tension left his body. Weakened or not, monsters were dangerous opponents. He eyed the gremlin¡¯s long, razor sharp claws, then sighed again. There was a reason only those with combat abilities ventured out into the wilds to face the monsters. It was a lot easier to fight one when you had steel skin or could throw fireballs.


    ¡°You''re going to have to finish it off.¡± The coordinator commented, pulling Aaron from his thoughts.


    Aaron blinked, looking down at the gremlin and noticing that it was still breathing weakly despite the blow he''d delivered to its skull. ¡°Shit, sorry.¡± Aaron cursed, quickly raising his hammer and bringing it down again as hard as he could, crushing through the gremlin''s skull. Aaron froze as the moment the gremlin died a surge of energy flowed into him and formed into a golden card with the image of the gremlin on it in his mental space.


    ¡°It''s fine, monsters can be deceptively hard to kill, particularly the little one''s like these.¡± The coordinator chuckled, then paused, frowning slightly as he looked between Aaron and the gremlin. ¡°Ah, shoot. I''m sorry, this happens sometimes. Some mistake with the drug dose, a mistake matching up your power levels, or any number of other factors.¡± The coordinator sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you''ll still get your advancement, you just need to see the lead examiner for a fresh assessment so we can get you a new monster.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I- didn''t advance?¡± Aaron asked numbly, mentally eyeing the new golden card and nudging it slightly to create a perfect simulation of the gremlin, wondering why it was golden and how he''d even gotten it. Did he get cards from killing things? What was the point of that? Why would he want to simulate something that no longer exists?


    The coordinator raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you feel like you advanced?¡± Aaron hesitated and the coordinator chuckled. ¡°That''s a no then. Trust me, when your advancement happens, it''s obvious. It isn''t something you''d miss.¡± They waved for Aaron to follow. ¡°Come on, let''s get you reevaluated and on your way.¡±


    The coordinator led him away from the combat area, waving down a man Aaron assumed was the lead examiner. ¡°Sorry, sir, we got a botched advancement here.¡±


    The lead examiner clicked their tongue in disappointment. ¡°Unfortunate. Well, come on then, let''s get you a fresh assessment so we don''t mess this up again.¡± They led Aaron to one of the arena''s assessment rooms, running him through a series of tests for strength, speed, agility, reaction time, durability, stamina, energy level and so on. ¡°Hm¡­ I''m not seeing anything that far off from your previous assessment.¡± The lead examiner commented. ¡°You aren''t hiding any secret combat capabilities, are you?¡±


    ¡°I don''t think so?¡± Aaron replied, frowning slightly. ¡°Unless the fact that if I spend a few months studying an opponent in order to predict what they''ll do counts? Once my ability gets a good understanding of someone it can be scarily accurate.¡±


    The lead examiner shook their head. ¡°No, that shouldn''t be a factor. If your ability isn''t currently acting on the monster it won''t affect your assessment.¡± They studied Aaron thoughtfully for a moment. ¡°Alright then, I have one more test to do before we try again. This way.¡± They led him downstairs to what appeared to be the monster storage area, taking him to a sectioned off part full of cages with unconscious monsters. They grabbed a spear from a nearby stand and handed it to him before pointing at one of the monsters, some sort of ape-like monster that Aaron wasn''t familiar with. ¡°Kill this one.¡±


    Aaron blinked. ¡°While it''s in the cage?¡± He asked skeptically.


    The lead examiner nodded. ¡°Yes. Don''t worry, these monsters are prepared specifically for this purpose.¡±


    ¡°But- don''t you have to actually fight for your advancement?¡± Aaron replied tentatively.


    The lead examiner chuckled. ¡°Yes, but that isn''t what we''re testing here. Now please, kill the monster.¡±


    Aaron eyed them cautiously for a moment, but they seemed completely sincere. ¡°Okay then¡­¡± He muttered, stepping up to the cage and sticking the spear through the bars, lining it up with where the ape''s heart should be, and then giving it a firm thrust. The monster didn''t even twitch. Aaron pulled the spear back out, then turned to the lead examiner. ¡°Now what?¡±


    ¡°Now we wait for it to actually die.¡± The lead examiner commented blandly. ¡°Heart wounds can take a few minutes to actually kill something.¡±


    Aaron paused, glancing back at the monster. ¡°Should I try to get the brain then?¡±


    The lead examiner shook their head. ¡°No, it doesn''t need to be fully dead for the kill to take effect. Just-¡± Aaron tensed as a family surge of energy flowed into him, the lead examiner grinning as they noticed. ¡°-there. Now, please accept the new one. It will be more useful for you.¡±


    ¡°What-¡± Aaron began, giving them a baffled look, cutting off as it suddenly became clear. After the new energy formed into a card, it immediately began to deteriorate, slowly losing its golden luster. ¡°How- how do I choose it?¡±


    ¡°Just focus on keeping it.¡± The lead examiner explained. ¡°It should be simple.¡±


    Aaron nodded, focusing on the new card with the intent that he wanted to keep this one. The moment he did the gremlin card began to lose its luster while the ape card stabilized. It only took maybe a dozen seconds for the gremlin¡¯s gold color to fade completely, and then¡­ ¡°Gah!¡± Aaron gasped as a flash of pain sent him stumbling! Muscles twisted, organs throbbed, and bones itched as he felt subtle changes begin to take place throughout his entire body! ¡°What- What is happening to me!?!¡± Aaron growled through gritted teeth.


    ¡°You''re just experiencing a body refinement.¡± The lead examiner assured him. ¡°Don''t worry, it will pass soon, and I''ve heard the first is always the worst. Something about priming you for future refinements.¡± They smiled as the tension left his body, the refinement having run its course. ¡°Congratulations, Aaron. You''re a Reaper.¡±


    The Achievement Dungeon


    [Achievement unlocked: Awaken the Dungeon!]


    [Goblinoid blueprint added to profile!]


    [Assigning starting weapon¡­ You have gained a Sturdy Spear! Auto equipped to primary weapon slot.]


    [Enter Dungeon?]


    Evan blinked at the notifications as they appeared, ignoring them for a moment as he looked around the misty non-space he''d found himself in. Which made sense, since he was supposed to be asleep. ¡°Holy shit, is this a lucid dream?!?¡± He muttered, an edge of excitement filling his voice. He''d always wanted to lucid dream! He hopped slightly, trying to fly, but¡­ nothing. ¡°No?¡± He frowned, scratching his head. He looked around again. This had to be a dream¡­ Right? ¡°Am I doing it wrong?¡± He refocused on the notifications. Maybe they had something to do with it? He read through them real quick, his frown deepening as he did. ¡°I awakened a dungeon? And got a spear?¡± He looked down at his empty hands and at the ground around him, noting the complete absence of spears. ¡°Where''s my- whoa!¡± He cut off as a spear appeared in his hands. ¡°Huh¡­ yeah, this has got to be a dream.¡± He nodded firmly, before pausing. ¡°But why can''t I fly?¡±


    Evan considered the problem for a moment, did a few more hops, swung his spear around a few times, and paced a circle around the notification window before shrugging. ¡°Guess I''ll-¡± He cut off as an arch appeared in front of him. ¡°-see what this dungeon is about¡­¡± He finished hesitantly, eyeing the arch cautiously. As much as he was pretty certain this was a dream, now that he was actually looking at the arch, he was¡­ hesitant. What if this wasn''t a dream? What if he got hurt? He glanced at the spear. Maybe he should test? He lifted the spear up, placing the edge of the blade against the fleshy side of his arm and lightly sliding it across, creating a small¡­ blue line? Some kind of smokey, misty substance beaded out of the small wound, just like blood would, before dissipating. It continued to do this for a few seconds until the wound closed, and about a minute later, it was completely gone. Evan let out a relieved sigh. ¡°Alright, definitely a dream. Definitely, definitely a dream.¡± He reassured himself.


    Evan eyed the arch once more, before setting his shoulders and stepping through, ready for whatever he might find. The moment he passed through, he found himself in a small, square room with three hallways leading deeper and in the middle¡­ a goblin. Evan froze for a moment as he stared at the creature, only to flinch as it screeched, charging at him! Evan instinctively pushed his spear towards the goblin and- it ran right into it, the spear sliding smoothly through its chest. Almost too smoothly¡­ Evan blinked incredulously as the goblin dissipated into blue smoke, leaving a small glowing orb floating there. Evan looked around, making sure there were no other goblins around, before reaching out tentatively towards the orb. The moment his fingers brushed it, it popped.


    [You have gained a crude shiv! Automatically equipped to core slot.]


    [Achievement gained: First Kill!]


    [You have unlocked the Equipment tab!]


    [You have unlocked the Inventory tab!]


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Evan grunted as two blue icons appeared in the corner of his vision. ¡°This is a weirdly complex dream¡­¡± He muttered, clicking on the icons. The one with a suit of armor on it opened up what looked like a classic video game equipment tab and the one with a chest on it opened up a window with five empty boxes. ¡°Weirdly complex¡­¡± He glanced around the room. ¡°Hallway number one, I guess?¡± He shrugged, heading down the hallway on the right. ¡°This dream better get a lot less confusing and a bunch more interesting soon, or- shit!¡± Evan cursed as the floor opened up beneath him, sending him tumbling into a pit full of spikes! He felt a sharp spike of pain and then everything went dark.


    *


    Evan groaned as he rolled over, hand slapping for his phone to turn off the blaring  alarm. He relaxed as the alarm was silenced, snuggling back under the covers, only to grimace as something slimy rubbed against his cheek. ¡°God damn it.¡± He grumbled as he wiped at the drool that had accumulated at the corner of his lips, wondering why he''d suddenly started drooling so much. He''d barely ever had to deal with it before, but now he was doing it practically every night! For like a week!


    Evan continued to lie in bed for a few more minutes, savoring a few more moments of rest before letting out a sigh and rolling out of bed, making his way to the bathroom to take care of his daily hygiene before heading into work, autopiloting through most of it, barely even opening his eyes through the entire process. Evan was decidedly not a morning person. He was already a few bites into his cereal before full consciousness finally broke through the morning haze, and Evan froze, finally noticing two small, unobtrusive, blue icons hidden in the upper right corner of his vision, practically in a blind spot unless he actually looked at them. Evan just stared at them for a moment before letting out a groan. ¡°It''s too damn early for this.¡± He grumbled, ignoring the icons for now as he refocused on his cereal.


    Evan quickly finished eating before exiting his apartment, locking it behind him and descending a small flight of stairs to get out of the building. He merged with the rest of the morning work crowd as he made his way to the subway, his destination only a few stops away. He was currently working for a small financial firm in a middle management position, which for a twenty-six year old only four years past graduation wasn''t half bad, at least in his opinion. He was definitely financially secure, particularly considering some of his smarter investments over the past few years. If he played his cards right, he might even be able to secure himself an early retirement sometime in his late forties! Not that he''d actually do it¡­ sitting around the house doing nothing just sounded boring, but it''d be nice to not need a job, freeing him to pursue projects he actually enjoyed, instead of just what made him money. Unless, of course, something came along to derail all his plans¡­ something like two little icons floating in the corner of his eye.


    Evan sighed, shaking his head as he sat down at his desk, hitting the power button on his computer and leaning back in his chair to wait for it to boot up, his attention drifting to the icons. He hesitated for a moment, before focusing on opening the equipment tab. It had a head slot, a torso slot, a legs slot, a boots slot, a gloves slot, primary and secondary weapons slots which were both occupied by his spear, two ring slots, a necklace slot, and finally a core slot which was occupied by the shiv. ¡°What the hell is a core slot?¡± Evan muttered as he studied the page. The rest were pretty self explanatory, nothing he hadn''t seen before, but the core slot was new, and obviously significant in some way. Where the rest of the slots were off to the side of the avatar, five on each side, the core slot was in the center of it, in the middle of the avatar''s chest, glowing slightly. Then, as he focused on it, a small window popped up.


    [Crude shiv (Common - 1)


    Core ability: Stealth]


    Evan stared at the window for a moment, before dismissing it and focusing on the spear.


    [Sturdy spear (Common - 1)


    Core ability: Lunge]


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Evan grunted. He then turned back to the core slot, attempting to focus on the slot itself, to see if it gave him any more information.


    [Core slot: Equipment placed in this slot grants the user an ability and an overall performance boost based on the equipment, level, and rarity.


    Current ability: Stealth


    Current performance boost: 10%]


    Again, Evan couldn''t help but stare at the window. It wasn''t that any of it was confusing. If anything, it was quite clear. He just wasn''t sure if he could believe it. Evan certainly didn''t feel like he had a ten percent boost going for him, but how would he even notice something like that? Did he walk slightly faster than normal? Was he thinking faster? Were things slightly easier to see? The only answer he had for any of his questions was maybe. He honestly just couldn''t tell, particularly not in his small office that barely fit his desk and a few shelves. Maybe if he went to a gym or something? Or he could just- Evan summoned the spear to his hand, just as easily as he''d done it in the dream. ¡°Well¡­ what the hell am I going to do with all this?¡±


    *


    ¡°Evan!¡± Hank waved him down as he headed out of the office for lunch. Hank was another one of the middle managers with the firm. He was more on the people side while Evan was more on the technical side, but they''d bonded since they were two of the younger managers, Hank only a few years older than Evan. ¡°Where you heading? Lunch?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, forgot to grab the bag from the fridge this morning.¡± Evan explained. ¡°Wanna join?¡±


    ¡°Fuck yeah.¡± Hank agreed. ¡°I was looking for an excuse to avoid the eggplant bullshit my wife made for me. This freaking vegan health kick she''s on¡­¡± He shook his head, sighing heavily.


    Evan chuckled. ¡°That''s what you get for marrying a freaking fitness model, dude. Did you really think she was going to let you keep eating garbage every day?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Hank grumbled. ¡°Speaking of, how''d your date go?¡±


    Evan grimaced. ¡°She was nice but¡­ I don''t know, I just couldn''t find anything to get excited about, you know? It was so close to something amazing, but it never quite got there, and I''m just not sure what to do with it. It''s like¡­ I don''t know, I get the feeling that if we kept going, we''d end up being one of those couples that dates for years but never goes any further.¡±


    ¡°Oof, so no second date?¡± Hank asked.


    Evan hesitated. ¡°I think I at least owe her a second date, just to see if the first one was a fluke or something. I mean, it isn''t like there was anything wrong with her. Honestly, she seems pretty great. Just¡­ no spark, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Hank grunted. ¡°Well, I''m sure you''ll figure it out. Anything else going on with you?¡±


    Evan paused as they got into the elevator. No one else was around, and their building didn''t put cameras in the elevators, so¡­ ¡°Well, either I''m going crazy or I triggered last night.¡±


    Hank blinked. ¡°Eh?¡±


    ¡°I had a dream about killing a goblin and now I have blue boxes in the corner of my vision.¡± Evan explained. ¡°I am supposedly equipped with a spear, which I can summon like so.¡± Evan held out his hand as the spear appeared in it.


    Hank gaped at the spear. ¡°You- you-¡±


    ¡°Oh good, you can see it.¡± Evan let out a relieved sigh. Part of the reason he was showing Hank any of this was to confirm if it was just in his head or not. ¡°Huh¡­ guess I''m an enhanced. Who would have thought?¡± He shrugged, dismissing the spear.


    ¡°What the fuck!?!¡± Hank hissed. ¡°How- where- why would you show me that?!?¡±


    ¡°Because I wasn''t sure if I was crazy or not, and I trust you not to bullshit me?¡± Evan replied tentatively. ¡°Why wouldn''t I show you?¡±


    ¡°Because you have superpowers!¡± Hank exclaimed. ¡°I''m pretty sure the first rule of having superpowers is don''t talk about having superpowers!¡±


    Evan rolled his eyes. ¡°Dude, that''s fight club.¡±


    Hank frowned. ¡°Why can''t it be both? Either way your goal is to avoid drawing attention to yourself.¡±


    Evan raised an eyebrow. ¡°What, are you going to tell anyone?¡±


    ¡°No, but¡­¡± Hank trailed off, before letting out a sigh. ¡°Okay, you got me. But what the hell man?!? How did you trigger?!?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Evan shrugged as the elevator reached the ground floor and the two made their way out of the building. ¡°Literally, I had what I thought was a lucid dream last night where I got a spear, entered a dungeon, killed one freaking goblin, and then immediately fell into a pit trap. Oh, and I also got a shiv, but that''s in my core slot, so I don''t think¡­ yeah, I can''t summon it. Anyway, I woke up this morning and the two icons from the dream were still there. So now I have equipment and an inventory, and I''m not sure what to do with any of it.¡±


    Hank paused. ¡°Inventory?¡±


    ¡°Only works on dungeon items. I checked.¡± Evan replied. He''d tried putting a pencil in it back in his office, and it hadn''t done a thing, but he''d easily moved his equipment in and out of it.


    Hank clicked his tongue. ¡°Damn. Can you re-enter the dungeon?¡±


    ¡°No idea. I haven''t tried yet, but I assume I''ll be able to¡­ doesn''t make a lot of sense if I can''t.¡± Evan commented. He wasn''t sure how he''d enter the dungeon though¡­ maybe it''d be a dream again?


    Hank nodded. ¡°Sure, right¡­ Damn, not a lot to go on, huh?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, at least.¡± Evan agreed. ¡°But you know, it did just happen.¡±


    Hank grunted. ¡°Are you going to do anything with it?¡±


    Evan snorted. ¡°Like what, fight crime? Hell no. I mean, if I see someone in trouble I''ll do something about it, but I''d do that with or without powers. I''ll leave all the running around and trying to get yourself killed to the people who are freaking bulletproof. At least they don''t need to worry about some random crook getting a lucky shot.¡±


    Hank chuckled. ¡°Fair enough. But you have to do something with your enhancement. Otherwise what''s the point in having it?¡±


    Evan rolled his eyes. ¡°There is no point. It isn''t like I asked for this shit, you know? There are certain things I want out of life, and if this enhancement doesn''t help me get those things, then what''s the point of it? So yeah, if my enhancement is helpful for my job or something, sure, I''ll use it, but otherwise I don''t need it, so why should I do anything with it?¡±


    ¡°That''s- fair, I guess.¡± Hank muttered. ¡°Though it does make you one of the most boring enhanced I''ve ever heard of.¡±


    ¡°That''s because you only hear about the ones out there doing shit.¡± Evan pointed out. ¡°The boring ones don''t become famous.¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± Hank sighed. ¡°Damn it, dude, you had me thinking you were letting me in on some huge secret back there! Letting me into your secret life as a crime fighter! This is barely even gossip!¡±


    ¡°Hey, that''s on you man.¡± Evan protested. ¡°I made it very clear I didn''t think this was a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Hank waved dismissively. ¡°Worst. Enhanced. Ever.¡±


    Evan snorted. ¡°Fuck you. I''m telling Amber you hate her cooking.¡±


    Hank shuddered. ¡°Dude, don''t even joke about that.¡±


    Evan grinned. ¡°Who says I''m joking?¡±


    *


    After convincing Hank to pay for his lunch in exchange for his silence as if they didn''t always take turns paying when they went out, Evan got back to work, putting his enhancement out of his mind and falling into a familiar routine, pretty much ignoring it for the rest of the day. Once he got back home he took the spear out and twirled it a few times for fun, but that was it. He truly had no plans to ever use his enhancement. Why would he? His life was good! Why would he fuck that up just because he randomly acquired some weird superpower? And Evan was fully confident in that assertion until he went to sleep and woke up in the same misty non-space from the previous night.


    [Enter Dungeon?]


    Evan hesitated as he stared at the prompt. A part of him figured he should just leave and get back to sleep, but¡­ Well, there was no reason not to explore the dungeon, right? He''d already proved dying in the dungeon wouldn''t affect him in reality, and it wasn''t like he was doing anything else while he slept, so why not? Maybe if it started affecting the quality of his sleep he''d stop, but until then¡­ Why not fight some goblins?


    Evan summoned the arch and stepped into the dungeon, finding himself in the same room as last time, and just like last time the goblin screeched and rushed at him. Evan summoned his spear, thrusting it towards the goblin, and¡­ it dodged! ¡°Shit- gah!¡± Evan cried, raising his arm to block as the goblin leapt at him, crying out in pain as it dug its teeth into his arm! He swung his arm, bashing the goblin into a wall then bringing his spear back around to stab it through the chest. ¡°Fucking-¡± Evan began to growl as the goblin dissolved into blue smoke, pausing as he saw the wound on his arm slowly healing. ¡°Oh, right¡­ dream.¡± He muttered, having forgotten in the heat of combat. He shook his head as he grabbed the orb from the goblin and a notification informed him he''d received a leather chestplate, which was automatically equipped to his torso slot. He summoned the armor, briefly examining its plain leather before shrugging and continuing deeper, heading down the right path again. ¡°Alright, now, where was that pit trap?¡± He muttered, cautiously examining the hall as he carefully walked down it, pausing as he caught sight of what looked like a loose tile and giving it a poke with his spear, causing a large section of the floor to collapse. Evan navigated around the pit, watching out for any more traps as he continued down the hallway, pausing once he got to the end and peeking into the room, finding a group of three goblins waiting for him. Evan considered it for a moment, then shrugged. ¡°Fuck it.¡±


    He rushed into the room, stabbing at the nearest goblin, catching it in the shoulder then leaping back as the other two whirled on him with angry shrieks. He waved his spear wildly as they charged, keeping the goblins at bay, until they started to circle him, each one moving in a different direction. Evan cursed under his breath, lunging at one of them before the other could get behind him, but the goblin managed to scramble out of the way, Evan only managing to clip its side, and before he could recover the other goblin leapt on his back, chomping down on his neck! Evan cried out in pain, whirling around in a panic as he tried to throw the goblin off, only for the first goblin to jump in and bite his arm, causing him to drop his spear! In the meantime the third goblin recovered from his initial attack, just in time to rush in and grab the spear, turning it on him and stabbing him in the gut! Finally the goblin on his back managed to tear a chunk out of his throat and Evan collapsed, everything going black.


    The next morning Evan blinked awake, staring at the ceiling blankly for a moment, before reaching for his alarm and turning it off. ¡°Well¡­¡± He sighed as he rolled out of bed. ¡°That could have gone better.¡± He paused. ¡°Should I take some fighting lessons?¡± He wondered, then shook his head. That''d be taking all this too seriously. If he wasn''t going to use his enhancement, then the dungeon wasn''t important, it was just something to have fun with while he slept. He''d just have to figure out how to beat those goblins on his own.